Temple vs. Cincinnati October 29, 2016 Temple HC Matt Rhule Introduction: I appreciate everyone coming today. Obviously that was a big win for us. I am really proud of our team. I thought the second half was a total team victory against a good football team. They are a team that came in with a winning record, a team that beat a big 10 team, and a team that we have had some battles with. I am really proud of the way everyone preformed. For us to have 25 first downs to their 10, and 275 rushing yards was outstanding. I thought that they played really well in the first half offensively on a couple drives. Obviously we controlled the clock in the second half with 40 minutes in time of possession. Avery Ellis was great with back to back weeks with a blocked punt. Jahad broke out tonight with 151 yards. The passing game really gave us a spark. We were able to make some big plays. What does it mean to be bowl eligible? I told them that we are hoping to go to one. I have been a part of two times where we have been bowl eligible and haven t gone. I know that hurt. I know that pain. I think it says more that we are eligible this year and have moved on. We aren t crying in the locker room. We have higher expectations than that. To be able to be bowl eligible is a credit to our players and our players alone. They have battled and overcome adversity. They fought back. They have had some quality wins this year. Why were they unable to make any big plays (max 19 yards)? This is going to sound corny but I think that we have gotten a lot better. We didn t have a ton on sacks today. They did a good job of getting the ball out of their hands. Everything they did was underneath. I just think we have gotten a lot better. Derrek Thomas really stepped up when Artrel came down. It was great to have Champ and Nate Smith back out there a little b it. I think we are understanding who we are. They are a dynamic offense. We have played four tremendous offenses in a row. We have really gotten better and we aren t making as many mistakes. It is a credit to Phil and his staff because they had a great game plan today. Are you impressed with closing them out, especially with the added momentum bonus for them with Kiel coming back? There have been some emotional games in a row, Memphis, UCF, USF. You re always worried about if the guys are going to be into the process. The question is, are they going to get ready every week or are we going to be an up and down team? That has been our goal for this team all along. There is a little bit of a struggle there. I feel like this is too mature of a group with too many good players and too many older players, to not be successful. I think that they understand that it is about staying focused and not getting distracted. I was pleased with that. We haven t held a Division 1 opponent under 21 points this year at all.
To do that is everything; the running game, the time of possession, the turn overs. I thought we played great defense as a team. Not just as a defense but as a team. What did you think was the turning point in the game? There was a little part in the second half where they were coming back. They scored then we scored and we started to get a little panicked. I felt like we were really in control. They are a good team. They just kept playing and we just kept playing too. The thing that turned the tide was that kick off. For us to score and then hit that kick-off was a big moment, and probably a back breaker for them. Did you know Sean Chandler would play? He practiced all week. We knew it would be limited for him and Nate. It has been up to him and the doctors if he could go. Last night he said he felt like he could play and the doctor said he could so he played. Will we see more of the Squib kicks? I don t know. It is dangerous and has not been our strong suite. We look at it double edged like the rugby kick. We got one today but I prefer not to. I like to kick the ball deep and pin them in the 20 but that has not been out strongest point so we have mixed it up. It is nice to make people defend a couple different things. Who stepped up on Defense today? They all did. It was a tremendous team effort. We played a lot of guys. No one was giving up big plays. Guys were making plays in the backfield and stopping the run game. They ran the football the whole game even the second to last drive. We had to really stop the run. We knew what kind of RBs they had. For us to hold them to 67 yards rushing is a team effort. What has changed and improved run game? This is going to sound very corny but it takes 11 people to run the football. When you can line up and hit the shot scoring plays like the ball to Adonis and Ventell it is a little harder for them. Adonis really stepped up today. They were playing with five down lineman and it was great job for them. Today there were tremendous adjustments by Glen Thomas and George Deleone. We have some toss game going. You have to have all of it together. If you want to run the football you have to convert third downs. We really only hurt ourselves with the penalty by Ventell and the fumble in the first half. Besides those two plays we are rolling on offense right now. What happened to Artrel? I don t know. I don t like commenting on injuries until I know more. They will evaluate him, and I will know more on Monday. What does it mean having Sean Chandler back? First off he is a great player. Second, he brings tremendous energy and excitement. It rotates more guys. It was great to have Champ back today. What did you see out of Avery Williams?
Some of the bubble screens and stacked screens that they tried to throw were denied by Avery. He really takes that away and doesn t get a lot of attention for that. I just saw a guy that flies around and helps us in the run and pass game. I expected to have him. He is going to play no matter what unless the doctor says he cannot play. He is one of the toughest people I have ever coached. Francis Brown and Avery Williams are two of the top five toughest players I have ever coached. They play no matter what. Avery also plays well so that is a bonus. What did it mean to get the Special Teams field placements in terms of possession? A blocked punt is huge. The field goals also helped us and obviously that take away. We also stole a possession too. When we play these offenses we are always trying to win time of possession and also to steal a possession. If you can do that, you have a good chance of winning. How do you feel about the right side of the Offensive line playing much better? I think Jaelin, Leon, Sully and Brian Carter have all gotten a lot better. We have a bunch of guys that we feel really confident in. People ask why we are rushing the ball better and it is because the players have gotten better. We are getting more confident. We are able to run more things. We ran a lot of different schemes tonight and we can only do that because of the experience of our offensive line. That is as hard working of a group as we have in terms of the extra stuff and things they do on their own. That is why they receive so much success. Do you feel like your team is really pulling everything together now? I think they are getting better and playing really good football now. Right now they are playing really good football. Tonight wasn t great football but it was pretty good football. UCF will come down to me as one of the greatest wins of the year just because of how good I think they are defensively. To beat USF next and now Cincinnati is great. We are playing well right now. In spots we can play better. Our quarterback protects the ball and makes big plays. We were close to a couple other big plays and if we can continue to run the football we will continue to round a team. There are still three games left. Hopefully we can continue to get better. Is there anything to work on going forward? Yes. There are a lot of things we have to work on and that is not me being facetious. Our kickoff coverage could be talked about alone for ten minutes. We are pretty banged up. You look up and you lose three more guys. We have a big battle Friday night against a team we have major history with. They are a really good football team and it is hard to win on the road on a short week. We have a bye week to follow so we need the guys to rally and play their best football this week. Then they will get a chance to heal up. There is a lot of things to get better at. Traditionally we have struggled moving the ball against UConn. There is a lot for us to work on this week for them. What has Haason s journey been like? That is such a long story. It would be more beneficial talking about it for long. I give credit to him that he has always persevered. He is not afraid to change positions. Many people are
afraid of change. He has trusted people. He has gotten better. He has improved upon his weaknesses. He is a tremendously unselfish player. I just think he is a guy that symbolizes what our program is about. He got his degree. He continues to develop. He plays his best football as a senior and it has been fun to watch him. Was this one of Phillip s better games? I thought last week was. He is playing good football. He was 9-14 at the half. Because we controlled the second half, he didn t throw it too much. The big throw he made were fantastic like the one to Adonis. He also made big runs in the second half. There was a point when he got slammed and it looked like he was going to be hurt. I think he is playing really well right now. The running wasn t part of the plan. We were working off the team. It was there so we took it. OC Glenn Thomas How much does Jaelin [Robinson] help the unit and add tackles to the offensive line? He helps on a lot of levels. He s extremely athletic and he does a great job and when he s in there. He s productive; he communicated well and knows where to go. We are excited about where he is headed. What does it mean when your special team unit can make a play like that to get you good field position? I felt like that was the turning point in the game in the second half. It s huge to get a touchdown off of that, and we are excited about our guys responding to that sudden change. How has Philip come along he has had 10 quarters in a row without a pick? We have been pleased. He understands his role and when he has the chance to make plays we were excited he was able to do that. DC Phil Snow How important is it to have Avery Williams on the defensive end and what kind of impact has he made? He s the heart and soul to the defense everybody looks up to him so it s important to have him on the field not just because he makes plays but because of who he is. Has he always had that attitude? He has but we weren t sure where he was going to play so he has finally settled in and he s doing really well there. At one point you said that you wouldn t recruit Avery because of his size; how much more impressive does that make his performance?
Big time you don t recruit line backers his size it s just a tribute to him. He works like a dog out there and he s just a great team guy and a pleasure to coach. On second half performance QB Phillip Walker We were getting into the right positions on the field at the right time. Today was the first game where we were behind the chains after the first down runs. Other than that I think the offensive line and receivers are playing with a lot of confidence. If they have a lot of confidence then I ll have a lot of confidence. It is a team collective effort. The running backs are also doing a great job of picking up the blitzes. On pulling away in the fourth quarter Both teams had big kickoff returns but our defense came out and did what they had to do. Unfortunately, we didn t get a stop on that drive but we responded on our kickoff recovery. Overall as a team we just kept battling with the next play mentality. We take things one play at a time. We cannot score 7 points on every play. On being bowl eligible We acknowledge it because it is rarely done. We have done it three years in a row, but now we have a bigger picture ahead of us. We need to look at this next game and then the next game after that. On running the ball more today If it was there, I could run. I scrambled a few times today. I probably had two or three called runs. A lot of teams that beat them ran the quarterback a lot. Coach said if it s not there then take off. On USF-Navy game We knew USF was really good. They probably won t lose a game from here on out. I think that is one of the best teams we have faced and I give them a lot of credit. It shows how good of a team we are, too. We just need to keep playing and fighting day-by-day. On progression of offensive line They go out there and they take it one step at a time. They know how to relax. In the second half they go out there and know we are about to run the ball behind them. That one play where Ryquell Armstead was stood up on the one yard line they pushed him in. That s shows their fight and how bad they want the running backs to get in the endzone.
On the team s possibility on winning a conference championship We just take it day by day. As a team we know what we have. Teams are going to play their best football against us and we need to go out and play our best, too. On Matt Rhule bringing team together on sideline during first quarter It was after Ventell Bryant had the penalty that brought us back and we had the fumble. He just brought us together and told us not to beat ourselves. On being at same place as last year after nine games I don t think our team understood early in the year that our opponents were going to play their best football against us. I think we were too relaxed early in the season like we were just going to go out there and roll over teams. They realized that no matter how many games we play, each one means something. Just because we beat this team last year, doesn t mean we are going to beat them again this year. I think the preparation and mentality have to be the same each week. On giving credit to offensive line RB Jahad Thomas You need to give them all the credit. Without them being able to push up front we wouldn t be able to run the ball as effectively as we have. On turn around after 1-2 start We just continue our process week in and week out. We started 1-2 and went up 3-3 and started to roll. We continue to do our process week in and week out. We continue to work and knowing that we are better than what we have put out on the field. We didn t make any drastic changes, we just had to focus on every minuet thing we were doing and it is showing. On this win being a step in developing the team It builds our confidence. I wouldn t say it is a big win because every week we want to win and beat our opponent. No matter if we are playing Army, Stony Brook or whoever, we just want to be 1-0 that week. It doesn t surprise us if we beat them in the fashion we did. Our mentality is that we can come out and beat anyone. We always focus on us and not on the opponent. On being bowl eligible
It means a lot for this university and the seniors that have been here. It is a great accomplishment for us and shows the hard work we put in week in and week out. On two consecutive weeks leading in time of possession I would say being able to run the ball effectively has given our offensive line and Phillip Walker confidence. When Phillip knows that he is back there not getting pressured on every play, he can set his feet and extend drives. The emphasis on establishing the run game has made us pretty good. On knowing how many games are left in season We actually had a team meeting last night and some of the seniors spoke on us only having a few games left. They emphasized to the young guys that there isn t always a next season. You have to live for the moment and be in the present because it goes by fairly fast. We are mindful of it but we are going to take advantage of every opportunity and every game in order for us to be successful at the end of the year. On right side of offensive line I think with experience and confidence in themselves, they ve gotten better. Going up against Hasson Reddick and Praise Martin-Oquike every week it has continued to build their confidence. Once they go out and do it in a game, it shows them that they can do it. On being patient It is something that we preach. We aren t going to win the game in the first three quarters. We feel that we win the game in the fourth quarter. Just being patient in everything, we know that the game is not won and the game is not over. We know that we need to play our best football in the fourth quarter. RB Ryquell Armstead How is your confidence in your run game? We have a lot of confidence in our run game. We are lucky to have guys that can power the ball and open up the passing game for us. The past 3 games we have just been pounding the ball it s fantastic. What has been the improvement? Just sticking to it sometimes we get away from the run game, now we are just really pounding people and it s starting to take a toll on them. Just staying with it even when something goes wrong is really important. It seems like PJ is starting to play some of his best, ball have you guys noticed that?
We are just clicking, credit to all of these guys. Being able to run the ball and opening up the pass game is making him more comfortable. DB Cequan Jefferson Can you talk me through the play where you recovered the fumble? Coach Rhule said that we needed to make something happen on kickoff. So to get that squib is big. How often do you practice a squib? We practice it every day at practice because we have been having a problem with kickoff, so it finally came in and we did a good job with it. How are you guys are working to get better on the kickoff coverage? We are always working to get better on the coverage because there is always something to fix. On today s performance on defense TE/DE Romond Deloatch We got huddled up and we played football. All game we just came pushing, pushing, pushing. The pass rush came on. Everybody did their job and we just played some good football. On what it would mean to win a conference championship It would mean a lot. We are excited and we just want to keep the program going up. I look at Temple as the type of team that could win a championship. We came up short last year so we are all really looking forward to winning it this year. On paying attention to the South Florida win last night We not really worried about that. We just got to keep coming out and playing good football. We just need to keep practicing hard and doing what we do. We re not looking at teams and hoping they lose or win, we re just looking to come out and play Temple football. We can only control what we do. On the kickoff recovery fumble It felt good. I just want to do anything that helps our team win. I was excited and tired, but I had to do what I had to do. On subbing in and out all game on offense and defense I m always ready to go. When the defense is on, I m ready. When the offense is on, I m ready. I m just ready all the time. It s just like Pee Wee football. We got guys playing both
sides of the ball and it s fun. I m just blessed to be able to do it. It feels good to help the team on both sides of the ball. I m always excited to do what I have to do. On graduating last May It was a great moment, but it was tough because I lost my mom. I know she wasn t there physically, but I know she was there spiritually. It was a tough moment. On his relationship with Coach Rhule We go over things every night. It s not always football, but getting the bond with coach is a great feeling. I can trust him. Being with coach Rhule all the time helps me become a better player. WR Ventell Bryant On the special teams performance It is a team sport and special teams is so important. So if we can play well there and give our team ball in a good position that really helps. On the technique used to block punts I can t tell you about that. On the rugby punt It definitely gets us going. It gives us better field position. And that helps our defense out a lot. On how the defense has been playing We have process and we stick to it and it's really paying off. On the feeling of making a big special teams play It s excitement and joy. It s a rush. It s a great feeling. DB Sean Chandler On thinking will he be able to play this week coming off an injury I felt pretty good at the beginning of the week. I also felt pretty good at the USF game. On what the injury was. My injury was a bone bruise. On how did it feel to get back out there today It felt real good to get back out there with my brothers. It was like a welcome back party. On speculation of being out for the season
I thought I might have to redshirt at first because the doctor wasn t sure what the injury was. Once I received the MRI results, we saw it was just a bone bruise. On how the injury happened The injury happened at practice, one of my teammates ran into my leg. On how important it was to get back today It was important for me to get back. The team needed me to be out there and wanted to go out there and play with my brothers. On feeling rusty today I felt like I knocked the rust off earlier this week at practice. On didn t seem like you played tentative out there At the beginning of the warm-ups, I felt tentative. As the game went on I felt more comfortable. On the play of other defensive backs when Artrel went down They stepped up and played very well. On being out and being a voice to the other guys On the sideline, you see a lot more, so when they would come off the field, I would talk them about what I see out there. Basically, I was just reminding them of things. On being back there for a punt return I was back there, but unfortunately, I didn t get to return it. On the defense playing as a whole tonight We stopped all of the big plays tonight. We were all locked in, and we played a big game. On getting better from here I feel like we will continue to get better as a whole. On how big was it for the defense to have you back tonight I feel like it helped a lot, but we already had great players out there already as you saw that they were winning games without me. Cincinnati HC Tommy Tuberville Introduction Tough day at the office, especially for our offense. Defensively we played pretty good at times and made some plays, but we didn t make enough third down plays. On third downs they were completing at 50%, we need to keep them down ten more percentage points. Their quarterback, their two running backs, and number one can really give you problems.
We knew that going into the game. I thought if we kept them between 400 and 500 yards we d have a chance, but I didn t think they would be able to shut our offense like that. In the second half we didn t have a first down, maybe 11 yards of offense, and you have to give credit to their defense they played well. It s one of the better teams we ve played. I thought we practiced well all week, we came in and played with a lot of energy we just didn t make any plays. We really didn t make any plays on defense in the second half, they drove the ball on us, we couldn t get them off the field and when they do that it just takes all the air out of you. I knew this was going to be a tough game, but I didn t think we d play like we played on offense in the second half. They had a lot to do with that, they had the ball 40 minutes we had the ball 20 minutes and you re not going to beat anybody when you do that. Why can t the running game get going? I think we had over 50 yards rushing in the first half. In the second half they played man coverage on us, put 5, 6, 7, in the box forcing us to throw it. We didn t make any throws and catches. Gunner didn t have a really good second half; I don t know if we completed a pass to be honest with you. The bottom line is when you go man coverage that means you put another guy up there to stop the run, they did that, and you can t get them out of it by throwing some completions. It s a feeding frenzy. That was the bottom line. They put them up there and said you re not going to run it, you re going to beat us with your quarterback and receivers, and we just couldn t make a play. On not throwing much in the second half? We threw some shots down the field, we had to get them off of us. They got us into some second and third and long and we couldn t complete a pass. We didn t get the ball in the middle of the field in the second half, we didn t get the ball to our running backs in the second half. We ran a couple screens in the first half that worked a little bit, but nothing worked in the second half on offense. We ll go back to the drawing board this week. We have to do something offensively, whether it s formations or other things to give our guys a chance to run the ball. We have to be able to run the ball north and south, they forced us to run the ball laterally. You said you chalked it up to a bad day in the office, is their talent that much better than yours? They ve got good skill players in their backfield and their wide receivers, and a quarterback that can run. If you look at two or three of the third down conversions, we had him locked in and he pulls the ball down and runs it. That s a huge advantage when you have a throwing and a running quarterback. There s not a lot of difference between him and the other two or three running quarterbacks we ve seen this season, any of those kids could play for anybody in the country, especially this kid with experience. We tried everything on defense; three man fronts, four man fronts, we blitzed, we dropped them off, we ran everything that we could. We had a good game plan on defense to try and mix it up and give them problems. He just got away several times and made the play with his legs. That s the benefit of having a quarterback that can move in the pocket, run, and make a good play out of a bad play. I know three times in the second half he took the ball and made a first down. When they add that extra dimension in there it gives everybody problems.
Where do you go from here? We probably play the best team we face all year next week. We play a non-conference game. We have to make changes in what we re doing. Defensively we feel good about it. There s not much else we can do; we have to use our talent. Offensively we have to do something to put pressure more on the secondary and not have them gang up on us. We have to be more aggressive on offense, take the reins off the receivers. We have to more to make more big plays. QB Gunner Kiel On what had their offense ineffective in the second half Coach Taylor did a great job getting us ready, he always does a great job, we just have to come out and execute. I have to do a better job of getting better play calls. Guys can always do something better; we have to get back, watch film, and learn from our mistakes. On defensive adjustment in second half It just comes down to us, we have to come out and execute. We have to play better, that s what it comes down to. I love these guys to death. I have to bring a better effort; I have to do a lot of things better. It s a tough loss, we are going to learn from our mistakes and get better, that s all we can do. Stand by Coach Tuberville comments that offensive needs to open up more He s [Coach Tuberville] our head coach, we are going to be there and support him. In these tough loses I know a lot of fans come at him, but the guys still respect him on the team. We are going to be there for our head coach. He s our leader and we are going to do whatever he says. At the end of the day we have to come out and compete, play for our coaching staff, and play for each other because that s all we got. S Zach Edwards On being on the field a lot in the second half We lacked in mental toughness, it showed in the second half. It is disappointing as a defense because no matter how long we have to stay on the field we should be able to stop people. Reasons why it was hard to stop Temple s Offense
I think it was mental toughness. We just were not tough enough mentally to continue to do what we were coached to do. Coaches did great, but as players we did not do what we were coached to do. On moving forward this season There s still a positive outcome that can come out of this season. We are not holding our heads down at all. Our heads are held high because we are still going to perform and finish the season out. Goal for the rest of the season We just want to win them all. The bowl game will come if we win them all. We are focused on winning these last 5 games.