Tulane Travels to No. 14 Texas on Saturday
Sep 23, 2003 | Football
Sept. 23, 2003
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University football team, coming off a key Conference USA victory over Army on Saturday, will travel to Austin, Texas this weekend for a Saturday evening game against 14th-ranked Texas. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised nationally by TBS. Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo held his fifth weekly press conference on Tuesday morning in the Hall of Fame Room of Tulane's Wilson Center, discussing his team's performance to date and this weekend's meeting with the Longhorns.
Chris Scelfo OPENING STATEMENT
"Our game Saturday was a four-quarter game and we made it that way; the difference in the game was the turnovers. Our players really responded to the atmosphere, first time we traveled away with a very young football team and to go up there and win that game was really good for us. It was a conference game, I said it last week going into it, it was a huge game for us for a lot of reasons but the biggest reason is that it was a conference game it was the one we were playing last week. So, I was happy with the way they responded, offensively the way they answered the challenge when Army got back into the game, got a couple of quick scores. It was good leadership by J.P. to take the team down the field and answer that challenge.
"Defensively, in the first half, I thought we played really well; we gave up six points and they [the defense] were flying around playing hard. Second half I think we got a little tired and got a little rattled and a little shook and that's something we can hopefully draw from and learn from.
"Our kicking game, I was disappointed in them Saturday for a lot of reasons but the main one being a lack of effort from some of our players on that unit, we've gotta get more production out of the guys on those teams. We're going to look at making some changes there because that's a big part of our plan, especially as young as we are in some areas on our football team; we have to have guys step up.
"So this week going into Texas obviously is a big challenge for us; and going into one of the most traditionally rich programs in the country; playing a football team that has won a lot of games in the last four to five years and has a lot of things going for them. Our players, I know, will look forward to going to Austin playing them; I think we're going in there with some momentum, confidence, and we just gotta make sure we can hold up and be competitive from start to finish and not give up the big plays or the mistakes we made in the game last year.
Q: Can you talk about quarterback J.P. Losman?
"You can probably get a lot better quotes talking to him yourself [laughing]. He's really playing well; during times, as well as any quarterback I've ever been associated with. I'd like for him to be more consistent, as we all would, but he's taking care of the football, he's making really good decisions. We're going to go offensively as our quarterback goes, he's got to have a lot of help and he got that Saturday. We had two dropped balls, but he wasn't getting hit every play. When he has time to operate he can do it."
Q: Last year at the Texas game there were a few dropped balls early and one at one point one for a touchdown was dropped. It was 14-0 at halftime, do you show your team that film as an example of the effect of mistakes?
"I told our team on Sunday this is the only sport where the ball isn't round so anything can happen. We have to play as well as we can and get some help from them, but our kids are going to compete and play hard; we can't make mistakes. Every opportunity we have, we're not going to get many of them, every opportunity we have we have to capitalize on them; last year we didn't."
Q: Do you look at last year and show them here was a chance we could've capitalized and we didn't?
"Sure, we do that every week with things we can improve on and take from that game. Last week there are things we've got to improve on. Our players will see that film from last year and see what the difference in that game was."
Q: Coach, have you gotten more help from the freshman than you expected?
"I would say there have been some surprises in how fast some of these players have matured in game-type situations. You don't know about them until they do play. We knew we had to count on freshmen on the defensive line; we knew we had to count on some freshmen at linebacker and in the secondary because those are numbers we lost last year. [Nickelback and return man] Izzy Route and [cornerback] Alton Widemon; Alton really had a good game Saturday, he's going to get a lot of reps this week. He missed two and a half weeks of camp with an ankle injury and he's finally back well. He's really a good football player. Kelvin Johnson is coming on at linebacker. Alvin Johnson at defensive line is getting better. Taurean Brown is getting better. They just have to keep improving but from an overall perspective on that freshmen class, it's a double-edged sword, you don't want to have to play them but yet they're doing a great job. [Kicker] Barrett Pepper is getting better; [return man/wide receiver] Freddie Smith is an exciting little player. I've always been under the impression that the only way they'll get experience is by playing and what you give up there hopefully we can make up with talent."
Q: What stands out when you see Texas on film? Are there one or two things that stand out or are there a lot?
"There's a lot, their speed, size, strength. All three of those things really stand out at you. They have everything they need to be successful in every phase of their football team."
Q: Everyone knows about Roy Williams' speed and catching abilities, but a lot of people talk about his physicalness, his ability to block and things like that. Have you noticed that in films and does it set him apart from other receivers?
"I think he's a complete package; he takes as much pride, or maybe more, I don't know, in his blocking than he does in his catching the football and running with it afterwards. He really is a great example for any receiver out there if you want to study, any receiver, be it in high school or college, he would be a great one to study, because he takes a lot of pride in everything he does."
Q: How does he compare to Roydell Williams?
"He's a little bit bigger. Obviously he hadn't sat out a year like Roydell did. He's maybe a little stronger than Roydell at this point, but I like our Roydell, too.
Q: How do you think the team will react to going to a place like Texas?
"I don't think they're old enough to react any other way expect to go in there and play a football game. We have a bunch of guys on our team that just started shaving; they're not going to know, I don't think they'll know what kind of environment they're going into. If they're worrying about the environment, it's going to be a long day, I can assure you that. They better worry about them Longhorns."
Q: Do you feel that your offense can score against anybody?
"Our offense is all about us. If we execute, then I think our system has been proven that we can move the ball and score. Take the last four games, when we hurt ourselves, that's when we didn't move the ball. We missed blocks, had penalties, dropped passes, missed reads; if we execute, we should be able to move the ball and score."
Q: Do you have any gimmicks or anything else you will try to throw at Texas?
"You want to send them a scouting report? I'll let you know that one on Sunday [laughing]. We always have new wrinkles in; each team plays us a little bit different. We'll have a few little wrinkles in; we talked about running the wishbone every snap Saturday; that didn't go over very well."
Q: What's it like for you as a coach to go into a place like Texas with all the burnt orange and tradition and crazy fans?
"Mardi Gras prepares you for situations like going to Texas, I promise you. I've bee to Mardi Gras several times. It's a football game. I want us to play well. Biggest thing on my mind is going out there and performing. I've been in front of big crowds. Knoxville, all the SEC places, I don't get lost. I just follow my team."
Q: What do you think of your team's fourth quarter production?
"We talked about it a couple of times already this year. The mark of a good football team is to play 60 minutes. The way we have played, the fourth quarter has been good for us, but we've got to do a better job in the second and third quarters, or first and third quarters. It goes back to what I have been preaching since August; we've got to be consistent in all three phases. Offensively, we haven't been consistent for four quarters and that's our goal."
