Football: Head Coach Bill Stewart Press Conference
October 20, 2008 04:50 PM | General
October 20, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University football Head Coach Bill Stewart quotes from Monday afternoon's press conference.
On Thursday night’s game against Auburn
Auburn is probably feeling the way that we’re feeling right now. With people’s high expectations, to some they have not been met. We’re doing ok, we’re not doing great but we’re not doing badly either, and it’s the same with Auburn; they’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. I think the match up will be very interesting because of the types of offenses that are playing, and special teams who look tremendous on their part. Both defenses seem to be playing very well also, so it will be a very interesting match up and battle.
I’ve been very impressed watching their football team on film. As you know, I work with special teams and their special teams are outstanding. Their No. 3, Robert Dunn, can take a punt back like the young man, Smith, out in Colorado. He certainly has our team’s attention, he’s taken three back. No. 27, Marrio Fannin, and No. 9, Tristan Davis on the kickoff return team are very good and they’ve taken it back. The interesting thing about Davis is that not only is he on the kick off return team and takes them back for touchdowns, he’s on the field trying to tackle you when you’re trying to take them back. He’s a pretty good player and I’m very impressed with their special teams overall. They play a lot of people.
Defensively, they are sound. When you look at the scores, LSU got 26 on them, Arkansas 25, Tennessee 12, Vanderbilt 14, they had some shutouts; they have a tremendous defense.
Offensively, they are very physical and they run the spread like us. I’m sure they are going to come up with a physical game plan. It’s going to be a tough ball game here in Morgantown, and I just hope that we play up to our standards and battle these guys.
On preparing for Auburn’s offense since they have just fired their offensive coordinator
I don’t know but that’s what makes the game exciting and very interesting because from what we’ve heard, and all we are going on is hearsay, is that Cody Burns is going to be the quarterback. I don’t have anyone down there looking to see, I’ll never do that, but we’ll be getting ready for Cody Burns. It’s his offense to run and he can run. He’s very exciting and he can break your defense down in a matter of seconds; he can be there in a matter of seconds because he can tuck it and go. He is who we are preparing for, they are going to run the spread from what we’ve heard, and I’m sure they will jump in the ‘I’ formation a little bit. I would imagine they would do that, I don’t know for sure but we’ll find out. The receivers can run too. They are fast, big and very explosive. Auburn just hasn’t been hitting on all cylinders. As we indicated earlier, we’re in the same boat.
On Auburn’s loss to Arkansas
We all watched the film this morning when the coaches and I came in at 6 o’clock. The first thing we did was watch that game. When you look up at the scoreboard, at the end of three quarters – 78 total yards. You look up there a little later in the game and it flashes up there, I saw 83 total yards and they were up 20-16 at that point. One team had 400 yards and they had 83, so they can score a lot of ways. They have running backs, good backs that can return punts and kicks and they can’t get in the lineup. They have what it takes, Arkansas just hung on and played a good game. They won that game and it was a great seesaw battle.
Offense
We’re going to pitch and catch the ball. I think they have a tremendous defensive coordinator in Paul Rhoads, and you all know what he did to us last year when he was at the University of Pittsburgh. They have a tremendous coach in Tommy Tuberville. I know a bunch of those guys and they are all tremendous coaches. We’re going to try to do what we do best. We’re going to try to mix it up. We have quick hitters but can the quick hitters knock them off the ball? That will be the key. We’re going to run our offense the best way we can. We’ll try to keep them off balance because they’re very fast, very big and they are strong young men that come after you down hill.
On gaining national respect
It’s more important for us, this team, the people that are here in this building and who are here in this town, the people of the great state of West Virginia, and our fans wherever they may be – overseas and all over the place. We can control what we can control and not much other than that. I like to think that if this game is a measuring stick, which I say is, than we’ll have some success and come out feeling OK. That’s our plan. We’ll take a win anyway we can take it because that’s what the game is all about. Like I said last week, I’d rather come out with a win and not look so pretty than to lose a football game and get a lot of style points.
On Auburn’s defensive scheme
They’re even front, they come down hill and they come at you. They don’t play a lot of man coverage, maybe a three deep, but they attack. They’re like us, they’re fun to watch. And if you like defense, you will love the way the Auburn Tigers and the Mountaineers attack each other this week. They are going to be in a 4-3 scheme, man-up, coming down hill and they will play much like the way Pitt played us last year. We’ll play our scheme, do what we do and come get them.
On how the break has benefited the team
Last night, I had to stop practice. Talking about having bounce in their step, they were having fun but I was afraid they were going to hurt each other. That scared me. Wednesday and Thursday we were getting after it and practice was intense and it was tremendous. Friday they had another good practice and then they were off Saturday to let them rest. Yesterday I had to shut it down. I was yelling at the coaches, I was yelling at the players. They were slamming and banging and it was wild out there. It certainly caught my attention so I had to back off a little bit.
On Doc Holliday
He’s been very valuable as our entire staff has been. Doc has done a tremendous job with our recruiting, I thought last year after 34 days we put one heck of a class together. Right now, we’re recruiting very well. We’re off to another good year with our recruiting class. He has been a great asset to this coaching staff and he is helping those guys on offense.
On Pat White
Pat has done very well and he’s performing well. He was running around last night and he was cheering them on as only Pat can do. I’m not sure who he was cheering for but he was cheering. It was intense and he liked it and said that was the way we should practice and play. It was very fun and he’s ready and raring to go.
The last thing I’m going to do is tell him how to play. He’ll have fun. Pat is a sharp individual and he’s mentally on top of the game, unlike very few you’ve been around. That being said, he has emotions just like everything else. To play against a state that has named him their ‘Amateur Athlete of the Year’ the last two years, that’s big. I’m sure he wants to look good. It’s a national TV game and Pat has done very well. I don’t have to say anything to him and I won’t say anything to him except to play within the framework of the offense; go have some fun and good luck. That’s how I coach him.
Load the box
We’ve certainly watched it. Paul Rhodes and their staff, last year they got after us pretty good when they were at Pitt. Well, they’re at a different school now and it’s a different time. They have a different team and we have a different team.
On Pat Liebig
He’s been practicing, he’s doing well and I’m really pleased with Patrick Liebig. I’m very happy for him. He came back, it was a great success story and he came back for all the right reasons, and then he got his head dinged up. He’s good to go now. He’s very anxious to go and I hope we get some good, quality snaps out of him. I’m sure he will as we always have in the past. He’ll play.
On Jarrett Brown
He’s playing and he’s throwing the ball but we put Bradley Starks in just to make sure. Bradley has been playing. If I’m going to go to one side, I’m going to err on the side of caution. Pat was hurt last game; we gave all that work to Jarrett. He took most of the reps. In the NFL, from what I think I know is that, their No. 1 takes 90% to their No. 2’s 10%. Well, in college, your ones get about 60% to 40%. We don’t split it 50-50 and we’ll never give the No. 2’s the same amount of reps as the No. 1’s. You don’t want to wear the ones out but we gave all the work last week to Jarrett. We had to give Bradley work this week so yes, he’s there. He can throw the ball and I hope he can play for all the right reasons; at the end of the game and I hope he does well.
