Scot Loeffler Monday Press Conference Transcript (Akron)

SCOT LOEFFLER OPENING STATEMENT: Thank you very much for being here. [I] appreciate all of you that cover us. [I] appreciate your efforts and appreciate your time this afternoon.

Before I get going, I want to give a synopsis of this first third of the season. My goodness, we're already there, and [I] want to share a few things. Just like I said, whenever I speak to the media, I'm really speaking to the team, and this message since Sunday has been hammered. Obviously, it was hammered today. When you look at the first four games – you played Fordham, which was an inferior team, and you handled business and did what you were supposed to do. The next two Penn State [and] Texas A&M, we were the inferior team. [We] had a lot of top challenges [and were] able to play really good football against Penn State. I don't know if we had enough to push that one over the top, but [we] played really, really well. Texas A&M [was the] same animal – [a] very good football team. We played extremely well. [We] had an opportunity [on] one or two plays to push that one over the top, which would have been a monumental win for this program. We get to ODU, and since January, I've been saying it was going to be equivalent to playing an upper echelon to a type of MAC championship-type of game. They were identical to us. It was a like matchup in every aspect of the word. When you look at it, that loss, everyone remembers the kicks and what have not. But really, when you look at it, drive No. 1, we missed an opportunity to score a touchdown. We had Malcolm [Johnson Jr.] beat. [He] slowed up, and Connor [Bazelak] threw an excellent ball, and we didn't execute that touchdown. We had a touchdown called back here on Harold Fannin called for an illegal pick. The interception [thrown by Bazelak] – I played quarterback, and I know whenever it's a quarterback error. I know whenever it's a protection error. I know when it's a spacing error. That's the great thing about playing quarterback and playing offensive line, in my opinion. When there's a sack, everyone blames the offensive line, and that's sometimes the case, and most of the time not the case. The interception went from a play that should have been a plus-25 [gain]. He threw it to exactly the spot he was supposed to throw it. We didn't use any technique. It was man coverage. We ran it like it was zone [coverage]. We were undercut, and if we use the technique, it's plus 25 [yards] and we're in an unbelievable situation. Rather than be in an unbelievable situation, the ball is on the 20-yard line going in, and that's adverse waters, as we know. We didn't finish on defense. It's the first time this year that I can actually say that we did not play hard on defense like we normally do. Is that a general statement? Yes, there were individuals that absolutely played 100 percent. Then at times, it just wasn't the same collective effort that you saw in the Penn State and the Texas A&M games.

When we talk about to our team, and this is where I want to share again, sending the message to our players again, there's really four keys to winning a game. No. 1 [is] the mindset. What we always talk about is there is no such thing as logos. In the first three games, we absolutely did an unbelievable job with that. Fordham – we knew that they were an inferior team. All the guys were excited about a home opener, and they played absolutely like savages. Then, we go to two teams that it's hard not to recognize those logos, but we always fight against that. [We] don't believe in it. [We] played really well. [We] didn't get caught up in the logo. [We] didn't get caught up in the ‘We're playing an upper echelon big team, an SEC team’ – [we] didn't get caught up in it. Then, I hate to say this, we looked at the logo last week, and it was a mistake. I obviously did not do a good enough job presenting to our team that this was a upper echelon, big time ball game against a, in my opinion, probably one of the better MAC teams in our league. We got caught up in the logo. So, that was a failure, and that's my responsibility. No. 2, when we talk about keys to winning, we talk about preparation. I can tell you right now and look every player in the eye – I thought our preparation inside the building was a 10. I thought we practiced unbelievable. I thought it was a great week. When we always talk about preparation, we say, ‘What are you doing off the field?’ I can't measure that. I'm assuming we did a good job with that. Then No. 3, we talk about all the championship habits that you have to do in terms of taking care of your body, being in the training room, nutrition, sleep [and] hydration. I thought we did an excellent job with that in this game. Then, we get to game day. What's got to happen on game day is No. 1, you have to have laser focus. We did not have laser focus. Did some of our guys have laser focus? Absolutely. Then we go to on game day, what has to happen to win is you have to do your job. There were some guys that did an unbelievable deal with their job, and there were some guys that absolutely did not do anything they were coached to do. No. 3, and this is the piece that I'm most disturbed with, is relentless effort. There were some things that we didn't do [in] Weeks 1, Weeks 2 [and] Weeks 3 in terms of effort. That's not who we are. That's not what our brand is, and that was really disappointing. Then No. 4 [is] execute. At times, I thought even with the poor effort, guys not at times doing their job. I thought at times, we did some really good things with execution all across the board. Whenever you're not focused, you've thought just because it was a certain logo, and your mindset wasn't right, and you're not playing as hard as you're supposed to be playing, and you're flat and not doing your job at times, not being disciplined, you're going to get caught. That's exactly what happened. Just like I said, you will never see me ever sit behind here and ever blame a player. That's my responsibility – A No. 1. That's extreme ownership. No. 2, it's our staff's responsibility. No. 3, it's our players’ responsibility. The fact of the matter is this is going down in my career, as probably one of the more painful losses that I've ever experienced, and I think our team felt that. I think, as much as I hate to say this, because I hate losing, this might have been the best wake up call for us this early in the season, because the fact of the matter [is] if you look at college football right now, it's happening everywhere. Across the board, teams are losing to teams because they're worried about the dang logo, and they're not showing up and they're not doing their jobs. It's across the board. I would never want to be a gambler in this day [and age] right now, because these gamblers right now and all these odds makers who are ridiculous at what they do, they can't measure mindset, and that's what's going on right now. We have to fight against it, and I have to coach better against it, and we will. But, life is short. Football life is short, and I'm hoping to goodness that this was an unbelievable wake up call because the logos don't matter. It doesn't matter who you play. They don't matter anymore. If your mindset is not right, your prep is not right [and] your habits aren't right during the week … Again, three out of the four I think were, but when you're playing an equal team, those things are going to show up.

I use the example, and I never like to share examples of other teams with our players, but I thought it was … No. 1, I think he's a great coach – [ODU head coach] Ricky Rahne, who we just played. He shared with me after the game his thoughts and vice versa. He goes, ‘Scot, can you imagine going to the press conference like this? The kid that jumped over the center [on a penalty on a field goal attempt that gave BGSU a first down] wasn't even supposed to rush.’ That's what we're fighting against right now, and that's what we're coaching against right now. Do your job. Be disciplined. Do what you're supposed to do. I shared that with our team, because we did some things very similar. What we have to do is we have to eliminate that and make a run at this thing, one game at a time, one week at a time and go from there. So, thank you for letting me talk to my team.

QUESTION: Despite the 1-3 start, is the confidence level still high with this team knowing that they are only a few plays away from being 4-0?
LOEFFLER: We're 16 points away from being 4-0, but that doesn't matter. The fact when you really look on paper [is] this team should be 2-2, but we're not. We let one slip away because of mindset. Just like I said, that's my responsibility, and we didn't play hard on some plays, and that's my responsibility. We didn't do our job on some plays, and that didn't show up Week 1 and Week 2 and Week 3. As much as that stinks to lose that way, I hate to say this, I'd much rather it happen right now than walking into this eight game stretch that we're about ready to play. I'm going to remind our team every week about the feeling and what happened and why it happened, and that's just the facts. The fact that matter is we’re fighting against each other right now and coaching against each other. What I mean by that is just do our job, do what you're supposed to do, and everything's going to work out just fine. After that, the football gods take care of itself. The fact of the matter is we did some things that we have not done in Weeks 1, 2 and 3.

QUESTION: Is it a bonus to go straight into conference play after non-conference play unlike last year where there were some non-conference games mixed in between conference games?
LOEFFLER: I love it. I think as long as I've been here, this is the toughest three-week stretch that we've had, and we've had some tough stretches around here – hard. You played two big time football teams. You played one that was identical to you in talent. It's been a great preparation for the most important part of the season. This is the most important. This is why you come to Bowling Green. You come to Bowling Green to try to win MAC championships. Our approach [is] we're not even going to talk championship. Our approach is going to be one week at a time and one day at a time. We have to win the day and fight against all the things that causes teams to lose right now in the era that we're in.

QUESTION: Given his production this season, is this what you thought TE Harold Fannin Jr. could become since recruiting him out of high school? What were your first impressions of him then?
LOEFFLER: [That] he’s going to be a pro football player. There was no question. We've recruited a lot of really good players. His attributes in high school were exactly what it looked like at all the places I coached. He could play anywhere that I've coached. He's a great player. He has to keep concentrating and doing the things that he's doing. I said this to our team – he's a freak show. I mean, he is a very, very good player. I said this to our team – I never have to worry about Harold [Fannin Jr.] not aligning right. His splits are impeccable. I never have to worry about his technique. I never have to worry about his depth. I never have to worry about him not getting into the right spot and causing spacing problems. Then the rest of the play – those are all the things that everyone can control. Every single guy on our team can do that – every single one of them. Now, what happens with him is when the ball gets in his hands and he's got great natural mitts, he has the ability to score. Not everyone has that, but everyone has the ability to get in the right split. They all have the ability to get to the right depth. They all have the ability to use the right technique. They all have the ability to catch. We have guys that can catch here. After that, a little bit of the good Lord takes place. Some guys are going to catch it and fall down. That's who they are. Some guys like Harold Fannin are going to catch it and go score. Some guys are going to catch it and advance it enough. That's all about ability, but we need to and in this football game [against Old Dominion], if we just simply did what we were supposed to do, we win the game and we didn’t. That's my responsibility, and that's my message.

QUESTION: What kind of challenge does Akron pose?
LOEFFLER: No. 1, I think [Akron head coach] Joe [Moorhead] does an unbelievable job. He is a great football coach. There's a reason that he's won every place that he's been. He is a really good offensive mind. He has a great staff. He has a very good defense. [They’re] very athletic up front. The MAC is the same. I don't care what anyone says. [If] you look at their schedule, they’ve played some savages. Lord knows the effects that playing an Ohio State [or] playing a South Carolina has when you play Ohio U. I lived that life. We lived that life right out here last year whenever we didn't practice [for the] OU [game] until Thursday, because we were so beat to hell from the Michigan game. So, you really can't judge anything about the OU game, because you don't know their health. You don't know how banged up. They just went through an unbelievable stretch of really hard opponents. This is the Mid-American Conference. I don't care who you are. I don't care about the logo. I don't care about any of that. Any of us can win at any time. It's about fighting the logo. It's about making sure that we're prepping like a savage. It's making sure that our habits are crystal clear, and then when we get to game day, we focus, we do our job, and we execute, and we play really, really, really hard. That's what it's going to take to win this game, plain and simple. Our four things that we've been following like religion around here needs to occur for us to beat Akron.

QUESTION: What do you think the team’s biggest strengths have been so far, and what have been the biggest things you want to see improvement in?
LOEFFLER: We played some really good run defenses, and we need to run the football better. The three teams that we just played are good against the run. Penn State was excellent against the run, maybe one of the best in the country. I think they were No. 1 last year. Texas, A&M is great against the run, and we did not run the ball well enough against ODU. [We] did not run the ball well enough. We need to get back to being able to run the ball well. I think Connor [Bazelak’s] playing at a high level right now, so I think our quarterback play is good right now. I think our protection has been great. I think our receiver play at times has been good and at times inconsistent, so we need to take the next step there. It's the little details [and] the little things that we need to be on point with. What I mean by that – here's the example. We had a player that gets an explosion play, plus 35 [yards with] unbelievable technique [and] great depth. We called the same exact play, and we're 10 yards short on the depth. So, those are the things that we need to change. We need to get majorly consistent at the receiver play and block a little bit better on the perimeter. Defensively, when we play hard, we're really good. We did not play consistently hard against ODU. That's a fact. Watch the second play of the game when there's a screen. Four of our best players did not hustle, and that's not who we've been. That's not the way we play defense around here. I think we've covered well. I think we can improve tackling a little bit, but for the most part, our tackling has been pretty good. So, the moral of the story is we have to get back to who we are quick. We followed this formula for the last three weeks. [For the] first three weeks, we followed it to a T, and we were really good at it. Obviously, this week, whenever you look at mindset [and] worried about a logo we did. Our practice was great. I thought our habits were good, and then game day, there's guys that didn't do their job, not everybody, but there was enough that caused the loss, and our effort wasn't to the standard that it's generally been. All of those things are why it didn't happen, and our formula. That's my fault. That's my responsibility. It's our staff's responsibility, and it's our players’ responsibility, but it starts with me.

QUESTION: Is focus and effort something that you can coach?
LOEFFLER: [You] have to. It's 100%. I didn't say it enough. You have to. In this world that we're living in right now, you absolutely have to. It has to be constant reminders. I hate to say this – this thing that occurred Saturday stinks. It hurts. It sucks. I'm sick. I haven't been this sick since I've been here over a loss. I'm sick. Our staff is sick. Our team is sick. I'm hoping that we cannot be so short minded that we can refer back to this [and] to not let this happen again.

QUESTION: What caused some moments of disjoint during the Old Dominion game with penalties, players out of position and usage of early time outs?
LOEFFLER: The timeouts is that we were in probably the most complex prep that we've ever been in on third down, and we were 50% [on third down conversions]. If you watch teams that play this ODU team on third down, thank God we had a bye week. Let's just put it that way. We used a lot of time with ODU for the bye week. Their system was excellent on third down. You watched South Carolina get the quarterback hit left and right. You watched last year the quarterback get hit left and right. They had a great check system. If there's one area that I thought we were excellent [in], it was [that] our third down plan was on point. At the beginning of the game in particular, we had to burn two time outs because it was new. We got disjointed a couple times with it, and we just knew that we had to keep the ball, and that's why we burned the timeouts on the third downs. We started getting into a groove and really settling into how the system worked, and we executed, I thought, excellent for the problems that they gave us.

QUESTION: How about the penalties that hurt the team?
LOEFFLER: Yes, the offsides penalty. The pick [play] – you could watch the tape. Whenever you watch the pick, both of ODU’s defenders run into each other. They both collide into each other, and literally, one splatters into the kid that they said picked us. Whenever he ricocheted off, his hands went up, and the minute that your hands go up, they automatically assume you were picking. In all actuality, the two ODU players run into each other, ricochet into our wide receiver, and they called a pick. I think it's a tough call. Do I think it was a pick? Absolutely not. Is it a tough call? Absolutely it is. Probably whenever the game's in full speed, I would have probably thrown a flag, but that's not what occurred.

QUESTION: With 20,000 people in the stands and it being homecoming, is it a double edged sword when you talk about your players being laser focused?
LOEFFLER: No, I don't think that at all. I don't.

QUESTION: Of the players who have been injured the first four games this year, are you expecting any of them to return soon?
LOEFFLER: RJ Garcia will be back here soon if not this week, for sure next week. I'm hoping to get him some snaps this week, which will be a huge help for us.

QUESTION: How much will RJ Garcia’s return help the wide receiver room?
LOEFFLER: We have good wideouts here. We just need to be more consistent with some things.

QUESTION: How has Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach Alex Bayer been able to balance coaching both groups that are such strengths to this team?
LOEFFLER: No. 1, besides the quarterback, the most work that you have to do is with the tight end just because of what we do with the tight ends. We do a lot, and we really do a good job. Greg [Nosal] has coached the tight ends for a long time. He's our O-line coach. There’s some things that ‘Soup’ [Erik Campbell] helps the tight ends out with. It's a group effort, and it has to be a group effort in terms of what we're doing with Alex, because of No. 1 he's in charge of the special teams, which takes numerous hours. Then, I think what we do to help Alex is, I think myself, Greg, ‘Soup, Max [Warner] – we all kind of help Alex get ready to prep for his meeting to get ready with the tight ends. He does an unbelievable job. To do both of those jobs is extremely difficult, especially in this offense. This offense is a very complex deal with the tight end and it's generally feast or famine. Right now, it's feast because we have some really good players at that position, and I think Alex does an excellent job coaching the tight ends. I think Greg does an excellent job of helping with them. I think ‘Soup’ does, and then I think every once in a while, I put my notes and my two cents in there, but I try to stay away from their business.

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