Football: Head Coach Bill Stewart's Quotes
November 04, 2008 04:47 PM | General
November 4, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia football Head Coach Bill Stewart's quotes from Tuesday afternoon's press conference.
On the UConn win
The UConn game is in the books, and we’re very fortunate to be on the winning side of that ledger. We got banged up pretty good. It was a tough and hard fought football game. There was a lot of hitting going on, and we were very fortunate to come out of that game with a win.
The wind was hectic up there, and that’s why we were doing so much role punting, because we were trying to hit spirals. Breaking down the film Sunday and Monday, I really tried to break down and devour the film. I watched the punters from both teams, and I watched the kickoffs from both teams. That wind was really tough, and I don’t anticipate that on Saturday, although I heard we might get rain.
On Cincinnati
This week’s game is going to be just as tough. It’s going to be a very tough football game, and we anticipate a very interesting game. It’s going to be fun. We’re playing a veteran football team with 10 seniors starting on defense and a whole bunch on offense so it should be an interesting matchup.
Our defense is up against a great coaching staff, a heck of a quarterback – whoever plays. Coach Brian Kelly does such a great job so it doesn’t matter which one is playing. I watch more of the receivers on special teams than I do of the actual film but I do know this, they certainly have my attention. I keep seeing a lot of playmakers, and I am worried about that. Our defense is going to have to stop their passing game. I think it’s going to boil down to third downs. We’re doing a lot better on third downs, and we will work hard today and tomorrow in practice on third downs. The key will be certainly the third down, but it is always good to back that first down. If you give them four, five, or six, then they can spin the dial. You have to keep your opponent to one, two, or three and that is what we’re trying to do. First down is crucial and the third down is the one that makes you.
Offensively, we need to establish the run, go a little bit more north and south. I would like Pat (White) to throw the ball when we want to throw the ball, much like you’ve seen in the last two halves of the previous two football games, and not when we have to. If we can throw the football, pitch and catch it, get the first down and field position is going to be a big thing; we need to get the ball to that midfield and make hay.
On special teams, we will face the No. 1 team in the BIG EAST on kick returns and they face the worst kickoff unit in the country, so that’s going to be interesting. We’re trying to get our blocks better and get down the field faster. Patrick McAfee hasn’t been kicking the ball as well as he’s been.
On injuries
Jim Lewis is very close, and I wish I could say he was a go, I really do. He’s a one man wrecking crew on that kickoff and punt, but he’s not a go. He may play, but I just don’t want to lose him this week and not have him the final three games, because we get the week off. I just don’t know if that would be smart on my part, so I don’t know whether or not Jimmy Lewis will play.
Courtney Stuart is off three to six weeks and that is going to be tough on us. I hate that. He has done a great job.
On problems with the kickoff team
I’m going to have to start with me first because I’ve been a little too forgiving. I keep waiting and waiting for guys that I know can make plays and that hasn’t worked out very well so I’m going to make a few changes this week. Now with Archie and Stuart hurt, we have to move some guys around today and we’re going to work very hard on punt. Cincinnati has the same punt system we have so that means they know the flaws of the punt game. I’m going to work very hard on protection today. I’m going to work very hard on kick coverage today.
Cincinnati’s passing game
Brian (Kelly) has a really good attack, and they are going to be very difficult to contain. We want to keep them in front of us. We’ve challenged the guys. At halftime of the UConn game, I told them to stop letting them catch the ball. If the ball is in the air, they have just as much right to the ball. If it’s on No. 22’s (Brandon Hogan) side, he’ll go get the ball. I pray he continues to do that. He’s a tenacious little man and if the ball is in the air, he goes and gets it. He’s special.
On the national polls
I think the polls are good. They are good for the hype and the fans and the tickets and the promotions, but they aren’t good for a football team. They are good at the end of the year, and they are good when recruiting comes around. I don’t say that to shy away. With the young guys, I worry about them. I wish they would wait until the end of the season to put out the rankings. Then at the end of the season, everyone can see the rankings and see what they have done and what they haven’t done.
On Jock Sanders
He has balance, quick feet and he’s tenacious. He has a knack of finding the crack and getting through there. Noel Devine has that. Pat White has that ability. Pat makes it look easy because he just has it. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, Jock is one of those guys that has it. He finds a way to move the ball forward. I wish I could say it was coaching.
How to prepare
It’s like Auburn two weeks ago. We have to get their power running game, a spread game, their no huddle game and that is tough on our defense. What they did that week, I just hope we can emulate. You have to take their base plays, and that’s why you look at crucial situations. We have to prepare for that. Tony Pike can pitch and catch. It’s frustrating because you don’t know until you get out there. What’s really frustrating is the offense because when you prepare for blitz and pressure like we did for Rutgers and then they come out, and they aren’t doing that, then the wheels start turning. There is a trust factor between coaches and players. I saw the USF/Cincinnati game, and they have great athletes in southern Florida. But boy, Cincinnati looked very impressive to me. We will do the best we can. We will try to keep guys healthy. We will be physical in practice and prepare. We will be ready. Field position this week will be absolutely colossal.
On the defensive staff
When Jeff Casteel and Bill Kirelawich stayed, that’s half the defensive staff. That is the nuts and bolts, because you have the guy that knows the front and the guy who knows the back and the back end of it. The continuity wasn’t hard to get there, because the boss of the defense stayed on and the players knew them. Then you throw the rest of the staff, and they all know each other. They are Mountaineers. Our defensive staff was set and that’s why I said in the beginning of the year that our defense had to carry our offense before we get going.
