Football: Head Coach Bill Stewart Press Conference
October 14, 2008 04:59 PM | General
October 14, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University football Head Coach Bill Stewart quotes from Tuesday afternoon's press conference.
On the Syracuse game
It was a tough, hard-fought game and again, I want to congratulate coach Greg Robinson and his staff. I know some of those guys and they did a heck of a job and gave themselves a chance to win. Our guys prevailed at the end and we’re very fortunate for that.
I thought the Mountaineers played hard and I thought the Orange played hard, it was heck of a game to watch. Syracuse was in it right to the end and we were never out of it. It was good to get a hard-fought victory, and sometimes victories like that help your football team more than you’ll ever know. We learned how to stay the course and keep sluggin’. Coach Don Nehlen used to say, “There are 80 slugs in a fight. Sometimes you knock them out with the third punch, sometimes you knock them out midway through, but most of the time, it’s 80 slugs.” That is what that game was about.
The last thing I would ever want to do is lose a football game and get points for playing hard or looking good. The ledger says ‘W’ and ‘L’; that’s our society and that’s why the game is played and they keep score because of that. It’s not just about competition; it’s about winning and losing. If you can get a win in a college game, any college game, but particularly in the BIG EAST, against a long-time rival who had a tremendous game plan and who had two weeks to prepare for us – I was pleased with that win. Was I overjoyed? No. Would I like to have more splash? Yes. Would it be nice to win with more points? Sure. What I have liked to play 80 guys at homecoming? Yes, but it didn’t work that way.
We came out of it, being the sixth game of the season and the second BIG EAST game, banged up and I’m sure every team in America is banged up. We have had very physical games all season, but these last two BIG EAST games have been real physical. The BIG EAST is what I like to call the ‘black and blue league’ because we beat on each other and bang on each other.
This Saturday is a great time for us to heal. We’re at the half way point (in the season). If I were ever so blessed and could pick an open date, it would be this. Years ago, as a youngster playing, as a young man coaching and now that I am getting into my later years, I believe this even more so; you have great charge at the beginning of the season. All of the emotion and excitement, the previous season, winter conditioning and spring ball, all the hype that everyone in America has, then you have a pretty good rush. We’ve been very blessed to be on the top side of the ledger, here, earlier in the season. And then you hit a lull and it starts to get tough. It gets tough for games six, seven, eight and nine. Those are tough games because everyone is hurting, you are battered and bruised and you’re playing a tougher opponent and it’s a league game. That’s how it works out and it’s a tough stretch. Then you have a late run and ask, ‘how do you finish?’ We’re not there yet; we’re in that tough time, that lull right now as we’re beginning game seven. This open week could not have come at a better time. We play next Thursday, Oct. 23, and we play Auburn here at home.
On preparation for Auburn
I’ve been in the film room for two days. I do all the special teams and they have my attention. No. 3, Robert Dunn will take a punt back very quickly. Their kick return men, No. 27, Marrio Fannin, and No. 9, Tristan Davis, can do the same and they’ve done it in the past, and they have done it this year. They play very hard and they have starters on special teams. It was very neat to see Tristan Davis. He catches kick returns and goes for touchdowns, and is then on the kickoff team tackling guys that are trying to do that. I’m going to show that to our football team; that’s football and that got my attention right from the get-go. They have two of the most dangerous return men in the country and there is a whole stable of them back there who they just can’t get the ball to. It’s a great opponent coming in here. They have stumbled like we have stumbled but I’ll tell you, they have a great football team.
On injuries
The coordinators and I met with our medical staff. I don’t know if Josh Jenkins will be ready by Auburn, but he’ll be close. I don’t know if he’ll be ready though. Pat White is going to practice today. He is doing well. He doesn’t have any headaches, he’s bouncing around and he is his normal self. He just keeps tugging on my shirt because he wants to play and practice and we’re going to let him practice today. Jarrett Brown, Sunday, couldn’t pick his arm up past his shoulder. He’s dinged up and he’s dinged up pretty bad. He’s going to be ok and he got treatment. He was much better on Monday and so we’ll see how he is today. I don’t know if he will throw the ball a lot today but he will get loosened up and get ready. We’re fine overall. Playing in the BIG EAST you’re going to get banged around but Jarrett Brown is on the mend according to our trainers. He got hit in the Rutgers game. We banged on each other and we’ve had physical football games but Jarrett will continue to play quarterback and in his slot role. Pat Liebig is closer, but he’s not there yet.
Positives on the season so far
We’ve found ways to win. We have had leaders step up and our offensive line is getting better. That run the other day was a clinic. We used motion and brought that around and I told the offense that I wanted that ball off of the goal line and we were not going to throw it. I was not going to do that to our defense and risk the chance of having a tipped ball. I will not do that. We were going to get out and get out as far as we could and if we had to punt the ball, we would have punted the ball; we have a great punter. I was going to play field position, old time football, and win. The guys told me not to worry and that is when we ran behind Ryan Stanchek. He showed great leadership and our offensive line is starting to get in sync. Again, Greg Isdaner, Ryan Stanchek and Mike Dent did not go through spring ball together and they are just starting to gel. They did a tremendous job and it was a tremendous effort by those guys. That is what we’ve accomplished and we’re learning. We’re finding ways to win, playing guys that aren’t starters and still finding ways to win. We’ve lost guys to the pros and we’re still finding a way to win, so I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of the things they are doing on the field as well as off the field and I’m so proud of the defense. Everyone counted us out and I said way back that the defense had to carry the offense early on in the season and now you know why.
The special teams I’m very pleased with except kickoff, and I coach that. Our punt team is the No. 3 team in the country. Our punt return is getting better, but we’re not getting a whole lot of points. I would like more ball control. The ball control and the points are the two things that frustrate me, but that will come and we’ll get better and better.
On Bradley Starks
I didn’t show any cards because I did not want Jarrett Brown to get blitzed or knocked around, have people know that he was dinged up, and then bring in a young Bradley Starks. I just felt like we were going to go with the younger guy.
Recruiting a quarterback
We have guys out there and we already have youngsters coming to visit. We’re not just out there walking around on the beach. There are pecking orders and we gave a young man our word, if he came he would be the guy. For whatever reason he changed his mind, which I’m so thrilled and grateful that it happened sooner rather than later and we’re in good shape. Are we in great shape? No, because we don’t have a commitment, but are we in good shape? Yes. We’re in good shape.
You will hear a lot about Bill Stewart and my philosophy on signing day. I promise you that it will be clear and no one will leave this room on signing day having any doubt on where I stand on what it means to wear the Old Gold and Blue. I promise you and the West Virginia natives that you will know what it means to wear the Old Gold and Blue. I will tell you that I will call the plays. Jeff Mullen will call the plays. Jeff Casteel will call the plays on special teams, offense and defense. No player will call the plays. They will play. So I’m glad I found out things sooner rather than later, and no player’s daddy is going to call the plays either.
On the fourth quarter play by Noel Devine
It was an absolute clinic. Nine men in the box, cover zero, we brought the guy into motion – which I told you that we would have to use motion and movement. Ryan Stanchek, Greg Isdaner and Mike Dent were an absolute clinic. We were very fortunate to catch the Syracuse guys on the right play and away we went.
On things the team needs to work on
We would like to pitch and catch more. We need to do that more but I’m very content on winning football games with our defense and kicking game. That’s what I was raised on.
I have been very pleased with Wes Lyons and he has stepped up and has done a nice job. He’s really made some big catches. We need to get the ball to Alric Arnett. Dorrell Jalloh made a big catch against Rutgers. Again, when you have the ball for 35 minutes, you can pitch and catch and have a lot more plays. When you have the ball for 25 minutes and run 50 plays, it’s hard to get into a rhythm. We have to keep the ball, keep drives, sustain drives, possession time and make some big plays.
On the 40 second clock
It’s crazy. It’s a different game and it takes the human element out of the game. I don’t know how many coaches are for it, but we’re not getting playing time and it’s hard to get into a rhythm. The 40 second clock I guess is to pay bills and it’s not my call. It’s a faster game and you’re losing plays. The game goes faster but you have less plays.
On college football’s overall low scoring games
I’ve seen some great scores, but look at the BIG EAST scores. This is a tough league to win in. Everyone has seen the spread now. We’re still on a 3-3-3 stack team, us and Wake Forest. We still have that element. It’s not like the old days when you saw a BYU passing attack and then you went to Air Force and saw the ‘wishbone’. Now, a lot of people are doing all of the same stuff. You see it in practice everyday and in the game so defenses are catching up and there is less scoring.
On using the I formation
I used the I formation in the Fiesta Bowl and I used it again Saturday. When you are not clicking in the spread, and are not throwing well, you have to help your quarterback somehow, someway get into a rhythm. If you get into an I formation then you have a little bit of a chance to help that guy. You have to use your personnel. Our little guys can do both and the I formation did help us the other day to control the clock
On Ricky Kovatch
He is going to be a very good football player and he has done well. Jeff Mullen knew people up in Ohio where Ricky is from. He was going to go to the MAC or some other school and Jeff said he should come down so he came. That was a great job by Coach Mullen recruiting him.
