9/2/2003 - Football
Transcript Of Paul Johnson's Press Conference

Transcript of Head Coach Paul Johnson's Press Conference

Tuesday, September 2 (press conference was held after Monday's practice)

Q. Can you talk about gaining some confidence by winning two straight games? Do you see some evidence of that and do you think it will carry over to this week?

A. I don?t know about gaining confidence. I mean we won the opening game last year and came back and didn?t play very well the next game (a 65-19 loss to N.C. State). I think our guys have confidence. I don?t think that?s the trouble. We just go through mental lapses.

Q. Anything else you saw on film Sunday that was interesting or intriguing that you didn?t notice during the game?

A. No, not really. It was about what I thought. We made a lot of mistakes. We had some guys fly around and play hard. We made some plays and we made some mistakes. As the compeition increases we won?t be able to make those same mistakes and be successful. We have to try and clean that up.

Q. After taking a closer look at the tape what was your assessment of some of the freshmen?

A. Some of them have to play. I thought they acquitted themselves pretty well. The neat thing about freshmen when they play is that if you don?t notice them they probably did OK. Jason Tomlinson played well. He had some catches. David Mahoney did some nice things. Keenan Little did some things. He didn?t have any stats, but you didn?t notice him so at least he did what he was supposed to do.

Q. Were those the three that primarily played?

A. No, we had a lot that played. I would have to look at the list and see. Trey Hines played, he had a couple of carries. Tidwell played on special teams, Newsome played, Brian Hampton played, and Hobby kicked one kick.

Q. Did you consider using Hobby on the last field goal attempt after Blumenfeld missed one?

A. No. The extra-point he missed was a bad snap and hold. You really can?t blame him for that and you aren?t going to make every 42-yard field goal. At least he came back and made the next one, which helps in my mind.

Q. How about Hampton?

A. I thought he did some good things. We are going to take a real good look at him returning punts this week. We have to evaluate that position really hard.

Q. You haven?t decided what you?re going to do there yet?

A. We?re going to continue to work and see what happens this week. We have to have some guys that can catch the ball and take care of it. It doesn?t matter how you return it or what you do with it if you don?t hold on to it or catch it.

Q. Do you think Wesley looks like he wants to return punts? It really didn?t look like it.

A. Boy, he wants to really bad. He doesn?t look like it though, does he?

Q. His body language looked a little like he was unsure.

A. I think he wants to do it. He?s spent a lot of time watching tape and he?s worked on it. There?s no question he wants to do it.

Q. Do you feel like Eckel solidified his position at the top of the depth chart at fullback?

A. I think Kyle played well. Certainly if you were going to compare the two he probably played a little bit better than Bronston did. We held Michael Brimage out because he wasn?t 100 percent healthy so we?ll see. Kyle will probably start this week. I think he?s earned that. But we?ll see, one game doesn?t make a season. I was encouraged by Kyle?s performance. He showed a little better vision, ran the ball hard and took care of the ball.

Q. What are your thoughts on TCU?

A. This might be the best football team we?ve played since I?ve been here. I would put them on par with N.C. State from a year ago.

Q. What is it about TCU that makes them so good?

A. They can run man. They have some guys that can really motor. They?ve led the nation in defense the last two years.

Q. That?s their calling card isn?t it?

A. Pretty much. They can really run. It will be a big challenge for us.

Q. How about your connection with Patterson?

A. Gary and I coached together for one year. I have a lot of respect for him. He?s done a good job. He?s a good coach. Prior to ?95 we really didn?t know each other. We stay in touch and talk occasionally. He?s done a nice job at TCU.

Q. In the year you spent with him did you envision him being a head coach sometime down the road?

A. Gary?s a workaholic. He?s a guy that works. First guy in, last guy to leave. There?s no question that football is number one with him.

Q. How about on the offensive side of the ball. They have a couple of mammoth athletes on the left side of the line.

A. Yeah, they have some big guys and they run pretty well over there. It will be a challenge all the way around. It?s exciting. Hopefully we can get up to speed. We will have to play better than we did last week to have a chance.

Q. Why not get the whole team together tonight and watch the game (TCU-Tulane) as a group?

A. Because we are at the United States Naval Academy and they have classes and they have things that they have to do. It?s not fair to those kids who have to study to tell them they have to watch a football game at 8 p.m. I?m sure the guys who can watch it will watch it.

Q. Don?t you think at another school they would get together as a team and watch the next opponent?

A. Oh yeah, but we aren?t at another school.

Q. Do you think there?s any advantage that they are going to have a short week to prepare?

A. I hope there is (laughter). I hope there?s an advantage, but we?ll just have to see. Clearly they weren?t that worried about it or they wouldn?t have scheduled it that way (playing Monday-Saturday).

Q. Is this one of those deals where if you lay the ball on the ground once or twice in a row this game could be a train wreck?

A. It will get ugly. That?s right. We have to go in there and play up to our capabilities, have a good plan and try to execute it. We have to hang around. Who knows, you hang around long enough who knows what might happen. It?s not rocket science. The best way to win is don?t beat your self. Last year we go out in the second game (N.C. State) and took ourselves out of the game the first five minutes. We had no chance. We self-destructed. You can?t do that against good football teams. In the Notre Dame game we hung in there and had a chance. That?s the kind of effort you?re going to have to have. You are going to have to be smart and play really hard.