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Ron Zook Weekly Press Conference Transcript
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Sept. 7, 2010
Head coach Ron Zook addressed the media on Tuesday in his weekly press conference. Here is the transcript.
Opening Statement:
As far as last week goes, I think there were an awful lot of good things that happened. The problem is, in this game, it's about winning and losing, so you can't enjoy the things that you'd like to be able to enjoy quite as much. But I really do believe that in all 3 phases we made progress, we got better. As I told the football team last night, we're installing 3 things: we're installing a new offense, a new defense, and a new attitude. And when that happens it's not going to be perfect right from the get-go. But I still believe that there were a lot of good things that happened.
I've been very, very pleased and impressed with how our team has handled the game since it's been over. Because that was very important to me, particularly talking about attitude, how they're going to respond to what happened and how they're going to respond to not finishing, those kind of things. I can't say enough about the way they've responded after the game, just like you would want them to and expect them to. They're hurt, probably more than any other loss that we've had here, and I think that gives you an opportunity to build on and know that they've invested a lot. Yesterday's meetings, yesterday's practice, they understand what they have to do to get back to where we all want to go.
This game (vs. Southern Illinois) is going to be very important. As I said earlier, any time somebody throws 70 points on the scoreboard...it's hard to score 70 points (against) air. This is a football team that's very dangerous; this is a football team that I think in the last 2 years they've won 20 games. They're right up there with Appalachian State. Everyone knows what Appalachian State did in this conference a couple years ago (beating Michigan). (Southern Illinois) beat Indiana a couple years ago. They're coming in here with nothing to lose, I'm sure in their mind, and everything to gain. They'll throw caution to the wind and play as hard as they can.
Their offense, you're going to see a lot of the same philosophy as Boise St. Moving people all over the place. Their skilled people are their veterans: their receivers, their running back, they've got two quarterbacks that they play, they've got 3 of the 5 offensive lineman back. The one thing that's a little bit hard is because of the new offensive coordinator you're not exactly sure what you're going to get.
Defensively, there's pressure just about every snap. Some type of pressure, and a lot of its man pressure. Offensively, we'll have our work cut out for us there. On the secondary they've got two guys that are being touted as all-Americans, one of them I believe was an all-American last year, number 21. But they're once again guys that are going to come in here ready to play. Their field goal kicker I think missed 2 kicks last year, he's getting ready to set the record for the most points and so forth. So, once again, if they get to the 30-yard line they're capable of kicking field goals. It will be a big, big test for the defense.
I'm sure you all know by now that Michael Buchanan has been suspended from the football team for violating team rules. There's really not much more I can say about that. As I get information, I'll pass it on to you guys. But there's really not much else I can say about that. As I said, I told the football team, we talk about adversity; you're bound to have it. What we have to do is get ready to go, and if yesterday is any indication, I'm excited about this week, I really am. Obviously an opportunity to come home and play in front of our fans and our guys are looking forward to that.
On Buchanan violating team rules:
It's like your children; any time your children get in trouble it's the same thing. We're a family and we talk about that. You kind of live and die with them. But it is what it is. As I told our football team last night, if anything right now he needs someone to put his arm around. As I said he's still ours, he's a good person and we'll go from there.
On Jacksonville State beating Ole Miss game (FCS team beating as FBS team):
We've talked about that. My big thing is that we need to take care of us. We have to make sure we play four quarters. We played two and a half on Saturday. Now we have to play four quarters. They understand what's at stake, but I don't want them thinking about that. I want them thinking how we're going to get better, how we're going to get where we're supposed to be.
On how SIU team compares to other FCS teams:
They were picked to win their conference. And the team that was picked sixth in the conference (North Dakota State) beat Kansas on Saturday. They saw what happened to Ole Miss Saturday (losing to Jacksonville State). These guys are going to play as good of a game as they can possibly play. What we have to do is go play the way we're capable of playing. Period. That's what we've talked about, that's what we talked about last week and we did for two and a half quarters last week.
On SIU's mentality of having nothing to lose and everything to gain:
If I was in their shoes I would say the same thing. But I'm going to tell you something. We have everything to gain because we've started doing this; we've kind of made a point. If you look at the last play of the game on Saturday we were playing hard. We're going to start right there, I don't care who comes to town; we're going to play as hard as we can play for 60 minutes.
On how the players responded after the loss to Missouri:
I saw hurt, disgust. When you have a lot invested in something it hurts when you lose. And I think to have a winning program there has to be a lot invested. I've talked many times about the feeling we had on Saturday night, I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. I mean, it's awful. I think the more you've invested in something and the more important it is to you, the more you're going to do to improve. And I think most people saw that there were an awful lot of good things that happened Saturday. The problem is you can't enjoy them quite as much because of the end result.
On filling Buchanan's bandit position:
Right now Clay Nurse is going to fill that spot. Clay's been wanting to be an outside linebacker since he's been here. He actually played there a little bit this spring and this fall at camp. So there are not a lot of new things going on there. The thing that hurts you a little bit is depth.
Whitney (Mercilus) will go to defensive end. Whitney, I thought, played extremely well on Saturday. We've seen him, since camp, really begin to improve. We talked about it last Friday night, we had to make sure we got Whitney on the field enough because he's earned that number one-number two spot. He's playing his tail off right now.
On freshman playing time:
I think particularly (Brandon) Denmark is a guy that we really feel like is going to be a pretty good player. He's a good type to be in the position right now. There's a very good chance he could play more. I think if you go back and look at Corey Liuget, in his first game in St. Louis, he played one play. There's so much on their plate right now. Now things will begin to settle in and we'll find out as we go along here.
On the freshman that played (Brandon Denmark, Jay Prosch, Darius Millines, & Evan Wilson):
I thought they did well. That's the first time they've played in a college game, number one, and that's a great atmosphere. They didn't have too big of eyes and I thought they did well.
On Corey Liuget:
Numbers-wise, he didn't have as many plays, but I thought he controlled the line of scrimmage, he played extremely hard, and I thought he had a heck of a game.
On running backs coach DeAndre Smith:
I knew a lot of people that knew DeAndre. I called a lot of people. Here's a guy that's familiar with this area, that's familiar with Chicago recruiting. He's familiar with St. Louis, obviously, being from St. Louis. Everybody I talked to gloated about not only the type of football coach he was, but the type of person that he was. I think that's important, character and all those things. I talked to the Athletic Director at Miami and he couldn't say enough good things about him. Coach Novak, who I played for myself, the same thing, he couldn't say enough good things about him. The important thing too is his chemistry in that room. If you have 5 guys in there that don't get along, it doesn't matter how good of football coaches they are.
He's not like me. I don't want anybody like me. They have to be their own personality. He's intelligent, he's a good football coach, he's thorough, and he's a good teacher. When I'm talking fast and they may not understand it, he'll slow down to where they can understand it. I think he's been a great fit.
On the new defensive backs played against Mizzou (Justin Green, Steve Hull and Jack Ramsey):
They did a great job getting prepared and they did a great job playing. Jack would have played more but he was cramping up in the second half, which that kind of stuff happens particularly at the beginning of the year, and inside. But Steve and Justin both played extremely well.
On Steve Hull's move from receiver to safety:
I think they come here to play. That's why my big thing is, I never really ask a guy to move unless he wanted to move. You recruit the right kind of guys, you recruit winners. Usually, if they want to play, they'll figure a way to get on the field. We didn't tell Steve he had to move, we just asked him if he wanted to move. He was recruited by a lot of people to be a safety, to be a defensive back. He played it in high school and he was a pretty good player, but wanted to start out at receiver. You let them play where they want to be.
On play of Nathan Scheelhaase in his first game:
I thought he reacted extremely well. The one thing that maybe Nathan will learn to do is not try to make to many plays. I think you'd rather have a guy trying to make plays than afraid to make plays. I think that's why Nathan is going to be a great football player. He'll learn from his mistakes. I think I've said this many, many times that he'll learn from is mistakes. Does that mean he's going to be perfect this week? No, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying you'll see a guy that will improve weekly. I was texting him back and forth on Saturday night around 9:15 and he was right here watching the tapes, which I knew he would be. About half the team was probably in here Saturday night. And when I say how they reacted that's what I'm talking about. I wasn't in there watching the tapes on Saturday night, I was too sick, but they were in here watching. And I think that's what you want.
On defensive changes and if they're permanent:
They're all temporary until they tell me that's where they want to stay. I've told them all, just like I've told Terry Hawthorne last year, they're all temporary. When it's time to go back, if they want to go back, then it will be up to them.
They make the sacrifice for the football team. I think it goes back to recruiting the right type of people, guys who are winners, who want to win. Terry wanted to play as a freshman and I said the only chance you'll have to play, as a freshman is to be on the secondary. And he said, well can I play there. I said you can play there and if you want to go back (to receiver) you're welcome to go back. A man forced against his will is of the same opinion still, I subscribe to that philosophy. I don't know this for a fact, but I would bet you that all three stay on defense.
On Terry Hawthorne's progress recovering from a stress fracture:
He's drinking all the milk and calcium he can and taking vitamins. It's just a matter of how fast the bone heals now. It's going to be the doctor's call (on how soon he comes back). He's biting at the bit. He's on his crutches and he's out there in the huddle. He's out there in the practice field. He's biting at the bit to get out there as well.
On why injured players Zach Becker, Terry Hawthorne, Nate Palmer and Supo Sanni travel to Missouri:
The next time we travel they're going to be playing, except for Supo Sanni. But all the rest of them will be playing the next time we travel.
On AJ Jenkins and if the splint on his broken finger affects him in games:
I don't think the cast affects him at all. That touchdown pass, he snagged it. I saw him make some catches out there last night (at practice) there were unbelievable. He'll tell you it affects him, but I don't think it affects him at all.
I think he's done extremely well. He and Jarred (Fayson) have the least drops of everybody from the time we started, counting all of Rantoul and everything.
On Jenkins' attitude changing since the end of last season:
He grew up. One of the great things about college coaching is watching these guys mature and go through the same things that we did as coaches. Its just part of it.
About the run defense against Missouri:
I think we swarmed the football. Any time an offense spreads you out the way they spread you out, you got some guys that sometimes have to go a long way to get to the gap. I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job. There was a little period there in the third quarter where they got some yardage on us, but I thought for the most part we played pretty well. We tackled decent, not great, but we tackled decent. The biggest thing is we swarmed to the football. The thing is you go back and look at the third quarter we had a little lull, but we came back. They had their own little meeting, it wasn't the coaches, it was those guys. They said hey let's get this thing together and get going and they went out there and had two 3-and-outs.
On if they will make any big changes for this week's game vs. SIU:
You always want to do things that your players do best. I'm not saying that there's going to be a lot of changes, but I think you get to know people under the heat of battle as well. But I don't know that there will be any major changes where anybody would notice.
I don't think you take anything out. I think the coaches did a great job. I think you probably will add a few things there, not a lot, but there will be a few things.
On Nathan Scheelhaase's performance:
I think every game is different. I think it depends on the game. I think Nathan has to learn that you don't have to make the play. That's Nathan. He's such a competitor, he's such a winner, he played tough, and he played hard. He's going to do what he had to do. But you love that. That's why there's no doubt in my mind he's going to be an awfully good player. He's also got to be smart. He knows he can't turn the ball over.
On playing in-state teams back to back:
The schedule's what it is. You got to go out and play it.
On if they recruit some of the same players as Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Northwestern:
It depends on the year. There's some guys on Southern's team who I wish we had. But that goes back to how guys mature, and how they are in high school may not be who they are in college. They've done a great job with recruiting. Same with Northern Illinois, they've done a great job recruiting and evaluating. Just because we didn't recruit them doesn't mean they can't play here. At that point in time we may not have had a need for that position or we may have already had somebody. Those kinds of things. We recruit against each other.
There are guys on our football team that would have trouble playing on their team. I don't think there's any question about that. I think they have 3 guys on opening day (NFL) rosters, maybe four. You see guys in the NFL that played on teams you've never heard of. There are guys on our team that would have trouble playing on their team and I promise you there are guys on their team that could play on our team.
On Southern Illinois transfers:
The one running back is I think a transfer from Pitt. They have some junior college guys that once again have matured. Their defensive back's a pretty good player, the safety's a pretty good player, he's a big playmaker. The corner's a heck of a player and the kicker's a good player.
On Scheelhaase's interceptions:
The long balls probably were (because he was throwing into traffic). But the receivers they got to go up and fight for it, if nothing else get an offensive interference call. The one that was a little bit high he had a linebacker in his face. Everybody puts it on the quarterback but truth be known somebody's got to block that guy and then maybe that ball's not high. Paul (Petrino's) response is "well he's got to make the play." Well yeah, he does have to make that play. But sometimes you have a guy hitting you in the nose. He does have to make the play, but there are 11 guys out there on the field, that's why they call it team. Those guys have to do what they're supposed to do. Nathan's the one that we get on, but he might have made that play if the one guy that was supposed to block that linebacker coming did it.
On Jason Ford not playing much in the second half due to a finger injury:
He said, "Coach, I was scared I couldn't hold onto the football." And he's got a splint on now so it makes sense. Troy Pollard went in there and had a pretty nice run. I appreciate Jason being smart enough to know we can't turn the ball over. He'll be fine for this week.
