University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Larry Fedora Weekly Media Conference Quotes...Oct. 26, 2009
10/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2009
Opening Statement:
"I am really pleased with our effort this past weekend. The guys played extremely hard. We played well in all three phases of the game. Obviously, there were some situations in the game that we did not excel. Our extra point and field goal team had some problems, but we will get that straightened out.
"Our special teams overall played pretty well. Defensively, other that one series, we pretty much dominated the game. Offensively, we have to continue to work at getting touchdowns in the red zone, rather than kicking field goals. Then we will not have to worry about the kicking problems.
"Like I said after the game, it was a frustrating game at least offensively because we never punted, but still did not feel like you did a whole lot.
"We understand the task at hand and our goal will be to be 1-0 at the end of this week. Houston is an exceptional opponent. They have beaten two Big 12 opponents and have the No. 1 offense in the country. Their quarterback, Case Keenum, has thrown for more yards than anyone else in the nation this year. They are good on special teams and very solid defensively. We understand that we will have to play extremely well to get this job done on Saturday."
On the overall health of the team:
"We came out of the game healthy, which was very fortunate. We cannot afford to keep losing guys. Everyone that was a little banged up came out of the game in good shape. The thing we are up against right now is that we have been going since August and have not had an open week yet. They guys are mentally and physically beat but they have to pull it together and continue to be mentally tough this week."
On the excitement of playing Houston:
"When you get to play a nationally ranked team on the road and on TV, everyone should get a little excited. It is a tremendous opportunity. As a football team you do not get those very often and when they do come up you better take advantage of it. This is our second time this season to play a ranked opponent and we feel like from looking at film this is the best team we have played at this point."
On Houston QB Case Keenum:
"He would be good in a lot of systems. He has a very quick release, a strong arm and is a very good decision maker. He has a very good idea of what they are trying to do and is a playmaker on top of that. He will pull the ball down and take off and make a play in a heartbeat. He can break your back. There is no doubt that he is why they are No. 1 in the country right now offensively."
On Houston's Special Teams:
"They have an exceptional return guy with great speed and vision, which will be a test for us. Our return guys have to do a great job, we are going to match up with them and expect to come out on top in the kicking game."
On Houston's Offense:
"You know (Offensive Coordinator) Dana (Holgorsen) is a Texas Tech disciple, so the system really is from Texas Tech. They do a better job of running the ball more that they do at Texas Tech. They do not have the line splits that Tech does and those things, to get technical, but they run the ball more effectively than Tech did. Dana has a great grasp of the system as he was with Mike Leach at Tech for quite a while. Then, Kevin (Sumlin) has added his things he brought in from Oklahoma. So they have put a great offense together.
On being able to run the ball:
"Obviously we want to try and be balanced. We have always said that balance to us is that we do not care how we get it - either run or pass - and we have been effective running the football the last couple of weeks. We will go into this game wanting to be effective running the football, because we think that will help us all the way around.
On Houston's rushing game:
"(Running back) Bryce Beall is a heck of a football player. They are averaging 135 to 140 yards a game rushing, which is really good, especially when you are throwing it for over 400 a game. That is their hidden yardage that will get you if you are not careful. You still have to concentrate on stopping the run. It is not all about stopping the passing game. When you look at their passing game it is really not downfield throws, but a controlled passing game where they get the ball to quick guys out in open spaces and those guys make plays. They are going to catch the football and we have to do a good job of tackling in open space.
