Scot Loeffler Monday Press Conference Transcript (EKU Game)

Liberty

Sep 13 (Sat)

5 p.m.

Scot Loeffler Press Conference
Sept. 5, 2022
Bowling Green, Ohio

LOEFFLER: Happy Labor Day. Good afternoon. After watching the tape, felt that we did some really good things on special teams. I thought PaSean Wimberly was exceptional and it's not a surprise. He is unbelievable in practice. The blocked punt I thought was a great momentum swing and gave us an opportunity early. Overall, I thought our special teams were good. In the second-half, we were disappointed with our punt team, something that we need to clean up and we will. Defensively, we felt the first two quarters, we played very well. The quarterback was exceptional. We missed too many tackles and when you let a guy like that loose, he's gonna make you pay. So, we missed some tackles that we regret but I thought the overall effort by the defense was exceptional. Joe Sipp, for a true freshman, went in there and played lights out, had 10-plus tackles. I thought JB Brown, his first time really being in there for a significant amount of time, played exceptional. There were some guys in the second-half, which we're going to need. Pat Day played really well at safety along with special teams. I thought he was outstanding, and Davion Daniels got some time and really did a good job tackling. Long and short with the defense. We felt we played well in the first two quarters. We wore down because of so many plays. And then offensively, it was disappointing. It was a little bit of last year, to be quite honest with you, and there has only been one time during training camp that I felt that way, and it reshowed its head again on Saturday. There was not one position group to blame. The quarterback would have a wide-open guy, we’d have it protected perfectly and we missed the throw. Then we'd come back, and Matt would have a great read and the left tackle misses a block and it went on and on and on like that offensively.

I was majorly disappointed, just like I said, just because we play a good defense every day and there's been only one time during training camp that I felt that way. And again, I felt that way on Saturday. So, long and short of it, we gotta go out and do it on game day. We need to do what we did during training camp and go out and make plays. I'm expecting our offense to play really well this Saturday and if not, I'm gonna be majorly disappointed.

QUESTION: Coach, you mentioned the level of effort. How do you take to that next level of focus on execution?
LOEFFLER: Well, now it's all execution. There was zero lack of effort. which has been a problem for us, and that's over. There's no such thing. If you graded our tape and watch the film in terms of effort, it was exceptional. It was exactly like we wanted. Offensively, we just didn't execute the way that we should. We had an opportunity twice early in the game to really make this thing exciting. We missed a pass to Levi, down the rail on their sideline, and then we stumbled in the red zone. Those things have gotta end and just like I said, I've been very encouraged from playing our defense on a regular basis during training camp, and it hasn't reared its head and it came back. It came back and you can't play offensive football that way.

QUESTION: What was the drop off from the defense performing so well to the offense, lack of communication or not being on the same page?
LOEFFLER: No, it went back to one guy on offense doesn't do their job on a particular play, you're not gonna have great success unless you have an athlete quarterback that can run around and make you right. An example being, we had a perfect blitz called. And Brock Horne came scot-free off the edge. It's designed as well as you can design it, and the guy made five guys miss and scored.
On offense, that's what would happen is we would have one mental mistake at any given time, in any position, and when we do that, we don't have a chance to be successful. I challenge them, to say the least, to get back to what we've been doing in training camp and to take our play to the game field.

QUESTION: Is there anything that you can dress with the team in terms of trying to execute a little bit better?
LOEFFLER: I think they prepared well. I do, and that's been a problem with the past. I think they were focused. I just think the players truly understand that everyone has to do their job in order for us to move the ball successfully, and we just gotta get it to translate to the game field. Like I said, there was one time in training camp that I felt that. It was our season ticket holder deal, that was the one that I felt that we just fell back into the same old, same old and it hasn't reared its head, and unfortunately, it reared its head on Saturday. Hopefully we can learn from that and take it to the next step and play much better. All we’ve got to do is do our job. UCLA didn't stop us. We stopped ourselves and that's what's disappointing.

QUESTION: What are you looking at in terms of the running back position?
LOEFFLER: Well, we had a philosophy going into the season of what we were gonna do and that changed pretty quickly with losing Terion. We've got a bunch of good backs right now that do different things well and all of them are gonna play.

QUESTION: How would you assess Matt’s play?
LOEFFLER: At times, good, at times poor. And the thing that I was disappointed with the overall pass game is, we said walking into the game that we had to protect the passer and we didn't. We didn't do it well at all, but we didn't do it well at any position. What I mean by that, it just wasn't the offensive line. it just wasn't the running backs, it just wasn't the tight ends. There were some depth problems with our wide receivers, they were at the wrong depth. Our tight ends, one time, were at the complete wrong depth and the spacing and timing of the play was ridiculous. The first third-down and five, we had a wide receiver run a shallow cross behind our own line of scrimmage. You’re supposed to be five yards down the field, which is an easy catch and run for a first down. So we did some things that were really, really out of the norm. Incomparable to what we've been doing in training camp and it's gotta change, plain and simple. If we can get going offensively, we’ve got a good enough defense and we’ve got good enough special teams. Just like I said, I've seen it in practice. They have done it before. Now we just gotta take it to the game field.

QUESTION: You guys came out firing on all cylinders for the most part, is that something you can bottle up and show them and kind of carry over to next week?
LOEFFLER: Well, that's what we wanna play like, every week. It doesn't matter. That's our standard. And just like I said, I would come in here and be disgusted with the effort. And I'm not. I thought the effort on all three phases was excellent. I just think there were things, missed tackles on defense, that we want to clean up and eliminating the self-inflicted wounds on offense. And we do that, we're gonna be just fine.

QUESTION: 2-for-16 on 3rd down, what needs to change?
LOEFFLER: Like I said, it was completely execution. There wasn't anything to sit here and say that UCLA stopped us. We did a great job as coaches researching what they were going to do, considering the guy had never called a defense since 2009. There was nothing shocking that we didn't practice. That was, just like I said, if it wasn't the offensive line, it was the tight end group. If it wasn't the tight end group, it was the wide receiver group. It wasn't the wide receiver group, it was the quarterback. All 11 have gotta be firing on the same on the same page.

QUESTION: What do you attribute those type of mistakes too?
LOEFFLER: I don't know. I don't. Normally during training camp, you're gonna have a day like that and we did. It was the season ticket holder day. I was very disappointed on how we played in comparison to all training camp. Just like I said, it reared its head and I don't know what it's from. Maybe Jakari not being in there could have been a big reason up front. We put Cade a tough situation and I thought Cade battled his tail off and considering the situation that he was in. We thought for sure the NCAA would clear him on Thursday or Friday. They didn’t. Just like I said at the end of the game, I'll be shocked if he's not. The waiver system was built completely for Jakari’s situation, not to get in the ins and outs of it. But when you got 3.1 student that has a baby, that has a family, that does all the right things, and there was an error that we couldn't identify because of how fast the transfer system occurred and the other school didn't. Three and a half weeks into him being here, all of a sudden we find out that a class didn't count, that he passed. If there's a poster child for why the NCAA created the waiver system, this is the poster child.

QUESTION: What’s the final resolution that you have heard?
LOEFFLER: I'm hoping Tuesday. Hoping Tuesday that we can have a center back because that'll be a huge help.

QUESTION: With so much talent and depth in that quarterback room, do you need to give somebody else an opportunity to take some snaps?
LOEFFLER: Just like I said, if you watch the tape, the missed throw on the on the rail route was poor. Again, there was a ton out of his out of his control. I mean a ton, and that's why I'm agitated right now, because all we had to do was do our job and we could’ve had a chance to have a lot of success and we didn't do it, plain and simple.

QUESTION: With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, how happy are you to see MAC teams get an easier path to potentially making a splash on the national stage?
LOEFFLER: I didn't even know that to be quite honest with you. I've been totally focused on our guys and getting our guys ready to play Eastern Kentucky. I wanna see our offense go out and play well.

QUESTION: What are your initial thoughts on Eastern Kentucky?
LOEFFLER: I think they've done an excellent job in the transfer portal. I think, defensively, they're very athletic. I think, up front, they're big and strong. I don't know how much depth they have, but I do know that the guys that they trot on the field that are starters are very good. I think the skill is great. The linebackers can run. The outside backer, the Sam, is a really good football player that I think can start on a lot of teams on in our conference. I think the quarterback is extremely efficient. They throw the ball well. When you got a good quarterback and good defense, you know they're gonna have a really good season, and we're gonna have to come out and play our best. There's no such thing in college football as gimmies anymore. You never know who you're gonna walk into because of the transfer portal. We’re going to have to bring our A-game, but we’re gonna bring our A-game every game. That's just college football now.

QUESTION: Returning home for the first time this year helps build back up that level of confidence coming off a loss, right?
LOEFFLER: Yeah, and I don't think there'll be any problem about being excited to play. I don't think there'll be any problem about effort. The fine details need to be demanded and executed on every single play. And again, you're not gonna be perfect. There's one thing about going out and getting your tail kicked in on a play. That's fine, but whenever you're stepping wrong and going the wrong way and not getting your depths on routes, that's frustrating.

QUESTION: Any residuals from the heat and all the cramping?
LOEFFLER: It was tough. It was a tough deal. It was a different hot. It was a dry heat, but it was definitely taking its toll on our guys. We had cramping issues. We thought we hydrated properly. We need to reevaluate that. Because to be quite honest with you, when I played in the swamp when we were coaching at Florida, it was way hotter than that because the humidity was so awful. We need to have a better plan when we get down to Mississippi State.

QUESTION: Is it gonna keep anybody out of the game this week?
LOEFFLER: I don't think so.

QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit more about what it was like to see PaSean block that punt?
LOEFFLER: It was awesome. He did a great job and he's been playing like that all camp long. It wasn't shocking whatsoever.

QUESTION: How important is to be able to play in front of the fans here and see them for the first time in 2022?
LOEFFLER: We’re super excited and we're gonna need everyone out here. We wanna fill the Doyt. It’s 4:00 o'clock game and it's gonna be a beautiful evening. We wanna win at home and that's a big emphasis this year with our team. You gotta win at home and we need to come out with all three phases firing and get this taste out of our mouth, get a win and get going. I’m super excited to get in the stadium.

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