Scot Loeffler Friday Press Conference Transcript (Georgia Tech Game)

Scot Loeffler Press Conference 
Sept. 25, 2023 
Bowling Green, Ohio 

LOEFFLER: After watching the tape, probably what's a little bit even worse after you watch how the whole thing took place and just like I said, I've done this 20 some odd years and I've never seen a half of football like that in my career. Right now, what we are is a team that can beat anyone, can play against Michigan, can play a good at half and a game with the top two opponent, and then we can go out and look like that. And it's 100 percent not talent.We've got enough talent on this team. We're the most talented team that I've had since we've been here. The issue is mindset, and the issue is being a true team. Complete team having those team qualities and those things that that make a difference. There are very few teams in this country right now that just have more talent than anyone else. There's about five to seven of them and the challenge is to right now with all of us in coaching right now, the challenge is to get our team to have the right mindset and to truly be a team and get rid of some unselfish thoughts and actions and that's where we're at and that's the truth. And I'm excited to see how this team responds. I said it at the beginning, the best team in our league is Ohio. It's not even close because they can week in and week out do it, and that's why you see some talented teams lose to inferior teams because of mindset and having those team qualities that that we talk about. So, you don't play that type of half one week and come and play that pathetic of half unless your mind is just not wired the right way. And just like I said, it's not a talent issue right now at all. I've had talent issues here and we've got enough talent to be fine. So, I think our kids see it. We'll see how they respond and see how it goes. You know, we're at the point where can't snap the ball for them. You can't. And there were just some things that occurred in that game that was mind boggling. And so, we're going to keep coaching them. We're going to keep loving them. It's going to be really exciting to watch, to see if we can push this thing over the top and have the mindset and have those unselfish values that that produce. So, you know, teams like Utah can do it.Teams like Ohio U can do it right now and let's see if we can move in the direction of one of those two teams because my opinion, those are real teams.

QUESTION: Have you seen players respond to Saturday's result?
LOEFFLER: Different than coaches do, it's totally a different world of our world is. I mean, ever since I was eight years old, you lose a baseball game. You couldn't eat. You couldn't sleep. You couldn't focus until you got to play again. And heck, that's the way that we were when we were in the backyard. You lost a basketball game at 10:00 o'clock at night. You were playing till 11 until he won and so different.
I think they feel the same way, they just respond completely, totally different than us old people, I guess respond. And so that's different for us, but that's been a theme for the last 5-6 years is they can put things on the shelf a lot faster than and what we can.

QUESTION: When you have a performance like this, coach, is this something more that the players need to take ownership of and to try and get fixed going into?
LOEFFLER:  Well, it's our job, just like I said, the challenge of with coaching right now, 95 percent of us in this business, we know the deal, there's a ton in when I mean a ton, there's a ton of things going through these dudes heads right now and you know somehow, someway your job right now is to, it's not X’s and O’s those zero schematically. We do really good things. Really good things. It's not schematics. It's not talent, it's mindset. Just like I said, there's so much clutter that's going on in players’ minds, and this is not here. It's everywhere. Our entire coaching profession, we talk about it all the time. There's a lot of challenges that are going on with these young men right now and it's our job to help them. Remove that clutter and focus on what they need to do. Focus on the team and find a way to win and produce on Saturdays. But whenever your mind's not right, you're cluttered and you're worried about this, and you're worried about that at the game's too hard. The game hasn't changed. The game hasn't changed at all. From the beginning of time, don't turn over the ball. Run the ball effectively block and tackle. Those things haven't changed. The things that have changed right now is getting our young men to get their minds uncluttered and to go out and play as a team in a unit. And just like I said, we don't have the most talented team in this league. We don't. But we have beyond enough talent on our side to win it when our mindset is right and when our team values are right. So, I'm not discouraged, it's just so we've got to get rid of this inconsistency. It's really, really hard to win this side without being consistent.

QUESTION: How were you able to do last week? Will you guys will have a more normal week this week?
LOEFFLER:  Yeah, we'll have a normal week, but again, just like I said at the end of the game last week, all that was excuses we had. We were beat to hell. There was no question about it. There was a lot of things that happened during the week, but at the end of the day that happens to a lot of teams. As we all know, but we're better off than what we were last week. Much better. We'll have a regular week, but just like I said, those are complete excuses and we're not going to have at least I'm not going to make that an excuse. No way.

QUESTION: How important are full contact periods?
LOEFFLER: It's critical, that's the challenge right now. Of what's separating teams from winning and losing is consistency we are all of us across the country are talking about it. How do we get our guys to be consistent? It's a challenge and it's something that whenever our minds are clear, our values with the team and being unselfish and dressing alike and doing all the little things. It's fun to watch and I love our kids. I'm 100% behind our kids, I love them. Do I like him right now? No, they don’t probably like me very much either right now, but that's OK. And but it's our job to tell them the truth. It's our job to help them. It's our job to get them to clear their minds, respond the way that they need to respond, be a team guy in a crazy, crazy world that they're living in right now. I mean, I could go on and on NIL. I mean, you could just keep the list going. It's crazy social media. Unbelievable. So the cool thing about it is. We know we've got enough talent. We know we've got good kids, got good scheme, we got good coaches. Now let's just put it all together, get our minds right, play consistent and good things will happen to us. If not, it'll be the same old, same old. We'll go beat someone that we're not supposed to beat, lose to someone that we're supposed to beat, and that'll be the same old repeat. And then until we can get over the top of consistency, it'll be that way and that's our challenge and we kind of we didn't kind of we beyond laid it out of how it needs to look. So we'll see how our kids respond. They're good kids and I expect them to respond the right way.

QUESTION: What is the mindset that you want your team focused on moving forward?
LOEFFLER: Complete 100 percent concentration on their job, nothing less. I mean, I go back to the quarterback position, for example, the quarterback position there's a reason that they're making $65 million a year because it's the hardest position in sport. It's not even close. The decision making that you have to make in 1.5 seconds the amount of information that you have to process, process, pre snap, post snap during the snap is mind boggling. And if you have anything cluttered in your mind whatsoever, you're not going to play very well and, that's why the Brady’s and the Fars and all these great ones, the Manning’s, they could play hurt and they can shut out all the noise with being hurt. They could shut out all the noise of being down 10. They could shut out all the noise of what their parents are saying. They could shut out all the noise of what the fans are like. They can shut out the feeling of, of playing in god awful weather, and they're so focused and they're so wrapped into what they're supposed to do that they don't even recognize the outside factors. And that's all very, very hard thing to do and that's what we need to do, so the quarterback position is super complex, but you know, it's the same, same deal with any other position. You know, it's just the amount of information and that you got to process at the quarterback position is mind boggling. So, there's a reason that they make the money they make.

QUESTION: How do you coach that?
LOEFFLER: It's consistency. It's what you do here, we are exactly our season, we'll go out on a Tuesday practice and be lights up. You guys are going oh my gosh, this is a Mid-American conference type of team and then you'll go out on a Wednesday and go. What the heck did we just watch? And then on Friday, be right back to WOW is that this was awesome to Saturday, flipping a coin and it's your daily actions. It's how you do things. And it's really, really hard to be that. But that's why there's only a few good teams.

QUESTION: Turnovers. Just been big factor in your losses. What's what kind of needs to happen in that regard to just try to take care of the ball better?
LOEFFLER: We've never had turnover trouble like this ever here and again mindset, I mean we've worked, we've worked ball security here more than anyone in the country and I'm probably exaggerating, but it hasn't shown up and that is completely 100% discipline. So got to be more disciplined.

QUESTION: On the quarterback position and navigating it with an injury.
LOEFFLER: This week was a complete circus as well as last week was and Connor in play the way that we wanted him to play. But the challenges that he had, which I'm not sharing. Mind boggling. Like he is a tough dude. Like you have no one has any idea how tough he is and is there some things that most guys they’re not going out there and then Camden take one snap because of his head, and he had a concussion. He’s back fully cleared. We could have probably pushed it, but that's not worth it at all. And so, my hats off to Conor, not because of how he played, he didn't play well. But what he's doing right now, you want to talk about guts, you want to talk about toughness? Yep, no question about it and I'm not getting into his injuries, but he's a tough dude.

QUESTION: Any update on the Demetrius Hardamon?
LOEFFLER: Yeah, he'll be out for the season. He had surgery in Ann Arbor. It's a surgery that is going to give him a chance to possibly play again, which is great. Had a great surgeon, came out great. Was a long surgery. Appreciate all the things that the Michigan guys did. Harbaugh went over and saw him twice. The Michigan players went over and saw a couple times, so I appreciate what they did for him.

QUESTION: Levi Gazarek obviously playing and contributing the other day after being carted off against Michigan. What does that say about his toughness?
LOEFFLER:  I mean, I have no clue how he got on the field. No clue. He said on Sunday. That I'm going to play and he on Thursday, which was unusual because we don't have practice on Thursday. We had to because we changed the schedule. He's out there and helmet shoulder pads spatted up like you wouldn't believe, and he is another tough guy. And none of those injuries that I'm talking about with Connor, Levi, are going to hurt them from playing, but they're playing with some major, major bang, you know, major bumps and bruises as I should say.

QUESTION: Looking ahead to Georgia Tech. Obviously, with this game being scheduled between two MAC games, is that a challenge in itself?
LOEFFLER: Yeah, I don't like it but who cares? I want to play the non-conference games and then start MAC schedule but didn't work out that way. And yeah, I do not like how our schedule was set up that whatsoever, but it is what it is. What are you going to do? You going to change it now? You got to go play the game the way that they scheduled them, and it is what it is, but no, absolutely not. I think it's preposterous, to be honest with you or entire schedule, but it is what it is.

QUESTION: On Georgia Tech putting up a lot of yards and points.
LOEFFLER: Yeah, they've really improved. It's taking them time. They've obviously done a good job in the transfer portal. They play a very up-tempo offense and a unique style on defense. They're unique.
We face this type of defense a couple times when I was in Virginia Tech a couple times when I was at Boston College one time when I was here and that's unique. They play unique things in the back end. Lots of pressure. Lots of multiple ways of pressure and playing three fire simulated fires, two fires.
They trap. I mean, they do it all and they obviously must have some smart guys too, because they're doing it without a lot of bus, which is impressive because they're a dial on defense. They got a lot of defense in front of them and so they're blocking field goals. Number 88 is a machine blocking field goals, so they've improved. They've got a tough had a tough schedule too, and we got to go down there and just like I said, it's I'm at the point right now. It has zero to do with our opponents right now, like and when I mean zero, it's all about our mindset. It's all about us being team guys, being unselfish and. We do that, we'll have a chance. We don't do that. It'll look like right out there. What happened on Saturday.

QUESTION: On the consistency and mindset within your players. How do you practice for those turnovers?
LOEFFLER: We do not do too much what they call scout team. It's pretty much our better players are simulating their defense and offense, so we try to give us the best available look that we possibly can. It's very similar to the NFL model. They only have 50 guys or 55 guys in a couple practice team guys. So, we try to go as many ones on twos and have the two simulate Georgia Tech, offense, defense, special teams.

QUESTION: Do you think the turnovers are coming from nerves of making a mistake?
LOEFFLER:  When you watched the turnover real right now it's a collage of things protection, decision making, route running. There's not one thing besides the fumbles. The fumbles you can, it's how you are carrying the ball. The pass game and the interceptions are a multiple of problems and when we do our job. You’re not going to turn the ball over, I mean, plain and simple. It’s job responsibility completely.

QUESTION: On yards gained, OU is kind of held under their season average defense. Maybe put some stuff spots and times. It seemed like they held their own. Is there any sort of positive you could take away.
LOEFFLER: A lot of that was because they didn't have to drive the ball very far because of the turnovers. So, I thought the times that our defense was in there, I thought they did well. They have 12 plays that they all want back on defense that we want back. That we miss aligned or didn't do our job, let the ball outside. All of which, just like I said, has nothing to do with physical nothing. And that's who we are right now. It is completely between our ears. You're watching and go, and I know that. Don't think until play #22 on offense that OU stopped us, we stopped ourselves. I think it was 22 that I went. My goodness gracious, that's a good defense. That's a terrible call. We are matched here we don't have a shot. 22 play 22 it's completely us, and that's what we're going to clean.

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