Head Coach Doug Marrone Press Conference Trancript (Oct. 11, 2010)
“I appreciate everyone being here. That was a good win for us going down to South Florida. They are a fine football team. Our players played extremely hard; defensively we did a nice job. There are still some things that we have to work on. There are some things I am sure South Florida could have capitalized on, but our defense did a nice job. Offensively, we missed a lot of things out there. We were able to put together a nice drive, which really helped us go 98 yards. Also on special teams, even though we gave up a touchdown in the kickoff team, prior to that it was our best performance of the year keeping them inside of the 20 three times. The big thing was blocking the extra point, which always hurts the momentum. That’s what we always talk to our players about being able to capture that back.
“The problem with coaching is when you win, you can’t really enjoy it for a long period of time and a loss always hangs with you a little longer. We are moving forward a Pitt team that’s a very physical team. It’s going to be a great challenge for us to play physical, play up to their level of what they have been playing the past couple years. They are a team that has been picked by the coaches to win this conference. And we just started this conference. So, we need to get better and it’s going to be a fight every week.”
On taking this win and moving on to Pitt:
“I talk to the team about this – it is just the beginning of the BIG EAST conference play. We went down there and worked hard, and know that all the hard work and everything put into getting to that point is just beginning. So, it’s still a long way to go. We aren’t even half way done the season. We have to keep getting better every week. I have been saying that for a long time, but it’s the truth.”
On the key elements of this defense at South Florida:
“They have a lot of great players on their side of the ball. We wanted to try to contain B.J. Daniels. He is a great player and we’re able to do that. Control the running game and get us in manageable situations and tackle well. When you do that you have a chance to be a productive football team. Offensively, it’s the same situation; you are able to score on a 98 yard drive because usually in those situations there is one big play. Antwon Bailey had a 31-yard run on that series, but other than it’s just a manageable situation as far as down and distance.”
On Max Suter being BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week:
“I was happy for Max, but I am sure Max would be the first one to tell you that he wouldn’t be able to do without the help of his teammates and without winning a football game.”
On attendance expectancy for the Pitt game:
“I have no idea. Our fans have been great. I have talked about this home schedule being tough. I am hoping that our fans will come into play in these games, meaning that our fans will have the ability to win a game for us. We will go out there and play. I am looking forward to it. The people who are there, we love them, and the people who aren’t, we invite them to come watch us play. We are just trying to become a better football team.”
On what he thought about his team handling the heat and the physical play at USF:
“Not wilting in the heat did not surprise me because we try to build this team with conditioning and self discipline. So I feel comfortable with that, and never really crossed my mind. Just getting better in some of the physical aspects is something we need. Especially now, going into this BIG EAST play. The teams that we have on the schedule are very physical. And we are starting off with one of the more physical teams right off the bat.”
On being backed up to the two-yard line on the touchdown drive:
“I said this before, believe it or not, personally I thrive and I’m ok with being backed up. It’s a mindset. Minus two, minus three, we game plan those situations. We take shots sometimes in those situations. We have them in our call sheets. I like the challenge, that’s me offensively. As a head coach, I want that ball on the other side of the 50 and get my percentage of scoring up. But, what that proves and we have done that offensively during the year, we get to play four, five, six, and get into a rhythm and get into tempo. We are a very productive offense. One, two, three, drop ball, or one, two, first down, or one, two, three, something happens where we didn’t convert on that third down, then we lose the rhythm and tempo we are trying to accomplish. If we stay in temp and a good rhythm than we have the ability to be productive.”
On noticing all the penalties when watching video:
“It’s really the concern, false starts; it’s the unforced errors that concern me. Our officials are by far the best officials. They are happening and we are going to continue to keep working with our players to try to stop that.”
On last year’s emotional win against Rutgers contributing to this season:
“I am emotional after every game we win and after every game we lose. I just go out and try and win each game. I don’t really try and say where we are. Is it easier to coach when you win? Absolutely, I don’t think any coach would argue that. It is much easier to correct players. The atmosphere is better. It’s a better environment. Those things work in your favor, but I go back to the same thing. In this profession the problem with coaching, and I say this to all the young coaches out there who want to get into it, when you lose that’s four or five days that you can’t play the next game fast enough. It lingers with you during the week. You have to do a good job from a self-discipline stand point to let it go. When you win, you can’t enjoy it. That’s the irony of coaching. When you win a game you enjoy it. I know after the game, I am emotionally drained. People ask if I am happy. Of course I am happy. I don’t know if my demeanor shows that, but I go through every defensive play, every special team play, everything on the field plus the management of the game, so I am drained. Everyone knows that I am the biggest Yankees fan in the world, (on Saturday) I fell asleep at 10:15 and they were up five to nothing. I looked at my wife and said, ‘This is pathetic, I can’t stay awake.’ (smiling) It was probably the first time I haven’t stayed awake for a Yankees game. And I fell asleep. Wake up the next day, your mind is getting the corrections done with the players. You look at the tape and realize that there is a lot that you can get better on and then you move onto the next opponent. That’s really what you do in coaching.”
On players’ health after the game:
“Great. By far the healthiest we have come out of a game, which was a tough and physical game. Our defense was out there for quite a bit even though at the end we switched the possession. Our defense came up big. They were winning 9-6 and we stopped them four times when they had the ball on the plus side of the 50. That’s the first thing now that I look for. People say how was practice today? No one was injured. That’s the first thing. If no one was injured, it’s not bad. The game was the same situation. We are in great shape and it’s the healthiest we have been after a football game since I have been here.”
On defensive end Mikhail Marinovich:
“Not even on the report. It cost us 20 seconds though. We have to talk to our players. It’s funny but you bring that point up. We have to talk to the players. If we are in the normal flow of a game and one of our players gets hurt, we don’t want them running off the field. We like them to go down so we can get them substitute in no matter who it is, but at that point of the game with the clock running you do whatever you can to get off the field and keep the clock going and let the officials go. Again, it’s a good learning point that will be brought up to the team.”
On the must for the win this week against Pittsburgh:
“It’s going to be a physical game. We are going to have to be a very physical football team. The most physical team is going to win this game. But it goes back to the same thing. We talk to our players and our team all the time, the first thing you look at from a statistic standpoint is just turnovers. You can’t turn the ball over. Offensively now, it’s just twice we haven’t turned the ball over. The kick that hit Olando Fisher that’s considered a fumble, but we have done a good job of managing the game. (Quarterback) Ryan (Nassib) has done a good job and anyone who touches the ball has done a good job. So it comes down first to turnovers, but with the style of Pittsburgh they are a physical team.”{
On why defense was so successful:
“On that day, Saturday at 12 noon, our guys played well and executed well. There isn’t a magic formula because if there is, we will be looking for it every week. It’s just a matter in this game; if you aren’t ready to play every Saturday you are going to get beat. That happens across the country. There are a million things that go on. We have to make sure we prepare as a football team that we are ready to go every Saturday knowing that it could very easily happen to us.”
On Ryan Bartholomew saying he felt SU was better in shape than USF:
“The players have a good feel. When I played, going against the same opponent and the common same player, there is a period of time where you might feel that way. Maybe Ryan felt that way about the player he was going against. Collectively, I have not talked to the players about that. We try to make sure that they are in the best shape.”
On if this win sticks with him a little longer:
“It really doesn’t. It’s a big game because it’s the next game. And then all of a sudden, now we are on to a bigger game because it’s the next game. You win a game and then you move onto the next. That’s just how I feel. Am I happy? Absolutely, I am not going to sit here and lie to you. Am I happy that we came away with a win and won a BIG EAST road game and matched the win total for BIG EAST games in a season since 2004. Now, we are going and our objective is to get a second win.”
On anything can take away from last year’s game:
“No, every year is different. The teams change on both sides. It’s something I go back to at the end of the year. You look around and say this is the 2010 team and last year was the 2009 team. Nothing is the same. You don’t start where you left off. You start from the beginning. Some of the players might know a little bit more than the other ones. I know one thing we will take away is that Pittsburgh is a physical football team and we know that.”
On the SU offensive line:
“They did a nice job. South Florida is very good up front. Are there things that we can get better on? Absolutely and again here we go. Here comes the next defensive line in here (in Pittsburgh) and they create some problems, too. They have two fine defensive ends. The one player, I don’t know if he is playing this week, but he is one of the better players in the country, and the defensive end isn’t that far behind. The two inside player are tough. The linebackers returning are two out of the three starters. They had one injury there. They play physical. They are very disciplined. They know exactly where they need to be. They know how to read formations. Coach Wannstedt is a fine head coach and a great defensive coordinator. They have great defensive coaches on their staff. Each week it’s a battle, it’s a battle.”
On the team’s mindset:
“I am happy for the team. You are happy for anyone who puts in a lot of work. This team has put in a lot of work. The foundation is just being built and we have to keep building upon it. With this game coming up, it’s a challenging and physical game. I am glad that we are home playing in the Carrier Dome, looking forward to coming back to our fans. When you get on the road, you get a little bit home sick. It gets lonely out there. But, we had great support though in South Florida. It amazing how many people we had come out to that game. Now you have a chance to come home and play in front of your home crowd and that’s what we are looking forward to. You have to go back to the basics and make sure you understand what you have done to get to this point. You are going to have to play better in this BIG EAST to be competitive.”
