MEET THE PRESS: Fritz Previews Wake Forest at Weekly News Conference
Aug 27, 2018 | Football
Listed below is the complete transcript from Green Wave head coach Willie Fritz's weekly press conference leading up to Tulane's matchup with Wake Forest on Thursday.
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On not anticipating another 7-3 game like Tulane and Wake Forest played in 2016:
"[laughs] No, you never know. You just play it how it happens. They've got a very explosive offensive. A lot different of a team. We're a lot different than when we played them back in 2016 and they're a lot different team as well. We're probably going to get 80, 90 plays from them on Thursday evening, and we feel like we're a lot better offensively right now than we were a couple years ago, too."
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On a new buzz on campus or in the locker room:
"I think there's always the anticipation of the first game of the season and the excitement. I know the guys have worked extremely hard since the last play last year against SMU. We had a great offseason, spring football. Nowadays football is turning into a 365-day-a-year sport like all the other sports at the collegiate level. So the guys were here all summer, too. You get a couple hours that you get to work with them in the summer. The thing you have to be careful about is working them too much. Once you get into camp, you have a tendency to do that. We backed off quite a bit in the last week."
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On close calls against Power Five schools in his career and using this game as a measuring stick:
"I think it is a measuring stick. It is a big for us without question. You always want to start off well, I don't care what you're doing, you want to start off well. But it's one game. We always segment our season into one game at a time. I know it's an old coaching cliché but I believe in it. Then the next week, you win, and you've got to flush it down the toilet and move on to the next game. That's the way you've got to do it in sports. Yeah, it's a big game for us. I know the guys are excited."
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On scouting a team for the season opener when they haven't played yet:
You're right. They're going to have some wrinkles for us, we're going to have some wrinkles for them offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Your adjustments are very, very important in Week 1. We're going to see something we have not anticipated, and the same for them. But the nuts and bolts are going to be what we think it's going to be with their offense, defense and the kicking game. Same thing for us. We're a veteran coaching staff, they're a veteran coaching staff. They've got a lot of guys coming back and so do we. There's going to be a lot of carryover in preparation."
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On being internally focused:
"It's always important that you don't beat yourself. We always talk about "Wave don't beat the Wave," you know, eliminating pre-snap penalties and post-play penalties and playing as close to error-free as you possibly can. So we put our guys through all sorts of scenarios. I've been coaching this game a long time, and something always comes up every season that I haven't had happen to me before. So you try to expect the unexpected during preseason camp, but then you've got to do a good job making in-game adjustments."
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On being better equipped to handle a fast-paced team due to Tulane's depth:
"We've got a little bit more depth. One of the things when a team's going fast tempo, they don't change personnel much. They're going to be running the same guys out there the whole time going fast-paced. You've got to keep our dudes out on the field or pick your spots where you can sub a guy in and get a guy out such as the end of a quarter or if they're near your sideline. We've got to make sure we do a good job of getting in and out, making the calls quickly and knowing that we're going to be playing a bunch of snaps in a row. And then we'll be able to play another guy the next series."
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On Wake Forest starting a freshman at quarterback and freshmen starting in general:
"I'm sure they've probably scripted their first 15, 20 plays and gone over those five, 10 times so the guy has a lot of confidence in that. When you have a brand-new quarterback, it's always new that first ballgame without question. I'm glad we're in a situation right now where we have a veteran guy back there who has played in a Division I football game. This guy is very talented that Wake Forest is going to start obviously. They wouldn't be starting him if he wasn't the best opportunity for them to win. They've also got 10 of 11 starters back on offense, so he'll be the lone new guy for them."
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On Tulane's established offense being able to control the game more now:
"We're not a fast-tempo team. We can change speeds, but we're not a fast-tempo team. I think it helps your defense out. I also think it gives you an opportunity to really understand each play and not try to go as quick as you can for confusion purposes and not having the defense lined up. So for us, we've got a different style than what they have. Obviously theirs has worked, it was one of the top offenses in the nation last year."
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On the 1998 Tulane football team:
"We're going to be [honoring them] the following week against Nicholls on 9/8. I remember watching games on TV. I think there was a Thursday night game when Tulane was playing that season on ESPN. Not sure who it was against, but I know it was in the Superdome. And there was Shaun King playing quarterback. At that point I think they were 8-0 or 9-0 then. They're a great team and the standard here at Tulane."
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On the importance of American Athletic Conference teams potentially beating Power Five teams:
"I think they're all big games. We consider ourselves part of the Power Six. In order to have the type of conference we want to have, we've got to win these types of games. I know a lot of schools are playing other leagues in the Power Six this weekend as well. It's big for our conference without question."
Â
On what beating a Power Five team would mean and Tulane's history against Power Five teams:
"I have a little bit of background with it. I've had a few people tell me about it. I really zero in on the game. I think if you prepare differently each week, it doesn't help your ballclub. Our guys have seen very consistent preparation out of myself and our coaching staff every single week. We don't change that much."
Â
On Coach Mack Brown being honored on Thursday:
"We've got a celebration of Mack Brown this weekend. Mack is going to speak to the team on Wednesday night. We're very excited about that. He's going into the College Football Hall of Fame – 770 colleges and universities play football across America, and that's the most difficult Hall of Fame to get into really in the country, any sport professional or collegiate. Really proud that he had some time at Tulane University."
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On not anticipating another 7-3 game like Tulane and Wake Forest played in 2016:
"[laughs] No, you never know. You just play it how it happens. They've got a very explosive offensive. A lot different of a team. We're a lot different than when we played them back in 2016 and they're a lot different team as well. We're probably going to get 80, 90 plays from them on Thursday evening, and we feel like we're a lot better offensively right now than we were a couple years ago, too."
Â
On a new buzz on campus or in the locker room:
"I think there's always the anticipation of the first game of the season and the excitement. I know the guys have worked extremely hard since the last play last year against SMU. We had a great offseason, spring football. Nowadays football is turning into a 365-day-a-year sport like all the other sports at the collegiate level. So the guys were here all summer, too. You get a couple hours that you get to work with them in the summer. The thing you have to be careful about is working them too much. Once you get into camp, you have a tendency to do that. We backed off quite a bit in the last week."
Â
On close calls against Power Five schools in his career and using this game as a measuring stick:
"I think it is a measuring stick. It is a big for us without question. You always want to start off well, I don't care what you're doing, you want to start off well. But it's one game. We always segment our season into one game at a time. I know it's an old coaching cliché but I believe in it. Then the next week, you win, and you've got to flush it down the toilet and move on to the next game. That's the way you've got to do it in sports. Yeah, it's a big game for us. I know the guys are excited."
Â
On scouting a team for the season opener when they haven't played yet:
You're right. They're going to have some wrinkles for us, we're going to have some wrinkles for them offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Your adjustments are very, very important in Week 1. We're going to see something we have not anticipated, and the same for them. But the nuts and bolts are going to be what we think it's going to be with their offense, defense and the kicking game. Same thing for us. We're a veteran coaching staff, they're a veteran coaching staff. They've got a lot of guys coming back and so do we. There's going to be a lot of carryover in preparation."
Â
On being internally focused:
"It's always important that you don't beat yourself. We always talk about "Wave don't beat the Wave," you know, eliminating pre-snap penalties and post-play penalties and playing as close to error-free as you possibly can. So we put our guys through all sorts of scenarios. I've been coaching this game a long time, and something always comes up every season that I haven't had happen to me before. So you try to expect the unexpected during preseason camp, but then you've got to do a good job making in-game adjustments."
Â
On being better equipped to handle a fast-paced team due to Tulane's depth:
"We've got a little bit more depth. One of the things when a team's going fast tempo, they don't change personnel much. They're going to be running the same guys out there the whole time going fast-paced. You've got to keep our dudes out on the field or pick your spots where you can sub a guy in and get a guy out such as the end of a quarter or if they're near your sideline. We've got to make sure we do a good job of getting in and out, making the calls quickly and knowing that we're going to be playing a bunch of snaps in a row. And then we'll be able to play another guy the next series."
Â
On Wake Forest starting a freshman at quarterback and freshmen starting in general:
"I'm sure they've probably scripted their first 15, 20 plays and gone over those five, 10 times so the guy has a lot of confidence in that. When you have a brand-new quarterback, it's always new that first ballgame without question. I'm glad we're in a situation right now where we have a veteran guy back there who has played in a Division I football game. This guy is very talented that Wake Forest is going to start obviously. They wouldn't be starting him if he wasn't the best opportunity for them to win. They've also got 10 of 11 starters back on offense, so he'll be the lone new guy for them."
Â
On Tulane's established offense being able to control the game more now:
"We're not a fast-tempo team. We can change speeds, but we're not a fast-tempo team. I think it helps your defense out. I also think it gives you an opportunity to really understand each play and not try to go as quick as you can for confusion purposes and not having the defense lined up. So for us, we've got a different style than what they have. Obviously theirs has worked, it was one of the top offenses in the nation last year."
Â
On the 1998 Tulane football team:
"We're going to be [honoring them] the following week against Nicholls on 9/8. I remember watching games on TV. I think there was a Thursday night game when Tulane was playing that season on ESPN. Not sure who it was against, but I know it was in the Superdome. And there was Shaun King playing quarterback. At that point I think they were 8-0 or 9-0 then. They're a great team and the standard here at Tulane."
Â
On the importance of American Athletic Conference teams potentially beating Power Five teams:
"I think they're all big games. We consider ourselves part of the Power Six. In order to have the type of conference we want to have, we've got to win these types of games. I know a lot of schools are playing other leagues in the Power Six this weekend as well. It's big for our conference without question."
Â
On what beating a Power Five team would mean and Tulane's history against Power Five teams:
"I have a little bit of background with it. I've had a few people tell me about it. I really zero in on the game. I think if you prepare differently each week, it doesn't help your ballclub. Our guys have seen very consistent preparation out of myself and our coaching staff every single week. We don't change that much."
Â
On Coach Mack Brown being honored on Thursday:
"We've got a celebration of Mack Brown this weekend. Mack is going to speak to the team on Wednesday night. We're very excited about that. He's going into the College Football Hall of Fame – 770 colleges and universities play football across America, and that's the most difficult Hall of Fame to get into really in the country, any sport professional or collegiate. Really proud that he had some time at Tulane University."
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