Head Coach Greg Robinson Press Conference Transcript (Oct. 14, 2008)

[Sunil]

It's game week..so didn't think this had to go on the BE board....

Head Coach Greg Robinson Press Conference Transcript (Oct. 14, 2008)

Opening Comments

“We're getting ready for South Florida and we're hard at work. We're looking forward to to going on the road against a top 20 team, a team that's been as highly ranked as 10th. It's really a great challenge for our team and I think the team is looking forward to going down there and seeing what they can get done against South Florida.â€

How much more important is this game after the way the team has played and shown signs of improvement in the previous two games?

“I know this, just seeing where the team was on Sunday, I think they really look forward to going on and taking the next step. The challenge is, are we going to be the same that was on film last Saturday or are we going to be a different team. That's what we'll find out this week. From every indication that I get, I think our team is really looking forward to getting to work today and getting themselves prepared to go down there and put out a great effort against South Florida and beat them.â€

Which USF team do you expect to show up on Saturday? The team that beat Kansas or the team that lost to Pittsburgh?

“I think that's unfair to Pitt because I think that Pitt played very well. Offensively, they controlled the ball. The punt block was really the only one negative in their game. I think they looked really good, they controlled the ball and they ran 82 plays. On defense, they frustrated South Florida. In the Kansas game, I give USF credit because Kansas was taking it to them for a period of time. I thought they adapted to some things Kansas was doing and I thought they responded well late in the game. At that time, Kansas was a good football team.â€

You've been right there in the last two BIG EAST games … Can you pinpoint anything that was missing in those two games?

“In the Pitt game, I've mentioned it, we had things going in our direction. We had the lead late in the third quarter and I thought we missed opportunities on offense and on defense to put Pitt behind the eight-ball. We knew going into the game at West Virginia we had to score touchdowns. In our mind, we weren't going to beat West Virginia kicking field goals. But I thought, with four minutes in the game, we were in position to win that football game. Some of it, we can blame ourselves for, and for the other part, we can give WVU credit for. That's the way it is. That's a good football team, as is Pitt. We didn't win either one of those, but at the same time, we were a better team when we stepped on the field with Pitt than we were the week before that and we were a better team against West Virginia than I think we were against Pittsburgh. The question is, ‘Are we going to be a better team when we step onto that field against versus South Florida than we were against West Virginia.’â€

Looking at (USF quarterback) Matt Groethe – Does the way he ad-libs on the field add a different element? How disciplined does the pass rush have to be against a quarterback like him?

“I think there's a fine line in there. This guy can throw the heck out of the football. We're going to have to disrupt him. He's going to get out sometimes. You've got to be careful not to overreact to that. He is a creator at making plays. I've seen Flutie and a bunch of those types and he has that knack about him. If you worry so much about containing him, you let him sit in that pocket and this guy can eat you up. It's a fine line.â€

As the team continues to improve, is there a reason you haven't seen any improvement in the fourth quarter as you are in the other three quarters?

“The fourth quarter was outstanding the other day. It came down to one play on defense in the fourth quarter. On offense, we were pounding that ball down their throat. Unfortunately, when we got down there on that eight or nine-yard line, we stalled. Quite frankly, I was very pleased with what was going on there in the fourth quarter.  It was different. We looked like we were in command and that's a step in the right direction. And it was on the road. We just didn't win the football game. We didn't finish it off right. The bottom line is, we looked like we were doing all we could to win that football game.â€

What do you take away from last year's game against USF?

“I give them credit and we played very poorly in every way. I look at that game and say that better not be us this week.  That was as much us as it was them, in my opinion.â€

Looking at some of the opponents you've faced, number three-ranked Penn State, West Virginia and Pittsburgh (who just defeated 20th-ranked South Florida), does that give you a sense of confidence heading into a game against a top 20 team?

“I think it does. Somebody asked me last week, 'Is the West Virginia offensive line the best offensive line in the country?' I kind of turned my head. Now, they're a good line, but we've already played Penn State. Quite frankly, Penn State might have the best offensive line in the country. I didn't want to take anything away from West Virginia. I think all those things are part of it and part of the growth in our team.â€

How would you evaluate (quarterback) Cam (Dantley) through his five starts this season?

“I think if you went back to Cam in the game the other day, the interception, he shouldn't have thrown that pass. I really believe that. He'd be the first to tell that. In the two minute drill, Cam could've helped himself a little bit with some of the pressure that was coming. He had done a good job up until that point. Other than that, I think he did a lot of good things in the game. When you really look at it, some of it was field position that we had to, as I like to call it, 'blast out' of being backed up and we did a good job of it. We overcame penalties in an early drive and Cam made some excellent throws. This was an environment, as those of you who were there know, that was a tough environment for a period of time. It kind of changed as the game went on. I think he's doing well. Can he get better? I know he's going to get better.â€

Does Cam (Dantley) have orders not to scramble?

“No, he does not. I think he probably could've run on the interception pass. It's really easy to second guess him. Cam (Dantley) thinks he can get that ball in there. As he looks at it now, I think he sees it differently.â€

In regard to how well some of the newer defensive personnel played last week, are you going to stick with them against South Florida?

“That’s really a strategy question that I stay away from. We're going to play whoever we need to play to be the best against South Florida and that's really the approach that we have built.â€

How is it that USF is so good at forcing turnovers year after year?

“They are a good defense. They're fast, they get around the field and that lends itself to creating turnovers. I suspect that they emphasize it. Their head coach (Jim Leavitt) is a defensive guy that believes in those sorts of things.â€

Your team has not forced that many turnovers this season and did not have any against West Virginia. What is happening there?

“We were working on them (against West Virginia). We were trying to get that ball out. I liked the tackling and I liked everything else that was going on. We were limiting their plays. They (turnovers) come and when they do, they come in bunches. We'll get our turnovers. I wish that we could've gotten a couple in that game, but I think they were pretty secure with the football. Jock Sanders and (Noel) Devine, they're powerful and have smaller body types, and they do secure the ball well. I saw a couple times where we were trying to strip it out, but we really weren't able to get them.â€

You almost had that one turnover with (Jared) Kimmel?

“Yes, we almost got on that ball right there on the sack. That's just good fortune on their part and misfortune on ours because we put ourselves in position on that play.â€

Would you say a few words about (Patrick) Shadle and his sense of reliability on the football field?

“Patrick Shadle came in his freshman year and really did not living up to his own expectations and John Barker beat him out, and then he came back his sophomore year and had a very fine year. Then, he returned with a lot of attention from his a sophomore season and did not have a good year last year. He really had to what I would term 'grow up'. He's grown up in so many ways. I think his teammates are so happy for him because of what he's accomplishing. He's a very good kicker right now and it really is because of his hard work. He got himself into great condition. I love to talk to him about kicking because he's a scientist in regard to it. He has really studied the game and if he ever wanted to be a coach, he would be an excellent kicking coach.â€

How did Max (Suter) play in the West Virginia game?

“He did a good job. We used him last year at West Virginia so there was a lot of recall for him and what we were doing. He performed very well. He made a couple mistakes that were a little bit costly for us, but he got them corrected and once he got them corrected, the plays were minimal. That's a young player that hasn’t played a lot and as the game went on, he adapted well.â€

Any update on (running back) Delone (Carter)?

“I'll know more today. I'm reluctant to say anything now. Sunday, he went out and ran, but we didn't have full speed practice. Hopefully we'll have him back.â€