University of Memphis Athletics
Coach Tommy West Press Luncheon Quotes - October 29, 2007
Oct 29, 2007 | Football
Oct. 29, 2007
Opening Remarks
I'm excited to get a win, but probably more excited that our football team is playing better. I think we're getting closer each week to playing up to our potential. That's been the goal from the start; that this team was not playing as well as they could play. I think we're starting to play better. We're starting to play better as a team in all three phases. We're playing to help each other. We're a better team right now than we've been at any point in time during the season.
There are some people that played really well in the game. Martin Hankins again played extremely well. He put the ball where it needed to be. They chose to be a blitz team, especially on the inside to take away the run game. They looked like they had taken somewhat a Middle Tennessee game plan defensively, and Martin made them pay for it outside. That's what we have to do. I thought he played well. We had some wideouts who played extremely well. Earnest Williams, Maurice Jones played really well. Earnest Williams played probably his best game that he's played in a while.
I felt like our team struggled a year ago in games decided in the fourth quarter. We were 0-5 last year. The best thing we did in this game and we've done now in three of our last four games was we've had tremendous poise with the game on the line. That's what good teams have to do because you've got to win close games. I thought two minutes prior to the half we had great poise. We got a turnover and then we scored with the ball to take the lead at the half. Then with two-three minutes left in the game, I thought again we had great poise. There was never even a hint of panic on our sideline. That's three of the last four games. All three of the wins we've had have come down to the final possession. We've had really, really good poise. We've stayed with what we do, and our players have just gone and played and made plays in pressure situations. I really like our teams to be that way. I think that's what you have to do. You've got to win the close games.
In your three bowl years, you were phenomenal at coming back. What were those numbers?
I think we were 15-7 or 15-6 maybe, but we won 15 games in the three bowl years that were decided in the fourth quarter. In today's game, you're going to have probably six or seven a year coming down to the fourth quarter. That's just the way it is because of the parity most games are going to come down to who can win the close games.
Is there a moment that you can look back on where something just clicked on with this team?
I don't want to think anything just clicked. I think some things just didn't click for us early. This was a very unfortunate team early. When you look at the turnovers that happened in the first game, you've seen now they are not indicative of this team at all. We've protected the ball really, really well since then. Losing a 31-6 lead. I think it was just some things that went kind of haywire for us. Now we've settled down.
The one thing we didn't do early is play well in special teams. In close games, special teams will do a lot to determine the outcome. We gave up points. In the first one, we gave up a blocked punt; we gave up a field goal. At Central Florida, we gave up 21 points in the kicking game. We're playing a little bit better. We're not great right now, but we're playing a little bit better. It's killing us having linebackers out because that's who plays on all your special teams, so that's not helping us either.
Our quarterback is playing well. Our passing game right now is where I thought it would be. I don't think Saturday's indicative of our running game because they (Tulane) really chose to say you're not running the ball inside. They kind of played a defense that said we're going to put one more guy in there. You're not going to run it in there. That's why you have to be able to throw the ball. If you're just built to run the ball, then people can do that to you, and it's hard when you're a one back team. That's why we're built to throw the ball because if you play us that way, then we should throw for 300 and we did.
Has the two games Hankins missed help him at all?
You'd have to ask him that. He has played well in the two games since he came back. I think he's been as sharp as I've ever seen him. In the Rice game, we ran the ball well, which I think always helps your quarterback. Then last week they kind of took it away and he still played well. I think he's playing with great confidence. I think he has about as much strength in his arm as he's had. His arm doesn't look tired. Sometimes quarterbacks wear down a little bit as it goes. He looks fresh, and I think he's got great confidence now and throwing to our people. The balls are coming out on time. He knows where they're going to be.
I think right now there is a really good chemistry between him and our wide receivers knowing where they are going to be and putting it on them. There were some balls thrown Saturday--I think in particular the one Steven (Black) caught was put in a perfect place on our sidelines and then the one Maurice (Jones) caught was put in a perfect place that was thrown before he even got in front of the receiver. There's a good chemistry right now. We're just throwing it and catching it really well right now.
Another big thing Saturday was we protected our quarterback. They didn't get him on the ground, and they were a team leading the league in sacks and were ninth in the country in sacks. We didn't give up a sack, so we were protecting our guy really well.
With all the fumble recoveries Quinton McCrary has, does he just have a knack for it or is he just getting to the ball at the right time?
It's probably a little bit of both. Obviously, you have to be in the right place at the right time. He's a guy that gets around the ball a lot. You've got to be there. I think you've got to give Quinton credit. He's around the ball, but boy he's kind of been Johnny on the spot. It's an effort thing because you've got to be around the ball, but you also have to be lucky too. And somebody has got to knock the ball loose.
Talk a little about East Carolina, and who really is the best team in this league?
I don't know. I think there are a lot of leagues like that right now. The whole country is kind of like that right now. There's just a lot of parity right now. I think it's throughout every league. I think there are some really good teams in this league.
I think East Carolina has played an absolute brutal schedule. They've beaten Houston, UTEP and Central Florida, which are three really good teams. They're really a solid football team. They are well coached. They don't make mistakes. Where we've made mistakes at times in critical situations that have hurt us--ala the Tulane game on a short yardage play when I went for it on fourth down on the first drive ,and we make a mistake inside that cost us the first down--they've been a team that hasn't made those mistakes.
They've been really good in the turnover game. They're leading the league, and we're second right now. They're talented and they look offensively like a very similar offense out there. It's amazing watching it how similar both teams are from an offensive standpoint. They've played better defense than we have this year. I think they've played really well defensively against some really good teams. Our offense is starting to play really well, and now it's time for our defense to stand up and play.
