Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Coach Lennon football press conference transcript
11/03/2014 | 12:00:00 | Football
OPENING STATEMENT
"I think it's been a good off week for us. We got some issues addressed, and we're ready to move on. We've got a big challenge this upcoming week. Missouri State is a team that has been in some very close games, very competitive games. They're a very good football team. Unfortunately, we have something in common with them: We're both going through a tough stretch. You're going to see both teams putting everything they have in this game, and it's going to be a very competitive game. Then you add on the fact that this has turned into somewhat of a rivalry-type game between the two schools. There's a history there so you've got the makings of a great college football game."
"Have you decided on a starter this week at quarterback yet?"
"We're going to go with Ryan West because right now his skill set is what we need. We want to be able to do a few things offensively that suit Ryan very well. Mark Iannotti is going to be available, but we're fortunate that Ryan has some starting experience. This isn't his first game, so he knows what to expect; he knows how to prepare, so that's the direction we're going."
"You mentioned his skill set and what you want to do offensively, can you elaborate on that?"
"I'm not going to elaborate too much, but those are just things that you do strategically offensively and defensively, trying to give your offense the best chance for success, moving the football, maintaining drives, taking care of the football. That's another thing that's going to be a strong point of emphasis is right now we've been working on the negative of the turnover margin. That's something else that we need to change for us to be successful. We need to do a little better in that turnover category."
"How is Kijana Evans been progressing? Will he play?"
"Kijana should be good. This past week we did get a few guys healthy. We did practice last night which is something that normally we don't do, but just because of the off week we gave them Friday and Saturday off. We were able to bring them back and gave them today off for their NCAA day off. Kijana looked pretty good moving around. We're hoping to get Billy Reed back also. He's a guy who was playing really well for us up until his injury. He'll be a good addition for us getting back in the lineup."
"You don't expect to have (Malcolm) Agnew available this weekend?"
"Malcolm will travel with us. I'm hoping that he continues to progress as well as he has. I think that's been very encouraging, but the doctors still have him in a boot, so they want to make sure that we're smart in the rehab. He has one chance to get this right. We have to make sure that we don't bring him back too soon."
"I imagine Tay Willis will practice at running back?"
"As long as Malcolm is in the boot, Tay will get reps at both receiver and running back."
"When you look at the film, what do you think has to get better about your running game?"
"It's a combination. Number one, you have to give Malcolm Agnew some credit. He's pretty good. When he's in the backfield I think our confidence is a little better. That's the biggest thing we have to improve on right now, is our confidence in running the football. I do think the health of our offensive line should help us. This is probably as healthy of an offensive line as we've had. Jake Notario is another one who I think is feeling a lot better. Tanner Crum is feeling pretty good. Ethan Wirth is back, so now we kind of have our offensive line back in place, so hopefully that adds to the confidence."
"What do you think has to change with your run defense?"
"Versus the run, that's probably the statistic that we're not doing terrible at. Against North Dakota State, that's going to ruin your statistics there. We didn't have a good day against Indiana State. What we need to do is just is work on our third down conversions. Get off the field. Get our offense time of possession. All those things will help most of your defensive stats."
"How much do you think the off week helped your guys' confidence?"
"As much as anything it's a mental break. This game is very demanding. The week-to-week grind, the preparation that goes into it can be very challenging, especially when you've hit a couple bumps along the road. This gives us a chance to re-energize more than anything else. I think last night was very good practice for us. I think our guys had and edge about them that was genuine. They're anxious to get back in the mix and get after this. I'm hoping that carries through the week."
"(Missouri State) has been very good at capitalizing on turnovers. What stands out to you about their defense?"
"Their defense is very similar to ours. It's a 3-4, in fact we probably have the same origin with that defensive concept. A lot of times when I'm getting ready for other teams, I kind of like to know that Missouri State has played them, because I'll spend a lot of time watching that film. They're just very aggressive. They take advantage of opportunities, and they don't make a lot of mistakes. They're going to make you earn everything you get defensively, and they have some pretty good players that are capable of doing that."
"Their quarterback had a big day running the ball against you last year. How much has he developed as a passer this year?"
"He's a year more experienced. He has some good receivers. (Julian) Burton especially had big numbers against us last year. He's their go-to guy, and he's healthy. Last year, he was just coming back off an injury when they played us. Then with (Kierra) Harris being the dual threat, a lot of times he's making his plays by using his feet. He gets moving around in the backfield, a lot of times that's when he's buying time to find his receivers. I think he has more confidence in his throwing ability now, and I think you're seeing him make a few more plays through passing. They're a little more of a run-first type team, but you look at their touchdown production, it's almost 2-to-1 through the air, so they've been making some big plays throwing the football."
"Do you have one feature back, or is it by committee this week?"
"We're the same status we were two weeks ago. Malcolm Agnew's not back, so you've got to find a combination to get the run game going. We have to have all the running backs ready to go. If we get something that's working, we're going to go with it, but we have to find what works."
"How does Missouri State utilize their two running backs?"
"(Calan) Crowder is just a freshman, but he's pretty impressive. He's a little more of a power back. (Phoenix) Johnson has some speed, he can get you on the perimeter. So they have a nice combination. They just work the two pretty well together, and that's been effective for them."
"Does Harris have a lot of planned runs?"
"The zone read concepts, the give-keep decisions that the quarterbacks make, kind of your option football, that's definitely a part of it. He'll also do the planned quarterback runs. Some people would put that in the Wildcat category where he's just going to snap it and be the running back. He's that type of quarterback."
"How do you get MyCole Pruitt involved in the offense this week?"
"I think you look at what you did against Indiana State, we had him all over the field. That's still part of the plan, to use his talents, look for matchups, and try to find ways to get him the ball."
