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00:00 - Questions for Coach Wesley?
00:01 - This is Jordan, I asked this of Neil too.
00:04 Obviously you guys given up yards in recent weeks,
00:06 but at least this past week turnovers.
00:09 You just have to be opportunistic.
00:11 All the injuries you suffered,
00:12 you're going to give up yards.
00:13 You just got to have turnovers and make stops at key points.
00:18 - I don't think it really, the short answer is yes.
00:22 I don't think it really, you know,
00:24 yards are something I've never,
00:26 like total yards per game.
00:27 It's something I've never really, yeah,
00:30 you pay attention to it, but you don't, you know,
00:33 you go into, especially in our league,
00:37 knowing that people are going to get yards,
00:38 especially when you have an offense that,
00:43 and I said this last week,
00:44 that splits you in half with a running quarterback.
00:47 So the number one thing that UCF was really good at,
00:52 was two things, was running the football
00:54 and explosive plays over 20 yards.
00:57 And I think we allowed,
01:00 I know we were under both of those in their average.
01:03 So we're trying to do the turnovers,
01:06 particularly in the red zone with the pick
01:10 and the, or Beanie's two picks,
01:14 and then the fourth down there at the end,
01:17 though that was the difference.
01:18 And so, you know, you know, going into those games
01:22 that you have to get those.
01:24 And, you know, they,
01:27 I don't know, I'm trying to think of the number
01:31 if they were really prone to it,
01:32 but I do know that off of those run actions,
01:36 some of those throws are hard sometimes
01:39 for those quarterbacks.
01:39 So I knew we were going to have opportunities,
01:40 we just had to make them.
01:42 - Biggest concern was the fact that they spread you out
01:45 and they do it tempo,
01:47 and you have some areas where you were trying to,
01:49 you were thin and trying to cover up
01:52 and them taking advantage of that.
01:53 Was that the biggest concern on your part?
01:55 - Oh yeah. I mean, it's, you know,
01:57 I mean, injuries is what they are.
01:59 I'm not going to sit up here and ever make excuses for that.
02:02 It's just, you got to have a,
02:04 you got to get the next guy ready.
02:05 But there's some things you're trying to do to cover up.
02:09 You're moving some pieces around that, you know,
02:13 that can athletically do,
02:15 maybe they haven't done that a lot,
02:17 but athletically they can do what you need them to do.
02:20 But that does, it makes it hard because,
02:22 again, they just split and spread the defense.
02:26 And once they can isolate you there,
02:29 then that's something that you got to,
02:31 you have to try to find out where and how they're doing it.
02:34 And so that you have answers and which, you know,
02:36 there's just makes it hard,
02:38 but you got to be ready to adjust
02:41 and you got to be willing to adjust on the fly
02:44 without having to wholesale change
02:46 whatever you were trying to do.
02:47 So, I thought our guys did a pretty good job of that.
02:51 - Koba, strip sack on the blitz.
02:53 He said you tried it a couple of times
02:55 and weren't successful, you didn't get home,
02:57 but that one kind of flipped the game
02:58 because at that point you score,
03:00 it's a two possession game,
03:01 it turns them into one dimensional,
03:03 you know they're going to have to throw
03:04 and all that kind of changed everything, didn't it?
03:06 - Yeah, there were one more of those
03:09 that should have gotten home and their protection,
03:13 you know, very simply they pulled a guard
03:15 and he read out of the original blitz that he had,
03:20 which he shouldn't have done.
03:21 That was Marcus Floyd's interception.
03:24 So, it turned out being two turnovers,
03:27 but we probably had an opportunity there
03:30 for another big hit on him,
03:32 but really, you know, where Lee,
03:36 not necessarily made it, it's not a critical error,
03:39 he just, he saw what he saw
03:41 and he's actually playing the play,
03:42 if he played against a run correctly,
03:44 but Eddie V's the one that made that with that pressure.
03:51 And he did exactly what he's coached to do
03:53 against that protection
03:55 and ended up getting the hit on the quarterback,
03:56 which forced the ball to kind of sail high
03:59 and Marcus fell right underneath it.
04:02 - Played Raleigh Collins and Caden Bizer
04:05 more in this game than they'd played previously,
04:07 so what'd you see out of them?
04:09 - Yeah, I mean, the thing that both those guys
04:11 are really young players
04:12 and they're in a developmental phase of their career.
04:16 And the number one thing when guys have to do that,
04:19 maybe a little bit before they're ready,
04:21 is be exactly where you're supposed to be.
04:23 And both those guys did that.
04:25 You know, Raleigh did a really nice job.
04:27 You know, UCF, everybody sees it as trick plays,
04:32 but those reverses that they run,
04:34 they run those like you would split zone
04:37 or any type of counter or power play.
04:38 That's just a part of their offense.
04:40 And so we talked about it all week,
04:42 keeping your leverage on your number,
04:44 and Raleigh did a really nice job of that.
04:46 And he had a really great,
04:47 he had a great effort play running the back down
04:50 on the counter that got out and we misfit.
04:53 So they did a nice job.
04:57 - I asked Lee this and he had an interesting response.
04:59 When he had the opportunity
05:01 to get the blind side shot on Plumlee,
05:03 earlier in his career,
05:05 he might've taken the shot to try to get a whack on him,
05:08 but he saw the ball there and he saw the ball was open
05:11 and he went for the ball instead of the kill shot.
05:13 And you're chasing a guy all game
05:15 and your instinct is to try to lay one on him.
05:18 Does that show the growth that you're seeing
05:20 from him as a football player?
05:21 - Yeah, it does.
05:22 It shows the growth.
05:24 It shows a guy that's at a point in his career
05:27 where on the fly, when things are moving fast,
05:29 those are the things that make really good players stand out
05:33 as they see opportunities,
05:35 they know how to maximize them and they take them
05:37 and they get it.
05:39 It's also, that's something that we drill.
05:43 In a couple of circuits we do,
05:46 and one of those is the proper way to sack a quarterback
05:51 when you're on the blind side
05:52 and when you're on the front side.
05:54 And obviously the rules of the game now
05:56 is something that you have to cover
05:57 with where you put your head and how you get into that.
06:01 'Cause it's not 15 years ago where we applauded that hit
06:06 and now it's a critical penalty.
06:13 So kudos to him, but it does.
06:16 An older player, they're the guys
06:18 that when they have that opportunity,
06:19 they see that and they take it and it paid off.
06:23 - Now he said that he did say,
06:25 that play he'd probably run it back three or four times,
06:27 but missing a gap, you'd run it about 30 times.
06:31 So he said, "The great plays,
06:32 "you only get to see it a couple of times,
06:34 "and the bad ones, there it goes."
06:38 - You want to repeat the great ones,
06:39 but you have to fix the bad ones.
06:41 'Cause if you don't, they show back up,
06:43 and which was our big message today for 'em.
06:48 After a win or a loss, it's this time of year,
06:54 it's the teams that continue to improve
06:57 whatever they need to improve on,
06:59 and it changes week to week.
07:00 But the teams that get themselves in good situations
07:05 are the ones that continue to improve.
07:08 - What's the biggest problem BYU has right now?
07:11 - I'm sorry, say that again?
07:12 - What's the biggest problem you're seeing
07:14 for BYU's offense?
07:15 - Probably their tackles and receivers.
07:20 They're really long at receiver.
07:21 Do a really nice job conceptually
07:25 with how they get those guys,
07:27 the route combinations, how they get 'em open.
07:31 They're really good in their protection schemes.
07:33 They're really long and big at tackle.
07:36 And so what it does is it provides the slowest,
07:39 the time he needs on some of those route combinations.
07:42 And they're really long at receiver,
07:44 so it doesn't have to be a throw that's on the money.
07:49 He can essentially throw it to a spot,
07:51 and those guys can make, which you've seen number five,
07:54 make those catches and be there.
07:56 He's had a couple SportsCenter top 10 catches all year.
08:01 And that's what guys, that's the issue they present,
08:05 is length.
08:06 And they're really good route runners.
08:08 That's one thing I've noticed through a day and a half.
08:10 They run, they're really crisp on the route,
08:12 so getting out of their breaks,
08:14 and Slovis, we know from last year,
08:16 does a nice job getting 'em the ball.
08:18 - Based on what I've read, though,
08:19 they've had some protection issues.
08:21 Has it been in the interior?
08:22 - Yeah, where they've had 'em.
08:24 It's again, I think if you look at most of those,
08:30 it's a pressure situation.
08:33 Sometimes those protections, where they're good,
08:36 you can overload 'em.
08:37 And but then there's a couple of throws on there
08:40 that at that same situation,
08:42 y'all have heard me talk about pressure,
08:46 and if it's that far, that far off,
08:48 it's great play by the defense.
08:50 If it's another foot, it's a,
08:52 somebody's playing a fight zone.
08:54 - Most of those teams you've played in the Big 12 so far
08:57 have had running quarterbacks.
08:59 Slovis isn't necessarily to that level.
09:02 Does that just change how you defend
09:04 when it's not a mobile quarterback,
09:06 more of a drop back guy, or what are your thoughts?
09:07 - I mean, yeah, I mean, in some areas it does,
09:10 but some, you know, some it doesn't.
09:12 They have enough, I think, to keep you honest.
09:15 You know, Slovis is, you go back to Pitt game last year,
09:20 they always have, you know, a couple of run schemes in there
09:25 that, Pitt and BYU, so when you see that, you know,
09:29 they're seeing something at practice
09:30 that may not necessarily show up on film,
09:32 so a lot of times that is a sneaky, athletic runner
09:37 who's savvy enough to make some things happen,
09:39 or that knows exactly how to read whatever read
09:41 that they're giving him in the run play,
09:43 so it's enough to keep you honest.
09:45 It doesn't necessarily change, really,
09:47 anything that you do in your base defense.
09:50 You're obviously not gonna, you know,
09:51 play 'em the same way you would a UCF, you know,
09:54 but totally different offense, but it doesn't change,
09:58 like, it's your base, it doesn't change how you defend 'em.
10:01 - Jordan, Neil was discussing third downs
10:03 and just the technique on zone drops.
10:06 It sounds like it's easy to correct,
10:08 so I guess one is, like, how does it go wrong
10:10 when it seems like it's easy to manage, right?
10:12 And then how do you, it seems like, is it a simple fix,
10:14 just reminders of things about the offense?
10:16 - Well, I mean, it's, you know,
10:18 most of the offenses we play have some sort of tempo,
10:21 and, you know, in the ball, you know,
10:24 the ball always moves across the field,
10:27 right hash, right middle, left middle, left hash,
10:29 and every single one of those are different.
10:31 And, you know, there's as much in the technique
10:37 of the drop as it is the actual,
10:39 what we call a landmark of the drop.
10:41 And just to make it simple, like,
10:44 if your outside leg is pointed,
10:47 you're gonna go where that leg is pointed,
10:49 and so if you get a little bit into a drive
10:52 and you lose your pad level, your knee bend,
10:55 your ankle bend, your hip bend, whatever it is,
10:57 as you start to get a little bit fatigued,
10:59 what lacks there is just a basic fundamental
11:02 of staying down and getting that knee pointed
11:04 in your break where you need to,
11:06 and that's the difference in picks and PBUs.
11:10 And that's something really, really small.
11:12 It is, it's very correctable.
11:13 We do it, we did it today.
11:15 We do it every, at least twice a week
11:20 where we go to those, different coverages
11:22 have different landmarks,
11:24 but it is something that is very fixable,
11:27 and I think that a lot of times,
11:29 especially in the last couple of weeks
11:32 when you see those again, because of the number of people
11:35 you're having to play in different spots,
11:37 it's not something that they've done
11:39 the entire time that we've been working it.
11:42 So, and then your young players,
11:44 you're having to bring guys in,
11:45 and sometimes it's maybe you're dropping
11:51 that boundary guy, the spur, a little more
11:53 than you want to, so there's all kinds of reasons
11:56 why they're going to be off a little bit sometimes,
12:00 and they're never going to be perfect.
12:02 And then, kudos to some of the offenses,
12:05 once they see that, they're obviously using the grass
12:09 off of the space when it is zone coverage
12:12 versus man coverage, just to find
12:16 not necessarily a perfect area that you,
12:19 you're not going to draw up every single area
12:22 that the receiver's going to work a route into.
12:25 You got to have a general area,
12:28 for example, the curl, he's there,
12:29 the receiver, you got to work with him.
12:32 So you may have to expand that a little bit off,
12:34 or shorten that a little bit off where you are.
12:37 Just things you get into as a game,
12:38 maybe one coverage you adjust more than you do the other.
12:42 But we weren't perfect on that Saturday,
12:45 and it's just, like I said, it's an easy fix.
12:47 - Question for you real quick here.
12:48 Is there anybody that you've got
12:50 that you're working on Monday night football
12:52 that's getting closer to being able to be usable in a game?
12:56 Probably not the positions that you need,
12:57 but is there anybody else that's emerging that can help you?
13:01 - Yeah, I think that, I think we've got
13:04 two of our young edge guys are starting
13:07 to come along in James Hurd,
13:09 and O'Ryan Fisher's another one.
13:11 O'Ryan is a guy I've talked about
13:14 that's extremely long and really broad,
13:17 is going to take a weight room to get the strength
13:20 to control his body where it needs to be.
13:22 But he's done a really, really nice job.
13:25 Both those guys have, and what we've done.
13:31 Corey McIntyre, interior D lineman,
13:34 that has a lot of athleticism.
13:36 Has as much twitch off the ball
13:40 as probably anybody that we do have.
13:43 One that's really, really showed up,
13:44 and showed up Saturday, that did a really nice job
13:49 down in the red zone.
13:50 A couple of run plays that we stuffed him on
13:53 was Hammond Russell.
13:54 Just playing fast, and doing to O'Lanman
14:00 what a guy that looks like Hammond should do.
14:04 Jordan Jackson is another one, at corner.
14:07 That is coming along.
14:11 So yeah, we've got some guys who are starting to show
14:13 that they're, in that role, maybe more special teams,
14:17 or you don't know if it's going to be
14:18 a significant amount on defense.
14:20 But if you need them, they got to be ready.
14:22 - No willies though, no areas that your grades are thin.
14:27 - Yeah, I wish creative player really existed
14:30 like it does on EA sports, but it doesn't.
14:32 - And no free agency, no--
14:34 - Yeah, no, yeah, no.
14:36 - Game waiver, why?
14:37 - So you got what you got, and you got to get them ready.
14:40 - All right, thank you, Coach.