Nov. 6, 2012

Butch Jones Press Conference • 11/06/12

Press Conference Video: http://www.gobearcats.com/allaccess/?media=323308

Opening statement:

“Before we start off I would like to say congratulations to our very own J.K. Schaffer for signing with the hometown Bengals and very proud of him and look forward to a long career and an opportunity and I think that’s all he is looking for.  So obviously we are very proud of him and especially to be at home and that’s why a hometown young man comes and plays for the University of Cincinnati.  So again congrats on that end.

"Just to start off with last week’s game and then move on to Temple.  Obviously a great win for us versus a very high quality opponent.  I thought our team showed tremendous resolve, you know great character.   In terms of competitive character; we had a lot of adversities in the game.  It was a very emotionally filled game.  Some adversities we created for ourselves and others were a by-product of playing a very good football team.  A very very physical football game and again I thought our players had great character in terms of their competitive nature and we made the plays at the end of the game that we needed to.  I was especially really pleased with the way that we were able to close the football game out and really establish the run and there were some really some challenging elements so I thought our kids did a great job that way.

"Moving on to Temple, Steve Addazio has done a tremendous job; I’m extremely familiar with the Temple football program having faced them one time at Central Michigan.  We always felt that they were by far the most talented football program in that conference (Mid-American Conference).  Then we almost played them in the MAC championship game our last year.  You know when you look at them they are a football team that needs football, that loves football, they are extremely passionate, very physical, very tough, really create some challenges for you defensively especially with your eye discipline especially in the back end with all their different quarterback runs and gap schemes.  Then defensively, a typical Temple defense; very physical, very downhill.  There will be challenges in the special team’s game as well especially their return game.  Then obviously having to go on the road to Philadelphia.  So again it’s going to be a great challenge in terms of really preparing our football team this week a lot of things that we have not seen in terms from an offense that we’ve seen to this date. It’s going to be you know every practice repetition; every game situation that we cover this week in practice is going to be critical.  So again our overall discipline as a football team is going to be challenged Saturday afternoon.”

“You know what a great challenge but I think when you look at the structure of their program and the talent that they have had and have in their program I think it’s been a relatively flawless transition I think they have done a great job. You look at they are great home team and they have always been that way.  You look at their victories over USF, going on the road versus UCONN you know established programs in our conference.   They did a lot of things that were really uncharacteristic of their football team last week in terms of turning the football over. But they have tremendous talent and they are extremely well-coached and they take on the personality of their football coach.  They are tough and physical and I know that that’s what they sell in their football program.”

On the hardest thing about making that jump to a BCS conference:

“You know I just think depth, that’s the thing that you fight week in and week out the level of competition that you are playing against that you are facing and I just think that your 22 players I think we’ve found that around the country anyone’s 22 players can usually play with anyone and everyone.  But it’s the next guy in and it also shows its way on special teams as well.  I just think the overall depth.”

On depth of UC’s secondary:

“We’ve had a lot of discussion about the quarterback, but it’s the secondary position that you know we go into today’s practice and I expect having everyone back but Trenier Orr.  So we will have Arryn Chenault back, which will be a big boost to the safety position but Trenier Orr will be out this game.  So again Deven Drane will be back so that’s a plus.  But it gets back to, well we just talked about depth and if you ask me what’s the one thing lacking in our football program still it’s depth.  That’s only rectified through recruiting and we are working on that right now.  But we will be a work in progress but the great thing is you know you have Cam Cheatham who has played a lot of football games for us, Deven Drane will be back now full strength and then you know we will get Arryn Chenault back as well.  I thought, Dominique Battle you know you talk about resiliency and resolve here’s a young man that has gone through so much adversity and I think it’s the entire story of our football team I still think it’s not being told.  All of the great things that are going on here are not being told.  If the city of Cincinnati wants to embrace something that is part of their DNA, it’s our football program.  We are sitting at 6-2 with all of the trials and tribulations we have gone through the adversities players like Dominique Battle that just keep battling and battling and really making a difference between winning and losing.  Our offense the way we are playing football, just the resolve that this football team has had to be at 6-2.  I think nationally attention wise they have talked about it, name me another college football team in America maybe Alabama that’s had to replace the graduating talent that we have had to replace.  To be sitting at 6-2 and be playing meaningful games in November and being in a Big East title hunt I think that’s a tremendous story that everyone here should be extremely proud of.  Are we satisfied with it?  Absolutely not.   You are never satisfied as a coach but I think we have some players that are grinding things out on a day to day basis they’re gritty they understand what they are representing.  It’s like I told our players the names on the back of the jerseys may change but the front of the jersey doesn’t change and the standards and expectations in our football program don’t change.  I think we need to sit back and realize what’s going on here this year.”

On how secondary played against Syracuse:

“Not just the secondary.  I look out there at one time you have Dominique Battle out there, you have Kevin Brown out there, then you have Malcolm Murray out there, you have Leviticus Payne a true freshman, you have Aaron Roberson a walk-on, you have John Williams who walked-on here from Central Michigan, you know you have Adam Dempsey a walk-on, you know you have Elijah Shular first year player.  And at one point in time they are basically all on the field together against a team that was number one on pass offense with 360 yards per game coming in with a really gifted quarterback and wide receivers and to hold them to seven points in the second half I thought they did a phenomenal job.  But again I talked about the adversities of the game some of them were created by ourselves, we didn’t have great gap control we weren’t consciously in our gaps and that allowed for some big runs.  We had some mental errors and for us to play top flight defense the way we want to play it we can’t have those mental mistakes especially going into a game versus a team like Temple.”

On the key to preparing a walk-on for in game action:

“Well it’s a great challenge and you can never put enough value on a quality repetition in practice but besides a live repetition the best other repetition is a mental repetition and the great thing is if you watch us practice our first team or our second team will be out there and all our other individuals will be behind the play in their stances taking that mental repetition.  I think that’s the big thing with a young football player or a player who’s not playing enough or not playing as much as they would like to is the value of a mental repetition and that’s why practice is so valuable. But again it gets into their character not giving up, not becoming frustrated, understanding their role, all those things that go into it.  Then they are seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year-old individuals and so that’s why I say that this football team really deserves great attention because of all the things that we are overcoming right now and we know it.  We aren’t the most talented football team every Saturday but that doesn’t mean we can’t be the best team that day.  We’ve talked all year long about a great synergy and all three phases feeding off each other.” 

On if he thinks it's the fans or media not giving Cincinnati football attention:

“It’s a combination; sometimes we take things for granted and we have a great product here in Cincinnati. Looking at our success, and I still say for our football program to grow, Nippert Stadium needs to be sold out. There are so many great storylines of what is going on with individuals on our football team, the way this team has great resolve. Are we disappointed in the two losses? Absolutely, but our goals and aspirations are to contend for the Big East Conference championships games and graduate our players and for the most part we are doing that. Everyone here needs to embrace it and it is our obligation to put a product on the field that everyone wants to come and play. The way we play football is a great representative of our great city.”

On if he was disappointed in the crowd vs. Syracuse:

“The people that were there did a tremendous job of making it a home field advantage but as we continue to move forward and progress, Nippert needs to be sold out and it’s an overall conscious, awareness developing our football program but the people that came out were loud and got into the game. They created some momentum for us, especially when Syracuse was coming out, the one turnover was in the student section so I thought they did a great job of really being involved in the game.”

On why he thinks fans didn't come to the game:

“I don’t know but there a lot of things that go into a noon start, the elements, weather conditions but I was grateful for the individuals who did come out and really helped us win that football game."

On how he perceives the quarterbacks taking snaps:

“We will go in today just like every day. They are going to battle it out with Brendon [Kay] and Munchie [Legaux] and Jordan [Luallen]. I’ve spoken to all of they and they understand. We are not going to tolerate carelessness with the football. We are going to take care of the football. I said it yesterday in my Big East teleconference is that everyone looks when the quarterback comes out but they don’t realize when the corner comes out and if he misses a tackle or if the running back fumbles the football or wide receiver or offensive lineman misses a block. I believe in all of our players but again we have a standard in our football program and we are going to compete. All three individuals understand and are extremely competitive and it’s going to make all three better. It’s going to turn out to be a huge benefit for or entire football team.”

On if Jordan Luallen is in the mix to be the starting quarterback:

“Yes, he’ll be in there. If he is not the starting quarterback you will see his role continue to increase. As the games progress, he did a great job of providing the spark and energy level to us. His role continues to expand in our quarterback position and our entire offense.”

On the quarterbacks supporting each other:

“Our player’s understand what is expected of our program. All three individuals are very high character individuals and caught up in this quarterback mix. This is still a 20 year old kid; this isn’t a professional football player but a student athlete who is going to school to get his degree and just happens to play football. You can’t get caught up in looking at that because this isn’t a professional football team, these are student athlete and sometimes we forget that these are young people that have things going on in their lives. They are young and are like our children and we have to always remember that and that is what separates college football and makes college football so special. These three have been in here already studying together. They are high character individuals and they understand and will be extremely supportive. Make no mistake about it; they are going to come out here and compete and battle against each other too.”

On if there's a point where he wants to tell the team who the starting quarterback will be:

“Here the great thing about our football team and is different than any football team I have coached; they are resilient and just got with the flow. It is truly amazing. It is like when we made the change and Brendon stepped I the huddle before taking the field and was ready to go. That is the great thing with this football team; even though they are extremely young they take it and go with it. They don’t ask questions and just go and that is what has been great about this football team is the way they conducted their business. They are all in and just go with the flow and go and don’t care who it is. That has been great to see. When we have a football team or any organization that is comprised of over a hundred individuals about one hundred and ten players on this football team and worry about team chemistry and they call it the five dysfunctions of team, cliques, and many rivalries that exist; we don’t have this in this football team when we talk about being a family because we are a family. That is what makes this football team such a pleasure to coach.”

On if the crowd’s response could negatively affect recruiting:

“Every time a recruit comes on campus, they are making the first impression and we are making an impression on them and what I think they see if the passion that our fan base has and the passion for winning and that is what makes us an attractive for young men to come. Make no mistake about it when we have perspective student athletes on campus they are formulating a report card and they are looking at everything and that is why the game day experience I think our administration does a tremendous job in terms of that. We are putting on an event and they come and make an assumption and decision and that has a lot to do with it.”

On if he has a player that can replace Walter Stewart's ability to defend against a running quarterback:

“Replacing Walter is a hard task. I don’t think you just replace him but what we have to do is find different strengths of players and it may take three or four players to formulate one Walter Stewart. Water was a game changer and an NFL player. Walter Stewarts don’t come around very often so that is where we have a lot of youth now. Looking at the amount of youth that we are playing from Elijah Shuler to Silverberry Mouhon to probably Josh Posley; there’s youth all over the place and it’s great for the development of our team but it’s unfair to ask one individual to really fill the shoes of Walter Stewart.”

On the development of the youthful offensive line:

“When we talk about the storyline of this football team, the offensive line is one of those storylines. That is one of the biggest unknowns back in august and even in spring football, looking at the right tackle who is a red shirt freshman. Starting a first time start in a walk on right guard, Sam Longo; starting a first time center who was a linebacker in high school, Dan Sprague. We all know Austen Bujnoch and what he brings to the table but this is only his second year starting and then throwing the left tackle, Eric Lefeld who is converted defensive lineman. For us to be able to run the football like we have been able to has really been a great accomplishment. They have done a great job also protecting the quarterback and again their resolve, resiliency, team work and one position on the field that epitomizes team work is the offensive line. All five individuals happen to work together as one in split seconds decisions and the line calls, picking up twists and blitzes and we play some extremely talented physical defensives and temple again will be another challenge this week with their physicality. Looking at all the diffident blitz schemes and movements that Syracuse presents; it takes a group of five individuals working together as one. Being disciplines and they have been able to do that and have been a really great story all year. We are going to challenge them as we move forward because we need to run the football to be successful.”

On Temple's coach and the process of building their program:

“With everything when building a program or starting a program starts with the foundation; the philosophy and you can see that philosophy called “temple tough.” They are going to have tough hardnosed football players that love the game and they play exceptionally hard. You couldn’t put a film on and can tell how well coached a football team is but small details with the little things they do in terms of running to the football, sustaining blocks, ball disruptions, special teams and they are extremely well coached and are a talented football team. All it takes is two minutes of listing to Coach Addazio talk and you can feel his energy and his team plays like him.”