Nov. 30, 2010
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By Christian Edwards
UCFAthletics.com
UCF head football coach George O'Leary and the four team captains met with the Orlando media on Tuesday to preview Saturday's C-USA Championship Game against SMU. Here is a sampling of what Coach O'Leary had to say.
Opening statement...
"Obviously we got to our goal, which was to get to the conference championship game."
On hosting the championship game as a "neutral" event...
"Anytime you play at home I think it is worth a lot to the players and the fan base. I think that is why you host it. I don't see anything neutral about it at all. I think they are trying to keep it neutral, but I think that is difficult while you are playing it at home. If you want to make it neutral play somewhere neutral then."
Are the C-USA people asking UCF not to partake in-game promotions?
"I have no idea. It is a home game as far as I am concerned. That is the way I look at it. I don't know what the other people are being told. I think that's nice you want to stay neutral but the combination of playing at home; it's not a neutral site. It's very simple. We are treating it just like a home game and that is the way it should be treated."
On the team's progression this season...
"I thought the spring we had the making of a good football team. We had to put some pieces together obviously. The quarterback having the year he had helped that situation. I think overall the expectation levels of the kids, they have played for the most part to their potential as far as getting things done on the field. I think this senior class has been a good class as far as minding the underclassmen not just on the field but off the field, and just doing the right things as far as the football program is concerned."
On Jeff Godfrey's efficiency...
"I tell you what we probably need to throw the ball a lot more with him in the game. I think his efficiency rating is [high] in the country. I think he is ranked pretty good there. The big thing is we are going to do what the defense allows us to do. You don't want to run uphill and you don't want to be throwing when they are dropping either. I think that we have enough checks in the system to take care of things like that. The key to Jeff is that I think it was done right with him. We put a little on the plate each game for him and added it and he retained what we had put on. We kept building the package a little bit to where we didn't throw out a big plate to him and expect him to know it all. I think the offensive coaches did a good job of not force feeding it but just nurturing him along as the season went through."
On SMU...
"I think they are a very good football team, obviously [to be] in the conference championship game. Offensive line wise I think they are very, very good, I really do. They protect very well and have the leading rusher in the conference back there, Zach Line. I think they block well run and pass, so I have been impressed with their front people and obviously their running back is getting over 100-yards a game and he is the one who is really moving the chains on the second-and-sixes. I thought in the past they would be throwing, now they are running the ball and it is third-and-one or two so he is moving the chains. That is what is keeping people honest as I watch tape on them. Defensively, they are very salty. They play stingy as far as the run game is concerned. They have big guys up front 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7 and again they play a 30-front which we have seen a bunch of this year. They complement each other very well. The quarterback Kyle Padron makes good decision and doesn't hold on to it long, and obviously in that offense they got receivers. It's going to be a good test for our defense and a great test for our offense."
On his relationship with SMU Athletic Director Steve Orsini...
"I knew Steve back from my Georgia Tech days when he was an assistant there. He was the one that really initially got me involved here with Dr. Hitt and the fellows here. Most of the stuff here is his vision as I see it when I got here, as far as a lot of that stuff he had on the drawing board. Again, I think he is a sharp guy. He is an ex-captain at Notre Dame and he has his ducks in a row and obviously he knew what he wanted to get done at SMU in hiring June [Jones] who has been around. It's almost the same path there, I think 1-10 [record] the first year [at SMU]and we were 0-11 [at UCF], but I think they have moved the program in the direction that June is wanting to go. I think Steve's job is to support whatever he needs to have and I think he has done that here when he was here and he has done that at SMU."
On how Orsini brought him to UCF...
"He asked if I had an interest and then they flew up a bunch of people in a private plane and I was still practicing with Minnesota [Vikings] when that was all taking place. My initial contact was with Steve, who rightfully so [since] he was the AD. I had a good job at the present, I was coordinating in the NFL, but I always wanted to get back [to college] and turn one program and see if I could get it going in the right direction. Especially with my age I didn't think I was going to be bouncing around a lot more. I thought this was a place that had great potential and great future as far as what could be done."
On being ranked...
"I think a lot of hard work went into it. It took probably an extra year or two longer than I would have liked. A lot of hard work from the staff and the players and the recruiting that took place. We didn't always get the five-star guy but we got very good football players that took a `coach me coach' attitude. Again you can win with a lot of those guys as long as they do the right things on the field and off the field. That is pretty much what we have done here. We have got a lot of good players and not necessarily the players that some other schools may get, but I think they have gone on and done a good job taking coaching and going out and being productive on the field."
Did you expect the quarterback situation to evolve like it has this season?
"No. Rob [Calabrese] was the obvious choice from the experience standpoint and then when we put Jeff [Godfrey] in in the North Carolina State game it didn't take long to see that he had that extra wow factor involved. I thought between the two of them it was Jeff's team after North Carolina State, but I thought we had a great mix with Rob coming in and running the segments he ran. I thought it was a good combination there. Very few teams in the country have two quarterbacks. They may have one and another that they hope doesn't have to play. I thought with both of them we had guys that could go in the game and win the game or sustain the win. I thought [offensive coordinator] Charlie [Taaffe] did a good job mixing and matching as far as getting them in and out."
On embracing the value and importance of winning the conference title...
"It really does [mean a lot]. When there are only a certain amount of teams in the country that get a chance to play 14 games, maybe 10. That's not many considering you have so many teams playing football in the country. So you get an extra game. The biggest thing with any of these games is you get practice time. The reason teams continue to go back to bowl games and do well is they are practicing; they get an extra 10 days of practice in, which doesn't affect really the players you have but the ones you haven't worked with, but he shell team guys and the scout guys because then you get a chance to work with them. I have always used it as a big plus to see if we need to change our strategy in recruiting because you start practicing in December and you get a chance to work with some kids and you go, `Wow we need to look at some more positions here.' That has always been maybe one or two or three kids you change your mind about on the road recruiting that you may need some more help in certain areas. I think it is a great situation. I go double sessions with, I call them the red squad. I don't know if it is a real pleasure to go to a bowl if you're here because you are going to go double sessions. The regular team just goes one session, but the other guys I keep a little longer on the field to get work done when they coach them up heading into spring ball."
On what winning the conference championship does for the school...
"It's the best thing you can do in the situation you are at. The ultimate goal is to win your division initially and then the next game is the conference championship. That is as far as you can go in your conference. I think that is the ultimate goal as far as the conference is concerned. Our choice is to win the conference because that sort of dictates what happens with the rest of the bowls and everything else anyway."
On building a consistent winning program...
"The guy asked me that on ESPN the other day and really with the kids graduating they are going to be a pretty good football team next year again too. I think it took, like I said, probably a year or two longer than I would have liked but I think we are getting depth in the program. That is what the key is, playmakers coming up. Most of the playmakers, when you look at the offensive line there are two guys gone out of 10 so there is a lot of people back. The running backs are all back and Brynn Harvey, who didn't play this year, [was preseason all-conference]. The receiving corps we have some good young kids coming up, the quarterbacks are back so I think there are a lot of things to work with. There is more depth in the program and that's what the whole thing is to get at consistency, you have to have people in the program and have some depth."
On playing non-conference games...
"Ever since I have been head coach here I have always wanted to play a good non-conference schedule. I have no problem playing anyone really. It is just that I don't want those two for ones [games], I want one for one [games] and I'll play at your place as long as you play at my place. We have a streamer here where you have to help out with the other sports. I think playing the non-conference games really gets your kids ready for a lot of things as far as speed and things they need to really improve on. It's hard to get games though. We struggle getting games, we really do."
On the C-USA's poor record against BCS opponents...
"When I look at the conference they all have skill guys, they really do. They have a running back, they have receivers, and they have quarterbacks. If you look at the national rankings whether against non-BCS or BCS I think our teams do very well in certain aspects. Where we need to improve I think as a conference is the up-front guys. That is what separates us and some of the BCS schools we are playing is the offensive line and defensive line. I think as far as skill guys there are a lot of good skill guys in this conference and good quarterbacks that are heading to the NFL. I think the difference is we are improving up-front, offense and defensive line, we just don't have the depth that maybe some of these other schools have and that is where we need to improve as a conference if you are going to compete not with just one BCS team but all the ones that you play."
On recruiting and possibly being the highest ranked team in the state if UCF wins the championship game on Saturday...
"I think right now we are knocking on a lot of the same doors as everybody else in the state. The biggest thing that we fight right now is that we just don't have that 80, 100-year tradition that the other schools have where the kids may grow up being another fan of another school. That's the fight that we have to fight, but I think the one thing that really has helped us has been the stadium on campus and then the factor that when they come on campus we have great facilities from a time management standpoint. You don't have to travel far to eat, sleep, practice, class and that's a major factor with a lot of kids today is they can see everywhere they have to be in football from their dorm room and so I think that's a major plus. I think the big thing with all of that is that with recruiting I think there are some kids you are going to get but we are knocking on all of the same doors and I put a lot of time and effort into academics and I rank them academically as well as athletically as far as grades are concerned and I just think that if you are going to bring poor students in they better play early or otherwise you are going to be out recruiting them anyways and they are going to struggle at both ends. I just make sure that we're [getting] kids that come in that want a degree and I will do everything possible to make sure they graduate and that we stay on top of them."
Will you use the highest ranked team in the state title in recruiting?
"No. I don't talk a lot about that. I just talk about what the school can do for him. I stick more to the facts as far as here is what we have, we have majors. You can pretty much do whatever you want academically with a major here and football wise you are going to compete. The big thing that we fight obviously is the non-BCS status and the BCS status. That is what you get hit with a lot of. We are on TV so often now nationally, that is how I try to fight back a little bit with that. Again that's why TCU going into the Big East, and those are big things, they really are, as far as young, impressionable kids are concerned."
Prior to head football coach George O'Leary talking with the media, the four team captains (Bruce Miller, David Williams, Derrick Hallman and Jah Reid) met with the media and shared their thoughts on the C-USA Championship Game against SMU. Here is a sampling of what they had to say.
Bruce Miller on how is it different it is coming back to this title game compared to 2007's...
"I think we have a different football team. I know that we do a lot of things differently and we definitely play more of a team game. That's a huge part of our success this year is the team football that we play. On the defensive side of the ball, the guys are just playing as one unit and I think that's what happens on the other side as well."
David Williams on SMU's team...
"They're probably the most balanced team that we've played all year and coach [Dave] Huxtable has reiterated that several times this week. They're a good football team and there's a reason why they're in the conference championship, so like we do every week, we just have to get ready to play."
Miller on having another ring...
"I look at my ring every day. It sits right up by my bed. I'd like another one and the guys that don't have one definitely want one too. "
Miller on hearing buzz about the game...
"I think the UCF community in general is excited about our season, our football team and definitely this game coming up. We've been able to accomplish a lot of great things this year, and a couple firsts, and I think that the general vide is exciting and people want to be a part of it."
Williams on how UCF has grown...
"From my freshman year until now, the whole campus has just exploded with new facilities and several other things, and with that I think the fan base has too. UCF has just grown tremendously. Football wise, I remember practicing while they were building the stadium and all we would do was look at it and say `we're going to play Texas the first game.' It was just an awesome experience. It was a huge deal and I'll never forget it."
Miller on getting a sack during the last regular season game...
"It was nice to get the sack. It's frustrating for me not to get to the quarterback, and it's not for any record or anything, but it's tough to not be able to get my hands on him. It was a long five game stretch, maybe six, not getting any sacks. I had a few pressures which are alright, but I like to bring them down. It changes the game."
Williams on spread offense teams...
"It's so important for us every week to go out there and stop the run and we were doing a great job with that and we took pride in it, but when we went out there and faced those high powered offenses it kind of threw us off. It kept us staying on the field a little bit longer and we weren't adjusting as quickly as we would've liked, but going through that and seeing the things we did, it's helped us a lot to prepare for that for this coming game and whoever we may see in whatever bowl game we play in."
Derrick Hallman on not being able to play in the championship game the last two years and how it feels to get a "second senior game"...
"Definitely, because I've been jealous the last two years sitting at home watching East Carolina play, especially the way we played them. They just always found a way to beat us the last three years, so I mean it [stinks] sitting at home watching them play on TV feeling like we should've been there. Now we have another opportunity to play at home and I'm extremely excited. We're not going to let this one slip away. I don't want my last memory of Bright House Networks Stadium to be me walking off the field with my head down and I don't want another team celebrating on my field with a championship trophy. The way senior day turned out is definitely a motivator to turn the tables."
Hallman on getting another ring...
"I look at my ring, and I won't even wear it because I don't have another one to wear on the other finger. So when I get another one I'll wear both of them, but, until then, I don't even wear our championship ring from 2007."
Jah Reid on penalties the last few games...
"The start of the season we were one of the lowest in the country and we were doing so well. Myself, I had three penalties this last game and I need to buckle down and the offense as a whole. We're going to work on that. We've been working on it in practice and we just need to execute our assignments and play within the rules of the game."
Hallman on SMU's offense...
"They're similar to other teams being that they run a spread offense, but they're different because they attack it completely different. They're going to keep you spread out most of the game with three to four wide receivers. Another big difference is their running attack because, although they throw the ball all over the field, they have a really good running back. The thing that sticks out about them the most from the other spread teams that we played during the season is their offensive line. Their offensive line is the best we've seen all year. I have to give [credit] to their line and their center because they're good players."
Hallman on SMU quarterback Kyle Padron...
"He's very poised. He gets rid of the ball so fast that 1-2-3 seconds after the ball is snapped, the ball is gone, and there are receivers down the field making plays. That's what impresses people the most is that he gets rid of the ball extremely fast and he has good accuracy."
Hallman on the game not "feeling like a home game"...
"There's a reason we're playing at home. We had the best record and it should be like a home game for us and the fans will have a huge impact if they come out and show support."
Reid on fans coming out for championship game...
"The fans have a huge impact. It helps to have that support behind you."
Reid on being in the locker room while fans are cheering...
"It's amazing. It builds up the pressure and it explodes as you run out on to the field and you get to see all the supporters behind you. It's a great motivator for the game."
Reid on how the program has grown...
"Our expectations are a lot higher and now we're expected to win and I'm so happy for that. To come out here and be successful this year, and to go out on a high note like this after five seasons, it's amazing."
Hallman on how the program has grown...
"Over the past four years, the biggest thing that's changed is the bond that everyone has. We're a family and we're brothers and that's why we play so well with each other because we have that bond that we've created over the past four years and, like [Jah] said, we're expected to win now. We don't go out onto the field and hear the announcers say `let's see if UCF can put up a good fight.' Now we're expected to win every game."
Hallman on how he knew this would be a special season...
"The biggest difference is Jeff Godfrey. I knew as long as the offense could put up points, I knew we would win games because I knew what the defense was capable of. Going against Jeff, and he was on second team back then, I knew how many problems he would cause for other defenses just because the first string defense went against second string all the time and he gave us a headache. So I knew if he could frustrate us, he would definitely frustrate other teams."
Reid on Jeff Godfrey...
"It says a lot about him that he stepped up and earned the starting position. He doesn't play like a freshman. He goes out there and he exudes confidence and it's very relaxing in the huddle. He takes that pressure off of you out there on the field and we know we have to protect for him and we want to. He has that ability to bail us out sometimes but how he stays relaxed is the most important thing, and you don't really ever expect that from a freshman quarterback."
Hallman on what it would mean to finish the season as the highest ranked team in the state (if UCF wins and Florida State loses)...
"Wow. It would be an honor. I saw this program being ranked and being a good program, one that others would respect, but never once did I imagine, at least in my four years, that we would be the highest ranked team in the state of Florida."