University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Mike Norvell Weekly Press Conference Highlights - September 2
Sep 02, 2019 | Football
Memphis Head Coach Mike Norvell quotes // Week 2 – Sept. 2 // Southern
Opening Statement…
"Appreciate everyone coming today. Coming off Saturday, I'm excited we're 1-0. It was a great game, great atmosphere and a wonderful day for Memphis. Going back and reviewing the game, I thought it was a game we dominated in just about every phase. There were some things, especially at the line of scrimmage; we controlled the game with 38 minutes of possession. We were able to run the run the football and stop the run. Defensively, it was an exceptional plan. It was great execution by our players. Hats off to Coach (Adam) Fuller and the defensive staff for what they were able to do. Special teams and our punt unit did a remarkable job flipping field position. The sky punt that was downed at the 1-yard line arguably could be the biggest play of the game. That put us in position to seal the victory. The way we were able to manage the game offensively was something I was impressed with. We had three new starters and really four guys at new positions. We were efficient passing the ball. We had seven penalties on the offensive side of the ball. We had a huge return negated due to a penalty. There were enough things that could cost us games in the future. To win against an SEC opponent is something we celebrated it, but came back to work yesterday. Our football team understands we've got a lot of work to do. This is a critical week for our program in how we prepare and the focus we have in our improvement. We've got a team coming in that has talent. This Southern team is well coached. They have great playmakers across the board. We're going to have to improve and truly focus on ourselves to play at the best of our ability."
On run game blocking vs. pass game blocking…
"I thought in the run game our guys set the tone. I was pleased with them. They played with confidence. That was a big defensive front we played against. That was one of the question marks I had. Those guys responded at a high level. In pass protection we have to do a better job of protecting our quarterback. We tried to move the pocket quite a bit, and even with that, with some protected plays we didn't have ourselves in the right position. Brady wasn't ever really able to set his feet. I think we were 75 percent of completion, or in that range. I thought he did a nice job in taking what they were giving us. At the end of the day we have to do a better job of giving him more time so we can push the ball further down the field."
On pressure being lifted after winning first game…
"The first game is always an opportunity to see what your team is all about. That game was necessary for our program. It was one against a quality opponent. We had some questions marks at certain positions and expectations at others. I expected our depth to be better. I was excited to see how our team would play and take the field in a season-opener. To finish the game the way we did, I thought it spoke volumes to the young men we have. I love the confidence our kids had. We have a lot to correct though. We're glad to be 1-0. We did what we needed to do. It was a great day for our city and program. Any time you get to play on national TV in a showcase game, you want to play well. I thought we represented Memphis very well with what we did Saturday. Now we have to improve and get better for this upcoming week."
On crowd and game day atmosphere…
"That's what you always want. It wasn't just the game day atmosphere. It was what that game meant to our city. There were a lot of things that went into it. For people who were able to be in the stands, they had great energy. There was a buzz all around the stadium from Tiger Walk at 8:30 in the morning, which was probably the best I've been to. It was incredible. And then what it meant to people who weren't able to go to the game. They saw Memphis had success. That's something we take a great deal of pride in and how we represent this city. For us to win that game with the country watching, We were pleased about that."
On cleaning up offensive miscues…
"We've got to clean up the mistakes. There were a lot of bright spots. I was pleased with so many areas. Our perimeter blocking has to get better. We had a couple opportunities in short-yard situations like run-pass options and Brady made the right choice. We weren't good enough in some of those one-on-one situations that we need to be. We need to continue building off the success we had running the football. We have to grow in our pass protection. You can't find yourself behind the chains. You have seven penalties on the offensive side, that's a challenge we had to overcome. We did it at times, but we weren't able to do it enough."
On focus from week one to week two…
"I know it sounds like coach speak, but it's really about us. These first early games in the season, you can prepare and plan, and we did for Ole Miss, I though coaching staff did a wonderful job. But you really don't know what you're going to see until you kick off. Then you have to adapt and adjust. It's the same thing this week. Our focus has to be on our improvement. The mistakes we made have to get corrected. Then you have to build on the positives you saw. Continue to push the depth. We'll hopefully get some guys back. This is about the team. 'Whatever it takes' is the message to the team. It doesn't matter necessarily what it looks like or what side of the ball does this or that. We've got to find a way to be successful. That was one of the things I was most pleased with. The way our defense was playing, we were able to control the ball offensively. We were able to extend drives. Yes, we want to score as many points as we possibly can, but for the most part, we protected the football and controlled the time of possession. At the end of the game, I thought our guys finished at a high level. This week, whatever it takes is what we've got to prepare to do. The only way you can do that is by improvement."
On defensive pass rush…
"We definitely want to build on it. It was great for us to get to the quarterback. I thought that the defensive front played at a very high level. I thought they were aggressive. They played with effort. Really, in every phase, they were dominant in what they showed, but there are still a lot of things we can do to enhance their skill set. I like the group. You saw Morris Joseph get in there a little bit. I think we played nine guys that were all very productive. But then you add Everitt Cunningham, you add Keith Brigham back, that's going to be a couple pieces that can help us win football games. We're excited about where the depth is, but we're going to need it. We're going to need all of them to be able to play to our full potential."
On potentially facing two quarterbacks against Southern…
"I think this is a team that is really well coached. They do a great job in their presentation. They are going to make you defend the option. They've got some skilled athletes on the perimeter that can make you pay. The quarterbacks can spin it around pretty well. You have to watch both of them. Both of them are capable with their legs. They present challenging schematic things that we're going to have to face. I want to see our team play fast and with confidence, improving fundamentally with our techniques in the things we're asking them to do. If we do that, I think we put ourselves in the best position to achieve success."
Opening Statement…
"Appreciate everyone coming today. Coming off Saturday, I'm excited we're 1-0. It was a great game, great atmosphere and a wonderful day for Memphis. Going back and reviewing the game, I thought it was a game we dominated in just about every phase. There were some things, especially at the line of scrimmage; we controlled the game with 38 minutes of possession. We were able to run the run the football and stop the run. Defensively, it was an exceptional plan. It was great execution by our players. Hats off to Coach (Adam) Fuller and the defensive staff for what they were able to do. Special teams and our punt unit did a remarkable job flipping field position. The sky punt that was downed at the 1-yard line arguably could be the biggest play of the game. That put us in position to seal the victory. The way we were able to manage the game offensively was something I was impressed with. We had three new starters and really four guys at new positions. We were efficient passing the ball. We had seven penalties on the offensive side of the ball. We had a huge return negated due to a penalty. There were enough things that could cost us games in the future. To win against an SEC opponent is something we celebrated it, but came back to work yesterday. Our football team understands we've got a lot of work to do. This is a critical week for our program in how we prepare and the focus we have in our improvement. We've got a team coming in that has talent. This Southern team is well coached. They have great playmakers across the board. We're going to have to improve and truly focus on ourselves to play at the best of our ability."
On run game blocking vs. pass game blocking…
"I thought in the run game our guys set the tone. I was pleased with them. They played with confidence. That was a big defensive front we played against. That was one of the question marks I had. Those guys responded at a high level. In pass protection we have to do a better job of protecting our quarterback. We tried to move the pocket quite a bit, and even with that, with some protected plays we didn't have ourselves in the right position. Brady wasn't ever really able to set his feet. I think we were 75 percent of completion, or in that range. I thought he did a nice job in taking what they were giving us. At the end of the day we have to do a better job of giving him more time so we can push the ball further down the field."
On pressure being lifted after winning first game…
"The first game is always an opportunity to see what your team is all about. That game was necessary for our program. It was one against a quality opponent. We had some questions marks at certain positions and expectations at others. I expected our depth to be better. I was excited to see how our team would play and take the field in a season-opener. To finish the game the way we did, I thought it spoke volumes to the young men we have. I love the confidence our kids had. We have a lot to correct though. We're glad to be 1-0. We did what we needed to do. It was a great day for our city and program. Any time you get to play on national TV in a showcase game, you want to play well. I thought we represented Memphis very well with what we did Saturday. Now we have to improve and get better for this upcoming week."
On crowd and game day atmosphere…
"That's what you always want. It wasn't just the game day atmosphere. It was what that game meant to our city. There were a lot of things that went into it. For people who were able to be in the stands, they had great energy. There was a buzz all around the stadium from Tiger Walk at 8:30 in the morning, which was probably the best I've been to. It was incredible. And then what it meant to people who weren't able to go to the game. They saw Memphis had success. That's something we take a great deal of pride in and how we represent this city. For us to win that game with the country watching, We were pleased about that."
On cleaning up offensive miscues…
"We've got to clean up the mistakes. There were a lot of bright spots. I was pleased with so many areas. Our perimeter blocking has to get better. We had a couple opportunities in short-yard situations like run-pass options and Brady made the right choice. We weren't good enough in some of those one-on-one situations that we need to be. We need to continue building off the success we had running the football. We have to grow in our pass protection. You can't find yourself behind the chains. You have seven penalties on the offensive side, that's a challenge we had to overcome. We did it at times, but we weren't able to do it enough."
On focus from week one to week two…
"I know it sounds like coach speak, but it's really about us. These first early games in the season, you can prepare and plan, and we did for Ole Miss, I though coaching staff did a wonderful job. But you really don't know what you're going to see until you kick off. Then you have to adapt and adjust. It's the same thing this week. Our focus has to be on our improvement. The mistakes we made have to get corrected. Then you have to build on the positives you saw. Continue to push the depth. We'll hopefully get some guys back. This is about the team. 'Whatever it takes' is the message to the team. It doesn't matter necessarily what it looks like or what side of the ball does this or that. We've got to find a way to be successful. That was one of the things I was most pleased with. The way our defense was playing, we were able to control the ball offensively. We were able to extend drives. Yes, we want to score as many points as we possibly can, but for the most part, we protected the football and controlled the time of possession. At the end of the game, I thought our guys finished at a high level. This week, whatever it takes is what we've got to prepare to do. The only way you can do that is by improvement."
On defensive pass rush…
"We definitely want to build on it. It was great for us to get to the quarterback. I thought that the defensive front played at a very high level. I thought they were aggressive. They played with effort. Really, in every phase, they were dominant in what they showed, but there are still a lot of things we can do to enhance their skill set. I like the group. You saw Morris Joseph get in there a little bit. I think we played nine guys that were all very productive. But then you add Everitt Cunningham, you add Keith Brigham back, that's going to be a couple pieces that can help us win football games. We're excited about where the depth is, but we're going to need it. We're going to need all of them to be able to play to our full potential."
On potentially facing two quarterbacks against Southern…
"I think this is a team that is really well coached. They do a great job in their presentation. They are going to make you defend the option. They've got some skilled athletes on the perimeter that can make you pay. The quarterbacks can spin it around pretty well. You have to watch both of them. Both of them are capable with their legs. They present challenging schematic things that we're going to have to face. I want to see our team play fast and with confidence, improving fundamentally with our techniques in the things we're asking them to do. If we do that, I think we put ourselves in the best position to achieve success."
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