Tuesday Press Conference Transcript, 9/18/07
9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Below is the transcript from Montana State's football press conference on Tuesdya, September 18...
BOBCAT COACH ROB ASH
Is it hard to get a clear picture of Weber State’s offense when it is operating from behind?
“We didn’t get a lot out of either (game) because of the way the games happened. Boise got out early, Cal Poly got ahead early, so it kind of changes the thinking. My sense of them, with their good offensive line and strong running backs, that they probably prefer to run the ball more. But when you’re down you have to throw more and kind of throw that out the window. We’re anticipating that they’ll try to run at us and get behind that good offensive line to get things done on that side of the ball.”
What’s your feeling on Jimmy Barnes?
“Jimmy Barnes, he’s impressive. He’s a big guy, physical, he’s got a good arm. I can relate to what he’s going through, he’s just got there and I’m sure he’s still learning the system. You can kind of throw out what’s happened the first couple of weeks because I know it’s got to be tough to come in and learn a new terminology and vocabulary and I’m sure he’s just getting better every week, and I’m sure it will make a big difference now as they go into our game.”
How important is it to get a good start in the conference?
“We’re talking about zero-and-zero right now, throw the records out the window. The other factor is that we haven’t played a Football Championship Subdivision team yet. We’ve played a bowl team, we’ve played a Division II team, so there’s a lot of unknown quantities about our football team right now. The Big Sky Conference is very important to us. That’s our first goal every year, it’s going to be that way, to win the conference championship. You’re in a conference for a reason. Everybody has the same goal, though. Just the fact that we’re saying we’re 0-0 going in, Weber’s saying the same thing. They can throw those two games right out the window and that’s got to be a big lift for them.”
Would you like to play an FCS team before conference play?
“I think a perfect preview for our season, in terms of our non-conference schedule, would be one of each, where you would have a bowl team, a championship division team, and a Division II team in your three non-conference games, play them all before the conference season starts, then play all your conference games right on through with a bye in there somewhere. We just couldn’t do that because Southern Utah ended up being our football championship division non-conference game and they didn’t have September 8 open. But they did have October 6 open, and we needed that game, so sometimes you have to put them where the two teams can mutually agree. It just would have been better if we could have played on September 8.”
How important is it to have another good week of practice, especially starting conference play?
“Every Tuesday I’m going to say the same thing. We have to have a good week of practice. My comment to the team is that you win games on Tuesday and Wednesday, you win championships on Tuesday and Wednesday. I just happen to believe that. I’m glad the guys are saying it, because it shows that they are listening to what we’ve tried to get across to them. It makes a huge difference. I think the performance you give on Tuesday and Wednesday and the focus and concentration you put in the game plan shows up on Saturdays. We’re going to make that a point of emphasis every week. There will be a different theme every week, maybe. The theme this week is clearly getting the Big Sky started. That’s going to our theme, and that should be a good motivator this week.”
Comment on the fact in the Big Sky that if one team isn’t ready and one team is, that team is probably going to win
“That’s what I’ve noticed just looking at scores and watching tapes of previous games, getting a feel for how things go. Two things: the scores are always close, and generally teams do knock each other off as the season goes along. I think that’s tremendous. I would much rather be in a conference where there are good, closely-contested games week in and week out and several teams have a chance to finish at the top of the standings than in a conference that just has one or two good teams and it’s a one-game season. I thrive on competition, I think our players do, and I’m looking forward to have a good, tough game here on out.”
How much of getting turnovers is a mentality, and how hard do you work at that?
“The first thing we talk about is that we don’t call them turnovers, we call them takeaways, because a turnover indicates somehow that somebody just gave it to you. We want our mentality to be that we took it away. That’s a big difference, psychologically that’s a big difference for our football team. We practice it. Coach Marshall does a tackle strip drill at least once a week where they do stations, practice ripping the ball out. We talk about catching interceptions, we practice the second tackler coming in and trying to rip the ball out. We do a lot of things like that. It’s a combination of a mentality we try to establish and physical practice on taking the ball away.”
How does the momentum of a takeaway affect a team?
“I told the team, and this is the way my philosophy plays out, but I think the most important statistic in the game turnover ratio. I still say that. We talk about ball security on offense, we talk about takeaways on defense, and that ends up being your turnover ratio. Every week, when you win that battle you have a great chance to win. We also keep a chart we call the momentum ratio with special teams plays. I think that’s the second-most important thing, creating momentum with special teams. Those two are the highest priorities for us. That’s why we had a big win on Saturday, because we had big margins in both those areas.”
Were you pleased with your offensive balance on Saturday?
“Our goal is 200 of each (rushing and passing yards) and 400 total (yards), that’s where we’d like to be and I think we’re pretty close to that right now. As a coach we’re always looking for improvement everywhere, but I think the offensive line and the run game have made great strides. We’re running the same plays now for six weeks and guys are starting to figure out the finesse of it, getting the blocking schemes right against movement, getting the blocking schemes right against different fronts that we see, against blitzes, and the running back seeing the holes and adjusting to the schemes. That takes some time to put that together. A good running game only gradually comes together. That’s really an annual process. Every season, the running game takes a while to start to click. Even if you’re in your second, third, or 18th year at a school, it still takes a while for it to mesh with the new combinations that you have, personnel or whatever. We’re starting to make progress, so we need to continue to improve because we have to be able to run the football every week.”
What does Weber try to do defensively?
“Weber wants to play man-to-man with their secondary, and when you play man-to-man with a single safety that gives you one more guy in the box than what the offense can block. That’s their basic idea, they’re going to go plus-one in the box and play man-to-man. You have to choose your poison, you have to try to beat the press coverage and the man-to-man concepts on the outside, or you have to try to beat your head against the wall and try to run against plus-one in the box. It depends on what the matchups are. That will be the punch-counterpunch strategy in this game, to see which way and where we’ll have more success, whether it will be passing or running, based on how they’re playing.”
Does Weber blitz a lot of guys from different angles, like Dixie?
“They’ll bring some pressure, but basically what they’re going to try to do is lock down their wide-outs and stop you at the nucleus with everybody else.”
CORNERBACK MICHAEL BEACH
How do you feel those first two games prepared you for Big Sky play?
“The first two games were a good way for us to get a feel, to see where we were at. The first game verses a Division I school definitely let us know where we were at. We feel we played better than what the score was. And the second game, I think we all feel like we did what we were supposed to do. We had a better understanding of the defense and the offense and played better as a team, so going into Big Sky this week will really be competition at our level and we’ll really see how we play as a team together.”
Is this kind of like the beginning of another season for you guys?
“Starting Big Sky, yeah, I think it is. Anytime you get in conference play is the start of a new season. So the previous two games don’t matter but you definitely want to come out with a win in conference play.”
After the game on Saturday, Coach Ash said that the first two games actually felt like two first games, I mean, there was such a break between A &M and Dixie that it almost felt like you were starting the season over again and that this is almost like the second game. Do you guys feel that way? Do you feel like now you’re in game mode?
“I think he might have said that because the first game was away and the second game was home and again, this is Big Sky Conference week and that like starting a new season right there.”
How tough is the stretch of the season going to be from this point on?
“Yeah, we don’t have any breaks so it’s going to be a tough rest of the season and I think ever team in our conference is a good team. We’re going to have to execute in priority each week to win every game from here on out.”
What kind of style of team is Weber State?
“From film it looks like Weber, they really execute on offense, have a good quarterback, a good receiver, the receivers run… they catch the ball when it’s thrown to them. I don’t know what to say about (their) defense because I only watch them on offense, but they look good on special teams, they execute there, they’re well coached. So we just have to go out there, do our job and play hard.”
What’s the one thing after two games as a defense you would like to see improved?
“We always talk about turnovers, so after the last game I think we had four, that’s another thing we have to do is keep getting the ball loose, get the ball on the ground, make interceptions, and sticking with that make sure that we get the ball out as a defense.”
What about special teams… to see how easy it is to change a game when you score on special teams, how is that going to carry over from Dixie to the Conference season?
“We have to carry that over just game to game. You saw the two big plays that Kory (Austin) made those really help you out on special teams, and just in the game in general, by doing that and executing well special teams is really going to help us out a lot both on defense and offense.”
Do you consider yourself the big play type of player?
“Yeah, I guess you can say that, I like to go after the ball when it’s in the air, so anytime the ball’s in the air I always feel like it’s mine and it’s up for grabs. So I try my best to go and get it when it is out there.”
Is there a fine line sometimes if you go for it, sometimes when you go for it maybe it goes over your head or something like that, is that just a smart decision of whether to go for it or to try and get the guy who catches it?
“Yeah, it’s a thin line, my coaches tell me to make sure you secure the tackle, so I try to keep that in mind, but if I can get two hands on the ball, I definitely will go for it.”
Are they more of a three step drop team like Dixie in terms of if the ball’s going to come out of there quick or are they looking to you know sit back and look the defense over?
“It looks like they do a little bit of both, they’ll do three step, get the ball out quick to their slot receivers and then they also take chances downfield, they’ll give their receivers chances to go up and make the big plays.”
What have you seen of their quarterback on film, does he have a good arm?
“Oh yeah, he definitely has a strong arm, big guy back there, can take the hit, get right back up and then throw it another 60 yards as soon as he gets up.”
You were talking about turnovers a little bit before. Do you guys feel like you control the pad of the game on defense? I mean, you guys make four turnovers and obviously everything’s fine with Bobcat momentum do you think you guys are kind of the driving force behind that?
“Yeah, when you get turnovers that definitely sets the tempo for the game if you can get two or three turnovers, that’s where I was talking about plus one ratio after the game, that definitely helps out the offense, gives them good throw position, it kind of kills the other offenses momentum, it gives us momentum for the game, so we definitely just try to keep going for the ball and getting turnovers.”
How do you guys practice that, do you talk about it week in and week out? What does that do, does that mean just looking for the opportunities or practice ripping the ball away?
“Yeah, in practice they make sure that we run to the ball every single play, they count the strips on how many times sometimes in practice that we do verses the scout team or the offense, so that’s definitely how we practice it.”
How did you feel when Dan Ogden scored on the interception return?
“I think I was more excited for him to get the interception and scored than I was, seeing something like that is great and it’s always fun to see your other teammate get involved and score also.”
LINEBACKER BOBBY DALY
How do you practice getting turnovers?
“(Being in the right place at the right time) has a lot to do with it, but we also feel like if you’re not practicing turnovers you’re not going to be trying to get them in a game. We do stations like ripping the ball out, we’re doing stations to help us defensive guys catch the ball because a lot of us haven’t done things like that before. Things like that.”
Against Weber State, do you feel like if you’re close in the fourth quarter you still have a chance?
“I feel like the Weber State game is almost like a rivalry game because the two games that I have played in have been a last-second field goal or a last-second interception returned for a touchdown. I know they’re bitter about it, and it’s one of those things where we’re just going to try not to make it as close this year.”
With this weekend being Weber State’s Homecoming and home opener, after playing at Texas A&M, does it feel like no crowd will bother you?
“Once you get on the field, once you’re playing, you don’t really think about the crowd. When I was at Texas A&M, before the game you look up and it’s really high and you see all those people, then I looked up after the game and realized what we had just done. But when you’re playing the game it doesn’t matter if you’re at Sac State or Texas A&M or wherever, you’re just playing football.”
Is Weber State balanced offensively?
“I’ve watched two games on them, Boise State and Cal Poly, and they got off to a rough start in both of those, so I think they’re throwing the ball a little more than they wanted to. From when we’ve played them in the past, it seems like they’re more of a running team, and that’s something we’re going to try to take more pride in this year and this game, stopping the run.”
How would you describe how the MSU defensive is playing right now?
“It’s fun to play with these guys. We’ve got a lot of playmakers on the field, a lot more playmakers than I’ve played with before. It seems like we’re getting a lot more pressure on the quarterback, we’re knocking the ball down when it’s in the air, getting the interceptions, and it’s a lot more fun to play with people who are excited to be out there making plays, and I feel like if we carry that on throughout the year we’re going to be a tough defense.”
How important is pressuring the quarterback?
“It’s very important. I think the toughest thing for a quarterback is to sit back there and complete passes under pressure. If we give them all day most quarterbacks can pick apart a secondary, and from our defensive standpoint we’ve got kids like Aaron Papich, Dane Fletcher, Reyshawn Bobo getting pressure, and we’ve got a lot of stunts with the linebackers, we’re trying to get back there, too.”
Do you best judge a defense by how many points it allows rather than how many yards it gives up?
“It’s kind of a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy. Dixie actually put a couple of drives together on us and once they got close to the end zone we came together and knocked them back a little bit. I would prefer to get a three-and-out every series, but that’s not always the way it works.”
Is it important to get ahead early in a game like this Saturday’s?
“I think they have more the mindset that they’re starting the season over, they’re coming into conference play and it’s a new beginning for them, and I think they’re going to come out with a lot of fire. That’s something we’re going to have to watch out for. We’re starting out 1-1 and we feel like we’ve played pretty well. They probably don’t feel they’ve played as well as they can. Coming into conference play is a new season and a new beginning for them, and they’re going to come out with a lot of fire.”
Talk about starting conference play on the right foot
“Conference is really important for us. We want to go to the playoffs and win a national championship, like we’ve been talking about all along. It starts out with conference. You want to win every game, but conference games are definitely more important to us.”
DEMETRIUS CRAWFORD
Have you ever played in a tailback rotation like this year’s?
“A little bit last year, in junior college, I had a running back I played with … and we used to split time back and forth.”
Do you like the combination of running backs here?
“I think we just got lucky to have three guys that can do it. I like the way both those guys run. Taito will get in there and bruise some people up, Aaron will do a little bit of both, and I can just get out there and out-run everybody. I think we have a good little mix, and I wouldn’t change that for nothing.”
How big an adjustment has it been from JC ball to Division I?
“I’m going to be completely honest. In JC, it seems like people are a lot hungrier, but at the same time up here people are a lot more focused on what they have to do and focused on where they’re supposed to be, and their assignments are pinpoint. In JC we kind of ran around a little bit more and kind of played like we wanted to. That’s a little bit different.”
Is that structure good for you?
“I like that, because I had to do a little bit of maturing myself to be out here and be able to play.”
Did you have confidence you could make an impact so quickly?
“Yeah, honestly yes. I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’ve been playing football since I was six years old. Football is football. I’ve been doing this in Pop Warner, high school, everything. It’s almost the same.”
What was it like getting into the end zone?
“It was lovely. I loved it. Seeing all the yellow standing up, it was crazy.”
Can you compare that feeling to Texas A&M?
“It felt almost the same, except this time it was on our side, they were all our fans, so it was a whole bunch better. At Texas A&M, the hecklers and everything, there were a whole bunch of people and I like that, but having that on our side, I like that even more.”
Does team success allow the running backs to put the egos aside in terms of who carries the ball?
“We all work hard in practice. The coaches have it the way they have it for a reason. I’m happy with it. As long as we’re producing and winning and putting up the numbers the way we are, that’s great.”
Comment on the way the running game produced on Saturday
“The offensive line is just clicking. That’s one thing coming from junior college to DI, the offensive line is making it easier for us. A whole lot easier.”
Talk about MSU’s play action passing game
“Our passing game and our running game just complement each other well that (opponents) can’t scheme up for both. If we have a big run and come back with a play action of course they’re going to think it’s another run play and it’s going to open up the pass even more. Guys like Deon and Josh Lewis and Tyler Lulay can just score. That makes it a whole lot better for … running backs and receivers and quarterbacks.”
What is your expectation for being on the road in a conference game?
“I expect that we come out and finish, that we start the game real well and we need to finish on both sides of the ball. I expect us to keep practicing hard, because we practice how we play. I think we had a good week of practice last week which helped us out in the game.”
QUARTERBACK JACK ROLOVICH
What do you think about playing against man defense?
“Weber’s corners and safeties have always been pretty good, they played well against us last year. I think we have to utilize our speed to get by with whatever they’re bringing.”
How important is the running game? Is the play action game important this week?
“Definitely, it will be really good if (the running game) opens up. They’re playing man-to-man, their backs are going to be turned to the running back so the corners and safeties aren’t going to be looking at run so I don’t know if play action will be quite as effective because of that, but if we can open up the running game I think all three of those guys can have big days.”
Are you comfortable with the language and terminology and the offense?
“At this point, it’s kind of like second nature. We look at the team we’re playing and I feel totally comfortable putting new stuff in at any time, because all the other stuff’s just, like I said, like the back of my hand.”
What do you have to do to start the conference season well?
“We haven’t won away yet, we’ve got a long bus ride, we just have to play well when we’re not at home, because we’ve shown that we can play well at home. Weber State will be a challenge for us, and I don’t think they (started) the way they thought they could this season, but I know they’re going to be a tough team.”
Were you nervous because family was at the game for the first time? Did the couple of knocks you took settle you down?
“Both games I haven’t really got sacked much, but I feel like I’ve been on the ground a little bit, it could be attributed to a bunch things, me holding on to the ball too long, there’s a few things. My Dad was here for the first time, and my sister was here, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the slow start we had. I don’t really think about that kind of stuff, it’s more just getting comfortable with the offense, getting comfortable with the defense we’re playing, getting a feel for it.”
Was the opening script different against Dixie than A&M?
“Dixie State schemed well for what we were going to bring. I think they saw a lot of the rollout stuff that we do, and they kind of flew under that a little bit. That’s only a fraction of our game. We kind of shied away from that and went to other things, and everything else went pretty well that we game-planned for.”
What kind of environment do you expect at Weber?
“You don’t really think about that much, you just go in and play your game. Me personally, I’ve never been to Weber State so I don’t know what the stadium looks like or what to expect, but it’s not really something that I think about much.”
Do you prefer the timing rules this year with the changes made from last year?
“I haven’t really thought about it much, to be honest with you. Both teams have to abide by it. It will be interesting going down there because Coach Bailey is down there, and it will be cool to see him.”
Will that be an advantage, Coach Bailey knowing you and how you play?
“I don’t look at it from a perspective like that, it’s more or less that I haven’t seen him since he’s been gone and it will be kind of cool to see how he’s doing down there.”
Do you feel confident right now with the offense and your role?
“It’s interesting, every year I’ve played football I’ve come leaps and bounds. This year, being my last year, I feel like the game has gotten a lot slower for me, and I think that’s a big advantage. For someone who’s played college football for five years, that’s really nice.”
BOBCAT COACH ROB ASH
Is it hard to get a clear picture of Weber State’s offense when it is operating from behind?
“We didn’t get a lot out of either (game) because of the way the games happened. Boise got out early, Cal Poly got ahead early, so it kind of changes the thinking. My sense of them, with their good offensive line and strong running backs, that they probably prefer to run the ball more. But when you’re down you have to throw more and kind of throw that out the window. We’re anticipating that they’ll try to run at us and get behind that good offensive line to get things done on that side of the ball.”
What’s your feeling on Jimmy Barnes?
“Jimmy Barnes, he’s impressive. He’s a big guy, physical, he’s got a good arm. I can relate to what he’s going through, he’s just got there and I’m sure he’s still learning the system. You can kind of throw out what’s happened the first couple of weeks because I know it’s got to be tough to come in and learn a new terminology and vocabulary and I’m sure he’s just getting better every week, and I’m sure it will make a big difference now as they go into our game.”
How important is it to get a good start in the conference?
“We’re talking about zero-and-zero right now, throw the records out the window. The other factor is that we haven’t played a Football Championship Subdivision team yet. We’ve played a bowl team, we’ve played a Division II team, so there’s a lot of unknown quantities about our football team right now. The Big Sky Conference is very important to us. That’s our first goal every year, it’s going to be that way, to win the conference championship. You’re in a conference for a reason. Everybody has the same goal, though. Just the fact that we’re saying we’re 0-0 going in, Weber’s saying the same thing. They can throw those two games right out the window and that’s got to be a big lift for them.”
Would you like to play an FCS team before conference play?
“I think a perfect preview for our season, in terms of our non-conference schedule, would be one of each, where you would have a bowl team, a championship division team, and a Division II team in your three non-conference games, play them all before the conference season starts, then play all your conference games right on through with a bye in there somewhere. We just couldn’t do that because Southern Utah ended up being our football championship division non-conference game and they didn’t have September 8 open. But they did have October 6 open, and we needed that game, so sometimes you have to put them where the two teams can mutually agree. It just would have been better if we could have played on September 8.”
How important is it to have another good week of practice, especially starting conference play?
“Every Tuesday I’m going to say the same thing. We have to have a good week of practice. My comment to the team is that you win games on Tuesday and Wednesday, you win championships on Tuesday and Wednesday. I just happen to believe that. I’m glad the guys are saying it, because it shows that they are listening to what we’ve tried to get across to them. It makes a huge difference. I think the performance you give on Tuesday and Wednesday and the focus and concentration you put in the game plan shows up on Saturdays. We’re going to make that a point of emphasis every week. There will be a different theme every week, maybe. The theme this week is clearly getting the Big Sky started. That’s going to our theme, and that should be a good motivator this week.”
Comment on the fact in the Big Sky that if one team isn’t ready and one team is, that team is probably going to win
“That’s what I’ve noticed just looking at scores and watching tapes of previous games, getting a feel for how things go. Two things: the scores are always close, and generally teams do knock each other off as the season goes along. I think that’s tremendous. I would much rather be in a conference where there are good, closely-contested games week in and week out and several teams have a chance to finish at the top of the standings than in a conference that just has one or two good teams and it’s a one-game season. I thrive on competition, I think our players do, and I’m looking forward to have a good, tough game here on out.”
How much of getting turnovers is a mentality, and how hard do you work at that?
“The first thing we talk about is that we don’t call them turnovers, we call them takeaways, because a turnover indicates somehow that somebody just gave it to you. We want our mentality to be that we took it away. That’s a big difference, psychologically that’s a big difference for our football team. We practice it. Coach Marshall does a tackle strip drill at least once a week where they do stations, practice ripping the ball out. We talk about catching interceptions, we practice the second tackler coming in and trying to rip the ball out. We do a lot of things like that. It’s a combination of a mentality we try to establish and physical practice on taking the ball away.”
How does the momentum of a takeaway affect a team?
“I told the team, and this is the way my philosophy plays out, but I think the most important statistic in the game turnover ratio. I still say that. We talk about ball security on offense, we talk about takeaways on defense, and that ends up being your turnover ratio. Every week, when you win that battle you have a great chance to win. We also keep a chart we call the momentum ratio with special teams plays. I think that’s the second-most important thing, creating momentum with special teams. Those two are the highest priorities for us. That’s why we had a big win on Saturday, because we had big margins in both those areas.”
Were you pleased with your offensive balance on Saturday?
“Our goal is 200 of each (rushing and passing yards) and 400 total (yards), that’s where we’d like to be and I think we’re pretty close to that right now. As a coach we’re always looking for improvement everywhere, but I think the offensive line and the run game have made great strides. We’re running the same plays now for six weeks and guys are starting to figure out the finesse of it, getting the blocking schemes right against movement, getting the blocking schemes right against different fronts that we see, against blitzes, and the running back seeing the holes and adjusting to the schemes. That takes some time to put that together. A good running game only gradually comes together. That’s really an annual process. Every season, the running game takes a while to start to click. Even if you’re in your second, third, or 18th year at a school, it still takes a while for it to mesh with the new combinations that you have, personnel or whatever. We’re starting to make progress, so we need to continue to improve because we have to be able to run the football every week.”
What does Weber try to do defensively?
“Weber wants to play man-to-man with their secondary, and when you play man-to-man with a single safety that gives you one more guy in the box than what the offense can block. That’s their basic idea, they’re going to go plus-one in the box and play man-to-man. You have to choose your poison, you have to try to beat the press coverage and the man-to-man concepts on the outside, or you have to try to beat your head against the wall and try to run against plus-one in the box. It depends on what the matchups are. That will be the punch-counterpunch strategy in this game, to see which way and where we’ll have more success, whether it will be passing or running, based on how they’re playing.”
Does Weber blitz a lot of guys from different angles, like Dixie?
“They’ll bring some pressure, but basically what they’re going to try to do is lock down their wide-outs and stop you at the nucleus with everybody else.”
CORNERBACK MICHAEL BEACH
How do you feel those first two games prepared you for Big Sky play?
“The first two games were a good way for us to get a feel, to see where we were at. The first game verses a Division I school definitely let us know where we were at. We feel we played better than what the score was. And the second game, I think we all feel like we did what we were supposed to do. We had a better understanding of the defense and the offense and played better as a team, so going into Big Sky this week will really be competition at our level and we’ll really see how we play as a team together.”
Is this kind of like the beginning of another season for you guys?
“Starting Big Sky, yeah, I think it is. Anytime you get in conference play is the start of a new season. So the previous two games don’t matter but you definitely want to come out with a win in conference play.”
After the game on Saturday, Coach Ash said that the first two games actually felt like two first games, I mean, there was such a break between A &M and Dixie that it almost felt like you were starting the season over again and that this is almost like the second game. Do you guys feel that way? Do you feel like now you’re in game mode?
“I think he might have said that because the first game was away and the second game was home and again, this is Big Sky Conference week and that like starting a new season right there.”
How tough is the stretch of the season going to be from this point on?
“Yeah, we don’t have any breaks so it’s going to be a tough rest of the season and I think ever team in our conference is a good team. We’re going to have to execute in priority each week to win every game from here on out.”
What kind of style of team is Weber State?
“From film it looks like Weber, they really execute on offense, have a good quarterback, a good receiver, the receivers run… they catch the ball when it’s thrown to them. I don’t know what to say about (their) defense because I only watch them on offense, but they look good on special teams, they execute there, they’re well coached. So we just have to go out there, do our job and play hard.”
What’s the one thing after two games as a defense you would like to see improved?
“We always talk about turnovers, so after the last game I think we had four, that’s another thing we have to do is keep getting the ball loose, get the ball on the ground, make interceptions, and sticking with that make sure that we get the ball out as a defense.”
What about special teams… to see how easy it is to change a game when you score on special teams, how is that going to carry over from Dixie to the Conference season?
“We have to carry that over just game to game. You saw the two big plays that Kory (Austin) made those really help you out on special teams, and just in the game in general, by doing that and executing well special teams is really going to help us out a lot both on defense and offense.”
Do you consider yourself the big play type of player?
“Yeah, I guess you can say that, I like to go after the ball when it’s in the air, so anytime the ball’s in the air I always feel like it’s mine and it’s up for grabs. So I try my best to go and get it when it is out there.”
Is there a fine line sometimes if you go for it, sometimes when you go for it maybe it goes over your head or something like that, is that just a smart decision of whether to go for it or to try and get the guy who catches it?
“Yeah, it’s a thin line, my coaches tell me to make sure you secure the tackle, so I try to keep that in mind, but if I can get two hands on the ball, I definitely will go for it.”
Are they more of a three step drop team like Dixie in terms of if the ball’s going to come out of there quick or are they looking to you know sit back and look the defense over?
“It looks like they do a little bit of both, they’ll do three step, get the ball out quick to their slot receivers and then they also take chances downfield, they’ll give their receivers chances to go up and make the big plays.”
What have you seen of their quarterback on film, does he have a good arm?
“Oh yeah, he definitely has a strong arm, big guy back there, can take the hit, get right back up and then throw it another 60 yards as soon as he gets up.”
You were talking about turnovers a little bit before. Do you guys feel like you control the pad of the game on defense? I mean, you guys make four turnovers and obviously everything’s fine with Bobcat momentum do you think you guys are kind of the driving force behind that?
“Yeah, when you get turnovers that definitely sets the tempo for the game if you can get two or three turnovers, that’s where I was talking about plus one ratio after the game, that definitely helps out the offense, gives them good throw position, it kind of kills the other offenses momentum, it gives us momentum for the game, so we definitely just try to keep going for the ball and getting turnovers.”
How do you guys practice that, do you talk about it week in and week out? What does that do, does that mean just looking for the opportunities or practice ripping the ball away?
“Yeah, in practice they make sure that we run to the ball every single play, they count the strips on how many times sometimes in practice that we do verses the scout team or the offense, so that’s definitely how we practice it.”
How did you feel when Dan Ogden scored on the interception return?
“I think I was more excited for him to get the interception and scored than I was, seeing something like that is great and it’s always fun to see your other teammate get involved and score also.”
LINEBACKER BOBBY DALY
How do you practice getting turnovers?
“(Being in the right place at the right time) has a lot to do with it, but we also feel like if you’re not practicing turnovers you’re not going to be trying to get them in a game. We do stations like ripping the ball out, we’re doing stations to help us defensive guys catch the ball because a lot of us haven’t done things like that before. Things like that.”
Against Weber State, do you feel like if you’re close in the fourth quarter you still have a chance?
“I feel like the Weber State game is almost like a rivalry game because the two games that I have played in have been a last-second field goal or a last-second interception returned for a touchdown. I know they’re bitter about it, and it’s one of those things where we’re just going to try not to make it as close this year.”
With this weekend being Weber State’s Homecoming and home opener, after playing at Texas A&M, does it feel like no crowd will bother you?
“Once you get on the field, once you’re playing, you don’t really think about the crowd. When I was at Texas A&M, before the game you look up and it’s really high and you see all those people, then I looked up after the game and realized what we had just done. But when you’re playing the game it doesn’t matter if you’re at Sac State or Texas A&M or wherever, you’re just playing football.”
Is Weber State balanced offensively?
“I’ve watched two games on them, Boise State and Cal Poly, and they got off to a rough start in both of those, so I think they’re throwing the ball a little more than they wanted to. From when we’ve played them in the past, it seems like they’re more of a running team, and that’s something we’re going to try to take more pride in this year and this game, stopping the run.”
How would you describe how the MSU defensive is playing right now?
“It’s fun to play with these guys. We’ve got a lot of playmakers on the field, a lot more playmakers than I’ve played with before. It seems like we’re getting a lot more pressure on the quarterback, we’re knocking the ball down when it’s in the air, getting the interceptions, and it’s a lot more fun to play with people who are excited to be out there making plays, and I feel like if we carry that on throughout the year we’re going to be a tough defense.”
How important is pressuring the quarterback?
“It’s very important. I think the toughest thing for a quarterback is to sit back there and complete passes under pressure. If we give them all day most quarterbacks can pick apart a secondary, and from our defensive standpoint we’ve got kids like Aaron Papich, Dane Fletcher, Reyshawn Bobo getting pressure, and we’ve got a lot of stunts with the linebackers, we’re trying to get back there, too.”
Do you best judge a defense by how many points it allows rather than how many yards it gives up?
“It’s kind of a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy. Dixie actually put a couple of drives together on us and once they got close to the end zone we came together and knocked them back a little bit. I would prefer to get a three-and-out every series, but that’s not always the way it works.”
Is it important to get ahead early in a game like this Saturday’s?
“I think they have more the mindset that they’re starting the season over, they’re coming into conference play and it’s a new beginning for them, and I think they’re going to come out with a lot of fire. That’s something we’re going to have to watch out for. We’re starting out 1-1 and we feel like we’ve played pretty well. They probably don’t feel they’ve played as well as they can. Coming into conference play is a new season and a new beginning for them, and they’re going to come out with a lot of fire.”
Talk about starting conference play on the right foot
“Conference is really important for us. We want to go to the playoffs and win a national championship, like we’ve been talking about all along. It starts out with conference. You want to win every game, but conference games are definitely more important to us.”
DEMETRIUS CRAWFORD
Have you ever played in a tailback rotation like this year’s?
“A little bit last year, in junior college, I had a running back I played with … and we used to split time back and forth.”
Do you like the combination of running backs here?
“I think we just got lucky to have three guys that can do it. I like the way both those guys run. Taito will get in there and bruise some people up, Aaron will do a little bit of both, and I can just get out there and out-run everybody. I think we have a good little mix, and I wouldn’t change that for nothing.”
How big an adjustment has it been from JC ball to Division I?
“I’m going to be completely honest. In JC, it seems like people are a lot hungrier, but at the same time up here people are a lot more focused on what they have to do and focused on where they’re supposed to be, and their assignments are pinpoint. In JC we kind of ran around a little bit more and kind of played like we wanted to. That’s a little bit different.”
Is that structure good for you?
“I like that, because I had to do a little bit of maturing myself to be out here and be able to play.”
Did you have confidence you could make an impact so quickly?
“Yeah, honestly yes. I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’ve been playing football since I was six years old. Football is football. I’ve been doing this in Pop Warner, high school, everything. It’s almost the same.”
What was it like getting into the end zone?
“It was lovely. I loved it. Seeing all the yellow standing up, it was crazy.”
Can you compare that feeling to Texas A&M?
“It felt almost the same, except this time it was on our side, they were all our fans, so it was a whole bunch better. At Texas A&M, the hecklers and everything, there were a whole bunch of people and I like that, but having that on our side, I like that even more.”
Does team success allow the running backs to put the egos aside in terms of who carries the ball?
“We all work hard in practice. The coaches have it the way they have it for a reason. I’m happy with it. As long as we’re producing and winning and putting up the numbers the way we are, that’s great.”
Comment on the way the running game produced on Saturday
“The offensive line is just clicking. That’s one thing coming from junior college to DI, the offensive line is making it easier for us. A whole lot easier.”
Talk about MSU’s play action passing game
“Our passing game and our running game just complement each other well that (opponents) can’t scheme up for both. If we have a big run and come back with a play action of course they’re going to think it’s another run play and it’s going to open up the pass even more. Guys like Deon and Josh Lewis and Tyler Lulay can just score. That makes it a whole lot better for … running backs and receivers and quarterbacks.”
What is your expectation for being on the road in a conference game?
“I expect that we come out and finish, that we start the game real well and we need to finish on both sides of the ball. I expect us to keep practicing hard, because we practice how we play. I think we had a good week of practice last week which helped us out in the game.”
QUARTERBACK JACK ROLOVICH
What do you think about playing against man defense?
“Weber’s corners and safeties have always been pretty good, they played well against us last year. I think we have to utilize our speed to get by with whatever they’re bringing.”
How important is the running game? Is the play action game important this week?
“Definitely, it will be really good if (the running game) opens up. They’re playing man-to-man, their backs are going to be turned to the running back so the corners and safeties aren’t going to be looking at run so I don’t know if play action will be quite as effective because of that, but if we can open up the running game I think all three of those guys can have big days.”
Are you comfortable with the language and terminology and the offense?
“At this point, it’s kind of like second nature. We look at the team we’re playing and I feel totally comfortable putting new stuff in at any time, because all the other stuff’s just, like I said, like the back of my hand.”
What do you have to do to start the conference season well?
“We haven’t won away yet, we’ve got a long bus ride, we just have to play well when we’re not at home, because we’ve shown that we can play well at home. Weber State will be a challenge for us, and I don’t think they (started) the way they thought they could this season, but I know they’re going to be a tough team.”
Were you nervous because family was at the game for the first time? Did the couple of knocks you took settle you down?
“Both games I haven’t really got sacked much, but I feel like I’ve been on the ground a little bit, it could be attributed to a bunch things, me holding on to the ball too long, there’s a few things. My Dad was here for the first time, and my sister was here, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the slow start we had. I don’t really think about that kind of stuff, it’s more just getting comfortable with the offense, getting comfortable with the defense we’re playing, getting a feel for it.”
Was the opening script different against Dixie than A&M?
“Dixie State schemed well for what we were going to bring. I think they saw a lot of the rollout stuff that we do, and they kind of flew under that a little bit. That’s only a fraction of our game. We kind of shied away from that and went to other things, and everything else went pretty well that we game-planned for.”
What kind of environment do you expect at Weber?
“You don’t really think about that much, you just go in and play your game. Me personally, I’ve never been to Weber State so I don’t know what the stadium looks like or what to expect, but it’s not really something that I think about much.”
Do you prefer the timing rules this year with the changes made from last year?
“I haven’t really thought about it much, to be honest with you. Both teams have to abide by it. It will be interesting going down there because Coach Bailey is down there, and it will be cool to see him.”
Will that be an advantage, Coach Bailey knowing you and how you play?
“I don’t look at it from a perspective like that, it’s more or less that I haven’t seen him since he’s been gone and it will be kind of cool to see how he’s doing down there.”
Do you feel confident right now with the offense and your role?
“It’s interesting, every year I’ve played football I’ve come leaps and bounds. This year, being my last year, I feel like the game has gotten a lot slower for me, and I think that’s a big advantage. For someone who’s played college football for five years, that’s really nice.”
Wednesday, June 10
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