9-6-24 SMU Football Postgame Press Conference - vs BYU

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 WI 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 went down at one point yeah um yeah the jakai going down was critical because then we got the ball in the three and about about 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 uh he was able to come back jakai 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 some mental bust I thought Garen did a good job getting the right five in there to settle it down so you know we got time 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 yeah dict yeah look I mean obviously the question is fair and right um we went into the to the game with the plan of predominately playing Preston um told Kevin there was a we we planed 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 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 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 uh we still put Preston back in there and again we had a protection bust uh up front wasn't Preston's fault we take a sack we go backwards we're three and out and so you got to look at it 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 opportunities 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 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're a 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 un settled 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 we in we went down and 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 two predominant fronts they did that some on third down but um they were playing a lot of couple three or 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 and we were able to start hitting 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 of people there so it's it's the same story we've seen before and 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 have 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 and have to settle 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 and that's that's on me if you were to describe team 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 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 3835 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 uh it's frustrating because you know we had our chances with um some good field position off of 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 undisciplined penalties tonight but we had some critical um holds on either the return game or on offense you know I guess it's five to seven in the penalties but um that really really hurt us you know it's hard when you're going back Wards uh it's frustrating cuz 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 um 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 the game to what the our defense 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 I don't I don't I may not be answering your question very well because I don't totally understand the identity part 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 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 that'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 them different calls maybe that was it maybe we didn't execute on a few of them um you know we were 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 week here is there anything that kind of jumps out to you that that you guys as team players coaches have to really in on couple 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 because I think it was there tonight and I expect them to respond that way way but we're going to evaluate 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 uh 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 in one and they could have made a play and win and and they did and um so it's disappointing yeah we're going to look at the film we're going 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 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 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 set two records T 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 and yeah I mean he 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 t 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 what nine plus games you'll continue to to be pretty consistent for us for you with this and you'll have a couple more obviously would you rather have thewe and kind of regroup a little bit would you rather have another game next week just get right 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 the reason football is the best game in the world the best game in the world and anyone else can argue and that's fine everybody gets your own opinion is because it teaches you life and sometimes you give everything you got and you lose sometimes it's because you could have done something better sometimes it's because 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 um so our coach he called me on the head headphone and was just like yo just leave that in the pass because it's a whole lot of game left and that happened in the first half I think it was like the first quarter but he was just telling me just forget about it reset and just keep going so I just had that that uh that forget forget forget about it mindset and just kept going kin how you yeah it felt great out there just um go out there have fun with the boys you know I play play a football game I thought we played really hard but just the outcome just wasn't it for us but we played really hard as a full team what you see down in the red zone that you guys down there yeah my turnover down the Red Zone um I would like to you know just pull that down and run it with my feet keep it with my feet but um I just think we made too many mistakes on offense in the red zone that we could um capitalize and put some points on the board right there just the film study and the coaches harp on it throughout the throughout practice throughout the week they just they tell us uh some of the flaws they have especially with the quarterback we knew he he didn't hold the ball as well and he did a great job running today but we just had they had tendencies that we knew we could break and just the film study as well taught us what to do through those turnovers after game like this they immediately put the blame on them and he's like if you're if you're one of those guys who needs to blame somebody just just blame me like both coach Lashley coach uh coach Simons coach all the coaches they want they blame themselves but as a as a whole as a player and as a like a captain of the team like I we have to take a look at ourselves and just realize like these coaches aren't out there playing like and they may put us in bad situations as well but we have to be out there and make those plays and football football's a game of inches so we know we know we have to make plays we know not everything's going to go perfect got a record set Sor yeah like he said our coach like as soon as we walked in coach last year put the blame on himself but it's not on him it's on a it's on on the team so feel like we could have made more plays out there you know helped them out a little bit but yeah we got a lot of season to go so we just focus on the next week coming up had aord set night tonight when on the RO like that you guys stay away from him on the sideline is there like sideline ETI I mean yeah call and balling you know get the get it inside what what he made 250 yarders today 250 plus yarders today so you know if we can get the ball inside of there we know he's automatic from right there so yeah we just have to set a reminder that this is one game and it's the early season it's the third game of the season and we ra happen now than rather later like we said that about Nevada like being in a Clos game like that was the first game of the season so just kind of remind those guys to keep their head up and that this is this is going to be a long season if we don't and we have a bye coming up so we're going to look at the tape we're going to work on what we need to work on and we're going to fix all of that and for whatever's coming next like we G to make sure we fix what we fix you know it's important for us to recoup and just you know watch film looking what we there wrong and just fix everything before we head into TCU so you know it's a big BWI for us just to recoup and look back on we what we can do better um it's a good question I mean just the ball handling down in the Red Zone I think we turned the ball over too much in the red zone that stuff that we know we shouldn't do and we can do better so I think you know just hold on to the ball don't try to make a big play and we get three points on the board so I think I could have just held the ball and you know not try to force anything yeah the corner made really good play it was covered too he kind of hung with the um glance for a little bit and he backed as soon as I threw it he backed out and jumped the wheel so he made a great play so that last dve just curious were you surprised by the crowd noise in that end you guys notic it just seemed like n no I didn't really too much notice it honestly just was out there in the moment didn't really notice it