On how it feels to have won two in a row …
“It feels good to get back on the winning side. It makes you want more. The preparation has begun for this next opponent, who we are looking forward to playing.”
On what the UTEP game film showed him …
“A really good performance by our defensive team that went out there and was really good on third down. Guys that stepped in roles and took care of their responsibilities. A defense that for the second week in a row converted a turnover into a touchdown and then set up two others. (A defense) that was real stingy and played well. An offense that in the second half really came on, had a drive that was 17 plays, eight-plus minutes and 10 minutes total (time of possession) in the third quarter, and then in the fourth quarter was able to get the ball with five minutes and 22 seconds left and not turn it back over to their offense to be of threat, and picked up consecutive first downs and played solid football the way it’s meant to be played to ensure victory.”
On the players that stood out on the offensive line, specifically on the long drive …
“I think collectively. We ran the ball well during that time. I thought the entire unit, all five of them that were in the game, including a young (tight end) Chance McLeod. We started (Dominic) Pastucci but they both (Josh Dunlop) played about 35-40 snaps apiece. What we’ve seen is we’re better when those guys play about that many snaps. They’re at their best as opposed to one of them getting 70 snaps. When they’re able to share the reps, I would say they’re at optimal level. They’re playing their best at that time. Yes, it’s a change. It’s something we monitored that when we do our self-study, our self-scout, we look when our players are most productive at what part of the game and where we have some drop off, and then we have done things to try and accommodate that.”
On the upcoming stretch of games …
“It’s November. People remember what you do in November. For us, there’s no greater game than this one. It’s FIU, on the road, a quality team, an excellent football coach and a front four, front seven that’s really, really good. It’s not that they’re so exotic and do all these different things and prowl around. Old school Miami when he (Butch Davis) was there, a 4-3 defense. They come off and they hit you in the mouth and they pursue to the ball.”
On if the team is still improving …
“You think about early on and how many times from an offensive standpoint, the defense had to go back on the field to ensure victory, and now not just with a two- or four-minute drill, but with 5:22 left to go put away the game and allow us to get into a victory formation. A defense that improved dramatically, both offense and defense, in a third-down situation. We talked about we had to be better. We won third down from an offensive standpoint right under 50 percent and well above that for our defense in yielding third-down pickups for them.”
On the time of possession and controlling the ball …
“I want us to take care of the football. I want us to either have an explosive play or be able to be disciplined enough to put a string of plays together. When you realize what it takes, a 17-play drive. That’s not easy now. The discipline, the attention, the precision it takes to go that long, that consistent is something any coach would be thrilled to have, because it speaks to your team that they can, they can do the things necessary to win a game. You know, a big play we all love, and I love those, too. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it’s by error or a defensive player being errant in his approach, a missed tackle or falling down, or somebody just getting behind them. That happens. You can have a big play by miscue. But to put a 17-play drive together is very complimentary of that unit.”
On the play of Blaze Moorhead at receiver on Saturday …
“He had two catches. I think he may have had 20-plus plays, maybe 30. Just working hard, really improving himself that we can trust him to go into the game and contribute. He’s done a good job.”
On Brady Jones and his status after the big hit he took on Saturday …
“He’s good. He went back into the game. I got him off punt return though. He snuck out there once because he wasn’t supposed to be out there after that. What a tough kid, a courageous kid he is. He just wants to compete and contribute.”
On the conference race …
“We’ve just got to do our part. We have to rely on other people. We can’t control that, though. If we do our part we put ourselves in position of having an opportunity, and that’s all we can control. What other teams may do and how that will shake out is going to happen, but if we do our part that’s all we can do. All we need is a number. The number is one. Let’s get this one this week to get to six. This one. Don’t worry about down the line, this or that. None of that matters. FIU matters. They have every ounce of our attention that you could garner to an opponent. They have that from us. When I say six, I’m not saying that’s the ultimate number for our season. The number is nine now because that’s what is realistic, but this week in order to get to any number we have to get to six. So, I wasn’t saying let’s get to six so we can become bowl eligible. I’m saying let’s get to six because that’s the next number.”
On the play of Dalton Sturm at quarterback on Saturday …
“We dropped some balls that were uncharacteristic of us, and at various positions, the tight end did, the back did, couple of receivers did, that’s considered a drop. Now, were those passes always as accurate as you like it to be. When I speak to Dalton, it’s ‘pin it on them. Make it a catchable ball. Don’t make him have to bend down there.’ When I talk to that guy it’s ‘you have to make that catch. It touched your hand. Make the catch.’ So, we share in responsibility of it.”
On the interceptions from Nate Gaines and Devron Davis in the UTEP victory …
“They had an impressive drive going there and began to become a threat to us. We get a little pressure on the quarterback and they try to run a wheel route and Eric Banks is in good position, turned the guy out of the backfield, and he throws it up there out of kind of desperation trying to make a play, and Nate’s right there in position and catches it and gets some yardage up the field. It was good to see that. The next time, Devron squeezed the receiver and came off of him. One went vertical, two released to the flat and he’s sitting right there, catches it and he has enough awareness to get going and runs it in for a touchdown. Any time you have your defense that can not just create turnovers but can create touchdowns, that’s a big deal and we’ve had a couple of them this year.”
“It feels good to get back on the winning side. It makes you want more. The preparation has begun for this next opponent, who we are looking forward to playing.”
On what the UTEP game film showed him …
“A really good performance by our defensive team that went out there and was really good on third down. Guys that stepped in roles and took care of their responsibilities. A defense that for the second week in a row converted a turnover into a touchdown and then set up two others. (A defense) that was real stingy and played well. An offense that in the second half really came on, had a drive that was 17 plays, eight-plus minutes and 10 minutes total (time of possession) in the third quarter, and then in the fourth quarter was able to get the ball with five minutes and 22 seconds left and not turn it back over to their offense to be of threat, and picked up consecutive first downs and played solid football the way it’s meant to be played to ensure victory.”
On the players that stood out on the offensive line, specifically on the long drive …
“I think collectively. We ran the ball well during that time. I thought the entire unit, all five of them that were in the game, including a young (tight end) Chance McLeod. We started (Dominic) Pastucci but they both (Josh Dunlop) played about 35-40 snaps apiece. What we’ve seen is we’re better when those guys play about that many snaps. They’re at their best as opposed to one of them getting 70 snaps. When they’re able to share the reps, I would say they’re at optimal level. They’re playing their best at that time. Yes, it’s a change. It’s something we monitored that when we do our self-study, our self-scout, we look when our players are most productive at what part of the game and where we have some drop off, and then we have done things to try and accommodate that.”
On the upcoming stretch of games …
“It’s November. People remember what you do in November. For us, there’s no greater game than this one. It’s FIU, on the road, a quality team, an excellent football coach and a front four, front seven that’s really, really good. It’s not that they’re so exotic and do all these different things and prowl around. Old school Miami when he (Butch Davis) was there, a 4-3 defense. They come off and they hit you in the mouth and they pursue to the ball.”
On if the team is still improving …
“You think about early on and how many times from an offensive standpoint, the defense had to go back on the field to ensure victory, and now not just with a two- or four-minute drill, but with 5:22 left to go put away the game and allow us to get into a victory formation. A defense that improved dramatically, both offense and defense, in a third-down situation. We talked about we had to be better. We won third down from an offensive standpoint right under 50 percent and well above that for our defense in yielding third-down pickups for them.”
On the time of possession and controlling the ball …
“I want us to take care of the football. I want us to either have an explosive play or be able to be disciplined enough to put a string of plays together. When you realize what it takes, a 17-play drive. That’s not easy now. The discipline, the attention, the precision it takes to go that long, that consistent is something any coach would be thrilled to have, because it speaks to your team that they can, they can do the things necessary to win a game. You know, a big play we all love, and I love those, too. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it’s by error or a defensive player being errant in his approach, a missed tackle or falling down, or somebody just getting behind them. That happens. You can have a big play by miscue. But to put a 17-play drive together is very complimentary of that unit.”
On the play of Blaze Moorhead at receiver on Saturday …
“He had two catches. I think he may have had 20-plus plays, maybe 30. Just working hard, really improving himself that we can trust him to go into the game and contribute. He’s done a good job.”
On Brady Jones and his status after the big hit he took on Saturday …
“He’s good. He went back into the game. I got him off punt return though. He snuck out there once because he wasn’t supposed to be out there after that. What a tough kid, a courageous kid he is. He just wants to compete and contribute.”
On the conference race …
“We’ve just got to do our part. We have to rely on other people. We can’t control that, though. If we do our part we put ourselves in position of having an opportunity, and that’s all we can control. What other teams may do and how that will shake out is going to happen, but if we do our part that’s all we can do. All we need is a number. The number is one. Let’s get this one this week to get to six. This one. Don’t worry about down the line, this or that. None of that matters. FIU matters. They have every ounce of our attention that you could garner to an opponent. They have that from us. When I say six, I’m not saying that’s the ultimate number for our season. The number is nine now because that’s what is realistic, but this week in order to get to any number we have to get to six. So, I wasn’t saying let’s get to six so we can become bowl eligible. I’m saying let’s get to six because that’s the next number.”
On the play of Dalton Sturm at quarterback on Saturday …
“We dropped some balls that were uncharacteristic of us, and at various positions, the tight end did, the back did, couple of receivers did, that’s considered a drop. Now, were those passes always as accurate as you like it to be. When I speak to Dalton, it’s ‘pin it on them. Make it a catchable ball. Don’t make him have to bend down there.’ When I talk to that guy it’s ‘you have to make that catch. It touched your hand. Make the catch.’ So, we share in responsibility of it.”
On the interceptions from Nate Gaines and Devron Davis in the UTEP victory …
“They had an impressive drive going there and began to become a threat to us. We get a little pressure on the quarterback and they try to run a wheel route and Eric Banks is in good position, turned the guy out of the backfield, and he throws it up there out of kind of desperation trying to make a play, and Nate’s right there in position and catches it and gets some yardage up the field. It was good to see that. The next time, Devron squeezed the receiver and came off of him. One went vertical, two released to the flat and he’s sitting right there, catches it and he has enough awareness to get going and runs it in for a touchdown. Any time you have your defense that can not just create turnovers but can create touchdowns, that’s a big deal and we’ve had a couple of them this year.”
