Sept. 6, 2010
A full transcript of Coach Sherman's press conference, along with selected quotes from players, will be available soon. Audio clips are available in MP3 format to the right.
SENIOR QB Jerrod Johnson
On getting hit for the first time this season. "I'm doing pretty well. I didn't take too many tough shots. I guess it was good for me, since guys aren't allowed to hit me during camp. But I'm fine."
On establishing the run. "The offensive line played really well. Luke (Joeckel) played a heck of game for his first game. Matt Allen and Evan Eike had great games inside too. I know we tried to stress the downhill running game. Those guys played well, the backs and offensive line are gelling together and finding synergy, which is good."
On Louisiana Tech's defense. "They're aggressive. They play man and bump the receivers. Get in your face. They play hard and will run to the ball.
On what has to be done to get better. "We have to have more downfield throws. We didn't have many last game, but I missed some. We came in knowing we'd try to play it safe and take what they gave us. We really wanted to stress the running backs getting the ball and getting the balls to receivers in space. It worked out well for us, but we have to complete more deep balls and that starts with me."
On grading himself. "I'd give myself a B-plus. We talked about needing our running backs if we wanted to win games. They are such a vital part of our offense. Being sound at what we do will pay off in the long run. If you fine-tune things and have the meat and potatoes of your offense working, that will take you further. That's what I tried to do."
SOPHOMORE WR Ryan Swope
On his catches. "Yeah, we run that bubble screen quite a bit on Saturday. It was just an opportunity for me to get the ball in space. Jerrod and I were on the same page. It was just a fun day."
On running bubble screens. "They are a check at the line. You just look at the defense and see what the linebackers are doing. Jerrod will check it at the line. You just have to be prepared for the ball, and you need to get receivers blocking downfield and get the ball in space."
On grading himself. "I felt like I had a decent day. Preparation the week before was really good. I just played one play at a time and Jerrod did a great job of getting me the ball. We were always on same page. Our receivers did a great job blocking."
On who'd win a footrace on the offense. "That's tough. Christine Michael is fast. Cyrus (Gray) is definitely up there. In a footrace, I'd have to say Cyrus and I are right there neck and neck."
On getting banged up. "I'll be honest, I'm pretty sore today. I definitely got banged around quite a bit. That's part of it though. You've got to keep getting up and keep fighting. I just have to get in the cold tub and get ready for this weekend."
FRESHMAN OL Luke Joeckel
On his first career game. "It was great. It was exciting. I was nervous, but it was a good feeling."
On grading himself. "I thought I did well. I can improve a ton. I just need to work hard every day, but I thought I played pretty well for the first game."
On the speed of the college game. "It was faster. I definitely got prepared for it coming early in the spring. It's much faster in high school. They (SFA) were a fast team, a tough team."
On the benefits of spring ball. "It helped me so much, especially going against the guys I went against in the spring, like Von Miller and Lucas Patterson. I'm a much better player than when I entered for sure. I know the guys were getting me better every day and preparing me for the fall. I want to get to the point where I am able to start beating them. Every single time I got beat I wanted to try and beat them the next time. Hopefully I'll get there at some point."
On not being in awe of starting as a true freshman. "I've got a twin brother that keeps me humble. He is always telling me I'm not that good (laughter). I just have to play like I've been there before. That's how I try to think."
On OL coach Jim Turner. "He's so influential. He's helped me so much. He's coached up every little thing I do wrong. He's gotten me ready to play. I know I'll keep getting better every week with him teaching me."
JUNIOR WR Jeff Fuller
On chasing the career TD reception record. "Actually, I didn't know about it until the summer. I knew freshman year I had nine touchdowns and knew that was the record for a season. I knew this one was definitely a possibility and a goal I could reach. After I scored my second on Saturday, one of my teammates came up to me and told me I was one away from the record. That is crazy."
On whether this wide receiver crew can rewrite the record book. "Definitely. I feel like we're one of the strongest wide receiver corps we've ever had here. We still have a lot more to accomplish. Records are great, but we need to continue to improve and get better."
On WR coach Troy Walters emphasizing blocking. "Not only does he, but Coach Sherman as well. They definitely emphasize pancake blocks. I had one but it was on a pass play, so I'm not sure if they will count it. Blocking is definitely huge. Especially when you saw Swope catching those bubble screens. Us blocking on the outside is definitely critical to his success."
On not catching any balls in the first half... "I figured they'd eventually involve me in the offense. But the main step I was just worried about was the W. We were scoring and were ahead. There is a lot of stuff we didn't do and didn't run, but I think for the most part the game ended up well. I got in the zone twice. But the most important stat is definitely the win."
On what can be improved after week one. "Our tempo was really good, that's something we really emphasize. We can definitely improve in both the passing and running games. You can always improve."
On the extension of the running game through shuttle passes and bubble screens helping the receivers. "For sure that opens things up down the field. It's going to keep everyone on their heels. We have great players like Swope, Cyrus Gray, Christine Michael--all guys that if you get the ball in space to them there's no telling what can happen."
HEAD COACH Mike Sherman
On evaluating the offensive line. "I thought from a run-game standpoint we did some good things, but overall I had higher expectations. I don't think we always hit the hole that was there. The backs were quick to make decisions, and they probably have to have a little more patience. Overall I think the offensive line did a good job. They are still a work in progress and will continue to be. It's very important that we run the ball effectively. I think we had one minus-yard play in the run game on Saturday."
On Von Miller ankle. "He's getting treatment early in the mornings and in the afternoons. We're trying to get him ready to go. It's too early to tell right now."
On the play of Jerrod Johnson. "We went into the game with a fairly conservative game plan. We wanted to run 100 plays, so his tempo and how he runs the offense were key. We ran 99. We wanted to be penalty-free, and we had three. We didn't want to turn the ball over, and we didn't. SFA played quarters coverage, which pretty much takes away the deep ball. We didn't challenge them much down there, but we missed on a couple we should have completed. I think because we preached conservatively, Jerrod may have waited a little too long to see if (the deep ball) was there. Normally he'd just throw out there.
"He managed the game very well. Obviously he wasn't spinning the ball as well as he had in practice or in previous games. In spite of that, he was able to corral what he was doing well. He didn't have his best stuff on the deep game, but he didn't get us in trouble. He made great decisions. You have to play the game based on how you are playing. He played within himself. I appreciated the fact he took our plan to heart and took what (SFA) gave him, instead of trying to make something happen."
On the kicking game. "Obviously missing the first field goal was unacceptable. I'm glad he was able to come back and make the other two. The snap wasn't perfect, but after studying the tape I initially thought the snap was worse than it was. It wasn't a terrible snap, but it is a three-man operation. On the kickoff out of bounds, we were trying to kick away, and going out of bounds was unacceptable. We continue to work with him and the other kickers in practice. You can't give the ball to people on the 40-yard line. But I was glad he able to come back and make those field goals, which had equal if not greater difficulty than the one he missed. It was something I had concerns about and will continue to until we have consistency there."
On the bubble screen and whether was SFA giving it to A&M. "It's something that is in our arsenal, and if (the defense has) a certain look in a certain way we'll take advantage of it."
On the play of the linebackers. "I thought the linebackers did a nice job. Garrick Williams had a very good game. Mike Hodges was very steady. Kyle Mangan did nice things. He tackled better than he had in the past."
On the play of the defensive line. "I thought they played hard. Tony Jerod-Eddie played really hard in the game. He had a pass deflection and a number of tackles. The nose guards stepped up and played hard. They had a tendency to play high sometimes as the game wore on, which we need to work on. Lucas Patterson was a factor out there, he got quite a bit of penetration. I think they played well and will continue to get better."
On injuries. "DeMaurier Thompson tore his ACL, and he's more than likely out for the season."
On what to expect from Louisiana Tech's offense. "They did play with two quarterbacks. Coach Dykes was an offensive coordinator out there in the Pac-10, so he comes over with his offense, The offensive coordinator is from Middle Tennessee, and they brought their thoughts together to create offense. We're going to have to plan for a two-quarterback system because that's what they showed. They're very balanced. They have a very good runner, so they want to highlight him. They have a good group of receivers too. They will present challenges for us."
On whether a 300-yard passer and 100-yard runner every week is feasible. "I'd rather it be 250/250. I always look at where we are, and we had pretty good balance for the most part. You can argue whether the Swope plays were runs or passes, since you're taking away a run to throw that."
On his thoughts on September 11 and the game falling on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. "I remember exactly where I was. I was sitting in my office in Green Bay and we were getting ready to play the New York Giants. I was on the phone talking to Andy Reid, he knew them very well. We were discussing what they'd done to them because he'd beaten them a couple of times the year previous. We were discussing schemes, and he asked me if I had my TV on so I turned it on. I remember it being very surreal at that time. We were trying to understand what was happening. It took a while for reality to set in."
On this anniversary meaning more since he's been to Iraq... "It will. I invited some of the people on the trip that I met there that are back home. We will get some of them on the sidelines. It will be neat to see them and get together with them and tell stories. I'm glad they are coming home and glad they more than satisfactorily completed their mission. I'm more than proud of them."
On Louisiana Tech and the similarities to SFA. "They're different in the sense that the quarterbacks are different. Offensively they are a spread, hurry-up offense. The defense will pressure more than what we saw last week. They pressured a fair amount against Grambling. If you look at them last year they pressured probably a third of the time. So schematically, yes, it will definitely be somewhat different defensively. Offensively, the two-quarterback system and the running back is very good, so there are the differences there."
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Tim DeRuyter
On his evaluation of the defense. "We played at about a 'B' level I think. Too many times in the play-action game we didn't have our eyes in the right place. A lot of times we can overcome that with fanatical effort, and we did that, which is a plus. But I think we have to fit patterns better and put our eyes in the right place better. If we're more disciplined that way, we'll be able to play this defense better."
On the Dustin Harris interception for a touchdown. "We knew they did a lot of the quick game. Part of the game plan was to defend the flats well and play the safeties wider to take advantage of how they play. Dustin is a great payer with great anticipation. He saw it and did a great job of stepping in front. It was a real nice play on his part. He made the right decision. He had practiced it before, He knew coverage-wise when he could make that move and when he could not make that move. A lot of times people break on the receivers and not on the ball, but Dustin did a great job of breaking on the ball."
On the team's mental effort in game one. "Yeah, I was impressed. We didn't have many mental errors. We had some assignment errors. We did have some missed tackles, but the reason people didn't realize it as much is because we'd have four, five, six or seven guys on the ball carrier. When you have that, the first guy can take a shot and next guy is there to pepper him. We had several plays when we got 11 guys on the ball. When you do that, you have a chance to play great defense. When you do that, the first missed tackle doesn't kill you."
On the play and the depth of the defensive line. "I am pleased with our depth. Lucas (Patterson) and Eddie Brown both weren't perfect-at times there were some gap-fit issues-but they played physically and knocking their linemen back. Tony Jerod-Eddie was very productive. Jonathan Mathis, Spencer Nealy and Ben Bass all contributed off the bench and played about 20 snaps each. It kept guys fresh. The fact that we have depth we don't feel bad about getting in the game is really going to help us."
On what to expect from Louisiana Tech. "They put a lot of stresses on you. They have very talented wide receivers and running backs. The offensive line is athletic. The quarterback is more involved in the run game. Their offensive coordinator and Coach Dykes have been running the spread for a long long time and they know what they doing."
On his thoughts and his family's thoughts on the first Kyle Field game. "I absolutely enjoyed the experience. Our families did too. They'd never been to Kyle Field either. They got here at 3 p.m. and tailgated, watched march-in, and the whole deal. They got a little nervous when the stands were swaying. They really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed having them out here. It was a great weekend. We had a house full. For me, the experience was unreal. It's college football. When you think of the storied programs around the country, this is one of the venues you think is college football. The whole experience is unlike anything at any other level. It was really, really cool to say I'm part of this now. We've got the best fans in the country here."