Todd Graham Press Conference Quotes

11/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football

Chris Chamberlain is one of 15 Hurricane seniors playing in their final home game at H.A. Chapman Stadium this Saturday.

Nov. 6, 2007

Tulsa, Oklahoma -

Todd Graham Press Conference Quotes:

Conference USA's top two teams from the West division squares off on Saturday as second-place Tulsa Golden Hurricane hosts first-place Houston Cougars in a showdown at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 2:05 pm. Houston has a 5-1 record in league action, while Tulsa has a 4-2 C-USA mark. Both teams have an overall 6-3 record. After this week's match-up, both teams have just one C-USA contest remaining as Houston hosts Marshall on Nov. 17, and Tulsa visits Rice on Nov. 24. A Houston win on Saturday would wrap up the West Division title for the Cougars, while a Tulsa victory would put off seeing which team would represent the C-USA West Division at the C-USA Championship game on Dec. 1 until the final week of the season.

OPENING STATEMENT:

We were really excited to go down to Tulane. I really think right now we're playing our best football as a team. I felt like we've gotten steadily better and better defensively. I think we've really settled in as a staff and understanding what everybody's role is. Our kids have an attitude. The thing that set the tempo for the game was another goal line stand on the second series. I believe they had the ball. Our guys have a confidence and attitude about them. I think we finally, with the way things have transpired with a young secondary and the injuries that happened ... Randy Duncan is done for the year ... when those injuries happen in the secondary, with Roy (Roberts) and Randy early, we just kind of struggled to find the right fit and I think we have the right fit now. Our kids, defensively, are playing their football. It's the right time of year because we're playing an explosive offense in the University of Houston. We're going to have to play our best game.

Offensively, I was very pleased with Jamad Williams coming in like he did and stepping in for Tarrion. We have certain packages for Jamad and packages for Tarrion. Jamad just hadn't stepped up to this point. We really challenged him to step up and he stepped up big time. I was very pleased with that. I was very pleased with Roy Roberts and how he performed on kickoff return. I think we're playing better from a special teams standpoint. Paul (Smith) punted the ball well when we asked him to do that.

Right now I feel like we're playing our best football and to be going into the last three games in control of our own destiny is exciting for us as a football team. We've got basically two steps left to get back to the conference championship game and, naturally, the biggest one will be this Saturday. We'll need all the help we can get with our crowd. It's going to be a big game and it's for control of first place in the Western Division. We need to pack this stadium. Not only for that. But I'm going to tell you just what I told our coaches. Paul Smith, Chris Chamberlain, Nelson Coleman, these seniors, Anthony Germany, Steve Craver ... they've been a special group, with Paul Smith being the leader of that whole group. I really encourage our fans to come out and support them. They have really represented this city and this team in a first-class matter. There's only one way for them to finish their last home game at Chapman Stadium and Skelly Field and that's getting a big win against Houston.

WHAT IMPRESSED YOU MOST FROM THE TULANE GAME?

I don't know. It was hard for me to point out a lot of people defensively. I thought Moton Hopkins played his best football game of his career. I thought Alain Karatepeyan playing the best football game of his career. Chamberlain and Coleman played like they also play, and Germany the same way. I was impressed with how we tackled Forte. He's a big-time back. He's impressive to look at. He's a big, impressive guy. I was very impressed with that. I was impressed with how we're playing together as a team. I thought it was as close of a complete game that we've had. We did what we should have done. There were no surprises. That was the thing I was most impressed with. I think the key this time of year is that you step it up and you get desperate to win a championship. That's what we've talked about as a team. We want to be desperately seeking it. I remember in 2005 the feeling that I had going to practice and going to the locker room each day as our kids were hungry. Desperation is the only word I can think of. There was a desperate sense of urgency about getting to the championship and winning the championship. We have the opportunity to do that and I like our chances with the kids that we have and the experience that we have. We couldn't have it set up a better way. We have Houston here at home and they're the team to beat, the defending champions, and we have them here in our back yard as we try to get it done.

THE SCRIPT SEEMS TO BE WRITTEN FOR SENIOR DAY AND THE LAST GAME INSIDE "SKELLY STADIUM." HOW DO YOU CONTROL THE EMOTIONS OF SENIOR DAY?

Some of the younger kids (may deal with emotions). Guys like Paul, Chris and Nelson are almost like members of our coaching staff. Paul Smith does not get like that. He doesn't get flustered or emotional about things. He's very aware of things. We were at the Tulane game and he walked over before going out for a series. He said, "hey, I appreciate you letting me throw the ball on that last series because I wanted to make sure we hit that 300-yard mark again." He knew more about what was going on than I did. He's very composed in the game. I think this game is going to boil down to one thing. The team that turns the ball over the least is going to win. Turnover ratio is going to be the key in this game. We're (ranked No. 1 and No. 2) in offense in the conference. If you look statistically at everything, we're pretty evenly matched. They've got big-play guys. We've got big-play guys. We're very evenly matched. It's going to boil down to who makes the least amount of mistakes. I can tell you, and I told our team, is the key for us is to take care of the ball. We have not had one game this year where we haven't turned the football over. In the last game, we ran the wrong route and we had a defender in the area where there shouldn't have been one. We put the ball on the ground with one of our running backs. We've got to take care of the football in this game. To win a championship, that's what you have to do. It's that simple. This is going to be a game that's going to boil down to big plays. We can't give up cheap touchdowns and we can't turn the ball over. On the same hand, we have to go out and be aggressive and attack. That's what we have to do to be successful.

DO YOU GIVE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH THIS GAME MEANS?

I talk to the kids about this being the last game that will be played at "Skelly" Stadium. I know it's Chapman Stadium now, but it will never look the same and our team will never be the same. We have a special group of seniors. We talked about that and what the game means to us and the program and how hard they worked and what they've done to get to this point. It doesn't take a whole lot of motivation at this point. The staff is going to do what we have to do. Our guys have worked around the clock and we're going to do everything we can to put our guys in position to be successful because, no question about it, this is a very big game.

HAVE YOU BEEN IMPRESSED WITH HOUSTON'S DEFENSE?

They're very impressive. Coach (Alan) Weddell does a great job. They're a very physical team and very good against the pass. They're No. 1 in the conference in pass defense. (Phillip) Hunt, up front, No. 53, is a guy that's a difference maker for them. They're a 3-man front like us. (Brendan) Pahulu is kind of a hybrid that moves from the d-line to a linebacker. They're going to put a lot of pressure on you. We've got to protect the quarterback and do a good job of working packages that we can do that with. We can't let the athleticism on the back end beat you. We've got to make sure we're very efficient with where put the ball and careful with where we put the ball.

SMU DID A GOOD JOB ON ANTHONY ALRIDGE AND DONNIE AVERY, BUT HAD NOTHING FOR CASE KEENUM. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HIM?

I thought (SMU) did a great job of defending them. The game came down to one thing - they turned the ball over four times. When you turn the ball over four times in the first half, you're not going to be successful. If they don't turn the ball over, they have a great chance to win. Every week in this conference, there's would've, could've, should've, but what matters at the end is if you win or not. Those kids played hard and it was a physical game. You just can't make those mistakes. You have to give Houston's defense a lot of credit. They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and that's going to be a key to our game. When I'm telling you that we have to take care of the football, that all starts with one fundamental thing and that's protecting Paul Smith. If we protect Paul Smith, we don't turn the ball over.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT PAUL AND THE SENIORS PLAYING THEIR LAST GAME?

They're a very special group. Paul is a guy that's a very special quarterback and a special person. He's a better person than he is a quarterback and I think he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He's a guy that has great leadership. It's interesting to watch the meetings and how, if you walk into the meeting, it looks like Gus Malzahn and Paul Smith are running the meetings because he contributes to the game plan and coaching to the kids and talking about where the ball is going to be located.

It takes a lot to get that kind of respect and there's nobody in there ... I think he has a great deal of respect because of the works that he's done here as a person and a player. He's a phenomenal individual and I think he's going to be successful in whatever he does. Gus and I talk all the time. He's a guy that would finish playing and I'd hire him tomorrow to coach on my staff because he would be phenomenal. I don't know what he plans on going in to, but he would be a great coach.

The seniors on defense, and I've mentioned Chris Chamberlain, another guy that's in a mold of Paul Smith. Nelson Coleman, same thing. Germany, Craver ... those guys are all guys that I personally recruited myself and they've laid it on the line here and been a part of some great defensive teams here. They came here saying that were going to get this thing turned defensively and I think they've done that. They take some pride in what they're doing.

Those aren't guys you're going to replace. They're guys like Nick Bunting. Do we miss Nick Bunting? Heck yeah. There's no doubt about it. Those guys have meant a lot to this program and, more than that, those guys represent this program in a first-class manner. There's a certain way you do it at The University of Tulsa and that's through class and character. Never in my 20 years of coaching have I ever been around a group that has more class and character than this group of seniors.

YOU SAID A FEW TIMES THIS YEAR THAT, TO WIN GAMES, YOU HAVE TO SCORE POINTS. YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL THIS YEAR.

With the clock rules going back where they are, you're seeing the games are lasting longer with a bunch more plays. I think there were 17 more plays or something like that when I looked at the last report that our conference put out. I think the games' being lengthened is big. I think it's like one of those trends ... things have kind of evolved. I think you're seeing a lot of the offenses are very multiple and you're seeing a whole lot of spread now. You look at what Florida's doing and West Virginia. There's not many people running conventional offenses and it makes it very difficult. The kickoff moving back to the 30-yard line affects field position in a great way. Field position is better and the games are lasting longer and you're getting more opportunities for more snaps. It always balances out, but it takes a few years.

WITH THAT SAID, YOU ARE PLAYING TWO OF THE BETTER OFFENSES IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. IS THIS ANOTHER GAME WHERE SAYING TO SELF HAVE TO SCORE POINTS?

They (Tulane) scored a touchdown late against our second team. I was very pleased .... I think we're playing our best defensive football now. I can tell you, based on my tenure here, on senior day, our guys come to play. We always play well on that day. It means a lot to our kids and I think it's indicative of the type of character that we have on this team.

The younger guys like Charles Clay and Trae Johnson quickly developed relationships with the veteran guys because they've been mentored so fast. I look for us to play our best football game on Saturday. That's been our approach to it.

Do we have to score points? Yeah. Both teams average 37 points. Their defense gives up 29-30 points a game. Our defense gives up 36. They've played Oregon, we've played Oklahoma. They played pretty well and played Alabama extremely close and we beat BYU. I think we're very evenly matched teams. If you want to be entertained, this is a game to come watch. It's going to be explosive and exciting. Will there be some points scored? I bet there will be.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOUSTON'S UNIQUE OFFENSE?

They're a version of the spread. Art (Briles) is one of the most innovative guys in the business. He does a great job. He and I have known each other a long time, being former Texas High School football coaches. They know what we do and we know what they do. It's going to boil down to who makes the plays on the field. Defensively, we have to get takeaways and we can't give up one-play drives. They're probably telling their kids the same thing.

BEFORE YOU GOT HERE, JUST BECOMING BOWL ELIGIBLE WAS A BIG DEAL. THE TULANE GAME MADE YOU BOWL ELIGIBLE, BUT REALLY WAS UNNOTICED.

There wasn't a word mentioned about it until I said something. If you walk outside this door and turn left, you'll see the championship wall. That's the wall that I'm interested in. We don't want to go to a bowl. We want to win it. We want to be West Division champions, but we want to be conference champions. That's not easy and it's a tall order. There's going to be a bunch of close football games and you have to win them.

When I looked at the schedule, I knew this game would be a big game. I thought it would have the significance that it has.

DO YOU THINK YOU HIT A DEAD SPOT IN THE SEASON BEFORE BOUNCING BACK TO LIKE YOU HAVE IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS?

When I look back on the season, I think we got beat by Oklahoma and I think Oklahoma is a better team. We got beat by UTEP and we did a poor job of coaching in that game. I think that's indicative. I was talking to Keith (Patterson) and Gus the other day about that. We are a new staff and we made some new staff errors in that game that we shouldn't have made. That's the one game that I think we really need to get back. When we played Central Florida on that day, they were the better team on that day. I'd love to have another opportunity to play them.

I know our kids have played hard. It's been one of those years where we've had a lot more injuries than we usually have. I think we've steadily improved. The season is like a 15-round boxing match. You're going to get knocked down, but you have to get back up and keep pushing to get better. I think the grind gets a lot of people. It's hard on coaches and players, but it's your mental state more than anything else. Our guys expect to win. We have not been dominating ... I look back on it and it's tough. BYU was a tremendous win for our program and really shows what our potential is. Then having to play Oklahoma six days later, that's where the injury bug really happened. That's part of it. You go down the road to Stillwater and Norman and that's part of it.

Our program is to a point where we're going to compete each year for a conference championship and it should be a team that's bowl-eligible every year. From a depth standpoint, we're not at a point where we can handle a bunch of injuries. That's where all the parity comes in with 85 scholarships.