Oct. 18, 2005
ORLANDO - UCF head coach George O'Leary met the Orlando media Tuesday to discuss the Golden Knights' game at Southern Miss and this week's Conference USA game vs. Tulane at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Opening Statement
We're obviously disappointed in the performance Saturday night. You can't put the ball on the ground and give up punt and kickoff returns for big yards in a game. They (Southern Miss) had five drives that started inside the 25-yard line in the first half, six total for the game. You can't do that and expect to play well.
Defensively we don't have enough playmakers to stop people in a short distance. We did the first time and held them to a field goal from the seven-yard line. The six situations inside the 25-yard line really made the difference in the game. On special teams, we had been playing well in all areas but we took a step backwards. It wasn't the whole unit ... it was one or two individuals not fulfilling their responsibilities.
Turnovers were something that we had been avoiding, that's something we'll be working extra on this week. We're still going to put those guys out there if they're our best players. Some coaches will bench them but I don't like to do that unless I think it's a problem that can't be corrected. I challenged them at halftime to come out like it was 0-0 even though it was 45-7; I challenged them to play the way we're supposed to play.
When I looked at the tape of the game the only part I graded was the second half because I wanted to see who went out and played like they were supposed to play. I looked at the first half for mistakes and I saw that most of our mistakes were self-inflicted, which you can't do against a team like Southern Miss that has some athletes with some speed you can't shorten the field for them.
Question:Were there any players that made a difference in turning things around in the second half?
O'Leary:I thought Kyle Israel did, which I was happy to see for him. I've been holding and holding him, waiting to give him an opportunity and there was no better opportunity than that situation. He came in and he made some plays. He made good, quick decisions and he used his feet as well as his arm to move the ball. He didn't let the rush get in his way. The ball was gone before they could get to him.
Question:How quickly does this loss disappear in the minds of the players knowing the Conference USA Eastern division title is still on the line?
O'Leary:I'm not worried about any titles. I think that's one of the problems is people keep talking about titles. I'm worried about one game at a time and I think the players are finally starting to realize that's what they should be worried about, not worrying about any titles. I never talk to them about titles, I tell them about the next opponent. We're so young we have to focus our attention on the team at hand and that's it, not beyond that game. Not taking anything away from Southern Miss, but I think we had guys looking beyond that game and what other opponents are doing. I'm looking at what our next opponent is doing and that's about it.
Question:Is Steven Moffett still your quarterback?
O'Leary:Yes, Steven is still our guy but I wouldn't hesitate to put Kyle [Israel] in.
Question:What do you expect to see from Tulane this week?
O'Leary:They've got some big receivers that can go and the quarterback is the catalyst. He's (Lester Ricard) a big kid with a great arm. Watching their last game, he made some plays that they were counting on him to make. Tulane has two running backs that get the necessary yards.
They've been in most of their games. Against UTEP, they had the same problem we did with putting the ball on the ground - you can't do that and expect to win.
I've been impressed with them defensively, they are very solid. They've got linebackers that can run extremely well. The secondary is the strength of the team from an experience standpoint and their front [line] plays very aggressive.
It should be a good test for our offense to get first downs, move the ball and do what we need to do to win.