North Texas Mean Green College Football Pregame Quote, 09/17/2019

Like I said on Saturday, we’re never satisfied with a loss. But I think we learned a lot about this team with the way the fought and grinded on the road against a very good Cal team. Against any Power 5 opponent, especially on the road you’re just trying to give yourself a chance in the fourth quarter with an opportunity to win the football game. I think we did that, obviously didn’t finish it off the right way but gave ourselves a chance and a lot of that had to do with our defense. I thought them allowing only three points over the final three quarters they really stepped up and played really well. Early on it was a battle of field position, we gave them two short fields which led to some points. I think they only had one drive of 60-yards or more and that was the opening drive of the game. Being able to settle in quicker and making sure in games like that, against an opponent like that you’ve got to be solid on your field position. Really proud of the way our defense stepped up, they definitely gained some confidence and I think the chemistry is getting better on that side of the ball. Overall I was really proud of the fight, determination and resilience our team showed. They just battled out and continued to come back and play a physical game. I think there’s a lot to be learned and we can definitely grow from an experience like that.

This weekend obviously is the start of conference play and it’s really our first opportunity to achieve our overall goal. I know that getting back home and playing in front of our fans is going to be important to our guys and they’re really excited about the opportunity. We definitely need a crowd like we did in the opening game of the season. We need our fans, students, alumni and support to show up and get rowdy in there and let us feed off their energy. UTSA is building up to be a great rivalry game, over the last six games it’s tied up now 3-3. Four of the six games have been decided by the last play or drive of the game. It’s always been a tough battle on both sides, they’ve gotten off on the last two games they’re 0-2 and on the last two games we’re 0-2. So both teams want to battle back and I both teams want to come and fight hard to win the football game. It’s going to be a great battle this weekend and I know our guys are excited about it.

On what was learned about the defense against Cal:

Again, I thought they just grew up with confidence. We’ve got some young guys who are attacking better. Overall I just think it’s the more reps and plays they see the better they’ll get. Offensively we have to put them in good situations along with special teams, making sure we do a great job with field position because it’s been huge in every game. But at the same time I just think it’s getting comfortable. There’s a lot of new faces over on that side and I think that’s as important as anything just gaining that confidence, knowing that what you do during the week is good enough.

On the sense of this being a rivalry game to the players:

This is definitely our rivalry game. You look at the past three opportunities this group has gotten against this team, it’s been a battle. It’s come down to the final play or series of the game. Our players want to win, our fans want to win. We understand the meaning of it and they understand it. They don’t like us and at the end of the day that’s what rivalries are supposed to be.

On what he sees on the offensive side of the ball for UTSA:

I think they’re talented. Obviously their quarterback getting back has really helped them, I think he’s a spark for them. He’s a guy that can throw the ball around, he’s accurate, manages the offense well and he can get out of trouble with his legs. I think they’re explosive at the running back position, up front they play physical I think they’re doing some really good things. They’ve had some tough games in a tough schedule and I think they’re growing and getting better as it goes.

On what he’s seen from Deion Hair-Griffin and Jyaire Shorter:

We knew guys were going to have to step up coming into this season, Jyaire has come in to fill a really big role vacated by [Jaylen] Guyton and Deion’s been a guy who’s played all of the receiver positions, he’s explosive, he’s fast and I think the more he gets targeted the more comfortable and confident he gets.

On fixing first quarter offensive woes:

I think we’ve got to get them more comfortable early. I think getting the run game established a little bit early needs to help that. We’ve just got to really relax, this past week against that defense we knew it was going to be a challenge and I think some of that is just settling into the speed of the game. We’ve just have to do a better job overall with getting our execution done early and getting comfortable.

On his impression of the strength of Conference USA:

I don’t pay attention to the scores, especially early on because I’ve got my own stuff in my own backyard to clean up. I think ultimately, there’s great coaches in this conference from top to bottom and I think you see that year in and year out. Anybody can beat anybody on any given week, I think there’s great players, NFL players, great coaches, schemes it’s very competitive. I think it’s all there and you have to be locked in and focused in order to have success week in and week out.