Nov. 3, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On Tuesday afternoon, UCF football held it's weekly press conference. Head coach George O'Leary answered questions on the victory over Marshall and this week's match-up against Texas.
Below are some excerpts from today's press conference.
On the win against Marshall
"We waited as long as we can wait to win it. That's great for the players. That's the most excited I have seen them in the locker room. We made plays we had to make. It was great to come up with the fumble. Bruce Miller played an outstanding game. We made some plays down the stretch to get some points on the board. I think it was a good conference win. When you look at how things are shaping up in the conference I think that it was a critical win as far as if you keep your dreams alive."
On the offense
"When I broke the game down, I thought we had a bunch of guys that could have gotten the ball. I thought the offensive line had a tough night. We had some people that were there and the calls were there, but we didn't have enough time or was rushed with getting rid of the ball. Brett Hodges took an awful lot of hits in that game; way too many for a quarterback."
On courage to be an affective quarterback
"Courage is what it is all about. I've seen very few quarterbacks that were any good, that weren't warriors. I think that is tough to lead a team if you aren't a tough guy yourself. When you go through the years and you see the quarterbacks that don't make it there is a reason besides athleticism. All the ones you see that made it and have done well, they are also tough guys. They have a real mental toughness about them and you have to have it. They are exposing themselves when they are throwing it. It is tough to stand there when a guy is coming at you and you see him in your vision and you are going to take the hit, but you still deliver the ball. I thought Brett did a great job on about three or four of those throws as far as making the play when he got hit."
Toughness of the quarterback
"I think the big thing is he got up. I thought Marshall did a good job of coming after him. Games probably change if you can deliver some of those balls earlier in the first half. Some guys are running free. Whether he was rushed or he was hit on the throw, we didn't get it off. I just think we didn't have a great game offensive line wise. Again, they are playing better and better. They did well in spurts. The key to offensive line is consistency. You can have a bad play but you can't have a bad day, that's the difference. "
On Texas
"Texas has all the pieces in place to make a run at the national championship. They are stacked on defense. They have great quickness. On offense they have a quarterback that makes good decisions and they have play makers that catch the ball and run with it. Plus they always have a good kicking game. I didn't see a man running free with the exception of the man in the end zone. I think they are a lot better compared to two years ago. Texas is always traditionally a very good football team. They have great skill and the athletes have great speed. "
Is it possible for your team to get too excited about playing Texas?
"It's a nationally televised game at 11 o'clock. That's what I am more worried about. We have been playing all these late games. It's a little change that way. The biggest problem we have is the one day change from a Sunday night game. You are short a day. You just have to watch how much you put on the players. I don't think you get any tougher this time of year; you don't tackle any better this time of year. Where is the attitude? That determines everything else."
On the timing of this game
The reason for this is because of television. TV dictated the schedule. You would like to play your non-conference games earlier. Once you get into conference play stay in conference.
On Bruce Miller
"Bruce is a really outstanding football player. He is on special teams and he won't come off either. He wants those kickoff returns. He puts out 90-100 percent each week he is on those units. He just loves playing football and he can play a number of positions. He is a tough guy. He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. He practices that way too. That is what separates him from other players. You play good on Saturday because you work hard during the week. Bruce is one of the top guys working at practice. We are going to have to have some great play from him and the rest of the team this weekend."
How careful do you have to play this weekend with injuries?
"Our most important goal is the conference. That dictates what happens at the end of the year. Our team is aware of that. Our goal is to win the conference championship and our second goal is to go to a bowl game. I think that is what is on their minds. They are real enthused to play Texas. You have to play to win. The players that can go 100 percent are going to play and that's the way I have always run the game. I don't look at the next game until we have to play it. We are going to play the people that are available to play and hopefully those are the people who played last game."
Can a team like yours play any more carefree compared to Texas who has the championship on the line?
"Our team will go out and play just like they are coached. Every game is a very serious game for us. We will play as hard as we can with great effort, that's what I expect from our football team. We don't have the talent base to go in and say, "Let's go play volleyball out here." They are a very good team, they are in the hunt, but we've got a game to play. We are going to play and shoot all the bullets we have."
On the crowd noise and atmosphere
"Usually on Wednesday or Thursday we have simulated jet noises on the speakers. They usually seat 101,000, that's what they have had their last four home games. It will be interesting."
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