Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Kill Previews Western Illinois Game
09/24/2001 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 24, 2001
CARBONDALE, Ill. -
Western Illinois Preview: "Western is Western. They have a good football team. Don't let the score against Youngstown fool you. They are still very good, very athletic. They'll hit you in the mouth, they are very, very physical football team. They ran into Youngstown, who really looked good. Youngstown's quarterback looks like he may be special. He had a good game, and they played well and executed. I think Western was a little like us, they have only played one game. I don't think they were as sharp as Youngstown was. They are still very athletic, still have a lot of weapons, and they are still Western Illinois.
Current state of the Salukis: "I think we are getting great effort from our players, no question, but we are not playing very smart. We have a lot to learn on how to play football in our program right now, a lot of teaching to take care of to be a good football team."
Examples: "Everybody's asking, 'coach, why do we lose all these close ballgames ?' Well, it is pretty easy to see why that happens when you look over the video. We made some foolish mistakes. When you kick off, you have to kick it between the hash mark and the boundary. You can't get it in the middle of the field. When you return a kick, you can't take it out eight yards out of the endzone. When you are on offense, and you have a job to do, and we throw the screen pass and you are the guy who has got to run out there and be the decoy guy, you have to run out there as fast as you can so that guy doesn't come back in and make the play. Just general simple things. They catch up to you. Now if I can find 15 plays apiece, offensively, defensively and in the kicking game that is way too many. Our football team has a lot to learn fundamentally, it's been that way from day one."
"My old boss told me one thing a long time ago, and I can't sum it up any better: "Misalignments and missed assignments will beat you long before mismatches.''
"If I am disappointed about anything, it's thatwe didn't play very smart. Great effort is what kept us in the game. The positive thing is all of that can be corrected. It's not their fault. It's my fault, I am the teacher."
QB Controversy? "We have to get better in every area, there is no question about that, and we have to make less errors at quarterback. Both of them do (Kobe and Williams), to be honest with you, after watching the film. I will know a little bit more at the end of the week. We have to get better in all areas, and as you know, quarterback is the engine of the machine.''
Discipline: "I take great pride in discipline, and I don't think we are very disciplined right now, and it bothers me. If we go out there against Western Illinois, and line up, and they are just man-to-man better than us, and beat us because they are better, I can live with that. But when we are not a disciplined ball club, and we are making mental mistakes, I can't sleep at night. Thatis the thing we have to work on. It takes time, that is the only way I can answer that.
Did you think you were going to win on Saturday? "You bet your butt, because that is what I am used to, you bet. When Bart Scott got that sack, there wasn't a doubt in my mind. People after the game said to me, "ah coach, it's the same old, same old thing'', well it isn't the same old thing for me. You know as well as I do (on the sidelines) that there may have been some doubt because of the past here. What I'm going to tell them is 'Forget the damn past. We are in the future, worry about things you can control'.
"We shouldn't have been in that situation, though. It goes back to discipline, doing the same things over and over, and doing it right. We have to create good habits and that only happens over a period of time. You control your luck, if you play hard and are disciplined you can have some good luck.''
On Murray State's last TD pass. "The game didn't come down to that play. It came down to losing ground on that third down, the game could have been over there, or not scoring when we were on the two yard line. I could go on and on."
