Coach Saban's Monday Press Conference Transcript
9/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2010
Head Coach Nick Saban
Opening comments:
"I think anytime from the first game to the second game, the most important thing we're concerned about as coaches is how much can we improve our team. As fans, maybe you look at it as, "well we gained this many yards, we did this well on third down, we didn't give up that many points and we scored a lot of points," but as a coach, you look at potential areas of exposure based on things not being done correctly. Whether they were taken advantage of or not, really is not what you're concerned about.
"We were pleased with the intensity that we competed with during the game (against San Jose State). We did a great job coming out early in the game and establishing great offensive tempo. We settled down on defense, played a little better and got a lot of people to play and got a lot of experience to some young guys at very critical positions, whether its punter, kicker, in the secondary or a new guy starting at right tackle, you know them all. Now the focus needs to be on improving, making progress and seeing areas where there are issues created where you don't do things correctly. I think that's what our focus is this week.
"We had some outstanding performances. Julio (Jones) and Trent (Richardson) played great and Mark Barron on defense. Chris Jordan did a really good job on special teams, as did Cade Foster, not just in the four kicking attempts that he had, field goals or extra points, but also did a really good job kicking off and did a good job as a coverage guy on the kickoff.
"Questions may come up a little bit about Marcell Dareus. Let me just tell you where we're at on all that: I said that we would appeal, but when I say things like that we have to have precedent to appeal, precedent being some other case or some other circumstance relative to how penalties are granted. We don't' really feel like we have a good precedent. We feel like, relative to the circumstance, this was pretty fair. There were some other cases that we were looking at, but we really don't have precedent to do it (appeal the NCAA's decision). We're always going to protect our players. We're always going to go the extra mile to try to help them to benefit them. In this case, we really don't feel like there's precedent to make an appeal. That issue is really dead.
"From an injury standpoint, we talked about Courtney Upshaw in terms of his ankle. He's probably going to be out today. We're hopeful that he'll be able to practice tomorrow, even though he'll be out on the field (today). D.J. Fluker, who we didn't really feel like he had that serious of an injury after the game, had a little more swelling and a few more problems. He'll be very limited and do very little in practice today. We also feel like he should be able to practice tomorrow.
"I know you're going to ask me about Mark (Ingram) and Wesley Neighbors. Let me just say this: Both of these guys are sort of in the same boat. They're both going to start some dry-land rehab today. Every rehab and every step of the way when you come back from this has to be evaluated in 12-to-24 hours as to how you react to that. It's going to be a day-to-day basis as to whether he can take the next step and the next step and the next step. You can ask me, but I don't know if he'll be able to play in this game. It depends on how reacts every day. Nobody really knows how that's going to be. It would probably be a little bit of a stretch for everything to go perfectly, but that's where it is. That's all anybody really knows right now, so that's all anybody can say. I'm not making any predictions or any hypothetical situations or whatever. That's just the way it is.
"This is going to be a great matchup of two really prestigious programs. Penn State coming here to visit us, ESPN and GameDay and all that is going to make a great atmosphere. Our fans always contribute their part to having a great atmosphere.
"One thing when you play Joe Paterno-coached teams, which we've had some experience doing, they do a great job of executing, they don't give you much, they really kind of win on effort, toughness, execution and discipline. I don't think this team is any different. They were very impressive last week in beating Youngstown State. They have established systems on offense, defense and special teams that their players really understand and do a good job of executing.
"They have a great runner in (Evan) Royster, who has been there for several years and may end up being the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history. I think they have great size and speed at receiver - probably unique to what we're used to seeing in terms of the size of receivers that they have. You can say they have a freshman quarterback playing, but he sure didn't play like a freshman last week. He played extremely well, was very poised, is a good passer and is very athletic and accurate. Their defense is very quick. They have size and good pass rushers at defensive end, explosive, quick guys on the interior, very fast, instinctive linebackers and three out of four starters coming back in the secondary. Special teams wise, they were very impressive with a kickoff return for a touchdown last week and sort of dominated the game in special teams last week. This is a good overall, all around team that doesn't give you much and that we're certainly going to have to bring our A-game to be able to do a good job against them."
On past criticism of Joe Paterno:
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for guys like Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden who have done this for so long and been extremely consistent in the way they do it, and the product that they are able to produce year-after-year-after-year. I always had a great admiration for Joe and didn't think he should be getting criticized like he was at that time, but you see part of the reason he has functioned for so long and been so successful is they made the adjustments that they needed to make, whether it was how they recruited, the systems they played on offense or defense, they got back very quickly to being one of the dominant teams in the country. These guys are a good football team now. They have a lot of good players and won 11 games last year. They have a lot of good players back from that team that beat LSU in the bowl game, so this is a very good team."
On Trent Richardson stepping into a leadership role as the starting running back:
"Trent has always been one of the guys that is on the leadership counsel around here. It really doesn't have anything to do with being a starter. I think he is that kind of person. He has a lot of competitive character. He makes a lot of good choices and decisions about what he does. He sets a good example for other people. He's caring, he will engage and inspire with his example. He has always been a leader on our team, especially this year, regardless of whether he starts or not."
On what he has taken from coaches like Joe Paterno:
"I think the thing you take from guys like Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno is that they are good and have been good for a long time. They have also been great ambassadors for the game, and they have done what they do in a classy way. They don't talk about other people. They don't run other programs down. They just do it in a first-class way. I think that is probably the biggest thing that I have tried to emulate Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and those types of guys, is because of how they've done what they do, the kind of people that they are and the kind of character they have. I think that is important for college football. I think that is an important part of the integrity of the game."
On his evaluation of the Alabama secondary after the first game:
"We had some good things and some bad things. We had some guys that played pretty well, and we had some guys that need to play better. We made too many mental errors in some cases. We need to do a better job of consistent execution and that is something that we're going to have to continue to work on. That is an area that it would help if we can make a significant improvement in this week. I think last week we prepared for a lot of things that we didn't see, and we saw some things that we didn't prepare for, so I think that inexperienced groups would probably be affected by that a little bit more. Hopefully we'll have a body of work in the system this week that we can sort of prepare our players for and pretty much know that we will get some wrinkle, somewhere along the line. Most of what they are going to practice is what we will see in the game."
On Penn State freshman quarterback Robert Bolden's performance last week:
"He played really well. You would never know he was a freshman, that's for sure. He has a very good arm and is very accurate. He had a lot of poise. They didn't have any game management issues, fumbled snaps, delay of games. The guy hard counts like a veteran and draws the other team offsides. He didn't make any bad decisions, stood in the pocket, took a couple of licks and completed balls. It is hard to believe that the guy is a freshman watching him play in last week's game."
On more inexperienced players being able to get playing time last Saturday:
"I think anytime guys get the opportunity to go out and play in a game-like situation, there is obviously things that are going to help them grow and mature and that experience is going to be beneficial, but that is sort of a work in progress. Every game that you play, you are going to get a little bit better from that standpoint and hopefully our guys that didn't have a lot of experience will benefit from the experience. I think that will continue to build as the season progresses."
On the difference of Greg McElroy from now to this point last year:
"I think he has been different all throughout camp. He's had a really good camp and is more confident. I think his arm has gotten a little stronger. He is confident in making throws that I don't think he was confident in making a year ago. I think that is all going to benefit us in being able to utilize the skill players that we have."
On changes in Penn State from the 80's to the 90's and present:
"They have made changes through the years and made changes from last year to this year. A lot of it is based on personnel, some of it in the kicking game in terms of the system. But one thing remains the same: they play with a lot of discipline. They play with guys that will go out and execute and do their job and not make foolish mistakes or get foolish penalties. I think they have proven over time that they know how to win, in terms of their players. That is because they are a very basic, fundamental team in their approach. They execute what they do. It is not about fooling you all the time, it's about 'this is what we do, what are you going to do to stop it?' and they are pretty good at it."
On his memories of Penn State while growing up in West Virginia:
"They use to play West Virginia all the time and that was a big game and I went to it when I was a kid. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember Joe Paterno leading the team out. We (WVU) didn't win many of those, I don't know if we ever won any when I was growing up in West Virginia. I was rooting for the Mountaineers, but it was always the big game to go see Penn State."
#12 Greg McElroy, QB
On the Penn State defense:
"I watched them this morning. I spent some time just looking at personnel. That is really what I do on Mondays, just evaluate personnel to see if we might have an advantage here or maybe somewhere they might have an advantage against us. They are really well coached and do a good job of tackling. They are always known for being very athletic and having highly touted linebackers. They do a really good job in their coverages. They are a sound defense. They do such a good job of being in the right place. It is kind of fun to watch. When you play a team that is very sound and very fundamental, it makes you earn the yards, so it a little more enjoyable. It makes things a little more fun."
On how Ingram's absence changes the offense:
"I'm not really sure. I think we do have confidence if we need to open it up more. We did a good job of starting off strong in the passing game Saturday. It is something we can build on. We missed a play or two, but it is something we can learn from and move forward from. It is something we can work the kinks out of pretty easily. There was one play where I had a read that I wasn't really happy about. I tried to take a shot, got a little too greedy in the second quarter. It led to a three and out, so it wasn't my favorite moment of the game, but it is one of those things you learn from. It was the first game of the year, and you have to improve each and every week. It is a good starting point and definitely something to build off of."
On the importance of the running backs behind Ingram getting experience last week:
"I think that fumble by Eddie (Lacy) was really a great thing in the long term. Obviously you never want to fumble and give up possession in the red zone, especially in the end zone, but the way he was able to bounce back was important. It was his third or fourth career carry, and it was obviously a negative result, but he bounced back and had a great game. It is really encouraging for me as a player to see a young guy like that not get down in the dumps, but continue to move on and put it in hindsight and move forward. It was a great thing for those guys as far as their confidence is concerned to understand that it was just one play, and even though it is a bad play, let's just move on to the next one."
On how he would score on a Joe Paterno quiz:
"Depending on the context of the quiz, I think I could do pretty well. I think I have a basic understanding of Joe Paterno. I saw his team play in the Rose Bowl a few times, and I know that he coached the 1979 team in the Sugar Bowl, so I guess I know a little bit, maybe more than your average Texas kid."
#30 Dont'a Hightower, LB
On his first hit of the game (after missing most of last year with a knee injury):
"It didn't come to me the way I pictured it, but it was a pretty good first hit. At least I made the first tackle."
On what it is like to start as a true freshman:
"You don't really know what to expect. High school and college level is different, especially when you are playing in a league like Penn State or Alabama does. A lot of those guys are a lot faster, stronger, and there is not really a weak link that you could point out. It is very difficult. Their quarterback played pretty well though. He is a dual-threat, but he showed that he is able to throw the ball pretty well."
On facing a prestigious program and power running game like Penn State's:
"Growing up my mom was a Penn State fan, so I watched Penn State with her. I looked up to and watched LaVarr Arrington play when I was younger, so I am looking forward to playing against Penn State and Joe Paterno. They are a great football team with a great legacy. I don't like to play against teams that run a lot of split zones and just try to confuse you with a lot of motion, as opposed to teams like Penn State, LSU, and Ole Miss. Those are the teams that just try to run downhill out of the I-formation. They don't run a lot of fancy stuff. They just go right at you and see who is going to break whose will."
#75 Barrett Jones, OL
On giving the defense different looks:
"It is something we definitely want to do, but we also just want to line up and knock people off the ball. The Wildcat package is something that a lot of teams are starting to prepare for and recognize more, but that is fine with us. Everybody by now has pretty much seen the Wildcat, so we are seeing some different things as far as formation being done."
On the running game without Ingram:
"Eddie Lacy, Demetrius Goode, and obviously Trent (Richardson) did a tremendous job. We really needed those guys to step up, and I think they did a great job. Honestly, you couldn't really tell there was that much of a drop off and that is the way we wanted it. When one guy goes down, we can plug another guy in and have success. They did a great job stepping up and playing that role. Hopefully next week they just go out there and run, and we will continue to just try to make holes like we do every week."
