Mike Houston's Weekly Press Conference Quotes
November 21, 2023 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Fifth-year East Carolina Head Football Coach Mike Houston addressed members of the media Tuesday morning prior to Saturday's American Athletic Conference contest against Tulsa at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The following are selected comments:
Opening Statement
"Tough loss this past weekend at Navy. We knew it would be that kind of ball game, that's the kind of game we anticipated going in: low-scoring, very close. We gave up a couple plays early defensively, but we settled in and played pretty decent for the bulk of the day defensively. At the end of the day, we were not able to capitalize on a couple of turnovers and we turned the ball over, which we talked about going in that we couldn't do that. We had to maximize our opportunities. Disappointing loss. The kids were disappointed in it also. I thought they were positive on Sunday. Excited about this weekend being back in Dowdy Ficklen Stadium. Senior Day on Saturday, and there's a group of seniors that have done a lot of things that we need to make sure we focus on this week. They've been a part of back-to-back bowl games; they were on the field last December for the Birmingham Bowl victory. This season has not been what we wanted from a win-loss perspective, but these young men have competed and been fantastic. Look forward to honoring them pregame, and then our complete focus is on Tulsa and making sure we have an opportunity to send them out the way we all want to. It's going to be a challenging matchup; Tulsa has been playing better and better as the season went on, especially the last couple of weeks. It's going to be a great matchup against a team that's playing their best ball of the year right now. Should be an exciting weekend. I know it's a holiday weekend, students will be going home, but we really want to encourage Pirate Nation to come out and support these seniors and our student athletes during their final home game of the regular season."
On the Offensive Coordination Change
"Very difficult decision. Coach (Donnie) Kirkpatrick and I have been together for a while. We've had a lot of success together and there's been a lot of really, really good times. He is disappointed in the performance of our offense and in our season overall this year just as well as I have. Donnie is someone that we all care about. We care about his family. It was a tough conversation but the one thing about him is he is always going to handle himself in a first-class manner and very professionally, so it was definitely that kind of conversation. He cares a lot about this university and this program. He's had stints here with both Skip (Holtz) and Ruff (McNeill) before coming back with me, so he's been a part of some pretty bright moments in Pirate football history. His big thing is he wants to finish off his time here, and this season, on a positive note so he's very focused on trying to help our team and our coaches figure out a way to get a win on Saturday. Have a lot of respect for the way he handled everything."
On What He's Looking for in a New Offensive Coordinator
"I think it's appropriate to get into all that stuff after the game Saturday. I really want to keep our focus where it needs to be right now and that's on Tulsa. Obviously, I have very strong thoughts on that but that needs to kind of wait until after the weekend."
On Plans to Get Raheim Jeter in Against Tulsa
"I think each and every game, and each and every part of a game, we're all going to do everything we can to give the Pirates the best chance to win. That's the primary focus, so would love to get him in if we had the opportunity. I've talked to him about that a good bit. We've been in one-score games in the fourth quarter with chances to win so those are situations that aren't ideal for a true freshman with the situation that we're in right now."
On What Jeremy Lewis and Julius Wood Mean to the Team
"I think first off, they've had their best seasons individually this year and they are both playing at a very high level right now. They're both young men that I'm very close with and have been through a lot of stuff with on the field - probably more off the field. You spend virtually every single day with them. You spend more time with them than your own family. Love both of them, proud of both of them and what they've done. I doubt they're done playing football after Saturday, I think both of them have had the kind of season to put themselves in situations to continue playing. My big focus is making sure they have a great Saturday afternoon."
On the Emotion of Senior Night
"I think it's tough. I try to keep my emotions in check. I'll try to talk to the players about keeping their emotions in check, but it is what it is. This is your life. These players have poured everything into this program and this sport. We've poured a lot into each other, so it is an emotional time. I think there's lessons learned from past years for me and the players, and I think that we'll all handle things a little bit better this year."
On Maintaining Focus On Offense
"I think number one, our entire roster is unified on trying to finish the season off the way we want to. I think that's the biggest thing. I went around and talked to all of the offensive players in their position meetings. I told them it's a part of our profession and the business. The other piece I talked to them about is just how much Coach Kirkpatrick cared about them, and cared about making sure they have success this week and this Saturday. I think they all, just like me, can respect that and I think that we'll be very unified Saturday."
On Letting it Rip During the Final Game
"That's my big thing with the players today when we meet. We need to have our best week of practice and I expect that we'll have a really good one. I expect us to go out and play freely on Saturday - very aggressive. I just want our players to go out and enjoy this game together and play the very best ball they've played all year."
On the Thanksgiving Schedule
"Obviously the rest of the student body, for the most part, is going to leave this afternoon once classes are done. There is no class Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Tomorrow we'll come in, the players will lift and meet in the morning, and we'll practice right after lunch, so a little bit earlier tomorrow - try to get them off their feet a little bit. It'll be pretty normal for the coaches as far as game prep. We will practice in the morning Thursday which is what most people do on that day. Then we'll have Thanksgiving lunch, a very traditional, southern Thanksgiving lunch together as a team Thursday after practice. The players will then have the rest of the afternoon and evening off to get off their feet. I know a lot of them have families coming into town. The coaches will try to get out of here at some point Thursday afternoon. That way our staff can see their families for Thanksgiving dinner that night. Friday and Saturday will be pretty typical as far as our schedules go."
Opening Statement
"Tough loss this past weekend at Navy. We knew it would be that kind of ball game, that's the kind of game we anticipated going in: low-scoring, very close. We gave up a couple plays early defensively, but we settled in and played pretty decent for the bulk of the day defensively. At the end of the day, we were not able to capitalize on a couple of turnovers and we turned the ball over, which we talked about going in that we couldn't do that. We had to maximize our opportunities. Disappointing loss. The kids were disappointed in it also. I thought they were positive on Sunday. Excited about this weekend being back in Dowdy Ficklen Stadium. Senior Day on Saturday, and there's a group of seniors that have done a lot of things that we need to make sure we focus on this week. They've been a part of back-to-back bowl games; they were on the field last December for the Birmingham Bowl victory. This season has not been what we wanted from a win-loss perspective, but these young men have competed and been fantastic. Look forward to honoring them pregame, and then our complete focus is on Tulsa and making sure we have an opportunity to send them out the way we all want to. It's going to be a challenging matchup; Tulsa has been playing better and better as the season went on, especially the last couple of weeks. It's going to be a great matchup against a team that's playing their best ball of the year right now. Should be an exciting weekend. I know it's a holiday weekend, students will be going home, but we really want to encourage Pirate Nation to come out and support these seniors and our student athletes during their final home game of the regular season."
On the Offensive Coordination Change
"Very difficult decision. Coach (Donnie) Kirkpatrick and I have been together for a while. We've had a lot of success together and there's been a lot of really, really good times. He is disappointed in the performance of our offense and in our season overall this year just as well as I have. Donnie is someone that we all care about. We care about his family. It was a tough conversation but the one thing about him is he is always going to handle himself in a first-class manner and very professionally, so it was definitely that kind of conversation. He cares a lot about this university and this program. He's had stints here with both Skip (Holtz) and Ruff (McNeill) before coming back with me, so he's been a part of some pretty bright moments in Pirate football history. His big thing is he wants to finish off his time here, and this season, on a positive note so he's very focused on trying to help our team and our coaches figure out a way to get a win on Saturday. Have a lot of respect for the way he handled everything."
On What He's Looking for in a New Offensive Coordinator
"I think it's appropriate to get into all that stuff after the game Saturday. I really want to keep our focus where it needs to be right now and that's on Tulsa. Obviously, I have very strong thoughts on that but that needs to kind of wait until after the weekend."
On Plans to Get Raheim Jeter in Against Tulsa
"I think each and every game, and each and every part of a game, we're all going to do everything we can to give the Pirates the best chance to win. That's the primary focus, so would love to get him in if we had the opportunity. I've talked to him about that a good bit. We've been in one-score games in the fourth quarter with chances to win so those are situations that aren't ideal for a true freshman with the situation that we're in right now."
On What Jeremy Lewis and Julius Wood Mean to the Team
"I think first off, they've had their best seasons individually this year and they are both playing at a very high level right now. They're both young men that I'm very close with and have been through a lot of stuff with on the field - probably more off the field. You spend virtually every single day with them. You spend more time with them than your own family. Love both of them, proud of both of them and what they've done. I doubt they're done playing football after Saturday, I think both of them have had the kind of season to put themselves in situations to continue playing. My big focus is making sure they have a great Saturday afternoon."
On the Emotion of Senior Night
"I think it's tough. I try to keep my emotions in check. I'll try to talk to the players about keeping their emotions in check, but it is what it is. This is your life. These players have poured everything into this program and this sport. We've poured a lot into each other, so it is an emotional time. I think there's lessons learned from past years for me and the players, and I think that we'll all handle things a little bit better this year."
On Maintaining Focus On Offense
"I think number one, our entire roster is unified on trying to finish the season off the way we want to. I think that's the biggest thing. I went around and talked to all of the offensive players in their position meetings. I told them it's a part of our profession and the business. The other piece I talked to them about is just how much Coach Kirkpatrick cared about them, and cared about making sure they have success this week and this Saturday. I think they all, just like me, can respect that and I think that we'll be very unified Saturday."
On Letting it Rip During the Final Game
"That's my big thing with the players today when we meet. We need to have our best week of practice and I expect that we'll have a really good one. I expect us to go out and play freely on Saturday - very aggressive. I just want our players to go out and enjoy this game together and play the very best ball they've played all year."
On the Thanksgiving Schedule
"Obviously the rest of the student body, for the most part, is going to leave this afternoon once classes are done. There is no class Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Tomorrow we'll come in, the players will lift and meet in the morning, and we'll practice right after lunch, so a little bit earlier tomorrow - try to get them off their feet a little bit. It'll be pretty normal for the coaches as far as game prep. We will practice in the morning Thursday which is what most people do on that day. Then we'll have Thanksgiving lunch, a very traditional, southern Thanksgiving lunch together as a team Thursday after practice. The players will then have the rest of the afternoon and evening off to get off their feet. I know a lot of them have families coming into town. The coaches will try to get out of here at some point Thursday afternoon. That way our staff can see their families for Thanksgiving dinner that night. Friday and Saturday will be pretty typical as far as our schedules go."
Players Mentioned
Saturday, April 18
Monday, April 13
Friday, April 10
Tuesday, April 07
