Quotes From Monday's Press Conference
September 20, 2005 | Football
Sept. 20, 2005
Head Coach Mike Leach
On the upcoming game
"The biggest thing is for us to improve. Improve in practice and improve each snap we are out there. So, we are just looking at improvement. If we are able to improve as we move along then we have a pretty good chance at being good at the end. We are just trying to get better at the basic stuff."
On improving from week one
"I didn't think we were quite as sloppy as far as how we executed things. I didn't think we always played with 11, but we came closer and did it more often than we did against Florida International. I have liked the tempo from the beginning. I thought we have played hard from the beginning and when we put the young guys in they play hard. Playing hard for 60 minutes is very important for us and I think that is what has impressed me the most. Along with playing hard, I think we are sometimes out of control. I think we played within better control this last game. But, we have plenty to sharpen up on."
On the penalties from last week
"The stupid penalties are the ones that disturb me. Like Dwayne Slay's penalty didn't bother me at all. He was hustling and gets there about the same time the ball does. That is a guy who is working hard and playing in high tempo. The last thing I want to do is slow him down. The stupid ones are the celebration ones and the late hit ones are probably the ones that are most disappointing. The alignment ones are things that we need to correct. So we addressed that yesterday and we will see if we can improve on that this week."
"I think he has developed really well. He is a real elusive guy and is fast. He has great hands and really catches the ball well. The thing that has allowed him to adapt real well is he is a very instinctive guy. If he comes out there it isn't exactly how you draw it up he can react on the move in a fashion that in hind sight is exactly what he should have done."
On the offensive performance against Indiana State
"It not so much point related, but more about how we execute. They are a football team that has been watching a lot of film and working on us. You have got to respect every opponent and not be scared of any of them. Cal-Davis beat Stanford last week, so you have to do your work no matter who it is and get better at your job every week. You are gonna play a variety of different opponents and you got to treat them the same if you're gonna be beat at your job whether it is as a coach or a player or who ever, you have got to refine your skills and get better at your job. If you're not doing that then the other guys is passing you up. Everybody is having games, watching film, having practice and so you can't confuse activities with results. We are doing the same activities as everybody else, it is what you draw out of it that makes you better and I'd like to think that we are drawing more out of it than the guys we are gonna play down the road."
Senior cornerback Khalid Naziruddin
On staying motivated after two blowout wins
"We are staying focused. We had a talk last night about out goals on defense and not giving up touchdowns. We want to hold them to three points where we can and minimize the touchdowns that they score against us. It is good work for us to go into this game and try to achieve that goal."
On the defensive improvements from week one to week two
I felt we did make improvement, especially in the number of third down conversions that they had and stopping the run. We were also better at being focused and communicating with one another and getting into a groove with our defensive line, our linebackers and our defensive backs."
On the defensive back getting a lot of tackles against Sam Houston State
"Just because we are defensive back doesn't mean we can't make the tackles. Most of our defensive backs are willing to come up and make a hit. We don't want to sit back and wait to make a play ten yards down the field; we will come up and make the tackle closer to the line of scrimmage."
On Indiana State
"I feel like they present some challenges. They are going to come out and line up in some formations that we have not seen in a while, so we are going to have to come out and practice these formations. We will have to take a good look at them and know how to line up correctly. Coach Setencich has really stressed for us to line up correctly and not to give up big plays."
On Indiana State losing to an NAIA school
"We are not making fun of this game at all, because we know that any team can come in here and beat you in you are not clicking on all cylinders. We don't want to overlook anybody and come out and play as hard as we can and how we have the last two games. We are not laughing about it."
On the personally foul penalties
"I think that everybody is excited and their adrenaline is pumping, so when something happens sometimes people will try to retaliate. Coach Leach has talked to us about it and we are going to minimize the personal fouls because we know that could hurt us during a game."
On the high number of penalties
"Coach Leach has definitely addressed that and told us that the penalties are way too high. We are defiantly improving in that area and I think it will show next game."
Senior Quarterback Cody Hodges
Clarifying a statement made after Saturday's game
"First of all I would like to correct my 100-point comment in regards to Indiana State. What I meant by that is as an offense if we get the ball 15 times a game, we expect to score 15 times, and that has nothing to do with Indiana State or their defense. They are a good football team. Obviously here at Tech, we want to play one game at a time and they just happen to be our opponent this week; but as an offense our goal is to get in the end zone every time. I just wanted to clear that up."
On Indiana State
"I think this is a game that we can use to improve ourselves and get mentally tougher as a football team. On paper we may be expected to beat them, but that doesn't matter on Saturday. We just need to go out and execute. This is a chance for us to get better going into conference play."
On expecting 100 points
I don't think that as a team we are focusing on 100 points, we just want to score every time we have the ball. It is our job as an offense, nothing against our field goal kickers or specialists, but we want to put seven points on the board every time. When conference begins, we will need to score every time we get the ball."
On what improvements need to be made of offense
"We need to be more in sync. There were a few plays were I made some bad reads and forced some things into double coverage. There were also some times closer to the goal line where Jarrett and I mis-communicated on some routes, so we need to get our communication down so everybody is on the same page."
On the solid play of the offensive line, giving him plenty of time
"I will probably be a little faster during Big 12 play, but I have a lot of confidence in our offensive line, regardless of who we are playing. They work their tails off everyday and give me a lot of time. Obviously, during Big 12 play, the competition will be a lot tougher, but I have a lot of confidence in those guys that I will have plenty of time to throw the ball."
On the play of Tech's receivers
"I knew Jarrett would be fired up to come back after missing the first game. He just gives us another threat that teams have to focus on, which open things up for a lot of other players. Robert continues to improve and make big time catches for us. If we continue to do that and spread the ball out to a lot of players it is going to make it tough for defenses to stop us."
