Bowling Green State University Athletics
Scot Loeffler Friday Press Conference Transcript (Akron)
Scot Loeffler Press Conference
Oct. 16, 2023
Bowling Green, Ohio
Question: Defense ability to capitalize on bad passes and get interceptions.
Loeffler: Yeah, I think our defense needs to continue to get the ball back, and as soon as the offense can figure out how to protect the ball cleanly, we’re going to win a lot of games. But we need to continue pressuring the quarterback. We give our opponents a lot of different looks and hopefully the quarterbacks keep throwing us the ball, we get the ball back, protect it, and if you win the turnover battle, you’re going to be in great shape. It’s fascinating. We are the worst in the country at giving the ball up and the best in the country at taking it away. So, we need to protect the ball better and we do that by being in great shape.
Question: How much work goes into the defense to get interceptions?
Loeffler: The positive and the frustrating piece of it is that we emphasize ball security around here as much as anyone in the country. We have set periods that we are protecting the ball, set periods that we are getting the ball back and we need to continue getting the ball back, and that will be key in these next couple games, particularly this one.
Question: How much of the success in the run game is credited to the offensive line?
Loeffler: I think the offensive line has played better. We are still not where we want to be in that area. I think Terion [Stewart] and the rest of the backs have done a great job complimenting each other. I think systematically, we are doing things in the run game that are difficult on the defense in terms of combination of pro-style runs and all of the sudden we are an option football. Those are all difficult things that cause problems on a defense. I think it is a combination of a lot of things right now. We have made a huge emphasis on running the ball better and there are two areas that we need to get cleaned up. We need to get the turnovers cleaned up and we need to get the penalties cleaned up. If we do that, we look like the team that played Georgia Tech. We have the ability to throw the ball, so we just need to continue to put it together and keep blocking punts; keep having that special play on special teams and we will finish out the year the way we want to.
Question: Explain how the special teams have been so successful every week.
Loeffler: That’s not necessarily true. It has been successful sometimes. We have been and inconsistent football team and not just on offense and not just on defense, it’s been everywhere. There have been times where our special teams have been Elite, they were the best of the best last week, they were great, but there have been times that we haven’t this year. These last couple weeks have been more consistent in that area, and we need to continue in that area. So, to say that one phase of our game right now is premier, top notch, the best in the country, is so far off. We need to become more consistent, plain, and simple.
Question: How important is it that three of your last five games are at home?
Loeffler: It feels like an eternity to be honest with you. I think we are the only team in the country that had five road games out of seven, so yes it will be nice. It is going to be really great for the players in terms of rest. We have been on a bus for six and a half hours coming back from Buffalo and three and a half from Miami. Those are late nights we are getting in, you’re not playing at noon, playing at 3:30. So those are tough, and I am thankful that we are back at home. This is a really important game for us, this Akron game. We need to make sure the Doyt is packed. We want a great environment, heck we haven’t been here. It is time that we get everyone in the stadium and use it to our advantage.
Question: On Devon Ferguson’s performance with 2 interceptions.
Loeffler: Yeah, Ferg is a good football player, and he just needs to stay within the framework of the defense. When he does that, good things. At times he gets impatient, and he gets outside the framework of the defense and goes inside because he wants to make a play and the next thing that you know, the ball is being spilled outside and it shouldn’t be outside. When Ferg is disciplined and just does his job, those interceptions, and those great tackles that he had are going to come. I thought this was the most disciplined game that he’s played, and he was player of the week in the MAC I believe. When he does that, he is a really good football player. But it’s just like anything else, when you go outside of the box, no one is good enough to go outside the box. I don’t care if you’re Tom Brady, I don’t care if you’re Herschel Walker, I don’t care if you’re the biggest, baddest, awesomest linebacker in the world. If you don’t do your job consistently, it is hard to be in position to make those plays, so I thought he did a really nice job this week. I thought our defense, baring the penalties, played very well this week. But we still had five negative plays and then five penalties. What are we doing hitting the quarterback late at the end of the game. So those are things that we need to get cleaned up because games are too tough in this conference to be inconsistent, to have stupid penalties, and we need to protect the ball, play consistent, and obviously get rid of these absurd penalties. You know penalties are going to happen. Holding here and there, pass interference, but when you have blatant offsides penalties, hitting guys late, that’s not good football.
Question: What is the focus on taking on Akron who has not had the best season?
Loeffler: When you watch the tape, trust me I know what 1-6 team looks like in this league. I mean in my first two years here we were God awful, and we were 1-6 team, 0-6 team. I know what that looks like, and this Akron team doesn’t look like that at all. They’ve done a great job in recruiting in terms defensively. They do not look one thing like they did last year. Defensively, I think they are right on par of becoming a really good MAC defense. Offensively, anytime you lose your starting quarterback, that’s hard. They’ve done a great job adapting and adjusting to that situation, but this isn’t a 1-6 team that we are playing. Heck, they take Indiana all the way down to double overtime. They should have beat Indiana. You just watch their games, nothing on tape shows that they are a 1-6 team, so we have our work cut out for us just like everyone in this league does. And you better bring it, you better bring a great mindset, you better be consistent, you better protect the ball, you better find ways to get explosions, negate explosions of the opponent. If not, we are going to get your tail kicked in. In my opinion, this is an even game.
Question: How was it seeing Quentin Morris at the game on Saturday?
Loeffler: It was great, and I am going to have him send a video message to our team actually, because the first thing that he said was, there is no way he would have ever played Pro Football without the development here. First, he goes, “we do a deal in the offseason called Football 101 and it is 185 questions from the offensive. Just learning defense” and he goes, “I’d never knew defense until your staff came here. Now I understand defense, offensively I walk in, and we run every single play that you run. We just have different names” so he said the transition going from Bowling Green to the NFL was quite easy. He goes, “If we wouldn’t have changed the systems, I couldn’t tell you an under front from a bear front, I couldn’t tell you cover 4 from 2 Tampa.” It was nice to hear how appreciative he was, and he was in the dark times too. He wasn’t here when we have a chance to win games. He was here when we were 0-6 and 1-6 and legitimately should have been 0-6 and 1-6 we were terrible, but I really appreciated his comments and I am super happy for him, his parents are super thankful. Got to catch up with them and they were super happy. I think he caught the game winning touchdown and that was awesome. So, he is growing up, becoming a great practice player, he was not here. Tom Sweeny, my buddy that was his teammate over at Boston College, helped him become a really good practice player in the NFL. If Q just keeps practicing right, keep studying, he will play a long time which is cool.
Question: How does it feel with Karl Brooks playing well, to see BG representation in the NFL.
Loeffler: It is great, Karl did a great job here. I am super thankful for him because he could have transferred but he was intelligent enough that he could be the star player here. He could be the featured guy on defense in the league and played in the bowl game. He did everything the right way and you know when you do things right generally, God repays you back when you did everything right. Wanted to make sure that he played that bowl game with his class, wanted to make sure that he didn’t leave his team high and dry to go make a lot of money to a grown up. He did everything the way that old school football players used to do it and he will get paid back. He’s going to play in the league for a long time.
Question: Quarterback situation.
Loeffler: Were still dealing with some injuries and some things right now and that will completely be a game time decision.