Football: Coach Stewart Quotes
October 19, 2010 04:17 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU football coach Bill Stewart’s quotes from Tuesday’s press conference.
Opening statement
The football staff and myself have awarded Gregg Pugnetti with a scholarship. That’s a pretty good lick for Gregg. He’s stayed with the program, and we got that done. He’s deserving, and he punted pretty good last week. All that he’s done here as a backup holder and everything, I’m very proud and very pleased that Gregg Pugnetti is a recipient of a Mountaineer scholarship. That’s really good news and we’re happy for him. We gave him a football - coaches sign one panel, specialists sign another panel and then the seniors sign the third. I thought that was nice. That’s something we’re doing here – the same thing we did for Matt Lindamood.
On a sad note, my heart really goes out to Eric LeGrand and the entire Rutgers family. That’s a tough situation for Eric and the LeGrand family, the Rutgers family and college football in general. It’s a sad occasion when we have severe injuries. We’re hoping and praying. We talked about it with the guys on Sunday. I received a call Saturday night and my heart has been thinking about him ever since. I do believe he’s one of the captains as an underclassman. We’re thinking about him, and we sure wish him the best. We wish Eric, his family and the entire Rutgers program the best.
Regarding last week, I thought we had a very good win. We don’t need to rehash that much. We won the game by two touchdowns, there are things we could have done better, but then there are things we did pretty well. I’m pleased. We came out pretty much injury-free. To have a hard-hitting game and a very intense attack in a football game with the speed that both teams had, there were some collisions. There were some real collisions. We’re very blessed to come out like we did. We got through the game, watched film and lifted weights on Friday, and took Saturday off. Sunday we practiced, and now we’re full speed ahead with a big, strong Syracuse team. We’re done with South Florida, now we press on to Syracuse.
On the sport of football and injuries
I can’t speak for all of college football, but we spoke about that as a staff briefly this morning. Football is a great, great game. In my opinion, it’s America’s game. Baseball fans would disagree, but it’s a great game. It’s a game about bodies moving and masses hitting. That’s the problem. People are getting so large, so fast, so physical, and the key word here is explosive. Defensively, they’re trying to take the helmet out of the game because they’re watching helmet-to-helmet and shoulder-to-helmet contact. They’re trying to take that out. Our officials are doing a great job. We got caught a couple of times in one game, as you’ll remember. I get after the youngsters because we don’t teach that here.
It’s become a game that sometimes gets a little too physical. I did not see Eric’s play, so I cannot comment on Eric’s play, nor do I want to watch Eric’s play. I’ve heard from those who have watched it and apparently his head was down - I don’t know. We as coaches try to teach that the players play to the best of their ability. Eric was no different – he tried to do the very best that he could do. That’s why he’s one of the leaders of the Rutgers University football team. Why does it happen? I don’t know. It’s tough. The head in the game is a very specific point that we’re looking at and our doctors and neurologists continue to study because of the situation that happened at Rutgers.
We still have the same joints, so to speak, but people are getting larger. I never heard of a high ankle sprain or turf toe or anything like that. So we made better footing because it was sloppy in the mud. So we made better equipment, and guys start banging more. We made better shoulder pads; everything is better, better, better.
When you have masses hitting, things happen. I pray before every game that there are no serious injuries. There will always be injuries but I never want serious injuries for anyone. When I watch my son play, that’s the first thing I do. I don’t care if he makes the tackle, or if he makes a catch, I just don’t want him to get hurt.
I’ve had both shoulders done, I’ve had my leg broken, my hand broken, foot surgery, and all of that was 40 years ago. People weren’t as big or explosive then. We didn’t have today’s equipment. I don’t know how to answer it without getting a little long-winded.
On what the team does to prevent injuries
We spoke about it on Sunday night. I told them how blessed they were to play such a wonderful game and how we should be hurting for the Rutgers family. It happened at UConn last year with a similar thing. There are many bumps in the road. You have to learn from these kinds of things to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Invariably, every year there seems to be this kind of situation. You have to be able to get up and move on. That’s our hope and our prayer.
On if a disciplinary system should be set for malicious hits
We do have one. You get a letter of reprimand, a suspension and you can even get an ejection. I try my best to run a very clean program. I’ve been talking with the supervisor of officials, Terry McAulay, about the penalties and how to clean them up. If you err on the side of safety, and you continue to call it, then maybe we can help youngsters. I want to know what’s being done.
On what to expect from Syracuse
Let me tell you something - I respect these guys. After our 34th point up at the Carrier Dome last year, the Syracuse Orangemen knocked about half our line into the kicker and holder. After the game, I went up to Coach Marrone and I said, ‘Doug, you’re on the right track. Don’t change a thing, whatever you’re doing. It’s good for you, I hate it for us. Whatever you’re doing, don’t change it.’
They didn’t back up an inch. They took the fight to us. I watched Syracuse get after South Florida. I envisioned the Mountaineers trying to do the same thing with our power game. These guys have my attention and they have a good football team. Syracuse is knocking on the door, they’re on their way back; I just hope they don’t get back this Saturday.
On what Coach Marrone has done for Syracuse
Doug has done a great job, and his staff has done a great job. Most importantly, the Syracuse football team has done a good job because they responded. They took the challenge and they’re physical. They play hard.
I like their quarterback – he makes plays. I like their running backs; they’ve got two very good running backs that could play for anyone in this league. I like their two tight ends, I like their two receivers and I like what these guys do. They’re buying into the plan. They don’t have a lot of heroes or individuals – they’ve got a team. It’s awesome. They gassed Washington, they gassed Pitt some and they gassed South Florida. I devoured those three games. I’m telling you, they’ve got a great team.
On the audibles that Geno Smith calls
We use a combo package. If he happens to see a certain coverage that will apply some pressure, he’ll go with a crossing route. He has chances to change some things. He’s in a system that if this or that doesn’t work, bells go off.
He’s way ahead of schedule. We’d like to call him a sophomore-and-a-half, but he’s more like a freshman-plus because he didn’t play all that much as a freshman. His game is improving quickly, and you’ll be surprised how much better he’ll be at the end of the season than he is now. He just gets it and he’s in the flow. The other guys are getting it because of that.
On being favored to win and how the team has arrived at being consistently favored
Every coach wants to be the favorite. I look at it this way - if your men know that when they go to work and stick to the plan, they lift and practice hard, implement the plan, stay within the team unity, which we’re stressing, and you’re favored, you’re probably going to win.
You don’t go into a game hoping to win. I’ve been in that situation. We didn’t go into LSU and Tiger Stadium hoping to win. We went down there because we expected to win. I thought our players played like that. We had some mistakes, but we never bailed out and we kept hitting them right in the mouth.
To me, we’re right where we need to be. What we have to do now is finish. We’re 1-0 in the BIG EAST, and now we have Game 2. How do we take care of Game 2? Just stay the course, do what you’re coached to do, have fun doing it and you’ll go in knowing you have worked so hard that if we just play hard and don’t beat ourselves, we’ll win the football game. That’s the point I want to get across each and every outing. We’ve done it one time; now we need to do it a second time.
On not having turnovers the last two games
We’ve really stepped it up since the LSU game. I don’t like to give games away. You have to figure out ways to get your team ready to play. I expect us to play a hard, physical game, because if we don’t, Syracuse, with all their veterans, will get us. Will we go after them? You bet. Do I want to get after them? You bet. But we better buy in and do what we’re supposed to do or we’ll be in for a fight.
On running the tunnel screen more than other programs
It scored at LSU – I thought that was a pretty good play. I think Jock (Sanders) makes great decisions. It’s a hard play to defend. You take quick, little men in space that the defense has to tackle in open areas. It’s not our No. 1 play, but when all their guys are in the box, it’s very effective.
I think South Florida was very quick and made tackles. I like Jock and Tavon (Austin) in open space. Tavon had six touches for 79 yards. Sounds like he ought to get 12 touches or 18 touches. If they load the box, we throw it out. If they go outside, we’ll run the ball. It’s just a checkers game.
On having a Top 10 defense
Speed. And we understand (that). Once Robert Sands, Sidney Glover and Terence Garvin get on a string together, along with our two corners, they can do a lot of stuff. When you’ve got guys like Najee Goode or Bruce Irvin that can come in, our 40 (nickel/dime) and Swat defenses are pretty lethal.
We’ve got speed, we’ve got disguise, we’ve got corners, we’ve got linemen and backers to blitz, and with guys like Sands and Glover - we’re fast. That’s what has happened to our defense - we’re fast. Once we get ahead, they (opponents) start passing, and our defense has responded well.
On the improvement of Terence Garvin
He’s very good. He’s become like the Geno Smith of our defense. He’s making tackles, he’s absorbed a lot and is doing a great job.
Opening statement
The football staff and myself have awarded Gregg Pugnetti with a scholarship. That’s a pretty good lick for Gregg. He’s stayed with the program, and we got that done. He’s deserving, and he punted pretty good last week. All that he’s done here as a backup holder and everything, I’m very proud and very pleased that Gregg Pugnetti is a recipient of a Mountaineer scholarship. That’s really good news and we’re happy for him. We gave him a football - coaches sign one panel, specialists sign another panel and then the seniors sign the third. I thought that was nice. That’s something we’re doing here – the same thing we did for Matt Lindamood.
On a sad note, my heart really goes out to Eric LeGrand and the entire Rutgers family. That’s a tough situation for Eric and the LeGrand family, the Rutgers family and college football in general. It’s a sad occasion when we have severe injuries. We’re hoping and praying. We talked about it with the guys on Sunday. I received a call Saturday night and my heart has been thinking about him ever since. I do believe he’s one of the captains as an underclassman. We’re thinking about him, and we sure wish him the best. We wish Eric, his family and the entire Rutgers program the best.
Regarding last week, I thought we had a very good win. We don’t need to rehash that much. We won the game by two touchdowns, there are things we could have done better, but then there are things we did pretty well. I’m pleased. We came out pretty much injury-free. To have a hard-hitting game and a very intense attack in a football game with the speed that both teams had, there were some collisions. There were some real collisions. We’re very blessed to come out like we did. We got through the game, watched film and lifted weights on Friday, and took Saturday off. Sunday we practiced, and now we’re full speed ahead with a big, strong Syracuse team. We’re done with South Florida, now we press on to Syracuse.
On the sport of football and injuries
I can’t speak for all of college football, but we spoke about that as a staff briefly this morning. Football is a great, great game. In my opinion, it’s America’s game. Baseball fans would disagree, but it’s a great game. It’s a game about bodies moving and masses hitting. That’s the problem. People are getting so large, so fast, so physical, and the key word here is explosive. Defensively, they’re trying to take the helmet out of the game because they’re watching helmet-to-helmet and shoulder-to-helmet contact. They’re trying to take that out. Our officials are doing a great job. We got caught a couple of times in one game, as you’ll remember. I get after the youngsters because we don’t teach that here.
It’s become a game that sometimes gets a little too physical. I did not see Eric’s play, so I cannot comment on Eric’s play, nor do I want to watch Eric’s play. I’ve heard from those who have watched it and apparently his head was down - I don’t know. We as coaches try to teach that the players play to the best of their ability. Eric was no different – he tried to do the very best that he could do. That’s why he’s one of the leaders of the Rutgers University football team. Why does it happen? I don’t know. It’s tough. The head in the game is a very specific point that we’re looking at and our doctors and neurologists continue to study because of the situation that happened at Rutgers.
We still have the same joints, so to speak, but people are getting larger. I never heard of a high ankle sprain or turf toe or anything like that. So we made better footing because it was sloppy in the mud. So we made better equipment, and guys start banging more. We made better shoulder pads; everything is better, better, better.
When you have masses hitting, things happen. I pray before every game that there are no serious injuries. There will always be injuries but I never want serious injuries for anyone. When I watch my son play, that’s the first thing I do. I don’t care if he makes the tackle, or if he makes a catch, I just don’t want him to get hurt.
I’ve had both shoulders done, I’ve had my leg broken, my hand broken, foot surgery, and all of that was 40 years ago. People weren’t as big or explosive then. We didn’t have today’s equipment. I don’t know how to answer it without getting a little long-winded.
On what the team does to prevent injuries
We spoke about it on Sunday night. I told them how blessed they were to play such a wonderful game and how we should be hurting for the Rutgers family. It happened at UConn last year with a similar thing. There are many bumps in the road. You have to learn from these kinds of things to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Invariably, every year there seems to be this kind of situation. You have to be able to get up and move on. That’s our hope and our prayer.
On if a disciplinary system should be set for malicious hits
We do have one. You get a letter of reprimand, a suspension and you can even get an ejection. I try my best to run a very clean program. I’ve been talking with the supervisor of officials, Terry McAulay, about the penalties and how to clean them up. If you err on the side of safety, and you continue to call it, then maybe we can help youngsters. I want to know what’s being done.
On what to expect from Syracuse
Let me tell you something - I respect these guys. After our 34th point up at the Carrier Dome last year, the Syracuse Orangemen knocked about half our line into the kicker and holder. After the game, I went up to Coach Marrone and I said, ‘Doug, you’re on the right track. Don’t change a thing, whatever you’re doing. It’s good for you, I hate it for us. Whatever you’re doing, don’t change it.’
They didn’t back up an inch. They took the fight to us. I watched Syracuse get after South Florida. I envisioned the Mountaineers trying to do the same thing with our power game. These guys have my attention and they have a good football team. Syracuse is knocking on the door, they’re on their way back; I just hope they don’t get back this Saturday.
On what Coach Marrone has done for Syracuse
Doug has done a great job, and his staff has done a great job. Most importantly, the Syracuse football team has done a good job because they responded. They took the challenge and they’re physical. They play hard.
I like their quarterback – he makes plays. I like their running backs; they’ve got two very good running backs that could play for anyone in this league. I like their two tight ends, I like their two receivers and I like what these guys do. They’re buying into the plan. They don’t have a lot of heroes or individuals – they’ve got a team. It’s awesome. They gassed Washington, they gassed Pitt some and they gassed South Florida. I devoured those three games. I’m telling you, they’ve got a great team.
On the audibles that Geno Smith calls
We use a combo package. If he happens to see a certain coverage that will apply some pressure, he’ll go with a crossing route. He has chances to change some things. He’s in a system that if this or that doesn’t work, bells go off.
He’s way ahead of schedule. We’d like to call him a sophomore-and-a-half, but he’s more like a freshman-plus because he didn’t play all that much as a freshman. His game is improving quickly, and you’ll be surprised how much better he’ll be at the end of the season than he is now. He just gets it and he’s in the flow. The other guys are getting it because of that.
On being favored to win and how the team has arrived at being consistently favored
Every coach wants to be the favorite. I look at it this way - if your men know that when they go to work and stick to the plan, they lift and practice hard, implement the plan, stay within the team unity, which we’re stressing, and you’re favored, you’re probably going to win.
You don’t go into a game hoping to win. I’ve been in that situation. We didn’t go into LSU and Tiger Stadium hoping to win. We went down there because we expected to win. I thought our players played like that. We had some mistakes, but we never bailed out and we kept hitting them right in the mouth.
To me, we’re right where we need to be. What we have to do now is finish. We’re 1-0 in the BIG EAST, and now we have Game 2. How do we take care of Game 2? Just stay the course, do what you’re coached to do, have fun doing it and you’ll go in knowing you have worked so hard that if we just play hard and don’t beat ourselves, we’ll win the football game. That’s the point I want to get across each and every outing. We’ve done it one time; now we need to do it a second time.
On not having turnovers the last two games
We’ve really stepped it up since the LSU game. I don’t like to give games away. You have to figure out ways to get your team ready to play. I expect us to play a hard, physical game, because if we don’t, Syracuse, with all their veterans, will get us. Will we go after them? You bet. Do I want to get after them? You bet. But we better buy in and do what we’re supposed to do or we’ll be in for a fight.
On running the tunnel screen more than other programs
It scored at LSU – I thought that was a pretty good play. I think Jock (Sanders) makes great decisions. It’s a hard play to defend. You take quick, little men in space that the defense has to tackle in open areas. It’s not our No. 1 play, but when all their guys are in the box, it’s very effective.
I think South Florida was very quick and made tackles. I like Jock and Tavon (Austin) in open space. Tavon had six touches for 79 yards. Sounds like he ought to get 12 touches or 18 touches. If they load the box, we throw it out. If they go outside, we’ll run the ball. It’s just a checkers game.
On having a Top 10 defense
Speed. And we understand (that). Once Robert Sands, Sidney Glover and Terence Garvin get on a string together, along with our two corners, they can do a lot of stuff. When you’ve got guys like Najee Goode or Bruce Irvin that can come in, our 40 (nickel/dime) and Swat defenses are pretty lethal.
We’ve got speed, we’ve got disguise, we’ve got corners, we’ve got linemen and backers to blitz, and with guys like Sands and Glover - we’re fast. That’s what has happened to our defense - we’re fast. Once we get ahead, they (opponents) start passing, and our defense has responded well.
On the improvement of Terence Garvin
He’s very good. He’s become like the Geno Smith of our defense. He’s making tackles, he’s absorbed a lot and is doing a great job.
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