Rhett Lashlee Press Conference (08.27.24)

coach uh getting the chance to look back at the game this past weekend more some of your takeaways what are kind of things you want to focus on for next week yeah I mean we've we've talked about it a little bit I mean you look back at it we had 11 penalties for 125 10 of those were in the first three quarters most in the first half which I think contributed to a lot of our offensive woes there was never any rhythm um we'd do something we'd go one step forward two steps back always behind the chain all third and Longs um so we just never really got moving in the first half second half we played pretty good on offense um went right down and got points moved the ball even in the drives we didn't quite get it um scored 19 points or set basically two touchdowns and a field goal I think on five drives in the second half so we started playing SMU football towards the end I think we had 200 yards to their 50 in the fourth quarter we had one penalty you know there's a lot to do with that um defensively I thought we played hard thought we ran to the ball well um you know at times we didn't leverage and stop the run like we want to it's hard when it's everything's quarterback plus one runs um but still their average per Rush was low I think you know we we kept them except for two big plays from being too explosive in the passing game so um you know you do things like the penalties you have a a snap go through your punter's hands and give them a free touchdown basically I mean you do those things it's a recipe to get beat and uh so we didn't play very well at all first half there's just no getting around it we started to play football towards the end and that needs to continue into this week what goes into making sure that you carry over that second half and know rever back to yeah go to work there's no secret formula we we get up we practice we we came in on Sunday and did what we do we came in yesterday installed the game plan we had a good physical Tuesday practice this morning um there's no excuse we didn't play well but first games are tough um you know I think last year Kansas won nine games they went on the road there as a 28 point favorite and W by seven would have been the exact same score if we' had got the two-point conversion like we won it's hard to win we didn't necessarily play our best for a good half of the game but I think our guys know what it takes to be a good team I think they feel like we can be a good team we got to go prove that we can consistently do it for four quarters but there's no Panic Button being pushed here like I said we're one and0 you mentioned uh stopping the run and I think in the first half you gave up a little over 100 yards second half it was like 30 or something were there what adjustments did you see that or were there any specific adjustments that you think worked better in the second half yeah I think we just settled down um you know I think we were pressing across the board the team in the first half whether it be the play calls whether it be the way we were playing um there's there's such a I mean there is a factor sometimes you're too excited to play and so you kind of play emotional and hesitant and and and your body just you don't cut it loose and you know we gave up some big runs on some QB draws on Third and long and stuff like that that uh again we just we did a better job of of spilling things containing the edges of the defense and swarming to the ball um again our offense moved the ball better so we controlled it I mean the time of possession was like 30 6 to 23 and that's with us wining the fourth quarter like it was tar we were out there a lot and some of it a lot of it was self-inflicted but like I said I just think we settled down at halftime came out played SMU football I think had we not had the issue on the fourth and 30 that gave him a free first down and a long drive second half might have even felt entirely like the fourth quarter I guess just speaking of that have you been able to find film of of that whole scenario with cross yeah I mean look uh it's it's over it is what it is I I don't feel like there's any evidence that that he misrepresented our program in that moment um the call was made we respect it I think um everyone does a good job we're moving forward um look the penalties are not good we have to handle our motion better regardless of what someone does to you you can't put yourself in a position to cost a team like that and he knows that um and same thing with other scenarios when guys maybe retaliated and got a 15 yard penalty like you can't do that and and look we allowed them to to get us um you know emotionally unstable in some of those situations in the game and it cost us and it could have easily and very well cost us the game but um yeah I've looked at it and um we feel like we're all in a good position moving forward and um I think he knows he hurt the team but also I don't I don't know if if it went down exactly as it said it was SMU fans got to see you brashard Smith for the first time but what did you learn about the running game as a whole week zero yeah I mean it's a little deceptive um we ran for almost 140 plus yards I mean we lost all the yards on the punt snafu so uh for the game we still averaged over four yards a carry you'd like to be closer to five brashard himself with six yards a carry um it wasn't explosive ever they did a nice job the way they were playing that they would rally and we' get four five six yards um so it needs to be better it needs to be more explosive especially when you know they're playing pass and we're not maybe being as explosive as we'd like to be um it's a work in progress uh we had a lot of guys playing on the line different spots where maybe a couple plays we were just a hair off from making it a bigger play so hopefully we'll continue to get better at that I do think that the really good sign is that um that drive late I think we got the ball was like third and one on like the 32 or three and we ran at three straight plays for a touchdown that's that's the explosiveness we need in our Run game more often the team depth was obviously a big conversation this off season did you feel like you got to see enough of everyone or just kind of nature of the game that it get probably in some positions yes in some positions no I mean like I think the depth helped us I mean we won the fourth quarter and we finished and that was really important so we were fresh I think you look at the team depth helped us in places like RJ Maryland he had a big game he only played 38 plays because Matt hmer played 34 Stone EB played 10 like in the past RJ would played 60 70 plays I don't know how much he'd have left in the tank in that fourth quarter but he was fresh and and those other guys made plays um and then there's other areas that maybe guys didn't get in as much as we had hoped and um sometimes when the game goes the way it did that happens but um we'll continue to play the guys that deserve to play and hopefully that's a lot because we're going to need that depth Oh you talked about using Kevin early in the first quarter what did you see from the little bit he got and just what went into the decision to go with Preston the rest of the way uh we we followed our plan going in the game Preston was going to start go the first two drives Kevin knew he was going to play the third and the fourth Series so that was how we went into the game thought he did really well uh including even the second series taking us on a touchdown Drive uh we went back to pressing that was always the plan you know we told both those guys no matter what happens in those drives that's what we're going to do because you don't want them out there pressing and going man I got a score I'm not going back like go play um did intend to play Kevin Moore and you know the game went the way it did and you know there's a lot of people can say what they want uh we won so feel good about what happened but Kevin did really well what you expected him to and he earned the right to continue to play and and hopefully play even more so I suspect you'll see more of them this week and that's that's not a slight to anybody that's a compliment him and is that important you mentioned it a little bit but important for them to kind of have an idea of when that's going to happen so like you said there's not that kind of looking over my shoulder or pressing I think so as a quarterback like it's hard if you know hey you going to go this series well the one series you know sometimes the series doesn't go well it's not your fault like it's you want them to get in the Rhythm as much as they can and that's the challenge with playing two guys the same time if you don't know say hey you're going to play but you don't tell him when then either he doesn't know when to expect it and sometimes the situation dictates it you don't do it so by telling them helps us do it um and so yeah I think that's I think that's the best way at least we're taking it week to week but but right now a lot of the focus has been on the fact you're playing ACC schedule this year but after this week it's all power conference from here on out what do you need to see against an opponent like Houston Christian to kind of get you ready for all those power conferences well we need to win that's all we're worried about um last week probably teaches everybody that and and we need to play Four good quarters of football you know know first game of the season they're always crazy and weird they just are um sometimes it goes the way you want like it has for us the last two years sometimes it goes like it did Saturday night but we won um but but now we have to start to see that consistency of performance you know we we did play some guys in some different spots in some places we feel like that's best in some places we're going to move some guys around I do think we feel like on both sides of the ball now that we've had you know summer fall camp and an actual game in an adverse situation we know one how our team will respond we just don't need to put oursel in those positions anymore than we have to and two I think we know where all the pieces need to go that not only this week but over the coming weeks it's it's the best fit for our team whether it be o line wide out dline DB and so I just want to see us play harder and fin start better obviously you know last year we were a great first quarter team the other night we were terrible first quarter teams so hopefully we can start faster and continue to finish the way we did what are you looking at with Houston Christian obv see a program coming off one of the Seasons I think they've had yeah still coaching staff that yeah you know Jason's taking over his head coach phenomenal job with the offense they had their winning season last year um so explosive um they spread the field they they can play fast they can throw it they can run it they do a nice job offensively um I think they got a new defensive coordinator he's one of the best defensive Minds coming from our state um you know it's two weeks in a row that we don't have any game film on our opponent and they have tons of film on us um that's part of it usually you play one game a year like that we're playing two and so I think we have to be ready to adjust and when we have an idea what they're going to do offensively we have an idea on defense but they got a new DC and they've had all off season so I mean you have no idea what you're going to get um defensively so you you plan the best you can but you got to be ready to adjust um in game and I think they're going to be well coached they're going to be excited to play it's their first game and then hopefully we can make a big jump from game one to game two you have any interes any injury updates uh we did not have any major injuries in the game so um you know Andrew shamble is is almost day-to-day week to week right now I don't know yet if he's available this week but I can't rule him out um my hope would be that he could could dress and be available he did more in practice today than he did all of last week so that's a hope I think um other than that I mean we got some guys just nicked and banged up and some some bruises but um we came out of the game long term in pretty good shape and I don't think anybody other than potentially shamble that was out is back so just your thoughts on how the first game of inh helmet communication went on both sides of the ball yeah I think it's an adjustment offensively other than the fact that the first three plays I didn't even use it CU like one you've never had it and two in practice you's talking to awae and on game you got to push a button I think it was a third play Preston scream from the field I can't hear you and I'm like I'll fix it that just need to hit the button you know so there's a reason he wouldn't hearing me I was calling plays like I've done for 15 years you know don't usually have to use my hands um but I think it was good there was once or twice that it kind of stalled out for a play or two but nothing nothing major um you know he may have a different opinion you can ask him I think defensively it's a different adjustment you know I think because defenses have to react to the offense so if the offense is going fast they got to get a call in and sometimes doesn't matter if you got a helmet one guy there're still other guys out there right and then and then offenses are smart we do it some now too when you're not going like huddle up and defensive coordinators can't see the picture to call their defense on that's what they like to do now that's how they've adjusted to teams that spread the field no huddle like us they see the formation and call their defense based off Tendencies and formations um so if you're not going fast you give a defensive coordinator an advantage but also if you huddle and bust out and snap it somewhat old school you kind of mess with them now because they've adapted and so I think our defense probably learned a lot I think they'll adjust I think it was probably a bigger challenge for them than it was for us offensively um and then hopefully we'll just get better and better but I did like the idea like in especially those last two drives late in the game I was able to call the play and then just give Preston like a thought like so he knew he and I were on the same page on that last drive and I think it helped obviously you got the fox snap on the front what were your thoughts on the Special Teams and kind of how you were able to rotate that one play was really really bad and um but other than that I thought we played well on special teams I think we dominated on kickoff coverage we tackled them inside the 20 a few times and then you know they had the misstep where they stepped out on the two kickoff return we got the ball at Midfield twice um that's big time we didn't get a chance for a return um but we also you know uh we had one I think we could have blocked we just missed I thought our punt return unit was good uh like I said I think punt team other than the one play they they were solid um uh we we probably got to finish the tackle a little bit B better you know we gave him like a 10 yard return a couple times but we were running down there playing hard we protected well um you know we just can't have a high snap and let it go through our hands and give somebody free points and then we did miss a 51 yard field goal which was unfortunate but we also made a 52 and a 35 so uh and our protection was good so I think we were a lot better than we were in uh the areas we needed to be but the one glaring issu is a really big one you mentioned their new defensive coordinator coming from a D3 School Bachelor is not far removed from being a head coach at a D3 School how kind of cool is to see that from especially Texas to to see that talent and and them getting their shots yeah I mean it doesn't matter what level of ball you're coaching I mean the High School coaches in Texas are better than half the college coaches in the country you know they just need the opportunity and um you know those guys have done a great job everywhere they've been and that's why they're continuing to move up and I think that's why Houston Christian is going to be a really good program I think they're going to compete really well in their league this year and into the future and I think we'll continue to see both those guys continue to Rise um but you can tell for G can coach you look at his history he's won everywhere he's been whether it be high school and and other colleges um but it is cool Texas coaches um doing well you know like I said other than when we got to play him like this we're always pulling for our teams in the state awesome nice to be inside all right thank you