University of Memphis Athletics
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Mike Norvell Weekly Press Conference Highlights - October 14
Oct 14, 2019 | Football
Memphis Head Coach Mike Norvell quotes // Week 7 – Oct. 14 // Tulane
Opening statement…
"Coming off last week, it was disappointing to come up short in that game. We knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle, and it definitely was that. It was two of the better teams in our league. On the road, we didn't start like we wanted to. We fell behind. We had three turnovers in our first 16 plays offensively. That's something we definitely can't have. I was really proud of our team in general in how we responded to those situations. Our defense was able to hold them to field goals throughout that stretch to keep us in the game. I thought our sideline energy and mentality of our guys – there was no complaining. Nobody was bickering. We went out and played the next play. It was good to see our guys respond and put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win the game. Obviously, we came up short in that regard. There are a lot of things we need to continue to grow from. We mentioned the turnovers. We have to eliminate giving up the big play defensively. They were able to hit a couple runs on us and a couple down-the-field shots. That's something we have to get better at. In special teams, I thought we played well. We didn't have as many opportunities, so it was kind of a neutral game in that regard. Our guys did what we needed to do when they were asked. Leading toward this week, we play another one of the top teams in The American and in the country. This Tulane team is the best Tulane team we will play since we have been here. You watch them, they have been incredible in really every game. The only game they came up short was on the road against Auburn. That was a 60-minute battle for them. They played extremely well defensively. The ways they attack, this has been a defense that has continued to get better each year. They have recruited well. They are impactful in creating the take-aways and negative play. That was something that hurt us last year. Offensively, it's one of the most explosive offenses in the country. They are averaging over six yards per rush attempt but also being able to push the ball down the field. There is a lot of versatility in who they are getting the ball to and how they are getting the ball to them. I think it's going to be a great challenge for our team this week. Just like this game, every year it's going to be a battle in special teams. Coach Fritz runs their special teams. I think he is one of the best coaches in the country. It's always a chess match when these two teams match up in special teams units. It's going to play a big part in this game. We're excited to be back in the Liberty Bowl. It is kind of a unique year when it comes to our schedule. This is our only October game at home, so we are expecting a big crowd. We need to have a great crowd and it needs to be a wonderful home-field advantage for us. We're excited about getting back on the field and going to work with our preparation for what is going to be an absolute necessity for us to have a change to put ourselves in a good position come Saturday."
On fourth-down call late at Temple…
"It's more than just one play from last week. We watched the game film. There are probably 35 plays that would have impacted that game. I know offensively you look at the four turnovers. Those were all critical. There were probably another 15 offensive plays at any point if we had everybody executing then it would have been a different outcome. There were probably five different play calls I would like to have back in that game. Everybody is involved. I didn't have my best day on Saturday when it comes to calling plays and things we wanted to do. I thought the positives of it, you saw our offense when we didn't have the negatives. That was a good defense and we were able to move the ball. We were balanced in a sense of running the football. Kenny (Gainwell) had a nice day. Kylan (Watkins) showed up and did some nice things. Then we threw the ball vertically down the field as good as we have probably since I have been here. There are some encouraging moments that come from that. Defensively, we were put in some tough situations and we had to have stops, and we found a way to create stops. The negative, you look at their touchdowns drives and there was a big play involved in every one of those drives. That is what we have to get corrected. You go back through that game, and I know a lot of attention goes to one play in that game, but really, I'm past that play. That play we have no control over, what the call was. I want to focus on the other plays that really did impact us coming up short."
On recognizing the team moving past loss…
"That happened Sunday. I hate losing. That is part of being a competitor. You watch our teams play, we play with a certain edge and spirit because we want to win. We want to put ourselves in the best position to be successful. But when you come up short, there is a reason. I thought last week was the best week of practice we've had. I told our guys in the locker room, 'I can't focus on last week's preparation for anything we came up short in that game.' But there were five weeks prior. Every rep matters. Every practice matters. Everything you are doing in building to what you want to accomplish, you have to be consistent with that. I'm encouraged with what I saw in practice last week to what that can mean for us this week. A big part of how we play is how we prepare. You turn on film, this is a really good football team that is coming in here. I'm excited about it. You talk about getting past it, you have to move on. That's part of this game. It doesn't mean you have to be happy about it. You learn from the experience and you get your eyes up and press forward for what you need to do to be successful this week."
On Chris Claybrooks's season debut…
"Chris played I think 25-30 snaps and was able to get into special teams a little bit. He was flying around. There was something about technique we need to clean up, but it was good to see him on the field. He is a great athlete and great competitor. It looked like Game 1 for him. We've got to accelerate him in practice this week, which is hard because you have to have a fine balance of allowing him to get back into game shape to play a bigger load but also making sure he is getting enough of the repetitions to go out there and be successful."
On bouncing back after the loss…
"We've had that experience, so at the end of the day, it's all about tomorrow's practice. It's all about what our guys are doing on their off-day to prepare them for Saturday. That has to be our focus. I'll tell you; I think that showed up on Saturday. There are a lot of teams, you turn the ball over three times in the first quarter, look up at the scoreboard and see you're down 16-0, and there's not a lot of teams that would respond the way ours did. They kept battling back, even when we had a mistake here, a mistake there, on all sides of the ball, they rallied. We made a decision to go for it on a fourth-and-1, in the middle of the field, and we didn't get it. We've been very successful in those situations, but our defense responded. TJ Carter, they get the ball on the five-yard line, he rips it out, gets a takeaway. That shows why you play the next play, be focused on the one in front of you, why you focus on today. I can tell you, if anyone wants to see a championship-caliber game, come Saturday. This Tulane team, they're one of the best teams we will play this year, I said that last week against Temple, and I think that showed up to be a really good football team in a lot of different ways. This team we're playing is one of the best teams, best coached, it's going to be a heck of a matchup."
On the turnovers…
"I don't know if there are any teams in the country that practice ball-security as much as we do. But it's got to show up on game day. There's not a moment where Brady had the intention of saying "This would be a good time to put the ball on the ground." Sometimes you try to do a little bit too much, and you lose focus on your fundamentals. He's stepping up in the pocket on one, trying to evade the rush, and the guy knocks the ball out of his hand. We can't have that at that time. The play where he kind of scrambled up, on the second-and-ten, he's going down and the guy hits him right on the ball, that's something that we can fundamentally get better at. One really bad decision on the interception, that's one that I think he said in the post-game press conference was a really bad decision. He knows that. We've got to eliminate those; those can't show up. And then the exchange, you have a true freshman in the game, we have an exchange issue, as coaches, we have to make sure they're putting in the time in that type of situation. I put that on myself, maybe those two guys haven't had enough of that type of exchange with that type of intensity with it. I can take that one because of what ended up happening."
On Tulane's offense…
"I think you see a well-coached team, with really good football players. I have a ton of respect for Will (Hall) and the job he does. Last year, I was honored to have worked with him and what he brought to our offense and as a position coach. I expected when he took the position there as their offensive coordinator, that great things would happen for that offense, and he hasn't disappointed. He's done a great job with what they're doing schematically, utilizing the playmakers that they have. He's got that quarterback playing really well, he's a winner. You look at the number of games he's started since the game against us, since that's when he came in, he's got a phenomenal record. He rarely makes a mistake, and then Will's playing a lot to his strengths, and they've got some dynamic players on the perimeter that definitely can win the one-on-one matchups."
On revenge being a factor…
"There are two different teams. I think the respect level from our team for our opponent, you turn on film, we got our butts kicked. That was reality. You go watch that game, every person can see themselves. Both teams are different, they have a new offensive coordinator, defensively, their guys are more experienced as a defensive front. They were young last year, and really got after us, and now they've got a little more experience. It's going to be a great challenge."
Opening statement…
"Coming off last week, it was disappointing to come up short in that game. We knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle, and it definitely was that. It was two of the better teams in our league. On the road, we didn't start like we wanted to. We fell behind. We had three turnovers in our first 16 plays offensively. That's something we definitely can't have. I was really proud of our team in general in how we responded to those situations. Our defense was able to hold them to field goals throughout that stretch to keep us in the game. I thought our sideline energy and mentality of our guys – there was no complaining. Nobody was bickering. We went out and played the next play. It was good to see our guys respond and put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win the game. Obviously, we came up short in that regard. There are a lot of things we need to continue to grow from. We mentioned the turnovers. We have to eliminate giving up the big play defensively. They were able to hit a couple runs on us and a couple down-the-field shots. That's something we have to get better at. In special teams, I thought we played well. We didn't have as many opportunities, so it was kind of a neutral game in that regard. Our guys did what we needed to do when they were asked. Leading toward this week, we play another one of the top teams in The American and in the country. This Tulane team is the best Tulane team we will play since we have been here. You watch them, they have been incredible in really every game. The only game they came up short was on the road against Auburn. That was a 60-minute battle for them. They played extremely well defensively. The ways they attack, this has been a defense that has continued to get better each year. They have recruited well. They are impactful in creating the take-aways and negative play. That was something that hurt us last year. Offensively, it's one of the most explosive offenses in the country. They are averaging over six yards per rush attempt but also being able to push the ball down the field. There is a lot of versatility in who they are getting the ball to and how they are getting the ball to them. I think it's going to be a great challenge for our team this week. Just like this game, every year it's going to be a battle in special teams. Coach Fritz runs their special teams. I think he is one of the best coaches in the country. It's always a chess match when these two teams match up in special teams units. It's going to play a big part in this game. We're excited to be back in the Liberty Bowl. It is kind of a unique year when it comes to our schedule. This is our only October game at home, so we are expecting a big crowd. We need to have a great crowd and it needs to be a wonderful home-field advantage for us. We're excited about getting back on the field and going to work with our preparation for what is going to be an absolute necessity for us to have a change to put ourselves in a good position come Saturday."
On fourth-down call late at Temple…
"It's more than just one play from last week. We watched the game film. There are probably 35 plays that would have impacted that game. I know offensively you look at the four turnovers. Those were all critical. There were probably another 15 offensive plays at any point if we had everybody executing then it would have been a different outcome. There were probably five different play calls I would like to have back in that game. Everybody is involved. I didn't have my best day on Saturday when it comes to calling plays and things we wanted to do. I thought the positives of it, you saw our offense when we didn't have the negatives. That was a good defense and we were able to move the ball. We were balanced in a sense of running the football. Kenny (Gainwell) had a nice day. Kylan (Watkins) showed up and did some nice things. Then we threw the ball vertically down the field as good as we have probably since I have been here. There are some encouraging moments that come from that. Defensively, we were put in some tough situations and we had to have stops, and we found a way to create stops. The negative, you look at their touchdowns drives and there was a big play involved in every one of those drives. That is what we have to get corrected. You go back through that game, and I know a lot of attention goes to one play in that game, but really, I'm past that play. That play we have no control over, what the call was. I want to focus on the other plays that really did impact us coming up short."
On recognizing the team moving past loss…
"That happened Sunday. I hate losing. That is part of being a competitor. You watch our teams play, we play with a certain edge and spirit because we want to win. We want to put ourselves in the best position to be successful. But when you come up short, there is a reason. I thought last week was the best week of practice we've had. I told our guys in the locker room, 'I can't focus on last week's preparation for anything we came up short in that game.' But there were five weeks prior. Every rep matters. Every practice matters. Everything you are doing in building to what you want to accomplish, you have to be consistent with that. I'm encouraged with what I saw in practice last week to what that can mean for us this week. A big part of how we play is how we prepare. You turn on film, this is a really good football team that is coming in here. I'm excited about it. You talk about getting past it, you have to move on. That's part of this game. It doesn't mean you have to be happy about it. You learn from the experience and you get your eyes up and press forward for what you need to do to be successful this week."
On Chris Claybrooks's season debut…
"Chris played I think 25-30 snaps and was able to get into special teams a little bit. He was flying around. There was something about technique we need to clean up, but it was good to see him on the field. He is a great athlete and great competitor. It looked like Game 1 for him. We've got to accelerate him in practice this week, which is hard because you have to have a fine balance of allowing him to get back into game shape to play a bigger load but also making sure he is getting enough of the repetitions to go out there and be successful."
On bouncing back after the loss…
"We've had that experience, so at the end of the day, it's all about tomorrow's practice. It's all about what our guys are doing on their off-day to prepare them for Saturday. That has to be our focus. I'll tell you; I think that showed up on Saturday. There are a lot of teams, you turn the ball over three times in the first quarter, look up at the scoreboard and see you're down 16-0, and there's not a lot of teams that would respond the way ours did. They kept battling back, even when we had a mistake here, a mistake there, on all sides of the ball, they rallied. We made a decision to go for it on a fourth-and-1, in the middle of the field, and we didn't get it. We've been very successful in those situations, but our defense responded. TJ Carter, they get the ball on the five-yard line, he rips it out, gets a takeaway. That shows why you play the next play, be focused on the one in front of you, why you focus on today. I can tell you, if anyone wants to see a championship-caliber game, come Saturday. This Tulane team, they're one of the best teams we will play this year, I said that last week against Temple, and I think that showed up to be a really good football team in a lot of different ways. This team we're playing is one of the best teams, best coached, it's going to be a heck of a matchup."
On the turnovers…
"I don't know if there are any teams in the country that practice ball-security as much as we do. But it's got to show up on game day. There's not a moment where Brady had the intention of saying "This would be a good time to put the ball on the ground." Sometimes you try to do a little bit too much, and you lose focus on your fundamentals. He's stepping up in the pocket on one, trying to evade the rush, and the guy knocks the ball out of his hand. We can't have that at that time. The play where he kind of scrambled up, on the second-and-ten, he's going down and the guy hits him right on the ball, that's something that we can fundamentally get better at. One really bad decision on the interception, that's one that I think he said in the post-game press conference was a really bad decision. He knows that. We've got to eliminate those; those can't show up. And then the exchange, you have a true freshman in the game, we have an exchange issue, as coaches, we have to make sure they're putting in the time in that type of situation. I put that on myself, maybe those two guys haven't had enough of that type of exchange with that type of intensity with it. I can take that one because of what ended up happening."
On Tulane's offense…
"I think you see a well-coached team, with really good football players. I have a ton of respect for Will (Hall) and the job he does. Last year, I was honored to have worked with him and what he brought to our offense and as a position coach. I expected when he took the position there as their offensive coordinator, that great things would happen for that offense, and he hasn't disappointed. He's done a great job with what they're doing schematically, utilizing the playmakers that they have. He's got that quarterback playing really well, he's a winner. You look at the number of games he's started since the game against us, since that's when he came in, he's got a phenomenal record. He rarely makes a mistake, and then Will's playing a lot to his strengths, and they've got some dynamic players on the perimeter that definitely can win the one-on-one matchups."
On revenge being a factor…
"There are two different teams. I think the respect level from our team for our opponent, you turn on film, we got our butts kicked. That was reality. You go watch that game, every person can see themselves. Both teams are different, they have a new offensive coordinator, defensively, their guys are more experienced as a defensive front. They were young last year, and really got after us, and now they've got a little more experience. It's going to be a great challenge."
Players Mentioned
DB
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