University of Memphis Athletics
Transcript: Fuente Press Conference
Sep 10, 2012 | Football
Opening Statement
"Thank y'all for coming today. We're looking forward to our game on Saturday. We had a good workout yesterday with the guys, and we're looking forward to playing at home this week in front of our fans."
On the pace of Arkansas State's offense and if he is considering playing at that speed
"There's a lot of give and take with playing at that pace. It's not really consideration right now for us. I think you have to be careful before you jump into that with both feet because of what it can potentially expose your defense to. There are elements of that I would like to see us end up in but I don't know that in the long road that it's the best for the entire program."
On how the team played last Saturday
"We played pretty well. I think we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game. Obviously in special teams, they made huge game-changing plays. At times offensively, we looked really efficient. At times defensively, we were good tacklers. There are a few things that we didn't do as a team to get us over the hump. We made plays and executed our assignments. We just didn't do it enough. You get in those situations and there's five minutes left in the game and you're up or you're barely behind, you've got to stay in the moment and stay focused on the next play."
On Jacob Karam's play
"In the first two games, he has given us a chance to be in the game by not turning the ball over and not being a product of delay of game penalties and those sorts of operational procedures. I think you'll continue to see him progress throughout the season to become a more efficient quarterback. He's getting better."
On what he is pleased with from the team
"If you look at our punt return unit, they've blocked two punts so far. If you look at our punt unit, they've downed a whole bunch of balls down inside the 10 and some inside the 5. They've been very efficient. Our kickoff coverage unit has covered one kick so far. Paulo (Henriques) has kicked every other one inside the end zone and they haven't returned them. If you look at the youth of the special teams, you have to be fairly happy with the way that's going. Offense and defense for me is about consistency at all positions. It's shared responsibility."
On the play of Middle Tennessee
"They bounced back after a tough loss. They played really well last week. They've basically been a tale of two offenses. The first week they threw the ball and this last week I believe, if I'm not mistaken, they had two rushers over 100 yards. They've got some explosive playmakers. Defensively, they have played pretty well. They have some well-respected coaches in this business over there. They'll be a very well-coached, disciplined, tough football team."
On how the team is handling the loss
"They showed up and went to work. I feel like the game hurt some of them, which is a good thing. When you become more invested in something and it doesn't go right, it hurts more. Sometimes, people won't get fully invested in something because they don't want to put themselves out there if it doesn't work out. I feel like our guys right now are that hurt."
On his knowledge of what Middle Tennessee plans to do on Saturday
"They've changed coordinators and we have a feel for what they want and what they did the last two games. We've looked at last year's film. I'm not sure if it really helps us. Offensively, they've gone back and forth. Defensively, they've been fairly systematic the last two weeks."
