Mike Bloomgren Press Conference Quotes
11/8/2022 1:52:00 PM | Football
Opening Statement
"It was pretty cool for our team to get that win; to have the response that we needed and to do the things that we needed to do on a short week and make sure that we were prepared for that game on Thursday night. Our guys had to be pros. They had to take every walkthrough like it was a game rep and I'm really proud of the fact that they did that. After watching the film, I think we're doing a lot of good things for the team. There's no doubt about that. Defensively, we're getting hats to the ball. We are pursuing the ball carrier. I think the pressure that we're getting on the quarterback with Trey Schuman, Josh Pearcy, Ikenna (Enechukwu) and guys like Quent Titre that are affecting the game. Blake Boenisch, De'Braylon (Carroll), those guys are getting those 10 quarterback hits in the last two games; it's just a phenomenal number. It's a great way to affect the decision maker and it's helping the rest of our defense.
Offensively, we scored 37 points. Getting the ball back with a chance to go win it and coming through like that was really good. I thought our third down performance was really good. To be at 62% and average eight yards per play, those are big time offensive numbers. I'm really proud of our guys for coming together and doing that. It obviously doesn't happen without some great individual performances, like what TJ (McMahon) did, what Bradley (Rozner) did. I thought both running backs affected the game. We gave the Offensive Player of the Game to the whole offensive line because I thought they took a major step forward. I thought they handled movement incredibly well and opened up some lanes for our run game. They also gave big time protection every time they were called upon.
Our special teams were back to being special. UTEP has an incredibly scary kickoff return and every one that they returned, their average starting field position was the 15.6-yard line. That's a heck of a day. We put a lot of our defensive players on that team and they came up aces. Every scoring opportunity that we had field goals or PAT's, they went through the pipes. So, it was a good day there as well.
We are keenly aware of the challenge ahead of us in the next few weeks. We know exactly where we sit and we know we have a lot on the line. But our focus is simply on a very, very good Western Kentucky team. I watched their film. I think they are exceptional players. They have great schemes and I think this is an unreal challenge for us. I just think they are a great team and a very talented operation and they are very well coached. Tyson Helton is doing a great job with those guys. But we're looking forward to this challenge and we're looking forward to practicing today."
What do you see from WKU quarterback Austin Reed as opposed to the last couple of quarterbacks?
"Let's talk last year first. Bailey Zappe is just a phenomenal pocket passer. He made every throw on the field and was incredible. He's had some great games in the National Football League this year as a rookie. I think the talent is pretty unquestionable there. When you talk about Austin Reed, you talk about a winner. He's a guy who won a Division II national title at West Florida. He's doing a great job. This offense looks a little different with him in there. His willingness to run and the fact that he really is a duel threat, so I think he brings a lot to the table. They're moving the sticks at a great rate and they're putting the ball in the box. Against a conference opponent, they scored 73 points. That's pretty crazy in 2022."
Do you feel that you are better equipped defensively than you were a few weeks ago?
"Everyone we get back from injury is obviously a bonus. Whoever we put out there, we've got to have great confidence in them to be able to stop the run and we've got to have the confidence that they are able to do their job when they are asked to cover. Coach (Brian) Smith is doing a great job of mixing up those things in turns of whether we're putting an extra hat in the box. Whether it's disguising looks or if we're doing something that is coverage-centric. But, the bottom line for our defense right now is that on first and second down, I think we're doing some really productive things. But, there's still too many times where we get someone in third-and-long and we're allowing them to move the sticks. That's something that we're continuing to work on. You look back at the last two games; to have a third-and-14 and a third-and-16 and they're converted on the ground, that' snot what we want. We want to still rally and make those plays. In each of those examples, you either had somebody miss an assignment or get a hand on the ball carrier where it would have been well short of the first down marker and we didn't make the play. We just have to continue to trust and believe in what Coach Smith is presenting and we have to make the plays that are there for us and we'll be just fine."
"It was pretty cool for our team to get that win; to have the response that we needed and to do the things that we needed to do on a short week and make sure that we were prepared for that game on Thursday night. Our guys had to be pros. They had to take every walkthrough like it was a game rep and I'm really proud of the fact that they did that. After watching the film, I think we're doing a lot of good things for the team. There's no doubt about that. Defensively, we're getting hats to the ball. We are pursuing the ball carrier. I think the pressure that we're getting on the quarterback with Trey Schuman, Josh Pearcy, Ikenna (Enechukwu) and guys like Quent Titre that are affecting the game. Blake Boenisch, De'Braylon (Carroll), those guys are getting those 10 quarterback hits in the last two games; it's just a phenomenal number. It's a great way to affect the decision maker and it's helping the rest of our defense.
Offensively, we scored 37 points. Getting the ball back with a chance to go win it and coming through like that was really good. I thought our third down performance was really good. To be at 62% and average eight yards per play, those are big time offensive numbers. I'm really proud of our guys for coming together and doing that. It obviously doesn't happen without some great individual performances, like what TJ (McMahon) did, what Bradley (Rozner) did. I thought both running backs affected the game. We gave the Offensive Player of the Game to the whole offensive line because I thought they took a major step forward. I thought they handled movement incredibly well and opened up some lanes for our run game. They also gave big time protection every time they were called upon.
Our special teams were back to being special. UTEP has an incredibly scary kickoff return and every one that they returned, their average starting field position was the 15.6-yard line. That's a heck of a day. We put a lot of our defensive players on that team and they came up aces. Every scoring opportunity that we had field goals or PAT's, they went through the pipes. So, it was a good day there as well.
We are keenly aware of the challenge ahead of us in the next few weeks. We know exactly where we sit and we know we have a lot on the line. But our focus is simply on a very, very good Western Kentucky team. I watched their film. I think they are exceptional players. They have great schemes and I think this is an unreal challenge for us. I just think they are a great team and a very talented operation and they are very well coached. Tyson Helton is doing a great job with those guys. But we're looking forward to this challenge and we're looking forward to practicing today."
What do you see from WKU quarterback Austin Reed as opposed to the last couple of quarterbacks?
"Let's talk last year first. Bailey Zappe is just a phenomenal pocket passer. He made every throw on the field and was incredible. He's had some great games in the National Football League this year as a rookie. I think the talent is pretty unquestionable there. When you talk about Austin Reed, you talk about a winner. He's a guy who won a Division II national title at West Florida. He's doing a great job. This offense looks a little different with him in there. His willingness to run and the fact that he really is a duel threat, so I think he brings a lot to the table. They're moving the sticks at a great rate and they're putting the ball in the box. Against a conference opponent, they scored 73 points. That's pretty crazy in 2022."
Do you feel that you are better equipped defensively than you were a few weeks ago?
"Everyone we get back from injury is obviously a bonus. Whoever we put out there, we've got to have great confidence in them to be able to stop the run and we've got to have the confidence that they are able to do their job when they are asked to cover. Coach (Brian) Smith is doing a great job of mixing up those things in turns of whether we're putting an extra hat in the box. Whether it's disguising looks or if we're doing something that is coverage-centric. But, the bottom line for our defense right now is that on first and second down, I think we're doing some really productive things. But, there's still too many times where we get someone in third-and-long and we're allowing them to move the sticks. That's something that we're continuing to work on. You look back at the last two games; to have a third-and-14 and a third-and-16 and they're converted on the ground, that' snot what we want. We want to still rally and make those plays. In each of those examples, you either had somebody miss an assignment or get a hand on the ball carrier where it would have been well short of the first down marker and we didn't make the play. We just have to continue to trust and believe in what Coach Smith is presenting and we have to make the plays that are there for us and we'll be just fine."
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