MEET THE PRESS: Fritz Previews ECU at Weekly News Conference

NEW ORLEANS - Listed below is the complete transcript from Green Wave football head coach Willie Fritz's weekly press conference leading up to Tulane's matchup vs. ECU on Saturday.

Opening Statement
"This is really our first normal week. We got out of the hotel on Friday and moved into our residences, and going to class in person began yesterday. The second day will be today. We're getting some lifting in as well, back in the weight room. Some guys lift Sunday/Tuesday, some guys Monday/Wednesday and then have a heavy practice here on Tuesday. We're going to get a good workout and get working on ECU. ECU is a good opponent, they've had a tough schedule. They have played some good schools: South Carolina, App State, Marshall. They had a tough game last weekend against Charleston Southern and came out victorious so it's another big challenge for us."

The running game stats can be skewed when you're behind, but you just haven't run the ball as well this year as you would like. What do you feel like have been the biggest issues through the first four games?
"Sometimes it's been the score and you have to score quick and that's more difficult to do when you run the ball in a series. We have to do a better job of it. We have to run the ball more effectively and have got to get some run plays that we can hang our hat on. If there's a run play that we know we can gain yards on every time - we call it. We have to get better running the football."

Does it surprise you at all that the run game has not been as affective?
"We've got a few new guys in a few new spots. I think a little bit of it has been the score of the game which has dictated a little bit about running the football and when we can run it. Sometimes in the halves we've had very little time, we've had to go two minute, and so some of it is situation and some of it is score."

By the other token, YG (Ygenio Booker) had some really good runs this last game, has he earned himself a comfortable spot in the lineup?
"Yeah he's going to keep playing more and more and more. What the issue has always been with YG is just health. He's been banged up the last couple years and we had guys in front of him when he was healthy. We've got some good backs and we need to exploit their ability a little bit more."

Any thoughts on the defense and what you could do to improve there?
"Yeah I was disappointed. I thought we did a poor job tackling last week and we have got to get better at tackling. We are certainly working on it a bunch. We have a few guys out right now that are maybe somewhat better tacklers and hopefully we will get one or two of those guys back this week. We just have to tackle better, if we tackled better we really would have played a pretty darned good defense, but we didn't tackle well. You got to play good defense and you got to tackle well. You can't have one without the other."

Can you attribute that to Nick (Anderson) being out?
"Well he's obviously a great tackler and a really good player for us so it certainly didn't help us with him not being able to play."

Did you see this one coming at all?
"I knew UAB is a good team, I believe they won that conference three out of the last four years. We knew we were going to have to play real good in order to win the ball game and we didn't start off very good. Then in the second half, we had a couple crucial plays we needed to make and we didn't make them. We had to play catch up the rest of the ball game so they got it. They're probably the front runner to win that league again this year. They're a good ball club. We felt like we were capable of beating them but we had to play well in order to do it, and I don't think we played a great game."

You were in this position a couple years ago, you were actually 2-5 and turned it around. Do you see any similarities or are each different?
"Every year is different, we just need to keep pressing and keep playing hard and not worry about the rest of the season. When you set your schedule up before the season begins you do it with when you're playing people, and your practice schedule changes slightly based on a Thursday night or a Saturday or a night game or whatever. But once you get into it, you have to go one at a time and return your attention. It was a hard one this last week, but you have to turn the page and you've got to move on."

Noah Seidan made some plays in his game, he had a big year last year that earned him a scholarship. What allows him to continue to be as effective as he is?
"He had great technique. He's earned himself a starting job and will start this week. He's got excellent technique and can get off of blocks, he's not a rep guy at all. When you tell him something he is able to do it immediately."

On the losses of Patrick Johnson and Cameron Sample…
"Well those two guys are great players. Cam (Sample) just had a sack in the NFL the other day and Patrick I know has played quite a bit for Philadelphia, so I heard. I didn't get the chance to watch the game, or either of them, obviously, but they're both great players. But you've gotta be able to replace guys, and we lost some guys the year before that and the year before that and the year before that. We have guys who have some opportunities to step up and show what they can do and they need to take advantage of it. But those two were certainly excellent football players. We need some guys to step up, and it doesn't necessarily have to be at that position, it might be at another position. It might be a linebacker or a safety, a guy all of a sudden elevates his play and plays better."

MEET THE PRESS: Fritz Previews ECU at Weekly News Conference

Players Mentioned

Ygenio Booker

Patrick Johnson

Cameron Sample

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