Florida Atlantic coach Tom Herman breaks down 16-10 loss to Michigan State

proud of the way we fought the physicality that we played with the togetherness uh but but I told the team there there's no moral victories um I I thought we had I thought we had come farther uh from an execution standpoint um I I really thought that the phys ality togetherness intensity uh that we saw tonight would would manifest itself in in some better execution some smarter play uh so I I got to figure out you know this is I I I've got to say you know once is an anomaly twice is a coincidence three times is a pattern and um to be in this many once four game uh I get some really quality opponents tells me we're on the right track uh we we're so close to getting over that hill we as a staff myself as a head coach we we just got to figure out um the right buttons to press because we're we're the margin for error is so slim when you you're playing teams like that in environments like that and um we played good enough defense uh sa for one play to win the game you know but that one play counts and that's what I told the team like if you get away you know you can play 75 plays perfectly perfectly and that one play you decide to go 90% or you decide to have a mental brain fart that could be the play that goes 67 yards and so we've just got we're soose close we've got to close that that really really small Gap um here very quickly and I think we will I I really do I think um playing to our level of competition uh I I should say this we we need to we're not going to beat um many American Conference teams you know 50 yard penalties on on special teams 67 yd run on touch two turnovers on offense can't convert fourth down so um give Michigan State a ton of credit I got a lot of respect thank you for Coach Smith and and what he's building here they got some really really good players um but I I felt like that was a winnable game for us and I was hoping we were a little bit farther uh than we were but we got a week to to get better and get excited for our first conference game on next Saturday questions [Music] uh coach when the offense was struggling there in the beginning part of the game what were the conversations with Cam and Charlie like to try to get the offense going I just relax you know that was about it and then when uh it looked like on that last play of the game it looked like high Stars was about to come in the game and then cam waved him off what was going on with that situation he had uh he had got he had hurt his hand on the third round play um believe we right or yeah so we called time out and Coach fry was over there talking to the offense talking to cam and his right hand wouldn't stop shaking and said it got hurt he wasn't sure how or what play so uh we were going to put Tyreek in and then cam you know in those 30 seconds 60 seconds said I I think I I I can go and uh so we x-rayed after uh preliminarily uh those were negative so um and other injuries we we came out pretty pretty good some bumps and bruises here and there what was the explanation that you got from the officials on that fourth down play where it was you know a call of targeting then it was not a call of targeting it a late hit and then you know how did how was that explain to you well to the guys on the field um he made the right call uh so how that gets overturned um with clear video evidence that that wasn't targeting I I haven't seen the replay um we were knee deep in a lot of stuff was going on um so as they do they review every targeting and somebody in New York or Dallas or wherever they do these things said that that wasn't targeting um but that it was a late hit but a late hit by definition occurs after the play is dead and the play Then was dead prior to him gaining making the line the game um so how that wasn't targeting I'm a little confused um you know we we earlier I I I thought you know when we had I was under the assumption when we had him jump off sides we drew off sides and we threw a go ball to one of our white outs early in the game and their Corner ran right through our guy on their sideline and no flag so you I I told our guys hey it's prison rlls right apparently when they jump when you jump off sides you can do whatever you want and then our guys get called for it so I I I screwed them up on that I guess I when I saw that happen I was like okay guys all bets are off we're not calling piis on on uh offside so I I that was my fault Philips uh interception you know they they're going in to make it you know whatever 23 and that really gives you a chance to win the huge not just that but um you know could have gone up by even more right they were up by 13 right uh I would have put them up by 16 right which the way were playing offensively would have seemed pretty insurmountable at the time time or whatever it was even a field goal there would have would have helped them out tremendously so uh for Philip to make that play it was I think it goes to trust in your training you know Philip did exactly what he was coached to do and usually when you do that with really bad intentions on defense and um attention to detail to the way that you're coached really good things happened and it it was awesome we needed it passing game got going in the second half was there any ice to can and the offens besides just relax there no I I I thought they responded you know obviously the defense keeping us in the game and and allowing us um to cuz they knew you know the offense we weren't getting pushed around um we weren't getting out you know um they weren't playing with more intensity than us and that's that's a good team I'm not saying they weren't playing with intensity but it wasn't more than us we weren't getting put pushed around and so I think at halftime they kind of realized that a little bit and went out and did their job uh with a little bit more consistency which was good to see but give me the way they played most of the third or the second half certainly compared to the first half gave me a lot of hope you know going into the next week too coach you talked earlier in the week about the respect you had for the atmosphere here at Michigan State how did you think your players all handle that tonight yeah how about that for uh one quote of a paragraph long uh thing about the the architecture of stadiums and how stadiums that are built straight up are louder than stadiums that go straight out that was that was a weird one to me but um it was awesome I I love um I did have some really good memories uh from from this place and uh I I have them today too you know when uh or they were playing Journey there you know in between the third and fourth quarter I I made sure to go grab Cam and I said look around dude look around you got 70,000 people nervous as all get out cuz you're six points going into the fourth quarter away from winning this game thing and it it was it was pretty cool and to Michigan State the fans that that's how you that's how you put on a game a Friday night game on Big 10 Network that that was that was a show that was really good hey coach I saw cam working on roll outs pregame and I saw it implemented throughout the game was that something that you uh had game planned against the Michigan State uh defense there I don't know that it was so much Michigan State's defense I I think there's matchup issues up front you know and so for us to throw the football what you need to do uh to have a chance to win we knew some of those are going to you know we couldn't just sit back there in the middle of the pockets for you know 30 40 times a game uh we're not good the matchups were not uh conducive to do that and and you know we've learned and and having cam in our program for for nine months that it's pretty good when he's on the move and obviously with with his legs you know they cover everybody he's a he's a threat to to go make some yards coach going into next week what what offensively are you looking to try to do to get this off point where put up points consistently well ask me in my press conference uh on you know I I think it's just consistency and and my immediate reaction when I I think about consistency is we got to do more all we got to do less scheme more let's get really good at a few things let's be a let's not be a jack of all trades master of none let's let's Master some things now now we know too I think that's the thing too you you get Cameron fer for 9 months and he's in a black Jersey non- contct for those nine months you really don't have a true understanding of what he can do you know running the football and and uh as a threat there so I think we found some things out uh tonight but when it comes to consistency hav't done this for a long time time just let's go do a few things and go do them really really good C going back to the defense um when it comes to their preparation and how you guys prepared for this week what goes into that and then beyond that how do you want to have that translate into the coming weeks and months as the season progresses well it it was really unique um again because of the the change in staff the roster turnover you got to starting quarterback and knew this and knew that so um you really at that point you kind of defensively I know we we kind of just studied Oregon State's scheme you know and and tried to match it with you know studied the plays that uh Charles played when he was at Oregon State and kind of what they felt comfortable with you know we we watched the spring game on television you know tried to blean whatever we could from that so uh it it was C in preparation for sure but um haven't had a whole offseason to prepare for Army and you know and they've got a new offensive coordinator I know they kind of straight away from the triple option but we've heard they're they're kind of going back so it it'll be good to to see what they do against Lehi because or Lafayette Lafayette sorry what a great rivalry that is though too huh the Patriot League Lafayette Le lehan have have you have you read uh John Feinstein John if I'm pronouncing that right he he wrote the book on the Army Navy game he also uh wrote a book I believe it's called the last amateurs and it's about the Patriot league and the Lehi Lafayette um it's a really good book if you're if you're uh reading nerd but um I don't know how we got on that topic Army's playing yeah Army yeah it'll be another unique um preparation but because of that triple option you know I've learned you know when I was at Houston in this conference and we had to play Navy every year you got to work on that in Spring ball you got to work on that in training camp you got to work on that all the time so I I think your question was more directed at uh Michigan State and and kind of their offense I think um I think they got something special with that quarterback you know and um coach Smith is a heck of a coach they they've got great resources and support obviously uh from the fans so uh I I was I was impressed uh with the potential uh especially with that young man at quarterback that's one so kazir Brown is a new transfer that you know just arrived this year from uh University of Maine uh he first game of the year he makes a lot of great plays that acrobatic interception he also made a great defensive play uh towards the end of the game as well what have you been your thoughts on kazir so far this season uh working with you yeah he it it's you don't find a a corner uh with his physical attributes very often either you know he's a big dude he's a long guy uh and he's physical you know and I think coach Harris and Coach Rock have done a good job you know he he's not going to go out and run 4-3 um but they they play to his strengths which are his physicality uh and his knack for the football too and I sure am glad we got him that was a position of con flux for us last year and and to have uh him show up and and have and again I'm sure there's a lot of things he's got to work on but it definitely felt him tonight um on that defense thank you all right thank you nice coach