.png&type=webp)
Rice University Athletics
Todd Graham Monday Press Conference Quotes
10/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2006
(On how the win has sunk in two days later) "On to the next week. I'm really proud of the kids and how we played. I thought we outplayed them all night. It really shouldn't have got down to that. We made a lot of really critical errors down the stretch to let them get back in the game. But we beat a really, really good football team. When we play, and we did not play our best game, we played really good at times. Also the other team works out and they've got coaches too. At the end of the game I think we would have dominated the game if we had not given up so many critical big plays on defense."
(On how important the tight win is for the mindset of the team) "You've got to teach them how to handle success. We talked about that yesterday, we didn't do a very good job last time that we had great success. But you've got to go on to the next week. We're really focused, our kids are really focused on going to the next week and getting better and figuring out a way to go down and beat Central Florida.
What I keep talking to the kids about, what I find in programs when you go there and they haven't won is that in our program with the coaches we have, our kids are going to give great effort, it's not an option, they're going to give great effort. Well, that's not enough. What you have when you're not being successful you have kids operating outside the scheme trying to make a play with all the right intentions that's what dismantles you that's what we've challenged the kids not to do that's what happened two weeks ago. That is about maturity and consistency and to win consistently, especially in this league, you have to have kids that do what they're coached to do 100% of the time and we're not there yet, but we do have a good team, we have a talented team.
No question that was a phenomenal win, and I'm proud of the kids; the key is that on Sunday we go to the next game and forget about that. I guarantee that we've got to go back out and play better this week to beat Central Florida.
Our kids, I think, are starting to trust us. What I mean is that it's so important that they understand it's the little things, it's the fundamentals, it's their eyes, their feet, and their hands, it's taking that little three inch key step at linebacker instead of just taking off running at the ball.
One of the things [about the win] I'm proud of too is that we had six starters out. We need to get people healthy. This game is critical this week that we get out and we've got to figure out some how, some way to win this week because then we get a week off and hopefully we can get some guys back.
I'm really, really proud of how they played, and I told them, you play every play to the end of the whistle. Not to the whistle, but to the end of the whistle. I think all that straining and all that training comes into play in those games.
People have asked me if I've ever experienced a win like that. In 1993 we were in the national playoffs and they got the ball on our one inch line in overtime and on first and goal, they ran an iso and the ball rolled into the endzone and somebody picked it up and ran it 101 yards back for a touchdown. You've got to believe that that can happen.
With the guys we've got if we snap the ball we can score at any play because we have talented players. I've said that all along. Our focus and where we have to improve is we have to improve up front on the offensive line and continue to get better at protecting the quarterback. That's where we have to get better, get better fundamentally. But the big area is still defense and that's the slower process."
(On whether he plans to focus on UCF RB Kevin Smith) "UCF is a challenge. Their record is not indicative of what kind of team they are. They really had Southern Miss beat, threw an interception for a touchdown, and fumbled the ball in the endzone. Those plays count. The thing about them is they've got 11 (UCF WR Mike Walker), 18 (UCF WR Javid James), 88 (UCF WR Sergio Joachim). They've got these receivers who are 6'3", 6'4", 6'6". They're going to throw the ball vertically down the field. We got guys there last Saturday, so we can't allow just one shot plays. We played better defensively this week, especially against the run, and we've got to eliminate those big plays. They're going to be a challenge down the field, and they're going to pound it right at you. Hopefully we can get some guys healed up a little bit. That will affect the schemes that we want to be able to run. I do think that this week helped us because UAB ran it right at us too. I really think we had great improvement in run defense.
(On whether he is surprised at UCF's record) " Pitt's a good football team in a very good conference. They've beat a lot of people this year, and I think they're off to their best start since the Dan Marino era. In those games like that sometimes you turn the ball over. I think they turned the ball over three times in the first quarter. It just gets out of hand and you just get steamrolled. Central Florida's a good football team. George O'Leary is one of the best coaches in the country, he does a great job, and they are talented. They've got a really talented offensive line. They're big, huge guys. They've got a very talented quarterback, very talented receivers. Defensively same thing. They've got talent out there on the field. We've got to come in and play our best game each week for us to have an opportunity to be successful. I've watched all their games. They've turned the ball over. They've had some problems with turnovers and things like that. But they've got a good football team. They were in the championship game last year. They've also played Florida, they've played some pretty tough people."
(On whether teams are better prepared for UCF this year) "Yeah, but Tulsa's in the same boat and they're 5-1. When you look at things, you look at the schedules, you look at who people are playing. They've played Florida, they've played Pitt, those two teams there have only lost two games. I know their running back has not played regularly because of bruised ribs and things like that. A lot of times, its just surviving in that first part of the season where you can get to games you should compete in. Central Florida will compete with everybody in this league. Everybody respects them. Going into this game, this week, we told our kids that we've got to play better because I think Central Florida has a better team than we just played.
(On the Miami-FIU brawl) "What somebody else does with their program is not something for me to comment on. I can tell you that here at Rice and how we do things we're about excellence and we're about accountability. Being a member of this team and participating on our team is not a right, it's a privilege. How we represent Rice we surely would not be very happy at all to have anything like that; we won't have anything like that here."
(On the effects of QB Chase Clement's return) "I think the key too, is what I told Chase just don't get too excited. He played very, very well against Army and then came back the next week and made some decisions outside the framework of the scheme. I think that's what is critical. I'm really proud of (Rice OC) Major (Applewhite). It really helps Major because it's not been that long ago that he put his head in that helmet and he is very very intense with Chase and very demanding. If Chase will just trust him and do what he's coached to do 100% of the time, not get too swelled up with importance, run the system then he will be successful. That's what you have to understand. Really I think, coaching, when you are successful, is where the challenge is. Learning how to handle success. I think you can coach them harder when you're winning, I think you can be more demanding. Chase is a very good quarterback, he's done a great job for us, but it's just one game. We've got to go to the next game and the key is that you just do what you're coached to do. We're seeing a guy that's managing the game well, we're seeing a guy that's making good decisions. He made two bad decisions in the game.
The key is to get the ball to the guys that we want to get it to and I think Major's done a tremendous job of doing that. (WR) Jarett (Dillard) kind of helped us on the last play. That's something that I told the coaches is 'do what we do and don't over coach.' If we get the ball down there and we've got four plays and 50 seconds. We're throwing the ball to him. I don't care if everybody knows it, everybody can turn their camera to him. We're going to throw it to him four times in a row. That's what we should do because he's that good of a player.
The key offensively too is we've got to take care of the football. We turned the ball over two times for the first time in a while. It's really important that we take care of the ball, go on to the next week, don't get too swelled up with importance, and understand that you have to prepare every week.
I was really proud of (Rice LB) Brian Raines. Brian stood up in front of the kids and said, 'I'm going to tell you something. I don't know what anybody else is going to do, but I'm going to tell you this: I'm going to do what I'm coached to do every single snap.' Brian's one of the guys who is a very athletic guy that had, at times this year, operated outside of the scheme, outside of the system. You can't have that. We've got to have 11 guys trusted to do what you're coached to do every play. That's the measurement of trust is do they do what you tell them to do?
When I'm standing on the sideline, I'm not playing. They've got to trust you and understand that the system works. We're still figuring out that system because it's not the same. We changed and put (DC) Paul (Randolph) up in the box and me down on the field because we're having so many problems that we haven't had because our situation is unique to our players. We're really still adapting. I think we're just starting to figure that out.
The key down the stretch is taking care of the football, getting guys back. We need to get some of those guys back that have been out. The key down the stretch is going to be how well we play defensively. We have not played to our potential and I think a lot of that has to do with just getting 11 guys on the same page. The transition defensively is tougher than the transition has been offensively for us. I'll say this, we were a lot closer this week to doing what we're coached to do every snap.
