Oct. 23, 2012
Opening Statement:
“Good morning. It seems like it’s been a week since Saturday, but it’s good to get back on the right side of the scoreboard like I said after the game and take that game and try to build on it as a foundation and move on. Certainly we’ve got a huge challenge this week in BYU who’s a really, really good football team. I don’t think the record indicates how good of a team they are. They’ve lost three games to ranked teams, two in the top 10. They’re top 10 in just about every defensive category and they’re always a big physical team and this year is no exception. They’re well-coached and playing very well, especially defensively.”
How do you scout them defensively?
“You go back and look at how they’ve played teams this year, and go back and try to find some games against teams that are somewhat similar. You can find the same formations; I think doubles are doubles and trips are trips and the way they line up to other people will be somewhat close to the way they lineup to you. You look at it and gage as a coach if you had their people and scheme how you would have them line up. That’s kind of how it’s done.”
How do you like playing out of conference this far into the season?
“I haven’t thought that much about it; they’re just the next team on the schedule and they’re very good so you just get ready to play them. You’d rather play non-conference upfront, but certainly they have a good football team so it will be a challenge.”
How will you manager to keep an eye on WR Cody Hoffman?
“I think they’ve got a system that they’ve run for a lot of years and the big key is their quarterback. He’s an experienced guy, he’s older and he can really kill you scrambling and running the ball. He’s got a really strong arm, but he has really hurt people when they get out of their rush lanes and when he pulls the thing down and runs. The quarterback and tailback are good players and they’ll be huge on the offensive line. They’ll have guys. They’ll pass the look test. I played them many times when I was at the University of Hawaii and you won’t play many teams that look better getting off the bus than BYU.”
How did the second team defense line look vs. Boston College?
“We rotated the defensive line pretty good. I think that right now that’s a good plan; I don’t know that any guy stands out; that they’re that much better than any guy coming in. Everybody gets some snaps; we didn’t play as many snaps [vs. BC], which is good. When you’re better on third downs you don’t have to play as many so we did a better job on third downs and got them off the field more. Our special teams contributed to that a lot because we kept getting the ball inside our own 10 and we had a lot of clock to run. So it was just one of those games where we didn’t have to play as many snaps defensively, which is ideal. We would like to have it like that every week.”
What have you seen from Daniel Drummond?
“Well Daniel’s played a lot of football. He’s done some things. I think he and Jabari [Hunt-Days] are battling over reps at that position [linebacker]. Right now, Jabari is probably the starter but Daniel’s going to play a lot.”
What are the best options for putting more pressure on the QB?
“Blitzing. We can rush better. Run some games up there and do some things and when guys get individual battles we need to win some. When you watch the tape, we’re actually closer to the guys than it seems during the game. But I think anyone will tell you that you need better pressure, be it through scheme, individuals or whatever, but that’s clearly an issue.”
Against Boston College, did you shy away from blitzing?
“Not necessarily. We had seven days to put in a defense. We had some stuff we didn’t run. The two scoring plays they had, one was in a too deep coverage, we really just got down low, somebody turned underneath, got loose and the safety jumped him. It shouldn’t really have been a play. So you continue to work and if you’re not getting pressure, you drop more guys to try and block up holes. You can’t just be one-dimensional.”
BYU QB Riley Nelson can move around. Will that create trouble pressuring him?
“Well you’ve got that nature all the time with quarterbacks that can run, but not just blitzing. You got to stay in your pass lanes and you can get pressure without sacking the quarterback. If you’re moving the pocket back and getting in his face and pushing him and making him step to the side or step back, sometimes that’s as good as the other kind of pressure, especially with certain types of quarterbacks. With some you’d like to keep them in the pocket and see them throw it instead of pulling it down and running with it. He is pretty good at both and will kill you if you don’t contain him. He’s got great speed, is a great athlete and really hurts people when he gets out of the pocket.”
How is Anthony Autry developing?
“I think he’s getting more comfortable. He sometimes makes a few freshman mistakes, but he’s a good athlete, has good ball skills and we think he is going to be a good player. The thing that impresses me about him is he will throw it up in there. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’ll throw his body around and try to block and run in to people and do those things. So I think he’s got a bright future if he continues to work.”
Describe the BYU defense.
“I think they’re big and physical upfront, and so they can stop the run with just the front seven, they don’t have to use the secondary. Then they give you a lot of looks and they get you in third and long, a lot of blitzes, a lot of zone fires, a lot of things that way. They’re good tacklers. They’ve got the defensive end, Ezekiel Ansah, he is a heck of an athlete and is probably a first round draft pick. They’ve got guys that can rush the passer, they can get pressure with three or four, and then they’re able to drop into coverage and teams haven’t been able to run at all so they get them in a lot of long yardage situations.”
Have you addressed the sideline’s demeanor?
“We’ve come to Jesus, we understand, we’re on the same page. I think it’s an immaturity thing, something that has changed through the years that I’ve been coaching. For whatever reason, I don’t know. But if you’re on the team you have a vested interest in what’s going on and you should be there supporting your teammates. Through the years, it’s changed gradually where it’s almost like if guys aren’t playing they’re non-attached. It’s like I explained to them, if you’re non-attached then if we win a lot of games and go to a bowl game, then you’re non-attached. You’re part of the team and you should be there cheering on your teammates and excited about what’s going on. Some of it’s being young and immature, too. And truthfully, I didn’t have an issue with the scholarship freshmen who are redshirting, they’re pretty in to it. It’s some of the other guys who understand they’re probably not going to play. But that shouldn’t change it, it should still be a privilege to be able to dress out and have your name on the back of the uniform and be on the sidelines at Georgia Tech. It’s not something that if you’re just going to giggle, cut up and laugh and dance to the video board, then go get in the stands.”
