Rhett Lashlee takes the blame for SMU's loss to BYU | SMU Football Press Conference

um so you know good hardfought defensive battle uh really disappointed to to come out on the wrong side of it we had plenty of opportunities and thought our kids played extremely hard um extremely hard even though we didn't play well on offense our guys on offense played really hard and our guys on defense played really well and got the turnovers we needed and our kicker was excellent but you know from a statistical or just a looking at a standpoint can't be two of five in the red zone and and three of 16 on third down and win very often we had our chances and um proud of our kids play their guts out I just didn't do a good enough job of pushing us through and winning the game and that's my job so questions where do you go on the offensive line just after tonight just a lot of pressures and obviously jakai went down at one point but yeah um yeah the jakai going down was critical cuz then we got the ball in the three and b b one under Center probably still should have I mean J's done it plenty but um called a different play still should have been fine and we get a hold which was critical but he was able to come back chai was um yeah you know I think we had early in the game you could tell we were struggling we gave up some sacks early um we just were doing some things wasn't as much physical as it was um maybe mental mental bust I thought Garen did a good job getting the right five in there to settle it down down so you know we got time to evaluate I still think our top eight gu eight guys are who they are and um but you know we settled down and played better but the first quarter was was really rough we were going backwards I know we've asked you a lot about the decision of playing Kevin Preston but was tonight just one where the game kind of dictated it yeah look I mean obviously the question is fair and right um we went into to the game with the plan of predominately playing Preston um told Kevin there was a we we planned to put him in the third series it wasn't a guarantee you know if we would have gone down and scored the first two drives we weren't going to do that but we weren't going to go back and forth it's not fair to either one of them um first two drives were really poor really poor offensively and um you know so we went to Kevin which was Again part of the original plan and then you know gave us a spark we went down I think that's the drive we had fourth and one and didn't convert but we moved it had our best drive yet so we we made the decision to give him another drive then we went down and got a field goal got points and so um at that point you're kind of you know I I don't think the first two drives were all on Preston by any means but we were moving the football we still put Preston back in there and again we had a protection bust uh up front it wasn't Preston's fault we take a sack we go backwards we're three and out and so you got to look at at that point and go look it's not personal it's not on a person it's when when Kevin was in there the offense was at least moving the football down the field and we were getting either points or opport to get points and so as a staff we just all made the decision to to go with that the way the game was going and we we did play we moved the ball but we didn't score any points so that's kind of how it unfolded did you notice anything about how BYU was defending when Preston was in verus when Kevin was in they defended them both the same now what they did that was different is they they didn't run their base defense you know they four down front team they played predominantly odd odd stack a lot the whole game um did a lot of odd pressures so you know the first couple drives we were a little unsettled because it just wasn't what we prepared for um our guys settled down uh our coaching staff did a good job I just didn't do a good enough job ad justing so that's why we moved the ball we didn't finish drives and we didn't move it great but we moved it we just didn't finish any drives and give them a lot of credit for having a good plan and um yeah it worked what did you think of Kevin's play overall you know overall he made plays he was um confident throwing it you know I'll have to look at the film and see uh like I said I think the first four drives here in we went down either got points or got to fourth and one inside the 10 so it was just the feel that we were moving the ball the best in that moment and um you know we still made plenty of mistakes and you know even on the last play of the game I think we had RJ and we just didn't get to him so some of that is just experience some of it's playing but um I was I was proud of how he battled he made a lot of really big plays for us especially when things weren't going well did BYU do anything unique or different to try to nullify RJ uh well they did a lot to nullify our weapons on the outside again they they played more of an odd stack a little bit of bear front but those are just not their true predominant fronts they did that some on third down but um they were playing a lot of couple three and four different variations of Zone very loose zone so we couldn't you know run vertical down the field makes sense and so we adjusted we were able to start hit and guys over the middle of the field uh and run the ball but even then when you spit a run there's there's plenty people there so it's it's the same story we' seen before people don't let you be explosive you got to grind out drives and credit them they were going to bend but not break not give us big plays they pressured more than they had but that's fine that's normal for people to decide to do that um and I think you saw we move the ball but we would always get stuck once we'd get inside the 20 and uh or sometimes not even that far and have to sell for field goals um so yeah credit them it's a great game plan and they executed it and and we didn't uh we didn't adjust and execute well enough that's that's not me if you were to describe this game with one word what would it be wi frustrating yeah frustrating we had our chances you know look it's hard to win I mean we knew it was going to be a game like that every game we play this year for us to win is going to be similar to this you know maybe it's 18 to 15 maybe it's 38-35 it doesn't matter like it's going to be tight it's going to be close you're not going to roll people that's not what happens most weeks when both teams show up and play hard and play physical it's frustrating because you know we had our chances with um some good field position off the turnovers we didn't score touchdowns um you know even the fourth and one play Early in the game I thought we had a chance for a touchdown there we didn't get it it's frustrating because you know we get the pick down to the three and then we have a hold and you know we didn't have UND disciplined penalties T not but we had some critical um holds on either the return game or on offense you know I guess it's 5 to seven in the penalties but um that really really hurt you know it's hard when you're going backwards uh it's frustrating because our guys played hard and they played physical I mean there's no question that we were just as physical as them and we played just as hard as them and uh you know credit colani with that great call on fourth and one late in the game to go for it there is is gutsy and they executed a great play and got it and and they won a game you talked about how early on you're still trying to figure out what this team's identity is after performance like tonight how much do you feel like that's tied to what the def def is doing right now and coming up those big plays to what the to what the defense is doing and yeah what your defense is doing and what they kind of came up with the big plays throughout the second half um yeah I don't I mean that's I think that's our defense you know I think they're going to battle I think they're going to get after people and cause turnovers I thought they played really well um you know we we didn't we didn't score enough points so I don't I don't I may not be answering your question very well cuz I don't totally understand the identity part about about the defense that's the identity we think our defense will have um so I'm proud of that and tonight we didn't we didn't score enough points on offense and the guy calling the plays is sitting right here and he didn't get it done how much of a sense did you get on the Red Zone mistakes was it guys pressing obviously the two turnovers you mentioned the holding call or was it just a product of just going against a s def you know I got to see uh I need to look at it to right now it's a blur on the back end trying to recount every Drive I mean obviously the one it's obvious we get the ball on the three and and we go backwards and then we fumble the next play that that's pretty self-inflicted um you know so should I put him in different situations give him different calls maybe that was it maybe we didn't execute on a few of them um you know we typically when the field shrinks you need to be able to run it in we weren't able to we were able to run it forward but not far enough and get in and so um yeah I I I'm it's a great question I just I need to watch the film to give you a better answer I'm sorry with with the bye here is there anything that kind of jumps out to you that that you guys as team players coaches have to you know really hone in on a couple of key points well look I mean we obviously haven't played well enough to win this game tonight so yeah there's a lot we're going to evaluate what we're not going to evaluate is our kids effort we're not going to evaluate um their togetherness cuz I think it was there tonight and I expect them to respond that way but we're going to valuate yeah everything like we do anytime we lose a game um you know we're going to see what we can do better uh with this team um on all three phases and we're going to try to get prepared to go win a game here in two weeks so it's disappointing guys it's disappointing to lose it's disappointing to lose when you feel like you your guys gave everything they had and and the game was right there in the balance and and we could have made a play and one and they could have made a play and win and they did and um so it's dis point in yeah we're going to look at the film we're going to do what we can to to improve it but it's just hard for me to give you the exact reason there's not one thing I can put my hand finger on other than the clear obviousness that we got inside the 30 yard line didn't score touchdowns and it's really that simple how would what you think of Colin's performance Colin I mean it was great I mean he hit five field goals two over 50 I believe especially in the first half which was kind of into the win the way it was in pregame um and then the last one you know and it was clutch you know we had to have it to to tie the game and and give oursel a chance and he made it so uh yeah really proud of him tonight he set two records tonight one for field goals in a game and the other ties the career record at SMU how important is he to this program you know I thought he really started kicking the ball well the second half of last year and in even in the conference Championship game which you know led him to be an all conference kicker and um I think his only miss of the year is over 50 right now and so uh he's kicked the ball really well the first three games and you know even when you are moving the ball and scoring touchdowns and and things that we need to do better you're going to have clutch kicks you need in games to win and uh it was good for him to get that confidence tonight yeah I mean he's uh so far proven to be a pretty consistent guy for us when he got here as a freshman you talked about him as a guy with a load of talent but some inconsistency is he now the player you thought you were recruiting or is he maybe even exceeded your expectations in any way I mean he was tonight I mean he was five for five he was great tonight and so he's always had a big leg and you know so hopefully this tonight gives him a lot of confidence that through the next uh what nine plus games it'll continue to to be pretty consistent for us guess for you with this bye and you'll have a couple more obviously would you rather have the bye and kind of regroup a little bit or would you rather have another game next week to just get right out back out yeah I'd rather have another game next week you know I don't it's not very fun getting your tail kicked it's not very fun when you feel like as a competitor you know everyone whether you're a football player a basketball player a golfer you have not your best night I didn't have a very good night tonight and I hate it for our kids because they they fought their tail off and so yeah I would love to get back there quickly but look this the reason football's the best game in the world the best game in the world and anyone else can argue and that's fine everybody gets their own opinion it's because it teaches you life and sometimes you give everything you got you lose sometimes it's CU you could have done something better sometimes it's cuz the other I mean BYU played a great game too and that was a it was a grinder it was there back and forth and give them a lot of credit but yeah I'd love to play again but I don't get to for 14 15 days and so um we got a lot to work on anything else thank