Bowling Green State University Athletics
Scot Loeffler Monday Press Conference Transcript (Miami (OH) Game)
Scot Loeffler Press Conference
Oct. 10, 2022
Bowling Green, Ohio
LOEFFLER: I’d like to start by letting everyone in Toledo know our thoughts and prayers are out to all the people that were at the Whitmer and Central Catholic game. That was a tragic event and just can’t imagine the students, faculty and whoever was at that game going through such a crazy ordeal. Thoughts and prayers are out to all of them for sure.
We are extremely disappointed about Saturday. I have about three hours before the players get in here to let it go. The fact of the matter is in all three phases we made unbelievable mistakes. We didn’t play with a lot of emotion. We did everything that we have been talking that we’re not and that’s the disappointing thing. We had an opportunity of a huge football game, a team that was equivalent to us in talent. That’s the truth. We went out and played no where near our ability in all three phases. We didn’t protect the football, we gave up explosion plays on defense, we did not punt the football well and we did not play with the type of emotion and all the things we expect to play with whenever you’re in a big-time game.
I said it after the game, that’s my responsibility and I’ll take full responsibility for it. I thought out prep was excellent. I thought our kids’ intensity, all the way up until we ran on the sidelines, was excellent all week long. It’s disappointing that we performed that way. It’s one thing if you go out and perform and compete your tail off, very similar to the Eastern Kentucky game where we played out hearts out, we played hard, we did some really good things in all three phases, and you lose a game. Those things are going to happen. But we didn’t give ourselves one chance whatsoever on Saturday to compete the way we wanted to compete.
QUESTION: You mentioned lack of emotion as one of the contributors. How do you hope to see them respond this week?
LOEFFLER: There’s an emotional approach and emotional discipline prior to a game that you have to have. The fact of the matter is this is an emotional game and whenever we were in game mode there was no emotional response whatsoever. We didn't make any plays, on top of it, in all three phases to get the emotion and the momentum changed in the other way. You look at the crazy field goal attempt. Mason [Lawler] falls down, [Andrew] Bench is open from here to my house on the pylon for an easy touchdown. We don't make play. Matt [McDonald] scrambles down here in the low red and we missed [Tyrone] Broden on an end line. You make those plays, the next thing you know, it's 17-10 and you're in a football game. We just didn't make plays and we just did not have the emotional response during the game that you need to have when things aren't going necessarily well.
QUESTION: Is it puzzling in a sense, or is it may be reassuring that those things are in your full control and that you're able to fix? It's not the other team necessarily?
LOEFFLER: Well, we've got to fix it. I love our kids I'm not sitting here bashing. I love our kids more than anything and I'm not throwing them under the bus. This is my responsibility, but I haven't put my finger. It's the first time in my career when it's a relevant game, the prep was through the roof, the attention to detail during the week was outstanding, the emotional preparation prior to the game was great. You had an opportunity for a relevant game, and everything went bad. I'm still trying to figure that piece out and it's a piece that I’ve been going through my head of every scenario. We've cut down practice to make sure they were fresh. You name it, we did it. It's just really disappointing that it occurred the way that it did. I mean, I've never been more disappointed in a long time.
QUESTION: When it comes to the chaos that is the MAC and a team like Miami coming in, how do you regroup? How do you kind of let this one go?
LOEFFLER: Well, everything is out there. The leader of our side has zero losses in the MAC and everyone else is 1-1 besides Akron. There's still a ton of football to be played. The MAC is chaotic. Lord knows what's going to happen. We see teams week in and week out, do what we did. Hopefully, we don't go down this path again. Just like I said, I wanted to be competitive in every single MAC game and where I'm disappointed is we were not competitive on Saturday. I'm beyond disappointed, like flabbergasted disappointed.
QUESTION: When it comes to Miami turning the page, what kind of challenges do they present?
LOEFFLER: Great defense. Extremely disciplined. Know how to win. When I entered the MAC, [Chuck Martin] went through, and he said it to me 100 times, he's won through the same things that we're going through right now. How to win, how to do this, how to do that. I think they know how to win. Plain and simple. They're extremely disciplined in all three phases. They play really sound, tough defense. I mean, really sound, tough defense and they just don't make mistakes. What we're going to have to do is we're going to have to go back and do the things that we've been doing that gives ourselves a chance to win. We need to be emotionally invested in the game from play one. Regardless of what happens, bad, good or indifferent, hang in there, go play our style of football. To win this game, you're going to have to go out and earn it. They're not going to give you one thing. This isn't going to be a deal where they're going to bust a coverage. They're not. They're extremely disciplined and we have to go out and take it and we have to earn it. We have to play sound football. We have been great with [turnovers] and had four turnovers. We've been fairly good with penalties and had 12 penalties. I mean, what are we going?
QUESTION: Coach, you talked a little about explosion plays and giving up a 90-yard run and a 90-yard fumble return. What do you guys need to do kind of zero in on both sides?
LOEFFLER: I've never seen more crazier turnovers in my career. Ball on the 1-yard line going in to score, they rip it from our young running back. Jaison [Patterson’s] going in to put us in position to be on the 4-yard line, we get stripped from behind. The short yardage played down here on the 90-yard touchdown, we're in a bare front and they're running inside zone. As an offensive coach, you're jumping up and down for three to four yards, two yards versus a bare front, and we miss fit the gap and it goes for 90. They were in the right defense. The bare front, run an inside zone? Come on. Any offensive line coach would say that's an uphill play and we miss fit the gap and the next thing you know, it went for 90. Those are the things that, you name it, every single thing went bad that could ever possibly go bad. Matt [McDonald’s] interception was a versus a three-man rush, three deep, five underneath three man go. He's seen that defense 100 times and the ball should be on the check down. We did some things that were completely absurd, completely outside the box. And like I said, I don't know why, but I have to take responsibility. I have to figure it out. We did things that we haven't done around here since I've been here to be quite honest with you. That's my job to figure it out. I’m meeting with the Leadership Council today and we need to figure it out and not let this happen again. That's the moral of the story.
Oct. 10, 2022
Bowling Green, Ohio
LOEFFLER: I’d like to start by letting everyone in Toledo know our thoughts and prayers are out to all the people that were at the Whitmer and Central Catholic game. That was a tragic event and just can’t imagine the students, faculty and whoever was at that game going through such a crazy ordeal. Thoughts and prayers are out to all of them for sure.
We are extremely disappointed about Saturday. I have about three hours before the players get in here to let it go. The fact of the matter is in all three phases we made unbelievable mistakes. We didn’t play with a lot of emotion. We did everything that we have been talking that we’re not and that’s the disappointing thing. We had an opportunity of a huge football game, a team that was equivalent to us in talent. That’s the truth. We went out and played no where near our ability in all three phases. We didn’t protect the football, we gave up explosion plays on defense, we did not punt the football well and we did not play with the type of emotion and all the things we expect to play with whenever you’re in a big-time game.
I said it after the game, that’s my responsibility and I’ll take full responsibility for it. I thought out prep was excellent. I thought our kids’ intensity, all the way up until we ran on the sidelines, was excellent all week long. It’s disappointing that we performed that way. It’s one thing if you go out and perform and compete your tail off, very similar to the Eastern Kentucky game where we played out hearts out, we played hard, we did some really good things in all three phases, and you lose a game. Those things are going to happen. But we didn’t give ourselves one chance whatsoever on Saturday to compete the way we wanted to compete.
QUESTION: You mentioned lack of emotion as one of the contributors. How do you hope to see them respond this week?
LOEFFLER: There’s an emotional approach and emotional discipline prior to a game that you have to have. The fact of the matter is this is an emotional game and whenever we were in game mode there was no emotional response whatsoever. We didn't make any plays, on top of it, in all three phases to get the emotion and the momentum changed in the other way. You look at the crazy field goal attempt. Mason [Lawler] falls down, [Andrew] Bench is open from here to my house on the pylon for an easy touchdown. We don't make play. Matt [McDonald] scrambles down here in the low red and we missed [Tyrone] Broden on an end line. You make those plays, the next thing you know, it's 17-10 and you're in a football game. We just didn't make plays and we just did not have the emotional response during the game that you need to have when things aren't going necessarily well.
QUESTION: Is it puzzling in a sense, or is it may be reassuring that those things are in your full control and that you're able to fix? It's not the other team necessarily?
LOEFFLER: Well, we've got to fix it. I love our kids I'm not sitting here bashing. I love our kids more than anything and I'm not throwing them under the bus. This is my responsibility, but I haven't put my finger. It's the first time in my career when it's a relevant game, the prep was through the roof, the attention to detail during the week was outstanding, the emotional preparation prior to the game was great. You had an opportunity for a relevant game, and everything went bad. I'm still trying to figure that piece out and it's a piece that I’ve been going through my head of every scenario. We've cut down practice to make sure they were fresh. You name it, we did it. It's just really disappointing that it occurred the way that it did. I mean, I've never been more disappointed in a long time.
QUESTION: When it comes to the chaos that is the MAC and a team like Miami coming in, how do you regroup? How do you kind of let this one go?
LOEFFLER: Well, everything is out there. The leader of our side has zero losses in the MAC and everyone else is 1-1 besides Akron. There's still a ton of football to be played. The MAC is chaotic. Lord knows what's going to happen. We see teams week in and week out, do what we did. Hopefully, we don't go down this path again. Just like I said, I wanted to be competitive in every single MAC game and where I'm disappointed is we were not competitive on Saturday. I'm beyond disappointed, like flabbergasted disappointed.
QUESTION: When it comes to Miami turning the page, what kind of challenges do they present?
LOEFFLER: Great defense. Extremely disciplined. Know how to win. When I entered the MAC, [Chuck Martin] went through, and he said it to me 100 times, he's won through the same things that we're going through right now. How to win, how to do this, how to do that. I think they know how to win. Plain and simple. They're extremely disciplined in all three phases. They play really sound, tough defense. I mean, really sound, tough defense and they just don't make mistakes. What we're going to have to do is we're going to have to go back and do the things that we've been doing that gives ourselves a chance to win. We need to be emotionally invested in the game from play one. Regardless of what happens, bad, good or indifferent, hang in there, go play our style of football. To win this game, you're going to have to go out and earn it. They're not going to give you one thing. This isn't going to be a deal where they're going to bust a coverage. They're not. They're extremely disciplined and we have to go out and take it and we have to earn it. We have to play sound football. We have been great with [turnovers] and had four turnovers. We've been fairly good with penalties and had 12 penalties. I mean, what are we going?
QUESTION: Coach, you talked a little about explosion plays and giving up a 90-yard run and a 90-yard fumble return. What do you guys need to do kind of zero in on both sides?
LOEFFLER: I've never seen more crazier turnovers in my career. Ball on the 1-yard line going in to score, they rip it from our young running back. Jaison [Patterson’s] going in to put us in position to be on the 4-yard line, we get stripped from behind. The short yardage played down here on the 90-yard touchdown, we're in a bare front and they're running inside zone. As an offensive coach, you're jumping up and down for three to four yards, two yards versus a bare front, and we miss fit the gap and it goes for 90. They were in the right defense. The bare front, run an inside zone? Come on. Any offensive line coach would say that's an uphill play and we miss fit the gap and the next thing you know, it went for 90. Those are the things that, you name it, every single thing went bad that could ever possibly go bad. Matt [McDonald’s] interception was a versus a three-man rush, three deep, five underneath three man go. He's seen that defense 100 times and the ball should be on the check down. We did some things that were completely absurd, completely outside the box. And like I said, I don't know why, but I have to take responsibility. I have to figure it out. We did things that we haven't done around here since I've been here to be quite honest with you. That's my job to figure it out. I’m meeting with the Leadership Council today and we need to figure it out and not let this happen again. That's the moral of the story.