Mike Bloomgren Press Conference Quotes
11/22/2022 4:49:00 PM | Football
Rice at North Texas on Saturday
Opening Statement
First I want to recognize Coach (Genny) Volpe for winning the Conference USA championship and also Coach (Scott) Pera for winning their tournament with a heck of a second half by all accounts last night.
(On Saturday) Unfortunately, we made way too many errors in all phases, but we made them early in the game and that was one of the things. I thought if we could have started out fast against that bunch and let our confidence grow, we would have had a chance. The way things went (with) two turnovers by the offense in the first quarter were really tough to deal with. I thought our defense went out there and started fast to get a three-and-out to start the game. The next drive we put them in third and four and then the guy that I think is the conference player of the year (Frank Harris) makes an unbelievable off-script play, Never in my life have I seen the sprint out to the right cut back to the other sideline and score. My hat's off them. They performed at an incredibly high level., I look back at our offense and I see a group that got out-physicaled and that's something that is hard to swallow because that's something we hang our hat on. Defensively, we missed a couple of fits and every time we did something wrong, they made us pay in a big way. That's what happens with small areas, (they) add up to a big stuff as four quarters of football goes on and that's what we saw on Saturday.
We've talked this week and reminded these guys that we are a good football team and I think that's what's important for them to understand that when we come out, we protected the football, and play good football, we could be with everybody in this conference and find a way to win those games. I think you see that all across the Conference USA right now, when people play well-contested games, they go down to the wire and when one team plays sloppy, they get boat raced. And it seems to be happening to all the teams in this conference on a weekly basis.
We've got to play solid football, we got to play our kind of football and we've got to remember that we are a talented group of football players and good coaches combined to make a good football team and that's what we need to show this weekend. That has been the mantra of how we get these guys in the headspace to do that. We know it's going to start and end with work and the process that we go through every week. I am incredibly proud of these guys, how they work week to week, and the way they prepare, the process they go through. I think it's been a really high level. These guys still want the opportunity to go out there and win their sixth game and get bowl eligible. We know that North Texas has a lot on the line. If they win this game, they get a chance to play for the conference championship.
But I don't that's any bigger for their program than winning six and going to a bowl is for us. It's a huge game against a very talented team on the other sideline as well. You're going to have two teams that have a lot on the table.
On reminding the team of how they responded to last year's shutout loss to UTSA (beating UAB at home)
(last year) I just saw a team that came out and focused and prepared and then we went and played a really good game. (Saturday) was our first time having back-to-back losses all year, but you feel like you haven't won a game in forever and that's just not the case. That's how you feel as a 45-year-old man. Can imagine what it is like for 18 to 222-year-olds that are dealing with social media? That's why I thought it was important to remind them that they are a good football team. They're not the football team that's only played the last two games. They're the football team that has won some really big games this year, that's come back and overcome things and they're really talented. We're a good football team
First I want to recognize Coach (Genny) Volpe for winning the Conference USA championship and also Coach (Scott) Pera for winning their tournament with a heck of a second half by all accounts last night.
(On Saturday) Unfortunately, we made way too many errors in all phases, but we made them early in the game and that was one of the things. I thought if we could have started out fast against that bunch and let our confidence grow, we would have had a chance. The way things went (with) two turnovers by the offense in the first quarter were really tough to deal with. I thought our defense went out there and started fast to get a three-and-out to start the game. The next drive we put them in third and four and then the guy that I think is the conference player of the year (Frank Harris) makes an unbelievable off-script play, Never in my life have I seen the sprint out to the right cut back to the other sideline and score. My hat's off them. They performed at an incredibly high level., I look back at our offense and I see a group that got out-physicaled and that's something that is hard to swallow because that's something we hang our hat on. Defensively, we missed a couple of fits and every time we did something wrong, they made us pay in a big way. That's what happens with small areas, (they) add up to a big stuff as four quarters of football goes on and that's what we saw on Saturday.
We've talked this week and reminded these guys that we are a good football team and I think that's what's important for them to understand that when we come out, we protected the football, and play good football, we could be with everybody in this conference and find a way to win those games. I think you see that all across the Conference USA right now, when people play well-contested games, they go down to the wire and when one team plays sloppy, they get boat raced. And it seems to be happening to all the teams in this conference on a weekly basis.
We've got to play solid football, we got to play our kind of football and we've got to remember that we are a talented group of football players and good coaches combined to make a good football team and that's what we need to show this weekend. That has been the mantra of how we get these guys in the headspace to do that. We know it's going to start and end with work and the process that we go through every week. I am incredibly proud of these guys, how they work week to week, and the way they prepare, the process they go through. I think it's been a really high level. These guys still want the opportunity to go out there and win their sixth game and get bowl eligible. We know that North Texas has a lot on the line. If they win this game, they get a chance to play for the conference championship.
But I don't that's any bigger for their program than winning six and going to a bowl is for us. It's a huge game against a very talented team on the other sideline as well. You're going to have two teams that have a lot on the table.
On reminding the team of how they responded to last year's shutout loss to UTSA (beating UAB at home)
(last year) I just saw a team that came out and focused and prepared and then we went and played a really good game. (Saturday) was our first time having back-to-back losses all year, but you feel like you haven't won a game in forever and that's just not the case. That's how you feel as a 45-year-old man. Can imagine what it is like for 18 to 222-year-olds that are dealing with social media? That's why I thought it was important to remind them that they are a good football team. They're not the football team that's only played the last two games. They're the football team that has won some really big games this year, that's come back and overcome things and they're really talented. We're a good football team
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