Marshall University Athletics
Quotes from Doc Holliday's Nov. 24 Press Conference
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Opening Statement
Captains this week Neville Hewett, Jermaine Holmes on defense; both of those guys played extremely well on Saturday. Offense will be [Rakeem] Cato and [Tommy] Shuler. The great thing about this week, and I know the fan base is excited too, is getting the chance to honor 19 seniors. All of those 19 seniors are responsible for getting this program back to where our fan base wanted it- us winning championships. A lot of those seniors getting honored are going to go down as legends; a lot of those players -the `Catos', the `Hewitts', the ` Holmes', the `Shulers', the `Jasperses', a lot more of them- will go down as some of the best players to ever play here. I know our guys are excited to be back home, and they're excited to have a packed house. I know our fans will show up and honor these guys the right way, because they deserve it.
On Western Kentucky
Jeff Brohm has done a tremendous job- they're bowl eligible for the first year in Conference USA. I think that is a tribute to him and what he's done. Their quarterback, Brandon Doughty, is a tremendous player whose thrown for a ton of yardage. He leads the conference in passing. They've got a tailback that's 230 pounds named Leon Allen. Offensively, they score a lot of points and defensively, they are well coached. They are going to come in here ready to play, and we have to make sure we are too.
On the seniors and the special season they are having
There is no question about the work these kids have put into it and how far they've come and the program has come. I've mentioned some but I should have mentioned all of them. We can talk about [Trevor] Mendelson and what a tremendous role he's played. There is not a better leader I've been associated with than [Chris] Jasperse and how hard he has worked. Fro [Eric Frohnapfel] is just as important with what he has done. Cheese [Blake Brooks] isn't out there right now, but he's played a big part. Then you have Cato and Shuler, and on the defensive side, Hewitt and Holmes, and how good those two guys have been. Then you have Darryl Roberts and how about [James] Rouse? Sticking around six years - there are some great stories of guys who have given a lot to this program. All of those seniors, every single one of them, is just as important. We're going to miss them. It's going to be hard for me on Friday, and our fans need to show up, and I know they will. They need to honor these guys the way they deserve to be honored because there are 19 special guys who have contributed to and mean so much to this program.
On the seniors exceeding the coaching staff's expectations
They haven't, but it's because our expectations have always been extremely high and so have theirs. It was a long hard road to get to this point, but if you ask Jasperse and Rouse and Swagg [Roberts], and all of those seniors running out there, like Cato and Shuler, their expectations are to be right where we are right now. They know we have a lot of work left to do - Friday isn't it. There is work left to be done after that, but I think they are right where they want to be and they deserve a lot of credit for helping get us there.
On being undefeated this late into the season
Winning is hard. I spoke to Jimbo [Fisher, head coach at Florida State] the other day, and for them to win that many games is tremendous. If winning was easy, there would be a lot more people in this position than us and Florida State. At some point, you have to grind them out. Florida State has had to grind a bunch out, we had to grind one out Saturday and that's a tribute to all of these guys. At the end of the day, it's about winning and losing and in the last two years these guys have won 21 of them. Proud of where they are, and we're going to miss them, but we have to go out and play extremely well for them and for our entire team because we have a great challenge on Friday.
On key adjustments to make from UAB game
We have to clean some things up. We're going to have some penalties, and I can handle some, but the pre-snap penalties and the jumping off-sides, the stuff you can control, is unacceptable and we have to fix those. Alex [Mirabal, Offensive Line coach] will fix that, that isn't an issue at all. We had some guys that played well, but it's the same old deal, you play to win. Part of playing to win is getting in the red zone and score points. If you are down there twice and come away with 14 points, which we should have, we aren't having this conversation.
On the special teams performances Saturday
One thing I liked about that game, is that there are some guys who didn't play extremely well at times. But when it was crunch time and you had to make a play, they did. Tyler Williams didn't punt the ball well early on, but when it was time to make a play to win the game, he had a critical punt that was probably the biggest play of the game. [Kaare] Vedvik, you know, we tried some different stuff with him kicking the ball around, but he didn't kick the ball extremely well, but you know what, at the end of the day when he had to, he kicked a nonreturnable into the wind. So there are some guys that when it came down to it, and had to make a play, they did. And that's what good teams do when you find a way to win. That game will help us, in the long haul, will help us.
On the defensive play against UAB
You turn that tape on, and you see [UAB's] #1 Nelson ran by Mississippi State and everybody they've played against. And Darryl [Roberts] and [Keith] Baxter played extremely well, and Darryl ran step to step with that guy. And they did a nice job. Our defense has done a tremendous job.
On Western Kentucky's game play
You look at them- their tailback has rushed over 1,000 yards and throws all over the place. Our secondary is going to have to play extremely well. They're good people, and good players. They have a group of receivers who are solid and make good plays. Look at their offensive line and they are as big and as physical as we will face. They're a good football team and there is a reason they are throwing for the numbers they are and scoring the points they're scoring. They've got a good scheme, but the offensive scheme doesn't matter if you don't have good players. He's a good football coach with a good offensive mind, and they've got good players, combine all that and you're pretty good on offense, and they are.
On the maturity of Rakeem Cato
He's amazing. You guys have all seen it too, you've watched him grow and watched him mature in those four years. The way he's handled himself and the offense is totally different. He's grown up every year and I can't give him enough credit and I'm proud of how far he's come and how he's handled himself. He's going to walk out of here being talked about in the same terms as Chad [Pennington] and Byron [Leftwich], and that's really good company. I knew he had skills, but for me to think, that Cato as a 150 pound freshman would come in and break every record Chad and Byron had, you would have laughed at me. He's just a really good player.
On the maturity of the senior class from one of Holliday's earliest recruiting classes to now
A lot of these guys had to play as true freshmen, and in that year, they went to a bowl game and beat a Louisville team that was tied for the Big East Championship. They had the 16th toughest schedule in America and came out and won seven games with Cato and Shuler and a bunch of freshmen. They weren't ready to play, but they played because they had to. To see how far they've come from that point until now has been remarkable to see that leadership that has developed. It's been a lot of fun with them. These 19 guys are a great group. You hate to see them go, but you're happy for them. It's just a tremendous group.
On the improving play of WKU over the last four weeks
They've just gotten better. A lot of teams get better in November and find ways to win. The one thing that WKU has done is they've gotten better in the month of November, which we have to do the same. That's a sign of a good football team. They've kept improving, and that's a sign and tribute to their coaching staff and their players that they've locked in. A lot of teams can't do that, and they have.
On the players accepting criticism
Kids always think they are better than what they are. Our coaches' do a tremendous job getting the kids to buy into `taking coaching'. We constantly talk about that, and if you watch our staff work, they're great teachers. Our kids trust our staff that we're going to make them better. They always say `Great football teams always have their seniors playing the best football' - Jermaine Holmes, Neville Hewitt, Rouse, Swagg, Fro, Jasperse, Cato, Shuler - those guys are all playing the best football they've ever played. That's what good teams do; their seniors play their best and they've bought into it. There is no push-back when a coach corrects you, but they're sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the feedback because they want to be better. And that's what happens when kids buy in and trust their coaches.
On the legacy the Herd is building for Marshall and Huntington
There is no question. I think it started last year, giving credit to guys like Gator [Hoskins], because they kind of got it turned and these guys have just carried the torch. We aren't satisfied where we are; we understand we have our hands full on Friday. But last year's class started that, and this year's class has embellished it.
On WKU's offense
They spread you out and run some power football, but he makes all the throws. Anytime you can throw for the number of yards he throws for, you have to make all those throws that he does. He is well protected, and they do a good job rushing. It's going to be a great challenge, and they've got some depth. When you throw it like they do and to have the numbers they have on offense, they've got good players.
On the number of walk-ons and contributors on Marshall's offensive line
I haven't had that before. Mendelson, Jasperse, Brooks, Van Horn, Tom Collins - all those guys are walk-ons and paid their own way to school. Take a look at that offensive line and it's tremendous where they've come from. It just kind of tells you about what kind of kids they are. It's amazing and I think it tells you about our strength program and how these kids have developed.
