Tulsa Travels to Face Navy on Saturday
9/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2006
Tulsa, Oklahoma -
Coach Kragthorpe Weekly Press Conference Quotes:
Opening Statement...
"It's good to get back on track and win against North Texas. Our defense played exceptionally well, holding them to 89 yards in total offense and it felt like we only gave up three plays were probably could have held them to about 25 yards. Our special teams did a good job of creating field position for our offense, and the defense got turnovers. Our offense did a good job during the last drive of the first half. To go 96 yards, and score to take a 7-3 lead and then score twice coming right out of the box at halftime. It was a pretty complete game in the second half. The defense did a good job of holding us in there, only giving up three points off the turnover. Again, I thought our offense got on track and started getting in a rhythm, and getting on a roll and making some plays down the stretch."
On playing Navy before in the 2004 season...
"They are very multiple on the offensive side of the ball and they did an excellent job against us the last time that we played. They beat the heck out of us, 29-0, here at Skelly stadium so we know that we have a big challenge on our hands. The hardest part about playing Navy on a normal week, and for us actually a short week because we have to travel across the country to play the game, is seeing and trying to simulate the speed of what they do offensively. They are very good at what they do. They are very consistent at what they do. Their offensive line is very physical and they are going to cut you, chop block you, get you on the ground and try to create situations where they can get the ball on the perimeter without support. They are a very solid football team on the offensive side of the ball. Going back to your original question, it's hard to simulate it, but I do think the fact that we played them two years ago will help some of the guys that we still do have on our football team, but there are a lot of new guys too."
Is there any team that Navy is like?
"Air Force - the triple option teams. There's not a lot of them out there anymore, but Paul has done a great job wherever he has been. I think that one of the things that is lost when you look at Paul is that is he also very good at throwing the football. When he was at Hawaii, they ran it more out of the double slot attack. It was combining the triple option with the run-and-shoot, so they called it the wish-and-shoot at that point of time. They were very, very good back in the late 80's when Paul was there. He's a guy that not only knows the option game but understands the passing game too. He makes it a double edge sword when you are trying to defend it. Again, back to the original premise of your question, no, they are not like anybody, and that's what makes them so hard to defend."
On the importance of tackling against Navy...
"Well, obviously we have to do a good job at tackling and do a good job in terms of being disciplined and assignment sound. We have to make sure we cover the quarterback, a pitch player and a dive player. It will be tough. Again, it's going to be hard to simulate it in practice but we are going to do the best job that we can and hopefully play with a great amount of speed when we are out on the field in Annapolis."
On the effect Navy's offensive scheme has on the game plan...
"I think the biggest thing that you have to do is to stay patient. I think when you get the football, you can't say `gosh we have to score in three to four plays because we may not get the ball back. In a typical college football game you are going to get anywhere from 10 to 12 possessions and that's probably knocked down one or 1.5 possessions this year with the new rule changes. I think that it is imperative that we stay patient when we get ball and say `hey we just have to play our game and go down and score points'. We have to make sure that we are doing the things we need to do offensively and not get into a rushed tempo in an effort to get a number of possessions."
Talk about the athletes at an Academy school like Navy. Do you notice any difference between them and some more high profile schools (maybe not the best athletes in the country)?
"I think that there are a lot of players on the Navy team that could play anywhere in the country. Florida State, USC and Texas would love to have a lot of the guys that are playing. They are very, very disciplined. They play extremely fast and they play extremely hard. They have good talent. They are not a particularly big football team. You are not going to see an offensive line like a BYU who we played a few weeks ago that has 300-pounders across the board, and that's good. What you are going to see is a very athletic group of players. I don't think they are substandard players by any way shape or form. They are very good athletes. They can run. They are big. They're physical in the secondary. They have a fullback that can pound you. They have a quarterback (Brian Hampton) that plays on the perimeter and throws the football. Reggie Campbell is a great football player. He can play any place in the country, there's no question. You can ask 117 teams that would love to have Campbell on their team."
Does it do anything for the team's confidence after seeing how BYU played Boston College?
"Not really. You can't compare from game to game, every game is different. I knew going into the BYU game they had a good football team and speaking of them if they could execute the field goal snap and hold and kick, they would probably be 3-0 right now. They have a good football team, I know that going in and coming out. In terms of how we relate to them, we really don't look at that, we look at each individual game and were focused on trying to improve and beat Navy. We don't even talk about North Texas anymore. We talked about North Texas with the team at 6:30 this morning with the team, and at 7:45 it was all Navy."
On Navy quarterback Brian Hampton (Navy's QB) running the offense...
"He's a very good athlete. He's a very good decision maker. He's a guy that can make plays with his feet and I think that he throws the ball very efficiently. I think that he's a great competitor. You look at him and he is going to do whatever it takes to help this team win. Obviously, he's doing a nice job. They are 3-0 on the season, beating what I think is a good East Carolina team, beating UMass and then going all the way out to Stanford, across the country, and beating them handily like they did. That was very impressive --37-9, and they probably could of scored a couple more touchdowns."
Brian Hampton kind of struggled in the second game putting the ball on the ground every once in a while. It seemed like a difference in night and day with his performance this week. Could you see a difference on tape in his improvement from gae 2 to 3?
"I think Paul (Johnson) made some mention of the pitch relationship between the quarterback and the running back and that is something that they concentrated on in practice and got a lot of those things ironed outt. Like I've said before, none of us are ever a finished product, we are always a work in progress. Certainly our offense is that way, our defense is that way, and our special teams are and I'm sure Navy feels the same way. Most coaches have yet to coach a perfect game, I know I haven't. There's always something that you are looking to improve upon, but interestingly from a coaches perspective vs. a fans perspective there are things that even in the stands you can't see. In fact, for me, I have the worst seat in the house, standing on the sideline. I hate watching games on TV because I can't see the secondary, I can't see a lot of things. There are a lot of things I have to see on game film in order to say this is what we need to improve upon. Once we get that game film on Sunday and we watch the game film, then we say okay, here's the things we need to improve upon. Those plays may not show up in the box score. They may not show up in terms of changing the complexion of the game and the momentum of the game, but they do still exist. If you don't get them fixed then at sometime down the road they may become magnified. I think as a coach you are not only looking at the things that hurt you and the things that the other team took advantage of, but you are looking at the potential problems that exist down the road if you don't get those things fixed."
Did you see any of the replay of the Oklahoma-Oregon game?
"Yeah! Wow! How Bob (Stoops) keeps his cool is beyond me. He's a lot better than I am. I'll just make this statement. As a coach, we are judged on wins and losses. When someone doesn't do their job and it's reflected now in our record as coaches, that's disappointing. If we don't win games, we get fired. So, that's disappointing to me. I don't really have to speak in terms of specific plays because we all saw what we saw. Everyone can formulate their opinion based on what they saw. I have mine, which I have to keep inside, that's all I am going to say. I feel bad for Oklahoma. I thought they played a good football game at a tough place."
On coaching defense on a week like this...
"You certainly have to be aggressive in defending the option. You have to have a guy on the quarterback pitch and also on the dive, because they do an excellent job of running the ball between the tackles with their big, strong fullbacks. The one thing, again, that gets lost a little bit is Paul's background. People don't go back very far in history and see that he has been very, very successful throwing the football. They have a lot of principles where they throw the football. When I was at Buffalo with Kevin Gilbride we had a lot of wish-and-shoot or run-and-shoot principles in our passing game and you see those in Paul's passing game. They kind of hold you hostage with the option, looking to throw the football. They are going to have specific keys on specific players. If that player is not where he is supposed to be, if he gets out of position to defend the option, look out because here comes a play-action pass. They are very good at determining what it is that will get them to that next play or what is the next succession in the game plan. They are very well-coached and you have to be extremely disciplined, no doubt."
On Navy's formations...
"We haven't seen a lot of shotgun, but that doesn't mean they don't have it in their system. I am sure that they could do it. From week to week, they could certainly do some of the things they want to in their speed option game out of the shotgun. They have the ability to run the zone read play. We are certainly going to be prepared for all facets of what they could do, running the football and also throwing it too."
Have you seen any new wrinkles this year from the last time you played them?
"A couple of different things -- they're running a couple of different plays that they hadn't run before. One of those being a little tackle fold play, that's a good little scheme to try to create an angle and get up on your linebackers. One of the big things in their scheme is to try to get offensive linemen to the linebackers, get guys on the ground. As one of my old buddies who I worked with at Texas A&M would say `they want to stack you up like cord wood, cut you down and stack you up. They do a good job of it. They are very aggressive and they do a good job of getting on your people's legs and getting guys on the ground. It's certainly going to be a challenge for us."
Who are some of the players with expanded roles that have impressed you this season?
Donnie Johnson has had an expanded role. He has always been an excellent special teams player for us and still continues to be a great special teams player. He does a great job for us. He's a very unselfish guy. We have expanded his role in terms of being a wide receiver and he's doing a nice job. Obviously, Ted Curtis, with the availability of that spot being vacated by Garrett Mills, he has moved into that spot and has continued to do good things. He has continued to earn the trust of the offensive coaches and the players in terms of trying to put the ball in his hands. Idris (Moss) has a little bit bigger role. Ryan (Bugg) stepped it up the other night and made some plays for us. From an offensive standpoint, it's those guys. From a defensive standpoint, Kedrick is back in the fold. Roy is back. Julian is back. Those guys are certainly playing good football for us. We have the flexibility to play Walter Boyd at either nose guard or defensive end, so that provides us a little more flexibility. Those are the guys that come to mind right now. So far.
Can you talk about Navy, above and beyond football...
I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Naval Academy, for their coaches and for their players. I know the Athletic Director very well, Chet Gladchuk. He was at Boston College when I was there working for Dan Henning.
I really admire the guys on their football team. I know that number one they have made a commitment to serve our country. At any point in time, they could be deployed and be put in a position to actually physically defend our country. So, number one I have a lot of respect for them from that standpoint. I appreciate them. Number two, their daily routine is a daily routine that is very rigorous. You talk about getting up in the morning and being in formation, going to class all day long, going to football practice, going to study hall, and staying up at night to study. They have a full load. For these guys to get to watch ESPN SportsCenter would be a treat, whereas our guys can do that four times a day if they want to. I have a lot of respect for Coach Johnson and the job he's done there, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the players. It's a lifestyle that requires a tremendous amount of discipline. It's a lifestyle that makes you have a lot of sacrifices and force you to put things in priority. These guys have put our country at the top of their list from a priority standpoint. I appreciate those guys.
