Football: Coach Bill Stewart Teleconference
September 13, 2009 03:55 PM | General
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Opening statement
I’d like to start off by saying how pleased I was with our team’s effort yesterday. I thought our coaching staff did a tremendous job, our players played hard and tough, and they played West Virginia football.
I thought we played with confidence and showed great leadership. When things weren’t going our way with penalties and dropped balls, the team didn’t panic, stayed the course and kept believing the plan. That was good to see and is what we’ve been known for.
We beat a very good non-conference opponent that has great players. They are the third-oldest team in the nation (third-most years experience on their team). Even though we have two non-conference games remaining, against Auburn this week and followed by Colorado, we’re still striving for our No. 1 goal, which is a BIG EAST Championship.
It was good to see us come out with a hard-fought win, and I thought we won with class. It was good for the people of West Virginia to see that.
I want to compliment the Mountaineer nation, because we certainly did have a 12th man yesterday. I can’t tell you how important that was and how special that was to our players. I thank the Mountaineer faithful and those people that die with the Old Gold and Blue.
There is a big challenge ahead of us this week. We’re going in to SEC country; into a tough environment with a large crowd. It’s going to be a big challenge. We did some things good yesterday, which should help us go into the environment we’re about to enter. We didn’t do some things well, and we need to work on that and improve. I was pleased with the good stuff, and not pleased with the rough stuff that needs to get fixed.
We look forward to playing a great opponent in Auburn; they are on a roll and look super. I haven’t had a chance to devour their film at this time, but what I’ve seen this far, I’ve been impressed.
On injuries
We’re better this morning than what I had anticipated, so I’m happy. We’ll have some guys that will be day-to-day, but it’s not as bad as we thought. I was pleased to hear our 11 a.m. briefing from head trainer Dave Kerns. I will know more at Tuesday’s press conference. I’m more on the sunny-side than I was last night.
It is (Scooter) Berry’s shoulder, and Reed (William’s) foot. It was a little bleaker yesterday, and this morning they were in for treatment. We’ll know more this evening when we practice. I was told it was better and day-to-day. That was good to hear.
On Saturday’s slow start against ECU
I think we were keyed-up. I don’t fault our team’s effort. The first penalty on the kick-off was a good call; he didn’t have enough energy to block his guy. It was a good call.
There was some jumping and snap-count yelling, and that was handled by a penalty. I think we were just eager to get out there. We went out there trying to block those guys, and we got a couple of them in the back. I hate that. We don’t teach our guys to clip them up in the back of their legs. Sometimes, it happens.
It was sloppy both ways.
On pistol offense formation
We put it in, because it looked like East Carolina had the book on us. It seemed like that in certain sets, they would do certain things. We tried to break that tendency and spread them out and put No. 7 (Noel Devine) right behind Jarrett (Brown). I looked at that from the defensive side, and I liked it. Yes, it will stay in.
I thought we had some nice plays; we were very close a few times. No. 7 ran hard, and we got some yardage. It wasn’t the all-tell answer; nothing is. We’re a moldable offense now, and that’s just another tool. I want to keep it.
On the play of Najee Goode
He did a nice job. When someone gets hurt, you just have to jump in there and play. He went in there and played pretty well. I hated to see him drop that interception; Patrick Pinkey threw a rifle. We’ll work on his ball skills a little, but he played well.
On Bitancurt’s kick-off
I really like the way Josh Lider kicks. With the score the way it was at the end of the game, we weren’t going to try for any more field goals. We were going to control the ball with a four-minute offense. I just wanted to see Tyler put his leg into it and see what he has. He did a real nice job. You never know when he will have to go in there and do it. The other day, I almost put Lider in there to try a pooch punt, but I didn’t and stuck with Scott (Kozlowski). I’m glad I did that because he pooched that ball to the six-yard line.
The kickers are like everybody else. It’s open competition every week, of every month of every season.
On punt return troubles
I’m not going to take Jock (Sanders) out. He just misjudged the ball. He waved everyone away from it. He thought the ball was going to roll back inside the one or two-yard lines. That’s OK. Once you make that call, get out of the way and don’t mess with it, because at least it’s our ball. It’s not their ball at the six. So, that was just a bad judgment call.
Brandon (Hogan) just dropped it. Today, I’m going to take them out there and do an old kicking drill that we used to do. Coach Lockwood and I are going to run it, where the guys run sprints and work out some of the soreness. We’re going to do some bullet drills, were guys run past them like traffic policemen.
On similarities between first year of coaching and Auburn’s Gene Chizik’s first year
Gene is a heck of a football coach, and he deserves that Auburn job. From what I’ve seen, he’s doing a good job.
I’m very blessed to be the head football coach of West Virginia University. I gave my oath to do the best I could in a first-class manner. I’m going to continue to do that.
From what I’ve seen, Gene is going to win a lot of football games at Auburn; I just hope he doesn’t win his third game.
I’ve got skin thicker than tree bark. Don’t worry about me. (Criticism) doesn’t enter my equation.
Difference between spread and wild cat offenses
(The wild cat) is dynamic because you have to prepare for it, and it takes away from actual preparation. If you’re at Auburn, and you put Chris Todd in there, and all of the sudden Kodi Burns comes in, as a defense you have to switch gears. Remember, Kodi can pass the ball as well.
We put Brad Starks in the game yesterday, and I thought that was a nice change-up. We’ll see what people do with him, because he can pass the ball also.
The wild cat is a change-up. It has its plays, and the Auburn offense looks pretty good.
One guy may pass the ball better, and one guy may run the ball better, but when you have them on the field at the same time, the defenses can’t match up personnel. That’s why, if you bring a slot back in, you can’t match-up well. It gives you problems.
On team’s fun while playing
I think it’s confidence – it’s the Mountaineer way. We are a team that plays hard-nosed football; that’s always been our forte. When you do it with confidence and with leaders that keep it close to the vest and calm the team down, the team will look like it’s freewheeling because of how fast we are. We’re not out there spinning the wheels, trying to pick numbers just to call our defense.
We’re sound, tough and resilient, but we’re also fast. When you go against our defense, you better have your T’s crossed and I’s dotted, because they’re going to get you. They get us in practice – it’s a tough outfit to put a handle on.
On atmosphere at SEC and WVU football games
They are a good comparison. Our fans are so passionate and supportive, that when they get a rush, like yesterday, it’s good to see. I’m going to tell our team that that is what is going to happen if we give Auburn a chance to get up on us.
We’ve been to a few arenas, and we’ve played in a few games in the 10 years since I’ve been here, that are very tough, and that’s been good for us. We’re going into one of the toughest arenas in the country this Saturday, and I think our guys know that and they are ready to play. It goes back to confidence and leadership and staying the course.
On team’s pass rush
What happens when you pass rush, it dangles the leverage. We work very diligently on that. When you pass rush, and go down the middle of that offensive lineman, you’re going to run into a brick wall. If you take that angle, dip the shoulder and stay low, it gives those linemen and backs fits.
That’s what I saw yesterday from our defense. We hit the edge of that blocker, or slipped him. It was good persistence. Our defense would not be denied. You had to block us; you weren’t going to block us.
On playing Auburn first in Morgantown, then in Alabama
I think the players know that we are up against a formidable opponent. Auburn looks like they have it going good again.
We were down 17-0 last year after they on-side kicked us. Our guys stayed the course; they were resilient. They played physical, Mountaineer football, and that’s what I’m going to tell them to do this year.
They (Auburn) will be waiting for us, just like we have waited for people that have beaten us in the past. It’s going to be a fun game in a great arena. It’s a prime-time, national TV game, and I know our guys are excited.
On points matching offensive yards
It’s all mistakes. We have to finish things off. Against Liberty, it was field goals instead of touchdowns. This week was a late interception and a fumble that they recovered. That’s 14 points.
This week, I would have loved to have 14 more points. I don’t know if we could have scored at the end of the game or not, but we weren’t trying to. I wanted to run the clock out. It was the decent thing to do.
I want to win with class; I’m not into my ego. I want this team to know that when you go out, you play the team physical and hard. You play Mountaineer football and you make hay when you supposed to make hay, and you do it in the best manner you can. That’s what we’re all about.
