August 30, 2005
Audio from Tuesday's football media luncheon is available through the links to the right. Files can be downloaded and are in MP3 format.
A transcript of Coach Dennis Franchione's press conference on Tuesday at the Bright Football Complex is posted below.
Coach Franchione Media Luncheon Quotes
How about Kirk Elder and Chris Yoder? Do you see them multiple position guys at different times?
"I think both those guys could play different positions. During camp Chris has played center and guard and Kirk has played guard and tackle. Kirk has not played center. I think if we have some injuries at tackle we wouldn't hesitate to move Kirk out there. I think he would do a good job there for us. We had him there two or three days early in camp and he did a nice job. So that's a luxury -- one of the ways you develop depth is guys can play multiple positions. And Chris can, too."
You've said many times that a big key to this year is becoming a good road team. What does that entail? How do you become a good road team? Is it just a matter of being a good football team?
"I think that's the first criteria. We've talked about this first game a lot as coaches and just reflecting back at the last year. And you can come up with a lot of dialogue that really comes down to taking a good team on the road with you and taking experience. And hopefully we're doing that. We are taking experience compared to last year. Last year we had so many freshmen and redshirt freshmen out there that my nephew used to call me and tell me we should play the J.V. team because we had so many young guys. This year's team, at least the redshirt freshmen are sophomores. We've got a senior at quarterback I think that's worth a great deal. We've got a number of starters back on both sides of the football so those are all criteria that are important. I think as players they're going to have to manage the game and the emotions of the game and a large part of doing that is maintaining your focus on your task and being able to either quiet the crowd or shut the crowd out and not get caught up with that. The teams I've taken on the road that have been successful have been able to do that."
If you can recall, how much do you feel like the home field was a factor in the game against Clemson last year?
"Well, you know, a lot of people say the home field is worth 7 points. I think that was true for us last year. I think Kyle Field is worth 7 points. You know, last year we were probably -- may be a little more fragile team and I don't know if we're not going to be this year. You never know what you're going to get in the first game. I think we were more fragile coming off that season prior, and the tough opening game against Utah. Probably one of the big keys in last season was being able to come home for three straight weeks after Utah and play in front of our crowd and gain confidence and get self-esteem and have some energy to feed off of. Obviously we won't have a lot of that (Saturday). We're going to have to take care of each other at Clemson but I believe last year's team needed it more maybe than this year's team. I hope that's true."
All that's said about Death Valley...what's going to be key for your team in terms of dealing with that crowd and the best way to maybe neutralize it?
"Our players understand at home our defense has to over-communicate because the crowd is loud for when the opponent's offense is on the field and on the road the offense has to do that. If you're going to be in the shotgun you may have to use a silent count more, or may have to use some more plays under center if that becomes necessary. You have to make sure that you can get off the ball and hear and focus on your quarterback and his cadence and not get caught up in all the noises...that's really distracting from doing those kind of things. The best play is to make plays and quiet the crowd. Hopefully we'll be able to do our share of that."
As a coach, do you get excited about going to a place like this? I know you're a college football fan...or does it matter? Do you just approach going to one venue just like any other?
"Well, I don't think there's any doubt there's some excitement going to some of the premiere places to play. You heard me say when I thought we were going to play Army up there that I was fired up about going to play the Black Knights on the Hudson and I'm excited about going to Clemson. My measure of excitement and happiness is based on having more points than they have but if things don't go well we may be one of those tombstones in the cemetery. So I don't want to be that that's for sure."
This freshman class, and there's a quite a few, more could play in this game than have for you in two seasons combined. You talked about them coming in over the summer, and obviously there's something about this class that makes you think maybe they are more ready than the freshman of the last two years, who were pretty good themselves.
"Well, they're talented. I think this is the best class we've recruited. It's a little early to put that stamp on them but I feel that way. Their anxiety has been lessened from the standpoint that some of them have been here since June 1, so that puts them more in a comfort level and I think that puts them more in a learning situation where they're comfortable with their surroundings and environment and can focus on that. Another part of that is that our players have done a great job of coaching the young guys, showing them our way and the 'Aggie way' as I say. Sometimes we can tell a player how to take these steps and do this and do that, but when they see Courtney Lewis do it, then 'okay, that's what I do.' A picture is worth more words than I can use. Two years ago we didn't have that at all, and last year it improved dramatically, but it's been the key for some of these guys to put themselves in that position. They're a mature group, too. We have two 4.0 high school students in this class. There's some intelligent guys."
What's the advantage of having Reggie McNeal? What's the advantage he gives you and all he can do?
"Well, I've characterized it in one statement pretty well. I trust Reggie so much with the football that I'm not afraid to call four vertical calls on the one-yard line because I know he'll take care of it. He won't take a sack if he sees the guy coming at all--if he doesn't see him he still may make him miss. He'll take care of the football, and won't force it, so he just lets us be a little bit more courageous in some of our calls because we have such a confidence factor in him. Senior quarterbacks have a lot of experience, and Reggie has had a great August camp. It's really obvious for me and I hope it will be obvious for you that Reggie is a senior out there in practice with his grasp and understanding. We ran a play on the goal line in a goal line scrimmage a couple of weeks ago and Reggie got back there and everybody was covered and he patiently rolled out to the right, gave everything time to unravel and found his guy for a touchdown. I characterized that play with our coaches by saying the game is slow for him right now, and the game two years ago was probably faster for him. I think that's just another way of saying that he has command of things. If people are where they're supposed to be, he knows what can happen on a play and he can react accordingly to it. If there's one aspect of going to Clemson and playing in front of this crowd and setting it would be having a senior quarterback."
Unlike last year, there are no redshirt freshmen starters, even though that's like a sophomore. Talk about the difference in how you feel going into a game with these guys as opposed to just last year. Do you feel a lot more prepared? I'm sure the team was confident last year to a certain degree.
"We were. There's no way as a coach that you know exactly how a first-time player is going to respond. However he responds in the first game it's going to get better after that. Obviously we felt like we would respond better going to Utah. I think we're far more prepared to go on the road this year than we were last year for this game. I think our players feel better. They remember the Utah game and they remember what happened, but, you know, it just goes back to experience. I mean Jason Jack, Chris Harrington, Red Bryant, all are sophomores. They've got 12 football games under their belt. They've played on national television, played in front of hostile crowds. When you've done those kind of things it's a lot easier to focus on whipping that guy across from you or carrying out your assignment then getting caught up with things that really only affect your play probably in a negative way, but are very easy for a first time player to deal with."
You mentioned Harrington. Could you speak to his growth? He's a guy you went after late in the recruiting process because of the scheme of your defense. We know less about him.
"I think you're going to see a steady, solid, game-in, game-out player. He won't make mistakes, he'll do everything he's supposed to do. Obviously the change from a 3-4 to a 4-3 suited Chris probably better and that's why when we saw Chris we wanted to recruit him because of that. When Chris knew we were switching to go that he wanted to be here because of that. I think he always probably wanted to be an Aggie but wanted to if he fit into the scheme of defense."
Quite a legacy isn't it?
"I think Chris will have a great career for us. I think he's done that day-in day-out in practice."
Punt returns. You've made no bones that there's been a little trouble. The first time Jordan Chambless goes back to return a punt it's a different atmosphere, but what about having the pressure of competition under his belt?
"I think it'll help a great deal, because of that and he's a coach's son. I think he's been in the fights and he's been in the arena. For us as coaches, that gives us a lot more confidence, though I may not exhale until after it's a caught ball. No, we have a lot of confidence."
In the game of field position, how much difference can five yards here, 10 yards there on a punt return make in the grand scheme?
"We always talk about we'd like to at least get one first down on a punt return and if you can do that, then that shortens the field. When you have to punt it back, it gives you an opportunity to gain field position. In the battle of getting yards, you acknowledge that catching it and making 10 or 15 yards, and punting it back and recovering well, starts to work in your behalf. The kicking game I think is going to be a huge part of this game. If there are any glitches in the kicking game it shows up quickly in the first game I think. Sometimes offensively and defensively one shows up and you can kind of steer away from it, but you're still going to have to punt and return a punt and kick off and kick off return and all those kinds of things. You might have to make some adjustments, but I think the kicking game is a big part of who wins the first game."
Did you see Jordan pitch last spring (for the Texas A&M baseball team)?
"Yes."
What did you see? Just seeing him in that environment.
"Fiery competitor. I remember Jordan when he hadn't played much, except to pitch during the year, and I think we were having trouble scoring many runs. I said, 'How is it going? Are you pitching a little bit and doing okay?' He says, 'Yeah, I need to be hitting. I can get us a run, too.' I kind of like that attitude, you know. I'll find a way. I think that's part of the key for Jordan is that kind of attitude, and the maturity that he carries with him."
As a baseball fan you've got to also love that "closer" mentality...not just a pitcher but a "closer" mentality.
"Yeah, he's got that. The thing I like about him is you can put him in any situation and he's ready. I asked him a while back, 'What do you think about this first game standing here in that first punt?' He said, 'No big deal, coach.' I think he'll do a great job for us this year and it's a little bit like having a sophomore instead of a redshirt freshman because he played baseball."
Is he a guy that once he catches it is he pretty shifty? I know he's fast. Usually punt returners are those kind of guys.
"Well, I wouldn't say he's Jason Carter, but he's not Aldo De La Garza, either. He's somewhere in between. You know the first criteria is who's going to catch it and we don't want to have to go back to '03, and put one back there to catch it and one to recover it."
Did the Cotton Bowl have any larger impact on your program?
"I think so. You know I wanted to make sure when we came out of that game that it was positive. I knew we were going to play a good team and it was going to be a tough game. Obviously we didn't play as well as we felt we could have played and should have played, but still I think playing a nationally-ranked team on New Year's Day and Tennessee, that was a good game to say, 'Okay, we're going into the off season, we can see where we need to be, you know. And I think they felt that way. I didn't have to say a great deal about it. They understood we've got to go back, we've got to get stronger and more physical, all those kinds of things. There was a positive getting there. We wish we would have played better, but I think the game experience gave us impetus to go into January and say we've got to get back to work."
You'd always love to go 12-0, but considering that was a block in the building process, was last season kind of the perfect combination of gaining confidence and yet giving players plenty of motivation for the off season?
"Yeah. I guess you can say that. I'm a coach so I want to win most of them. But it was a big step for us. It would have been a step that we would have felt good about taking in '03, and it has left us hungry for more and wanting to take another step and have the confidence that we can. You can be not overconfident and I still think passionate about your direction. In all those regards what you're saying is probably true."
Did Ray Ray Jones and Brock Newton have a significant advantage over the course of practice to get that starting spot?
"I wouldn't say significant. I think those two behind them could very easily have been starters, also. Danny (Gorrer) has played well and so has Marquis (Carpenter), and both of them will play in the game. I think just the test of 38, 39 practices work for them in their behalf. But we'll see all four of those guys in the game at different times. It was a pretty close competition."
Ray Ray is a guy that's had an interesting path since he's been here. He was probably one of those guys might have thought he was going to be one of those guys never heard from again. Talk what he's done to be a starter.
"You have to admire Ray Ray. He's continued to work hard, he's worked on his areas that he needed to work on, improved them and worked hard in the off season. He ran track last year. He's either got his degree or going to have it very quickly and he's been very mature about handling his competition and what he wants. We have always known that Ray Ray wanted to play when he wasn't playing, but he's kept working and he's done what you would hope every player would do. If things aren't working quite the way they wanted to there's a lot of directions you can go, but Ray Ray just kept the course and as a result it's paid off for him."
A couple of weeks ago you mentioned Jami Hightower and his weight issues and what he needs to do. With the game coming up has he been able to drop any weight?
"He has. He's lost some weight and he is moving better. Jami's such an intelligent player that he overcomes anything like that pretty easily. I know our football team as well as the coaching staff believes in Jami a great deal."
You mentioned taking the next step. How do you define the next step this year? What has to be the next step for Aggie football?
"We want to get better. That means we want our record to be better and want to be more competitive at the top of the division. That's what we'd like to do. Sometimes y'all tell me whether we take the next step or not in your definitions, which are different than mine to a degree. We know that there are challenges in the schedule, especially with these road games being a first step, but we feel like we can. We can do that. Our players feel good about where they're at and they're confident they can compete with anybody. They're not going to go to Clemson nervous about Clemson. That's not a disrespectful statement. They know how good Clemson can be and is. But it's not like they don't believe that they can go and win there. They do believe that and, you know, that's only part of this, being we do have some experience in that and we have some returners and we are a little bigger and stronger and all those things. We hope we'll stay healthy enough in the right areas we can improve our record and improve our place by the end of the season."
Could 7-4 again be a step forward for Aggie football?
"You know, I'm sure you guys would tell me no on that. Last year at this time if you would have told me 7-4 I would have played golf this afternoon. I'm not willing to accept that today. I don't think our players are either. There are good 7-4s and there are bad 7-4s I guess. Ask me in two or three weeks, I may be dang glad."
There's a new offensive coordinator at Clemson. Going back I guess to cornerbacks, coaches want to spot the weakness of the other team and try to expose that. Do you expect your cornerbacks to be tested right away?
"I don't know whether it matters who you're playing. The corners are going to get tested and that's just the way. That goes with the position. You're going to get your test. When Charlie Whitehurst is throwing the ball you're going to get a good test. There's no doubt about that. We what's happening and understand that. Those guys want to be challenged. They're ready for that."
--transcript courtesy Paula Frederick