BullsVision Exclusive: Coach Leavitt Press Conference
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BullsVision Exclsuive: B.J. Daniels Press Conference
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GoUSFBulls.com Live Chat: Selmon & Rutgers Dominate Conversation
TAMPA -- It's a bye week, but the No. 25 Bulls are not wasting any time as they prepare for the Thursday night (Nov. 12) trip to Rutgers.
Selmon Going Into the Ring of Honor
The biggest star of the day was the President of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics, Lee Roy Selmon. Selmon is a Tampa Bay legend, largely because of his football work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday he will be inducted into the inaugural Bucs Ring of Honor.
BullsVision: Watch Selmon's Press Conference on the Ring of Honor
Sunday will be a special day for Selmon, who is already a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, as he earns the highest honor possible from his former team.
"I found out in July and was so humbled by the honor," said Selmon
Expect to see tons of coverage of the event with some USF empahsis, as local columnist Joe Henderson and Gary Shelton are working up major features on the lengendary Selmon.
Fourth String Quarterback
After the Bulls' win on Friday night, Coach Leavitt told the media he would talk all night if they wanted him to. He was in a good and joking mood again on Tuesday.
When asked about getting Evan Landi reps at wide receiver, Coach Leavitt admitted that they wanted him to play the position but couldn't risk a potential injury to their No. 2 quarterback.
"We might have to play Greg Auman if that happened," said Leavitt, who was hypothesizing about the St. Pete Times beat writer filling the void at quarterback if Daniels and Landi were both injured.
In reality, the Bulls have walk-on Ryan Eppes and true-freshman Victor Marc backing up Daniels and Landi. Marc is still raw after spending all of camp and the first seven weeks of practice in the defensive backfield.
Scheduling
Perhaps the hardest part of the midweek games that USF plays each season is the scheduling. Players and coaches are creatures of habit, so a Thursday night game throws everything off.
"I was really happy with the schedule we used last week," said Leavitt. "The team had a lot of fire. We will use a similar schedule for Rutgers, another weekday game."
The Bulls will begin the "game week" with a Saturday afternoon practice and work each afternoon through Tuesday.
The funny part is we can guarantee that coaches and players (and even some media) will refer to the Saturday session as a "traditional Monday practice."
Remember, they are creatures of habit and are just trying to create normalcy out of the unusual.
Injury Update
Not much changed from Monday night. Leavitt is very concerned about Tyson Butler's injury and said that Carlton Mitchell remains "day-to-day."
Sophomore guard Chaz Hine said the flu that kept Jake Sims and him out of the starting lineup versus WVU had worked its way out of his system.
Press Conference Quotes
A few snippets from what Tresey, Leavitt and Daniels had to say at the podium.
Joe Tresey
On the game plan against West Virginia's running back, Noel Devine...
"We believe our kids just played fast. We talked all week about keeping Devine inside the defense and understanding who has leverage. Our kids executed really well when it came to the running game."
On if any adjustments had to be made during any point of the game against West Virginia...
"You make several adjustments during the course of the game. Our goal was to make sure that we kept explosive plays at a minimum and we were going to keep them inside the defense. If Devine was going to get outside then we were going to flatten him and make him run east and west. Our kids did a great job."
On if cutting down the explosive plays the difference between that game and the previous two games...
"It was significant. There is just no question. We talked about how important it was for us that our energy and our enthusiasm was high for the entire game. We talked about the importance of having no penalties and we only had one."
Jim Leavitt
Opening Statement
"A few coaches are going on a airplane tomorrow morning and we are going to go all over. Only about four or five guys will be going and then Saturday we will go into the same schedule we had before. I thought our schedule was good before. We come out on Saturday and practice in the afternoon and then we will go out on Sunday and practice in the afternoon. Monday and Tuesday we will continue our regular practices and then on Wednesday we fly out to New Jersey for our game against Rutgers on Thursday night.
"They are a very good football team and they have the same two losses that we have. We are going to have to play very well against them if we want to win the football game."
On Eric Schwartz...
"He did a good job. I was real proud of him. He hit the field goals that were real big. I told him after the last game that he would take all field goals and he did. He did a good job with it too. He did a decent job with kickoffs but he is not there consistently with kickoffs yet. For the most part, though, he is doing a decent job with the kickoffs."
On what impresses hin most about Lee Roy Selmon...
"I played against Lee Roy in college and he's just a few years older than me. Everybody knows he has extraordinary athletic talent and he had an extraordinary career. It is his heart and he is just an incredible servant. I think your greatest leaders are your greatest servants. I have known Lee Roy for quite awhile now and he is a pretty special guy."
On if there is any pressure to say in the top 25 now...
"No there really isn't. I get so involved in preparing for the next game that I really don't think about it that much. Now if we were No. 2 in the country and we were going into our last game of the season than that would be different. There is so much football left to play because we are just a little over halfway done with our regular season right now. I know this team has talent and I know this team can play well when we do all the right things."
BJ Daniels
On what the win over West Virginia does for a little moral boost and helping them get back on the right track for the rest of the season...
"It's real big. To come out with a win after this little two game losing streak that we had is big. Also to go into a bye week with a win is big too for our confidence and our moral."
On what it did for his confidence after having a big game like that...
"It meant a lot to do well and to not have turnovers. It was a big confidence booster for me."
On if he feels more patient out on the field...
"Yeah and it was comes with time and experience. West Virginia expected me to run at the beginning of the game so they would come up and I was able to throw the ball over their hands. Then at the end of the game they started hanging back more so I was able to break off a few runs."
On the running game...
"Mo did a really good job and he really helped us ice the clock. With Mo taking some of the pressure off me and putting the defense in a bind it really helps us a lot."
On if the win over West Virginia helps get the sour taste out of his mouth...
"It does help get the sour taste out of your mouth. There are a lot of teams in the country who have lost only two games so losing two games doesn't mean your season is over."
