Football: Bill O'Brien Postgame News Conference (Sept. 7, 2024)

thanks um I think a lot of people a lot of fans at D are thinking back to last year apparently beating an FCS opponent in Holy Cross um losing 109 on you home in the home opener um it's kind of been a whirlwind of a transition into what they're experiencing now with this win um what do you kind of think the message is to every play yeah look I think every year is different right um you know last year's Long over um and and you know I think that these guys need to realize that you know every week we have to try to play to a higher standard than we did the week before um this was a good win I I congratulated the team but it wasn't that clean it wasn't as clean as you would want it to be and so we have to play a cleaner game the one thing I want to say though to be the first home game especially in regards to the students right flyy just told me there were 6,000 students Blake James just told me 6,000 students at the game that that's unbelievable so I think if we can get student turnout like that that's a huge thing for this program plus can we get you know non students to fill it for Michigan State can we get whatever it holds I think it holds 55 somebody told me you know there's always an argument about what it holds I think that's what's huge about this this deal right now is that the these guys like they feed off that energy so they're putting a lot of work in they're playing well and uh you know love to see the crowd thank thank the student stud big time for for turning out 6,000 students that's awesome what were some of the things in your eyes that you need tolean up yeah I mean we had five penalties um some lazy penalties you know um uh the ball was on the ground with the second team offense didn't think that was great you know I think we I think we can do a better job in our return game uh I think we can punt better um I think there's a lot of things we can do better you know I think and and I think most of all I think we as coaches need to try to improve you know we can coach better and so I think all of us everybody in this program in the football program has to live by the theme of every day we try to get better how do we get better how does a coach get better how do I get better how does a player get better how does the unit get better how does the team get better I think that's a big deal for us moving forward your fa home game debut and you put up 56 points to zero how did you feel when you seen like there were multiple touchdowns going in I know wasn't a perfect game but how did you feel when you see it 56 to zero yeah no it was good I mean I look I was I was happy for the kids um you know especially like you know a guy like uh krie Johnson who's been around here for a long time and had a pick six and you know I thought Tommy did a good job today um you know look I I think we ran the ball hard I think you know we rushed for a decent amount of yards but I thought we left some yards out on the field but you know look I thought the defense really held up they shut anytime you get a shut out I think that's obviously very very good so you know there's a lot of things that we did well I'm not I'm not trying to say we didn't you know you know there was a lot that we did well but I think we can be better is it hard to get that message across when 56 no no I'm I'm able to get the message across Bill obviously you had your first game last week but you talked a lot this C about you know your wife here and how much you meant to becomeing back to Boston College Area could you take a moment to appreciate it you know the first home game yeah I think the coolest thing for me was you know having grown up here and kind of watch the team run out for a game over all the years and watch coach bnell lead the team out for a game watch coach Coughlin lead the team out for a game watch coach Tom O'Brien lead the team out I think that was cool for for me to be able to lead the team out to the to the game with to the fight song I thought that was a very cool feeling for me other than that I was coaching my butt off today trying to get better on every play Oh on Monday you said you guys was right on to to do Kane basically 5 minutes after the game or or whatever was um how did you think you guys approached this week and um how do you kind of I guess replicate it at yeah I I think that that's the key at Boston College right um Tommy castalano said it after the game you know he said they asked him about celebrating after the Florida St and he's like we got to go to class so we the we had we had an issue with the plane we had to stay overnight all the administration our support people everybody did an unbelievable job getting us back to that hotel we stayed overnight we got on the plane we came back those guys went right to class had afternoon classes and then we practiced had kind of a jog through practice on Wednesday and then had a tough practice on Thursday and you know I thought those guys kind of they they showed up and and I think that was big and and um that's what it's got to be you know father Jack Butler talks to this team quite a bit and he always talks about the more like trying to get the more you can do more at BC than just play football right you can be really good in football you can be a good student you can give back to the community it's all about getting the most out of yourself and I think that's what these guys need to keep trying to do on a daily basis connection between Tommy and ton that was good yeah no I I I think that those guys have worked very hard I was really happy to see that you know we hit JB on a chop route you know we we hit Lewis Bond um you know which was really good I thought you know seeing some of these guys get in there and run the ball the way they ran it like like obviously Kai and Trea but like you know DayDay got in there and turbo got in there and Jordan McDonald at the end like ran hard I was happy to see that I was happy to see you know a lot of offensive lineman play so I'm happy for for everybody and um you know I think I think it was a good team win coach L the taller task for you just looking at this week when it comes to the the quick turnaround that you had or just trying to put FL to state in the rearview as being such a big win and this not being we only get 12 opportunities so now we only get 10 more so it's not like I say this a lot you know but it's true like in in baseball you know you play 162 Games pro baseball you NBA you play 80 something games you know even the NFL plays 17 games we we only get 12 so we got to make the most of every day every opportunity that's what we talk about in this room a lot like not every day is a bed of roses and um you know I think that we we we just need to approach it you know having trying to have a day where we try to improve every single day that's that's the way we we have to approach it coach uh the offensive line I know you mentioned being able to get a lot of guys in there too how critical is it for them to be able to form that pocket around the quarterback whether it's Tommy whether it was ja to open up those opportunities even running backs however it is yeah no I think that's huge I mean I give a lot of credit to our offensive line they they they work very hard um you know the guards and centers set the set the depth of the pocket and the tackles set the width and I think overall over the last two games we've done a pretty good job of that I think we have to continue that the backs are a part of that the tight ends are a part of that when they're in the protection so I think I think you know so far for the most part that's been good that'll be that'll be tested big time next Saturday big time oh sorry on the TV broadcast they mentioned that you showed clips of uh FBS teams beating FCS teams pretty pretty hand I never showed one clip of it not one time I don't know what where they got that from they didn't get it from me interesting yeah you'll always get the truth from me I never showed One Clip to these guys about an FPS I don't know I'll be honest with you I don't know the difference between FPS FCS NCIS CIA I have no idea I just know that duain is a tough football team team and we better be we had to be ready to play them and I never showed one clip of um of any of that never coach um one question that I'm going to have to ask you I feel like no one's going to ask you in this roow KP price I seen you were really enus um really happy when you seen him run into the Ben the other team's bench um can you explain like how it was cuz I remember seeing your face when I was in the media room like you were Enthusiast cuz you were seeing how he was hustling and you run into the yeah I didn't I I don't know if it was the that he ran over the bench it was just the fact that they made a play on that I think it was him and Ryan Turner maybe over there on that play I thought they made a good play they broke on the ball at the same time it was kind of like how you know Ray Brown and Tim Lewis coach it so I I was very happy with the way they they executed that play not the fact that he I might have been a little bit worried that he was injured hitting the bench you know what I mean it's pretty tight on the sidelines here at BC so but no I I was um I was fired up about the play that he made coach you mentioned support from the student fans so uh as far as like getting non alumni Boston sports fans into alumni how do you how do you see that happening and is winning the ultimate solution for that yeah look I think it's a big it's a big part of it right I mean I think that um Boston is a city of Champions Boston loves a winner and uh and uh and you know look I think we have to continue to be a team that people want to come watch you know we can't be three yards and a cloud of dust you know if it takes that to win a game then that's what we'll do but we have to be a team that can um you know make some chunk plays and do some things to get fans that want to come watch us play and so um I think it's a two-way street but Boston loves a winner and so we have to try to understand that and you know hopefully if we can continue getting better one day at a time that you know maybe we'll we'll get the students like I said students 6,000 students unbelievable but maybe we could get you know some non students here and fill it up for Michigan State coach just done that check six from car Johnson um when you have a guy who makes the interception like that then everyone turn around and kind of play the role of blocker it's just how do those guys how are those guys able to do that I mean I know that's kind of a simple question but they they have to turn around and and how do those plays develop yeah I think we practiced that a lot like one of the things that we do at the start of just about every single practice is a interception basically a Pursuit SL interception drill so um these guys get you know Tim makes a call the ball's snapped a coach throws it out to somebody boom they pick it off and then everybody's the lead blocker and the guys do a good job of finishing the run and doing a good job of running it back so I I think we we try to practice that every day so you you kind of saw that play out on that that actual play kind of reminded me of practice I was read the athletic arle I thought it was really interesting sort of what it talked about in terms of Coach Fitzgerald um how much of a big difference that has made for the team so far and specifically like the type of workouts that are happening inside the wait room week to week and I I just want to kind of hear from you if you could break down sort of what's different about his style when those guys are not on the field when they're training in the weight room um what's kind of different about him that you think just sets the bar so much tired for them yeah I look I'm very biased um he's the best strength coach in a country and and and we got him from the University of Florida he was in a great spot down there he had been at the New York Giants and you know give give credit to to Blake and and uh Boston College you know we were able to get him here and and he was with me at Penn State he was instrumental in keeping Penn State's program alive along with the players and the coaching staff then he was with me at the Houston Texans we we we started out we we took over a team that was 2 and4 we went 9 and seven in our first year a lot of it the credit goes to him because he knows how to get a team stronger he keeps it simple he knows how to get a team in better condition you run you run that's how you get in better condition you run back and forth run run and he knows how to uh you know get a team you know F faster quicker because of the drills that he does but the thing about Fitzy that's great is he has a great bond with the players he's got a personality he's from Philly which you know I get I I bless him for that but like but he's he he just got a great personality and the guys enjoy being in the weight room around him and his staff his staff is awesome too and I think again another person that we just hired uh Bears uh you know was instrumental in this and Blake was instrumental was we hired a woman named Kayla Murphy who's our our football dietician uh nutritionist and she's made a huge difference in the short two weeks that she's been here you know relative to what they should eat and how to hydrate and educating them she's had a few meetings up here teaching these guys on what's the best thing to put in their bodies and so I think I think we've got a lot of good support people all right thanks everybody okay thank you guys yeah thanks for being here