Nov. 18, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - Tuesday afternoon, UCF head coach George O'Leary met with the media to discuss the Knights' upcoming game at Memphis. The game will be played at the Liberty Bowl, and kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET.
In his weekly press conference, O'Leary discussed an array of topics including a breakdown of Memphis, the improving play of the offensive line and the importance of closing out the season on a positive note.
On the victory at Marshall
"I thought from a team standpoint that we played a full 60 minutes. When you see the possession time the way I like to see it, 38 to 22, then you know the team played well. The thing I thought was upsetting were some of the situations in the kicking game. It was a good win against a team that, if they had won, would be tied for first place in the conference."
On why the team ran the ball over 50 times in the game
"I ran the ball so much more Saturday for two reasons: the weather and they also gave us the opportunity to run the ball. This week will be a different game with a lot of man coverage and eight and nine man fronts. We will have to have the ability to throw the ball this weekend. I think statistics can be misleading with the quarterback. He (Rob Calabrese) had another three (passes) dropped--two that were touchdowns. I thought the quarterback managed the game well. I see him improving where the defense is starting to slow down and it is not rapid fire for him anymore. He is throwing in the right direction, but he just has to be more accurate. When we have the opportunity to make a big play, we have to make it."
On the receivers' troubles catching the ball
"You can only do two things; either get new receivers, or make sure they are catching 100 balls a day. I think a lot of it is they are trying to do things before they have the ball in their hands. That is Kamar's (Aiken) problem; he is trying to run with the ball before it is in his hands. Secure the ball before you worry about anything else. I don't think you can really teach guys how to catch at this level. They have to have the ability to catch the ball. I think there are natural catchers and grabbers, and we have right now a bunch of grabbers. I think they need to just be more fluid with their hands."
On the importance of the last two games of the season
"I think these next two games are games you want to hedge off with into the offseason as far as leaving a good taste in your mouth. I have always believed that people remember what you did in November and not in September. That is the progress I want to see as a head coach is that we are getting better. Defensively, we have been pretty status quo all year. Offensively, you can't be up and down every game. You have to keep rising every game so you have something to put your hat on."
On the improving play of the offensive line
"When you go back and look at the tape, I think these offensive linemen are putting more hats on people then in years past. I don't think they are sustaining as well, but the running back didn't miss a cut. It is the old saying that the running back made the line look good; well he did it in a lot of situations. We haven't been fortunate to have that done this year. I think a couple of times Saturday night (Brynn) Harvey made some good cuts that a running back with good vision would make."
On the Memphis offense
"They average close to 30 points a game. The big thing is they have had quarterback problems with a bunch of guys getting hurt. They are playing with a receiver and running back at quarterback. They have excellent receivers, guys who are supposed to look like receivers. I think our secondary will have their work cut out for them. They have run the ball a lot more this year, and running it successfully. They are a spread offense, and have almost gone to an offense like Tulsa."
On the Memphis defense
"They have changed almost 180 degrees with a lot more man coverage at almost 70 percent. There will be a lot more men in the box and you have to throw the ball to win that ball game."
On the keys to winning the game at Memphis
"I think it will come down to who can play the best pass defense. The kicking game will again be a factor on who wins. We got an unusual 14 points in the kicking game last Saturday. The key, like every game, is when we can rush for over 150 yards. Then, we are pretty successful here. When you have young kids, it is especially important to strike first and get momentum going on the sideline. We just lost momentum in the second half this season, and I think a lot of that has to do with the youngness on the sideline and not working through some sticky times in the second half."