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News Nuggets, 09.05.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Holtz discusses loss to Navy, challenge at UAB

East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media on Monday prior to Saturday's 7:00 p.m. game with UAB at Legion Field in Birmingham, AL. Below is the text of selected comments from Holtz, provided by the university's athletic media relations department.

[Click this link to go to Bonesville.net's "Bonesville Bytes" audio page to replay in its entirety the archive of Coach Skip Holtz' Monday press luncheon.]

HOLTZ ON NAVY

"After watching the film against Navy, it's really frustrating to lose a game like this. I think these players have worked so hard and put their heart and soul out there on the field. It wasn't a lack of effort that put us at 0-1 at this point. Navy did a nice job or running the football with the scheme of what they do. They have a lot of movement, quickness and athleticism on their front seven that caused a lot of disruption on both sides of the ball."

ON THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF A SEASON OPENER

"I was pleased with what normally happens during a first game. Kicking blunders, having long kick-off returns for touchdowns, poor operation on your field goals, turnovers on offense are some things that occur for teams during their opening game, but I was pleased with how we handled the ball."

ON THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE LINES

"The front seven on defense and offensive line is where we have our most inexperience. The same thing that we were concerned about during camp is what hurt us on the field. The offensive line, with three new starters up front and the youth on our defensive front played cautious, hesitant and like they hadn't played before. When you play an offense that is attacking and aggressive like Navy, it just takes a little hesitancy with the way they hit their fullback, traps and options and at that point it is too late.

"Marcus Hands did some good things and C.J Wilson really played well for his first game. Mark Robinson is really playing well for us right now as a nose guard and played a very competitive football game. Wendell Chavis stepped in and did some good things and Brandon Setzer played pretty decent before he was injured."

ON THE LINEBACKERS

"When you look at the linebacker position, you have a whole lot of guys who have never played. Quentin Cotton did a pretty nice job along with Van Eskridge, who made some big plays. There were times when you would look and be impressed with what Fred Wilson and Jared Wiggins did. There were so many positive things such as how Van Eskridge was running to the ball. At the same time, on the very next play they would go the wrong way. We played very inconsistent like a lot of inexperienced players do."

ON THE SKILL POSITIONS

"When you look at the wide receivers, running backs and James Pinkney, I was very pleased with how they performed on the offensive side of the ball. I thought James had a great day. He would like to have four or five passes back that he threw, but at the end of the day he completed 69% of his passes and threw for 283 yards. I thought he played very well in the game.

"The secondary played good as well. It wasn't a coverage game for them, but more of a run support kind of game. I thought the seniors and the experience on this football team played pretty well and that's what makes this so frustrating right now because half of your team is very senior laden and experienced. Then when you go to your front seven, you are starting five freshman or sophomores. Football is won on the offensive and defensive line."

ON INJURIES

"Pierre Belle is still unknown for this week. He has a lack of strength right now in his shoulder and we'll evaluate that as we go. Brandon Setzer will be out a minimum of two and a maximum of four weeks with where he is now with an injury to his knee. Drew Sutton, who is a senior center, was hurt during camp and he is expected back by the end of the week. Norman Whitley has been out of practice for a week and will have to undergo shoulder surgery sometime next week."

ON UAB

"Everyone keeps talking about how they lost their quarterback in Hackney and how it will be a different team with the lack of his explosiveness as an offensive weapon.

They just played at Oklahoma and lost 24-17. It wasn't a fluke. They are starting 17 seniors on this football team. Hackney may be gone but everyone else is back. The strength of their football team is not only their experience but their defense. They held Oklahoma to 14 first downs, 140 yards rushing and 230 yards in passing. Oklahoma had a screen play that went for 70 yards after he broke about four tackles. If you take that one play out of there, they held Oklahoma to 300 yards on the day. They created four turnovers, had two great interceptions and they forced two fumbles.

"Defensively they are aggressive and get after you. Oklahoma was 3-for-11 on third down conversions. UAB is very big and physical team.

"On the offensive side of the ball they have changed everything. Now that they have a new quarterback they run much more option. They are spreading the field, running the quarterback, changing their formations and running out different personnel groups.

They averaged 5.5 yards per play against Oklahoma. They do a great job of protecting the ball. I don't believe they had a turnover in their opening game. They held the ball for 35 minutes.

ON CONFERENCE USA PLAY EARLY

"I wish we had three or four non-conference games before we had to get into the conference race but this is the way the schedule is slated. A lot of these young and inexperienced players on the insides, closest to the ball, are going to have to grow up in a hurry. This is going to be a heck of a challenge against UAB."

UAB pleased with performance versus Sooners

The UAB football team met with members of the media at their weekly luncheon at Bartow Arena on Monday. Coach Watson Brown and his players said they were pleased with their performance against No. 5 Oklahoma this past week and have now shifted gears and are looking ahead to this Saturday's home and Conference USA opener against East Carolina at 7 p.m. at Legion Field.

UAB is coming off a 24-17 defeat at Oklahoma, while ECU fell to Navy, 28-23, this past week. The Blazers are 10-5 in home openers since the program, then at the Division III level, started competing in 1991. As a Division I member, the Blazers are 9-1 in their first home game of the season after they topped Jacksonville State, 35-28, in the Legion Field opener last season.

The following comments from Coach Brown and selected UAB players were provided on the UAB athletic website:

COACH WATSON BROWN

On the positive things he saw from his team at Oklahoma:

"I think defensively, we played very hard, very tough and very physical. I was proud of our defense. Offensively, I thought we played really well. We did what we needed to do in the game. We had the ball 36 minutes to Oklahoma's 24 minutes. Their offense only had 53 plays and that was good."

On some of the corrections the Blazers are going to work on:

"We've got to get our penalties corrected on offense and some mistakes corrected on defense. We didn't cover well on our kicking and punt team. We were there, we just didn't tackle well. We were out of our lanes. I think there is a lot of things that we can take from this and get better."

On the upcoming game versus East Carolina:

"This is a big week for us. It is our first conference game. We have a chance to get a leg up. After this week, we don't have another conference game for four weeks. We are going to go lay it on the line and give it our best shot. East Carolina is a very good team. It will be a toss-up game. The one that plays the best will win the game. We are looking forward to it."

DAVID SIGLER, JUNIOR FULLBACK

On switching from tight end to fullback:

"I had just learned all the tight end stuff and then they moved me to fullback and it's a whole different mindset, but coach said it would be best for the team if I moved to fullback so I just accepted my role."

On first time playing against another team:

"I hit my guys during the spring and in the fall, but they (Oklahoma) were big and hit hard, but I still got them down.

On his role at fullback:

"I definitely blocked, so that is a fact. I did catch one ball that was a little flat route. I'm hoping he (coach) gives me some runs but I'm just going to do what coach wants me to do."

ORLANDUS KING, SENIOR LINEBACKER

Evaluation of first game:

"I did ok but we had a lot of mistakes that we need to correct this week. We know we can be a real good defense."

On key mistakes against the Sooners:

"With Adriane Peterson in the backfield, you know all eyes are on him. They snuck in with the tight end pass on the first touchdown because everyone was locked in on Peterson."

On whether Adrian Peterson was as good as advertised:

"Yes. Everything you see on TV is true. I believe that now. Going in to the game I was thinking that we play a lot of good tailbacks, but he was the best."

On the mental toughness of the team:

"Winning is our motivation. We haven't won since UTEP last year. We just focus on winning, everybody on this team wants to win."

On playing ECU:

"We just watched film on them this morning and we saw a lot of quick screen passes to the receivers. The quarterback, he's good. If we can get a pass rush on him, and we have a great defensive line, then that's going to help us a lot. They like to go four wide and trips a lot so we will have to play fast because they have a really good receiver."

SAM HUNT, JUNIOR QUARTERBACK

On playing first game:

"I knew I was going to get to play and I wanted to play well. Once I got in there and started moving the ball I just had winning on my mind."

On waking up Sunday morning:

"I was definitely sore. They (Oklahoma) were big and strong and hit hard but I'm healed up now and ready to roll this week."

On what the team learned from its first game:

"I think we knew were a good team going in, no matter what the rest of the country thought, we knew we could win the game. I think that game just added to the confidence that we already had."

On new play clock rules:

"During the game I didn't really realize it. I noticed it when I was watching some games before we played. During the game it didn't seem to go any faster.

On first home and C-USA game against ECU this Saturday:

"I think we definitely need to win this game. We can build off this past week because we played well but it's hard to build off a loss. We could really get the momentum going with a win against East Carolina."

Louisville's Bush has surgery for broken leg

Louisville running back Michael Bush underwent successful surgery to repair two broken bones in the lower portion of his right leg Monday morning, according to a Louisville Courier-Journal report.

Dr. Raymond Shea, one of three doctors who attended to Bush, said the one-hour procedure at Jewish Hospital included the insertion of a titanium rod in Bush’s tibia, a bone that runs on the inside of the leg from the knee to the ankle.

Shea said Bush suffered fractures to his fibula and tibia “above his right ankle, about to the top of where you pull your socks up.” Shea said the rod and two screws were placed in Bush’s leg by Dr. Arthur Malkani, with assistance from Dr. Edward Tillett and Shea.

“It’s a season-ending injury, but not a career-ending injury,” Shea said. “(Former U of L football coach) Howard Schnellenberger once said this is a lot better than a knee injury and in a lot of ways, I guess it is.”

Bush suffered the injury on his second carry of the second half in Louisville’s 59-28 victory over Kentucky in the Cards’ season opener at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Sunday night. Bush ran for three touchdowns and 128 yards.

Bush, a senior, has the option of making this his red-shirt season and returning to U of L for the 2007 season, or he can enter the NFL draft.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:51 PM