Sept. 27, 2005
ORLANDO - The following are quotes from UCF head coach George O'Leary at Tuesday's press luncheon.
Opening Statement: Reviewing the game, we came out of the game without any injuries ... everybody that was active Saturday night should be active next week. I think defensively we started out a little sluggish, missing some tackles early, but I thought they came out and the difference in the game was the front put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and they had some errant throws.
They (Marshall) made some plays and had some turnovers that I thought were critical as far as field position and keeping everything where they needed to be. Offensively we were balanced as far as run and pass. I still don't think we're getting as much out of the run game as we need to get; which will help the passing game.
Turnovers - you can't have them in key situations. I thought we took points away from ourselves offensively - at least from a field position standpoint - there were at least nine points that could have been had. If we don't turn the ball over and don't fumble ... there was a lot of sloppy plays and don't take a sack to take us out of field goal range. There are always a lot of improvements to be made. I do think that they (players) played very hard which they had been doing. I thought they (players) played hard with a purpose to win.
Getting that first score was very important to the confidence level of the kids (players). For the first half of the game, they played as well as they've played since I've been with them. The second half we got a little sloppy in some areas, but I thought we stepped up and made some plays when we had to make them on defense. It was a good win, I'm very happy for the players. I think I was happier that they stayed together and our hard work paid dividends. It was a good confidence win, now we need to grow from that and see what we can get done as far as the field is concerned offensively, defensively and special teams.
Question: What did you tell the team at half time when you were up 17-0?
O'Leary: I told them to play like its 0-0 and that you play 60 minutes for a reason. I've been on the other end of that where you come back and win. You try to relate that to the kids (players) and try not to make any wholesale changes in what we're doing.
Question: Now that you've gotten over the hurdle of winning the first game, how are you going to handle winning on the road?
O'Leary: We should be used to playing on the road, we've got seven (games) on the road. You have to understand that you can't always have a crowd behind you. You have to play your "A" game. We're putting 11 on the field whether we're home or away - those eleven have to play the same way whether you're home or away. You have to have the same sense of urgency and importance as you do at home, you shouldn't need a crowd or a cheerleader yelling to get ready to play, they should play with the same intensity all the time.
Question: Have you noticed any difference in the behavior of the players at practice?
O'Leary: This past week there has been a little more prance to their step, but the players realize that it's a team game and throughout it all the team stayed together. They understood that sometimes the offense played well enough to win and the defense didn't and sometimes the defense played well enough but the offense didn't.
Question: Was it different coaching with an initial lead?
O'Leary: It was different because you're not always pressing to try and create turnovers in order to create good field position. We can only play 66 guys in a Conference USA game by league rule, but I dressed 105 and it really kept them (players) into the game. Our kids did a great job staying involved on the sidelines even if they knew they weren't going to play.
Question: Can you talk a little bit about the upcoming game against Louisiana-Lafayette?
O'Leary: They (Louisiana-Lafayette) played Northwestern and I thought they beat up on them pretty good, but it was only 21-20 at halftime. Lafayette has a bunch of guys back on offense. They have skill kids that can run, a quarterback that's very active with his arm and his feet. They run a spread offense and they have a couple of running backs that can really get up and go.
Defensively, they have multiple 7-8 man fronts, a lot of movement and a lot of pressure. For us defensively we have to tackle well, and close in on the tackle quicker. Offensively, we have to put a body on a body to stop the penetration that they've created against other teams.