University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Charles Huff Weekly Press Conference – The ULM Game
10/21/2025 4:28:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss head football coach Charles Huff addressed the media on Tuesday, Oct. 21, ahead of the Golden Eagles' homecoming game against ULM on Saturday, Oct. 25.
Huff's Golden Eagles (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) are looking for their sixth win on the year to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022 against the Warhawks (3-4, 1-2 Sun Belt). The contest will also serve as Southern Miss' annual Homecoming Game with the theme for 2025 "There's No Place Like Homecoming."
Fans can take in the game on ESPN+ with Jason Baker and Austin Davis on the broadcast or on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts beginning the pregame show at Noon.
Here is what Huff said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"Phenomenal week Last week, great win by our players down in Lafayette. Very tough place to win hats off to coach Dez and his group for battling. Got to get ready for a really tough challenge this week. ULM is a really good team, if you just watch the film with no scoreboard, no stats, no records, they're probably three or four plays away from being in a totally different situation. So got a lot of respect for Coach Vincent. Well coached team. They play hard, they're big, probably the most physical team we've played, collectively at our level, they do a really good job. Really stress you on offense with their offense really stresses you on defense. A lot of different formations, lot of different personnel groupings, some really good players in some good spots. They're tough, they're physical, they're big up front. I think Coach Vincent does a really good job of being creative with sets and formations and motions and play packaging, it's gonna be really tough challenge for us, and then obviously on defense for them, they're big up front, probably the best D line at our level that we've played. As far as physicality, size, the ability to rotate guys, they're violent, like I say, when you turn the tape on, you don't know what their record is, because they play with such effort energy. So it's gonna be really challenging. We got a lot of work to do. We have to change some things that we do defensively so we may not look like what we've seen us defensively coming up this week. Obviously homecoming, great environment. Really excited to get everybody here. It's gonna be a really good environment here in the rock weather, supposed to be great, a great opportunity for us coming off the road in two weeks and getting a chance to play here at home. So really excited with that."
On the chance to reach six wins, and what it would mean for this program…
"Yeah, I think, you know, obviously, anytime you get a chance to extend your season, I think it's helpful. I think it's helpful for the seniors to get another game of film for their future. I think it's always helpful for your young guys in your program to get another month of practicing from a development standpoint. I think it's helpful from a recruiting standpoint, that you're going to be playing one more game than a lot of other teams in the country. Program wise, it gives our fans an opportunity to make plans in December to go somewhere. But it all comes back to we still got to maximize this opportunity. You know, we were not there yet. I told the team in the meeting. I mean, we're probably four or five plays away from looking at this thing totally different. So we've got to figure out a way to close the gap on those four or five plays that have gone our way, that really, maybe I won't say shouldn't have, but couldn't have gone our way, could have gone another way, and make sure that we take full advantage of this opportunity, I think again, anytime you can get to a bowl game, I think it helps the entire program, community wise. It gives us an opportunity to do something that has not been done around here in a very long time. I don't take the fact that you know, well, you got a bunch of new players. It's hard to get 100 to five people on the same page to do anything. So for us, I think it would be a huge step that we're moving in the right direction. It's not the ceiling, but to me, it is the foundation of what we want to be able to do consistently. You look at the teams that consistently make bowl games, typically, they have developed some guys over time. You go two and three and four years of making bowl games, that's two and three and four more months of football that your guys get to play. So if you bring a freshman in and he goes to three bowl games, well that's three more months of football and he gets to play than freshmen who don't. So I think from an overall, global standpoint, it's always good to have that consistency, because it helps your program develop over time."
On how Louisiana kept the offense off the field…
"Yeah, no, I thought ULL did a really good job. We expect the same thing from ULM. You can't play fast break football with our offense without having a fast break offense. So, if you are an offense that you know is either one new quarterback, ULL, they're a ball control offense anyway. So it looks like or makes it feel like, we slowed them down. I think we got the ball 10 times. We've been getting the ball 15 times. So even if we don't score on all of them, you score two more times. So typically teams that have that mentality, which is a great mentality if you can take care of the ball, and you don't turn it over, and you can walk the ball down the field, 12, 13, 14, 15 plays, you look up the first quarter is over. You only got the ball once. It puts a fast break offense in a scenario where every series is at a premium. That's what I talked to our guys about before last week's game, is we can't let the fact that we may not to get the ball as much stress us, because sometimes what happens is, you get the ball one two times a quarter, you look up, oh, it's second quarter. We got seven points. It's like, man, we're not doing something. So you got to really focus on and I think that's Iowa does the same thing. You know, they're kind of a methodical offense. The ball control. They want to eat the clock up. They want to move the chains. What we have to do defensively, we've got to get stops, and then offensively, our series or our possessions are a premium. You go down and you turn the ball over. You really have lost two series, if you kind of really look at it. So we expect the same thing this week. Just because of, you know, the type of offense that you know that they play, which is not a bad doesn't mean you're not going to score points. It just means you're more of a ball control, you know, methodically move the ball down the field type operation. So we've got to be prepared to maximize our drives on offense, and then we've got to still get off the field on defense. That makes it really difficult when you give up. You know, third and six becomes like fourth and six, because if you can get off the field, well, you've got the football back to your offense with more time on the clock if they convert that third and six, which may be in the first quarter, is not really that glaring, but that allowed them to take that drive from 8 plays to 15 plays, and for them, that that's kind of what they want to be able to do."
On the improvement from his defensive backs throughout this year…
"Yeah, I think they're taking advantage of the opportunities, we still broke up 2 that we probably should have we got. I say, if you can get both hands on the ball, you should catch the ball, you should catch it. I mean, that's the beauty of it, but I think what's starting to happen is they're playing with a lot of confidence. I think our communication has improved on the back end, which allows things pre snap to kind of get solved before you get kind of in the middle of the play. I think you're doing a really good job a lot of times. What you see is, if you're getting a lot of interceptions, typically, your backfield is not as involved in the run game as much. I think we're doing a really good job of balancing the two. I think Coach Calhoun and Coach Bowman do a really good job of emphasizing eye discipline so your eyes can take you to your keys and where you're supposed to be. I think our players are doing a good job of executing that. That's it. I mean, you can coach and you can drill and you can practice. If they get out there on Saturday and do something different, it doesn't make sense. So I think our players are doing a good job of executing I think they're creating some confidence because of their execution. And then I think our coaches are doing a good job of drilling the fundamentals that they need to go out and be successful."
On if it is good to win in multiple different ways…
"I think it's always good to win. I think you can learn from both. Is what's the most important, because there's going to come other situations. This weekend will probably be very similar to last weekend. You're going to have to be able to grind out a win or be very opportunistic, if that makes sense. So I think once you're able to have success in kind of both lanes, you learn how to survive in both lanes, and what you learn is okay. We've been here before. Now. We're not uncomfortable. We still got to be able to focus on what we need to focus on, focus on the next play, come up with a play. I thought we did a really good job of playing complimentary football last week. We got turnovers. We got 10 points off turnovers. They got turnovers. They got none. So although it's a small stat, you know, 10 points, it's huge, because if they get zero points off turnovers, but we can get 10, that's a huge momentum swing in a game that's very methodical, if that makes sense. You know, if you're going and it's going to be 55 to 56 it may not show up as much, but I think when you're talking complimentary football, hey, our defense got us the ball back and we got points off of it. I think that's a huge momentum swing. I think it helps the other side of the ball. Defensively, we get a turnover and we drive down and turn it back over. It's a little deflating, but I think once you're able to win in both scenarios or multiple scenarios, you're able to learn what it takes to win different ways."
On the 98 yard touchdown pass from Braylon Braxton…
"Coach Anderson checked to it based on the coverage they were playing. They were kind of squatting on some routes most of the time. It's one of those football adages, most of the time, third and 14 backed up. You're probably not throwing a go ball. You're probably trying to throw or run the ball to get a little bit of yards, to punt it away, or throw some type of, you know, dig or in right near or at the sticks to see if you can get it. Coach Anderson saw them kind of squatting on the play before, if that made sense, got an opportunity to get one on one coverage on the outside safety. I mean, tight end did a good job of just holding the safety long enough to get Micah out. Thought our O line did a great job protecting Braylon, made a phenomenal throw, hit him in stride, and probably was, the play of the game that took momentum, took the thought of, hey, we can come back. Hey, we're in this because you think if we punt there, they probably get the ball near midfield. They're thinking, we can go down and get points on the board, we're still in it. I always say there's not one play that wins a game, but one play can change a game, and that probably changed the game. You don't get to see it, but when you watch it on the coaches copy like our defense is on the sideline, and they're with their coaches going over the series, and they're starting to talk about, okay, hey, we get the ball at midfield, you know, where's their field goal range? And they're doing that, and when they throw that pass, the entire bench gets up and starts sprinting down the sideline. So you talk about a huge momentum swing for I don't know how long the play last, but for 30 seconds, 40 seconds there, it completely changed the dynamic of the game. We've been able to make some of those plays, probably think back here Ian foster pick going against that, just some huge momentum swings. We've been able to make some of those plays. What I've been talking our guys about is we've got to get some of those plays that aren't as flashy, a lot more consistent. I love the flashy, don't get me wrong. But there are some plays where we miss a tackle and turn a four yard run and eight yard run. There are some plays where we miss a completion that would have been taken from Third and nine to third and three. There's some plays where we don't just finish a block and a run could spit out, so we've got to also enjoy the flash and keep making those plays. But there are some plays in the middle there that we got to be as attentive to and cleaning up and doing as well."
On the defensive line's ability to punch the ball out and stopping the run game…
"You know, it goes back to how we practice. We put a lot of time in t trying to force turnovers. Those are the two stats that matter the most; turnovers and explosive plays. So we put most of our practice focus on those types of things. How do we prevent explosive plays, gap sound on defense, being in your gap, and having the right tackle fundamentals? How do you create turnovers? Obviously, catching the ball, taking care of the ball, punching the ball out, and on offense, how do you create explosive plays? Finishing blocks, protecting getting plays down the field. Our defense has that mentality to suffer well; if there's a blade of grass to defend, we've got to defend it. They have a lot of confidence in our short yardage package because it's very consistent. It's amazing, I don't know if you guys paid attention that Avery Sledge goes in five plays, and he has five impactful plays, punches the ball out, huge tackle for a loss on another one. So you just talk about a guy that's maximizing his opportunities. A couple of weeks ago, he got a fumble recovery out here, the guy finds the ball. So we've talked about, we got to find a way to get him more opportunities, and those are the things that a lot of guys are, you know, sometimes you struggle with I don't have as many plays or reps, all right? Well, Chris [Jones] and Mike [Montgomery] are playing pretty good, so I can't get upset. So what do I do? I prepare and I wait for my opportunity. My opportunity comes, I make plays. But I think defensively, we've got a lot of confidence in our ability to play with cohesion, and that's how you have goal-line stands. That's how you have short-yardage stands. That's how you stop the run. Now we've got good players, so don't I mean me, and you could go out there and run the same defense and they probably score, but we've got good players, but they got trust in each other. Hey, I know I got my gap. I know you got your gap. I know you fit your gap. I'm going to do my responsibility, so I don't have to try to over- you think about Jacksonville State Chris Jones doesn't have to try to play the run and the quarterback. I got the quarterback, so I'm waiting for the quarterback because I trust that you other 10 guys are going to do your job, and that's what we have on defense right now. We've got a lot of cohesion and trust in each other. It's because of how they prepare. They know they all watch film. When you watch our guys practice, the way we've practiced the last couple of weeks has been at a completely different level, not perfect, but the energy, the accountability, the vocal leadership, the nope, that's not how we're going to do it. They run on the field, run off the field. They're starting to take accountability for what they see on Saturdays. Obviously, we got to continue to do that, and that doesn't mean we go out and win every game, but when you get to that level, in moments where the ball is on the goal line, in moments where it's a short-yardage is in moments where you got to come up with a big play, everybody's already trusting that everybody has done what they need to do to make those plays."
On the development of his secondaries and depth pieces...
"Yeah, I think it's a little bit due to our process. We practice a lot. Most teams get into this part of the season and they start cutting practice back; we don't. We still get as many reps with our ones, twos and threes. We still do good on good every week, regardless of where we are, you know, in the in the in the season. So what happens is, now, you know, when the twos were getting half the reps, you know, the beginning of the season, those halves add up. So now when they're getting to the back in the season, they really have played. We've played seven games. So in theory, the twos have played half of that because they've been able to practice and sprinkle in some games. So, by nature, they get better. So, because of how we practice, because of our process, it allows you to develop on the move, if that makes sense, because you're going to get into a situation where you need that backup, or you need to rotate, and the only way to get them ready is to get them ready. You can't just say, hey, we're going, you know, 20 plays in this period, and you'll get three, and the ones get the rest and expect them to be ready. So, we do it all, we do half and half with everything we do. That way, everybody's getting reps. Everybody's getting ready, so now, when it comes time to try banking reps or accumulating reps, those twos now have actually played a good bit. I credit BA [Ben Ashford] and his staff for getting the guys physically ready to do that. I credit our guys for taking rehab and regen and all that stuff seriously each week, so we can go out and practice that way. When we get later in the games, our guys start to rely on the fact that, well we've already repped 200-300 plays in practice. To go to another 20 plays in this fourth quarter is nothing, and it starts to really build some confidence. And you start to get development on the move, you know, I mean, so a lot of times people talk about development. They're talking, well next year, next year, or the next year. That's not where college football is. Now you've got to be able to develop on the move. Does that mean that he's going to go from a three to a starter? No, but does Avery Sledge go from three or four plays a game to maybe 15 or 20? That's a huge difference."
On J'mond Tapp's intensity and what he brings to the defensive line...
"Yeah, his preparation is going through the roof. He's actually started to practice like, I won't say seriously, but he's practicing with intent. You know, he's always practiced seriously, but now he's actually in his mind. When he hears the defensive call and he sees the offensive set, he's playing the game in his head. So now, when he gets in the game, he's already seen he's already done it. He's also starting to hold people accountable around him. Whenever your best players or your best leaders are doing that, you've got a really good chance. So I think what he's starting to do is, he is starting to see success from his process. And a lot of times, what happens is young kids see success from their process, and their process stays the same. Well, success is going to drop off. What you've got to do is you've got to see success from your process, and you got to add as it goes, maybe adding more rehab, maybe adding more film, maybe adding more reps, depending on what you need to do. You can't just do- we can't do the same thing we did week one, and think we're going to play better in week seven. So, you've got to add to it. And adding to it doesn't mean you go from a two-hour practice to a six-hour practice. Adding to it means, well, maybe I was spending an hour in the training room. Now I've got to spend an hour and a half. Maybe I was watching an hour of film. Well, now I've got to watch two hours, because there's actually seven games out there. And I think J'mond [Tapp] has really done a good job of adding to his process each week. Which is allowing him to continue to have success, which is allowing him to continue to be what we talked about, instinctive. You know you're instinctive because you've seen it, repped it, and know what's coming. All of those things come through your preparation and your process. And I think he's done a really good job of tying the two together, his process and preparation with his talent.
On using J'Mond Tapp's success as a recruiting tool...
"Yeah, I think you know one of the reasons why he was willing to listen to us, because we had a Mike Green success story, and we were able to show actual film of what he would be doing positionally and what he would have an opportunity to do. On top of that, they are two different people, two different players. So, he still had his ability to add, okay, here's what he was able to do. Here's what I'm able to do. Now we've got two stories. If we get a player that is more athletic, [J'Mond] Tapp like, or more athletic, you know, Mike [Montgomery]-like, we've got two stories. And I think what happens is, although we get to create a narrative in house of how effective you can be, how you can make the right decision, and not the expense decision. The more we're able to do that, the more these young men are able, Tapp's going to be able to walk away from here and say, hey, it wasn't about going to the best money situation. It was going to be the best situation. Hopefully, that helps him make a better situation in life with what car to buy, what house to buy, what job do I take? So, it goes both ways. He's able to help us continue to be successful in recruiting and developing young men, and hopefully, because of this process going the right way, he's able to take some lessons and apply it to his life. You know, maybe you know, when he gets out of here, he invests his money a different way, because he realizes that, hey, it's not about how much it's about what you do with the opportunity for us, maybe there is another young man who's going to hit the portal, who's got talent, who may say, hey, I need to go somewhere where I can get film and not dollars. And ultimately, it gives us an opportunity to say, okay hey, this is real life. This is real, tangible evidence of two young men who had every opportunity in the world to go make money and chose to make film, and that's why they're able to be successful.
On how ULM provides a good challenge...
"Yeah, I mean, they're tough and they're physical, that's the first thing, and you can solve a lot of problems with physicality. I think they do a really good job offensively of being creative, which, again, defensively, you've got to kind of match personnel. You've got to match formations. You can be in the right spot, but be a gap short really fast. They've got good backs. They've got good receivers. They do so much on offense that looks the same that you can't really say, okay, hey, because this guy's standing here, this is what they're doing. And then defensively, their D line is really good. And obviously, you watch look all through the league, the teams that have good D lines typically have success. So it's going to be a war between our O-line and D-line. It's going to be a battle. And then we're going to have to be really, really good on defensive tackling in space, because they're going to put some formations together where you're not going to be able to get population to the ball, you're going to be able to get one guy in the fit, and everybody's going to have to play their gap. And then we got to be really opportunistic on offense, because we may not get the ball 15 times, so we've got to do that. We would take care of the ball on offense. We've got to try to take it away on defense. And then we've got to understand that it's not going to be easy. They're fighting- as I say, when you put on the film, if you don't look at the scoreboard, you can't tell they're winning or losing, which is a mark of a well-coached team, a lot of respect for Coach Vincent, and what they do. You can't tell that, hey, this play is play one and this play is play 60. They look the exact same. So that's that means they're going to play for 60 minutes. So, we've got to be prepared to do that as well. We've got to be prepared to take advantage of whatever opportunities come, and then we've got to go create some opportunities, which means we've got to be able to make some plays when we get an opportunity.
On selecting the kicker depending on the team...
"Yeah, I think it's more about us. Obviously, when we started this deal, we kind of had a plan that we would use Jack [Murley] in punting, and we would use Reed [Harradine] and kicking, and we had Creighton [Wilbanks] who was coming along, and then we had our situation with Jack. It really put us in a situation where we had to speed Creighton up a little bit to take some off of Reed. I think what has happened now, we've gotten two weeks in where all three of those guys have kind of gotten into a groove. And it's not necessarily the game. The games are great, you know? It's the load in practice. So if Reed is punting, kicking off and field goal, that's a lot. During the week, and then to turn around and get ready on the sideline. Us being able to split those duties up has really helped us lighten the load during the week, so we're more effective on game day. Having Jack back and having him actually punting in flow and working out and kind of back into his normal routine has allowed us to have some flexibility in the punting game, and then Creighton being able to step up and take an opportunity and run with it has lightened the load on both of those guys. Again, it's not about who it's about the execution. I think last week was probably our best kicking performance, not just because we made everything, but collectively as a group, we were effective in flipping the field and punting, we were effective in downing the ball inside the five-yard line, which was a huge valuable piece. When you're talking about an offense that's going to methodically walk the ball down the field, and then you talk about Creighton, who hits a huge momentum swing to get points right there at the end of the half. So, I think all three of those guys are starting to come into their own, I think again, the ability for them to be able to have a routine and going into the week, okay, this is my role. Not, well, I got a punt today and I got a kick today. Is Jack coming back? I don't know if Jack's coming back. Well, he's back, but is he back? Well, Jack's back, but is he going, Yeah, I mean, without the confusion, and obviously the adversity. We've all got to deal with it. I think those guys have handled it well. They challenge each other. All three of them could do it all if we needed them to. But obviously it lightens the load and creates a little bit more execution on game day with the with the balance."
Huff's Golden Eagles (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) are looking for their sixth win on the year to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022 against the Warhawks (3-4, 1-2 Sun Belt). The contest will also serve as Southern Miss' annual Homecoming Game with the theme for 2025 "There's No Place Like Homecoming."
Fans can take in the game on ESPN+ with Jason Baker and Austin Davis on the broadcast or on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, and Lee Roberts beginning the pregame show at Noon.
Here is what Huff said to the media:
Opening Statement…
"Phenomenal week Last week, great win by our players down in Lafayette. Very tough place to win hats off to coach Dez and his group for battling. Got to get ready for a really tough challenge this week. ULM is a really good team, if you just watch the film with no scoreboard, no stats, no records, they're probably three or four plays away from being in a totally different situation. So got a lot of respect for Coach Vincent. Well coached team. They play hard, they're big, probably the most physical team we've played, collectively at our level, they do a really good job. Really stress you on offense with their offense really stresses you on defense. A lot of different formations, lot of different personnel groupings, some really good players in some good spots. They're tough, they're physical, they're big up front. I think Coach Vincent does a really good job of being creative with sets and formations and motions and play packaging, it's gonna be really tough challenge for us, and then obviously on defense for them, they're big up front, probably the best D line at our level that we've played. As far as physicality, size, the ability to rotate guys, they're violent, like I say, when you turn the tape on, you don't know what their record is, because they play with such effort energy. So it's gonna be really challenging. We got a lot of work to do. We have to change some things that we do defensively so we may not look like what we've seen us defensively coming up this week. Obviously homecoming, great environment. Really excited to get everybody here. It's gonna be a really good environment here in the rock weather, supposed to be great, a great opportunity for us coming off the road in two weeks and getting a chance to play here at home. So really excited with that."
On the chance to reach six wins, and what it would mean for this program…
"Yeah, I think, you know, obviously, anytime you get a chance to extend your season, I think it's helpful. I think it's helpful for the seniors to get another game of film for their future. I think it's always helpful for your young guys in your program to get another month of practicing from a development standpoint. I think it's helpful from a recruiting standpoint, that you're going to be playing one more game than a lot of other teams in the country. Program wise, it gives our fans an opportunity to make plans in December to go somewhere. But it all comes back to we still got to maximize this opportunity. You know, we were not there yet. I told the team in the meeting. I mean, we're probably four or five plays away from looking at this thing totally different. So we've got to figure out a way to close the gap on those four or five plays that have gone our way, that really, maybe I won't say shouldn't have, but couldn't have gone our way, could have gone another way, and make sure that we take full advantage of this opportunity, I think again, anytime you can get to a bowl game, I think it helps the entire program, community wise. It gives us an opportunity to do something that has not been done around here in a very long time. I don't take the fact that you know, well, you got a bunch of new players. It's hard to get 100 to five people on the same page to do anything. So for us, I think it would be a huge step that we're moving in the right direction. It's not the ceiling, but to me, it is the foundation of what we want to be able to do consistently. You look at the teams that consistently make bowl games, typically, they have developed some guys over time. You go two and three and four years of making bowl games, that's two and three and four more months of football that your guys get to play. So if you bring a freshman in and he goes to three bowl games, well that's three more months of football and he gets to play than freshmen who don't. So I think from an overall, global standpoint, it's always good to have that consistency, because it helps your program develop over time."
On how Louisiana kept the offense off the field…
"Yeah, no, I thought ULL did a really good job. We expect the same thing from ULM. You can't play fast break football with our offense without having a fast break offense. So, if you are an offense that you know is either one new quarterback, ULL, they're a ball control offense anyway. So it looks like or makes it feel like, we slowed them down. I think we got the ball 10 times. We've been getting the ball 15 times. So even if we don't score on all of them, you score two more times. So typically teams that have that mentality, which is a great mentality if you can take care of the ball, and you don't turn it over, and you can walk the ball down the field, 12, 13, 14, 15 plays, you look up the first quarter is over. You only got the ball once. It puts a fast break offense in a scenario where every series is at a premium. That's what I talked to our guys about before last week's game, is we can't let the fact that we may not to get the ball as much stress us, because sometimes what happens is, you get the ball one two times a quarter, you look up, oh, it's second quarter. We got seven points. It's like, man, we're not doing something. So you got to really focus on and I think that's Iowa does the same thing. You know, they're kind of a methodical offense. The ball control. They want to eat the clock up. They want to move the chains. What we have to do defensively, we've got to get stops, and then offensively, our series or our possessions are a premium. You go down and you turn the ball over. You really have lost two series, if you kind of really look at it. So we expect the same thing this week. Just because of, you know, the type of offense that you know that they play, which is not a bad doesn't mean you're not going to score points. It just means you're more of a ball control, you know, methodically move the ball down the field type operation. So we've got to be prepared to maximize our drives on offense, and then we've got to still get off the field on defense. That makes it really difficult when you give up. You know, third and six becomes like fourth and six, because if you can get off the field, well, you've got the football back to your offense with more time on the clock if they convert that third and six, which may be in the first quarter, is not really that glaring, but that allowed them to take that drive from 8 plays to 15 plays, and for them, that that's kind of what they want to be able to do."
On the improvement from his defensive backs throughout this year…
"Yeah, I think they're taking advantage of the opportunities, we still broke up 2 that we probably should have we got. I say, if you can get both hands on the ball, you should catch the ball, you should catch it. I mean, that's the beauty of it, but I think what's starting to happen is they're playing with a lot of confidence. I think our communication has improved on the back end, which allows things pre snap to kind of get solved before you get kind of in the middle of the play. I think you're doing a really good job a lot of times. What you see is, if you're getting a lot of interceptions, typically, your backfield is not as involved in the run game as much. I think we're doing a really good job of balancing the two. I think Coach Calhoun and Coach Bowman do a really good job of emphasizing eye discipline so your eyes can take you to your keys and where you're supposed to be. I think our players are doing a good job of executing that. That's it. I mean, you can coach and you can drill and you can practice. If they get out there on Saturday and do something different, it doesn't make sense. So I think our players are doing a good job of executing I think they're creating some confidence because of their execution. And then I think our coaches are doing a good job of drilling the fundamentals that they need to go out and be successful."
On if it is good to win in multiple different ways…
"I think it's always good to win. I think you can learn from both. Is what's the most important, because there's going to come other situations. This weekend will probably be very similar to last weekend. You're going to have to be able to grind out a win or be very opportunistic, if that makes sense. So I think once you're able to have success in kind of both lanes, you learn how to survive in both lanes, and what you learn is okay. We've been here before. Now. We're not uncomfortable. We still got to be able to focus on what we need to focus on, focus on the next play, come up with a play. I thought we did a really good job of playing complimentary football last week. We got turnovers. We got 10 points off turnovers. They got turnovers. They got none. So although it's a small stat, you know, 10 points, it's huge, because if they get zero points off turnovers, but we can get 10, that's a huge momentum swing in a game that's very methodical, if that makes sense. You know, if you're going and it's going to be 55 to 56 it may not show up as much, but I think when you're talking complimentary football, hey, our defense got us the ball back and we got points off of it. I think that's a huge momentum swing. I think it helps the other side of the ball. Defensively, we get a turnover and we drive down and turn it back over. It's a little deflating, but I think once you're able to win in both scenarios or multiple scenarios, you're able to learn what it takes to win different ways."
On the 98 yard touchdown pass from Braylon Braxton…
"Coach Anderson checked to it based on the coverage they were playing. They were kind of squatting on some routes most of the time. It's one of those football adages, most of the time, third and 14 backed up. You're probably not throwing a go ball. You're probably trying to throw or run the ball to get a little bit of yards, to punt it away, or throw some type of, you know, dig or in right near or at the sticks to see if you can get it. Coach Anderson saw them kind of squatting on the play before, if that made sense, got an opportunity to get one on one coverage on the outside safety. I mean, tight end did a good job of just holding the safety long enough to get Micah out. Thought our O line did a great job protecting Braylon, made a phenomenal throw, hit him in stride, and probably was, the play of the game that took momentum, took the thought of, hey, we can come back. Hey, we're in this because you think if we punt there, they probably get the ball near midfield. They're thinking, we can go down and get points on the board, we're still in it. I always say there's not one play that wins a game, but one play can change a game, and that probably changed the game. You don't get to see it, but when you watch it on the coaches copy like our defense is on the sideline, and they're with their coaches going over the series, and they're starting to talk about, okay, hey, we get the ball at midfield, you know, where's their field goal range? And they're doing that, and when they throw that pass, the entire bench gets up and starts sprinting down the sideline. So you talk about a huge momentum swing for I don't know how long the play last, but for 30 seconds, 40 seconds there, it completely changed the dynamic of the game. We've been able to make some of those plays, probably think back here Ian foster pick going against that, just some huge momentum swings. We've been able to make some of those plays. What I've been talking our guys about is we've got to get some of those plays that aren't as flashy, a lot more consistent. I love the flashy, don't get me wrong. But there are some plays where we miss a tackle and turn a four yard run and eight yard run. There are some plays where we miss a completion that would have been taken from Third and nine to third and three. There's some plays where we don't just finish a block and a run could spit out, so we've got to also enjoy the flash and keep making those plays. But there are some plays in the middle there that we got to be as attentive to and cleaning up and doing as well."
On the defensive line's ability to punch the ball out and stopping the run game…
"You know, it goes back to how we practice. We put a lot of time in t trying to force turnovers. Those are the two stats that matter the most; turnovers and explosive plays. So we put most of our practice focus on those types of things. How do we prevent explosive plays, gap sound on defense, being in your gap, and having the right tackle fundamentals? How do you create turnovers? Obviously, catching the ball, taking care of the ball, punching the ball out, and on offense, how do you create explosive plays? Finishing blocks, protecting getting plays down the field. Our defense has that mentality to suffer well; if there's a blade of grass to defend, we've got to defend it. They have a lot of confidence in our short yardage package because it's very consistent. It's amazing, I don't know if you guys paid attention that Avery Sledge goes in five plays, and he has five impactful plays, punches the ball out, huge tackle for a loss on another one. So you just talk about a guy that's maximizing his opportunities. A couple of weeks ago, he got a fumble recovery out here, the guy finds the ball. So we've talked about, we got to find a way to get him more opportunities, and those are the things that a lot of guys are, you know, sometimes you struggle with I don't have as many plays or reps, all right? Well, Chris [Jones] and Mike [Montgomery] are playing pretty good, so I can't get upset. So what do I do? I prepare and I wait for my opportunity. My opportunity comes, I make plays. But I think defensively, we've got a lot of confidence in our ability to play with cohesion, and that's how you have goal-line stands. That's how you have short-yardage stands. That's how you stop the run. Now we've got good players, so don't I mean me, and you could go out there and run the same defense and they probably score, but we've got good players, but they got trust in each other. Hey, I know I got my gap. I know you got your gap. I know you fit your gap. I'm going to do my responsibility, so I don't have to try to over- you think about Jacksonville State Chris Jones doesn't have to try to play the run and the quarterback. I got the quarterback, so I'm waiting for the quarterback because I trust that you other 10 guys are going to do your job, and that's what we have on defense right now. We've got a lot of cohesion and trust in each other. It's because of how they prepare. They know they all watch film. When you watch our guys practice, the way we've practiced the last couple of weeks has been at a completely different level, not perfect, but the energy, the accountability, the vocal leadership, the nope, that's not how we're going to do it. They run on the field, run off the field. They're starting to take accountability for what they see on Saturdays. Obviously, we got to continue to do that, and that doesn't mean we go out and win every game, but when you get to that level, in moments where the ball is on the goal line, in moments where it's a short-yardage is in moments where you got to come up with a big play, everybody's already trusting that everybody has done what they need to do to make those plays."
On the development of his secondaries and depth pieces...
"Yeah, I think it's a little bit due to our process. We practice a lot. Most teams get into this part of the season and they start cutting practice back; we don't. We still get as many reps with our ones, twos and threes. We still do good on good every week, regardless of where we are, you know, in the in the in the season. So what happens is, now, you know, when the twos were getting half the reps, you know, the beginning of the season, those halves add up. So now when they're getting to the back in the season, they really have played. We've played seven games. So in theory, the twos have played half of that because they've been able to practice and sprinkle in some games. So, by nature, they get better. So, because of how we practice, because of our process, it allows you to develop on the move, if that makes sense, because you're going to get into a situation where you need that backup, or you need to rotate, and the only way to get them ready is to get them ready. You can't just say, hey, we're going, you know, 20 plays in this period, and you'll get three, and the ones get the rest and expect them to be ready. So, we do it all, we do half and half with everything we do. That way, everybody's getting reps. Everybody's getting ready, so now, when it comes time to try banking reps or accumulating reps, those twos now have actually played a good bit. I credit BA [Ben Ashford] and his staff for getting the guys physically ready to do that. I credit our guys for taking rehab and regen and all that stuff seriously each week, so we can go out and practice that way. When we get later in the games, our guys start to rely on the fact that, well we've already repped 200-300 plays in practice. To go to another 20 plays in this fourth quarter is nothing, and it starts to really build some confidence. And you start to get development on the move, you know, I mean, so a lot of times people talk about development. They're talking, well next year, next year, or the next year. That's not where college football is. Now you've got to be able to develop on the move. Does that mean that he's going to go from a three to a starter? No, but does Avery Sledge go from three or four plays a game to maybe 15 or 20? That's a huge difference."
On J'mond Tapp's intensity and what he brings to the defensive line...
"Yeah, his preparation is going through the roof. He's actually started to practice like, I won't say seriously, but he's practicing with intent. You know, he's always practiced seriously, but now he's actually in his mind. When he hears the defensive call and he sees the offensive set, he's playing the game in his head. So now, when he gets in the game, he's already seen he's already done it. He's also starting to hold people accountable around him. Whenever your best players or your best leaders are doing that, you've got a really good chance. So I think what he's starting to do is, he is starting to see success from his process. And a lot of times, what happens is young kids see success from their process, and their process stays the same. Well, success is going to drop off. What you've got to do is you've got to see success from your process, and you got to add as it goes, maybe adding more rehab, maybe adding more film, maybe adding more reps, depending on what you need to do. You can't just do- we can't do the same thing we did week one, and think we're going to play better in week seven. So, you've got to add to it. And adding to it doesn't mean you go from a two-hour practice to a six-hour practice. Adding to it means, well, maybe I was spending an hour in the training room. Now I've got to spend an hour and a half. Maybe I was watching an hour of film. Well, now I've got to watch two hours, because there's actually seven games out there. And I think J'mond [Tapp] has really done a good job of adding to his process each week. Which is allowing him to continue to have success, which is allowing him to continue to be what we talked about, instinctive. You know you're instinctive because you've seen it, repped it, and know what's coming. All of those things come through your preparation and your process. And I think he's done a really good job of tying the two together, his process and preparation with his talent.
On using J'Mond Tapp's success as a recruiting tool...
"Yeah, I think you know one of the reasons why he was willing to listen to us, because we had a Mike Green success story, and we were able to show actual film of what he would be doing positionally and what he would have an opportunity to do. On top of that, they are two different people, two different players. So, he still had his ability to add, okay, here's what he was able to do. Here's what I'm able to do. Now we've got two stories. If we get a player that is more athletic, [J'Mond] Tapp like, or more athletic, you know, Mike [Montgomery]-like, we've got two stories. And I think what happens is, although we get to create a narrative in house of how effective you can be, how you can make the right decision, and not the expense decision. The more we're able to do that, the more these young men are able, Tapp's going to be able to walk away from here and say, hey, it wasn't about going to the best money situation. It was going to be the best situation. Hopefully, that helps him make a better situation in life with what car to buy, what house to buy, what job do I take? So, it goes both ways. He's able to help us continue to be successful in recruiting and developing young men, and hopefully, because of this process going the right way, he's able to take some lessons and apply it to his life. You know, maybe you know, when he gets out of here, he invests his money a different way, because he realizes that, hey, it's not about how much it's about what you do with the opportunity for us, maybe there is another young man who's going to hit the portal, who's got talent, who may say, hey, I need to go somewhere where I can get film and not dollars. And ultimately, it gives us an opportunity to say, okay hey, this is real life. This is real, tangible evidence of two young men who had every opportunity in the world to go make money and chose to make film, and that's why they're able to be successful.
On how ULM provides a good challenge...
"Yeah, I mean, they're tough and they're physical, that's the first thing, and you can solve a lot of problems with physicality. I think they do a really good job offensively of being creative, which, again, defensively, you've got to kind of match personnel. You've got to match formations. You can be in the right spot, but be a gap short really fast. They've got good backs. They've got good receivers. They do so much on offense that looks the same that you can't really say, okay, hey, because this guy's standing here, this is what they're doing. And then defensively, their D line is really good. And obviously, you watch look all through the league, the teams that have good D lines typically have success. So it's going to be a war between our O-line and D-line. It's going to be a battle. And then we're going to have to be really, really good on defensive tackling in space, because they're going to put some formations together where you're not going to be able to get population to the ball, you're going to be able to get one guy in the fit, and everybody's going to have to play their gap. And then we got to be really opportunistic on offense, because we may not get the ball 15 times, so we've got to do that. We would take care of the ball on offense. We've got to try to take it away on defense. And then we've got to understand that it's not going to be easy. They're fighting- as I say, when you put on the film, if you don't look at the scoreboard, you can't tell they're winning or losing, which is a mark of a well-coached team, a lot of respect for Coach Vincent, and what they do. You can't tell that, hey, this play is play one and this play is play 60. They look the exact same. So that's that means they're going to play for 60 minutes. So, we've got to be prepared to do that as well. We've got to be prepared to take advantage of whatever opportunities come, and then we've got to go create some opportunities, which means we've got to be able to make some plays when we get an opportunity.
On selecting the kicker depending on the team...
"Yeah, I think it's more about us. Obviously, when we started this deal, we kind of had a plan that we would use Jack [Murley] in punting, and we would use Reed [Harradine] and kicking, and we had Creighton [Wilbanks] who was coming along, and then we had our situation with Jack. It really put us in a situation where we had to speed Creighton up a little bit to take some off of Reed. I think what has happened now, we've gotten two weeks in where all three of those guys have kind of gotten into a groove. And it's not necessarily the game. The games are great, you know? It's the load in practice. So if Reed is punting, kicking off and field goal, that's a lot. During the week, and then to turn around and get ready on the sideline. Us being able to split those duties up has really helped us lighten the load during the week, so we're more effective on game day. Having Jack back and having him actually punting in flow and working out and kind of back into his normal routine has allowed us to have some flexibility in the punting game, and then Creighton being able to step up and take an opportunity and run with it has lightened the load on both of those guys. Again, it's not about who it's about the execution. I think last week was probably our best kicking performance, not just because we made everything, but collectively as a group, we were effective in flipping the field and punting, we were effective in downing the ball inside the five-yard line, which was a huge valuable piece. When you're talking about an offense that's going to methodically walk the ball down the field, and then you talk about Creighton, who hits a huge momentum swing to get points right there at the end of the half. So, I think all three of those guys are starting to come into their own, I think again, the ability for them to be able to have a routine and going into the week, okay, this is my role. Not, well, I got a punt today and I got a kick today. Is Jack coming back? I don't know if Jack's coming back. Well, he's back, but is he back? Well, Jack's back, but is he going, Yeah, I mean, without the confusion, and obviously the adversity. We've all got to deal with it. I think those guys have handled it well. They challenge each other. All three of them could do it all if we needed them to. But obviously it lightens the load and creates a little bit more execution on game day with the with the balance."
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