Scot Loeffler Monday Press Conference Transcript (CMU)

Scot Loeffler Press Conference

Oct. 31, 2024

Bowling Green, Ohio

SCOT LOEFFLER OPENING STATEMENT: We're getting ready to play a really well-coached football team. [Central Michigan is a] tough place to play. They've had a ton of injuries at quarterback for Central Michigan, but we have a ton of respect for ‘Mac’ [Jim McElwain] and what he does. They have a good team, and they're banged up. I think defensively, they're athletic, they can cover, they give a variety of different looks, and they're challenging. So, we're going to have to go up there and play our best game. We're going to have to be locked in. The weather's supposed to be horrific, typical, but the good thing is, at least we're used to the wind. We have a challenge ahead of us for sure.

QUESTION: How have you seen your team respond these last few days coming off an emotional win at Toledo?

LOEFFLER: They’re fine. The challenge is to be able to put that to bed. It was a great win. It's our rivalry, but the fact of the matter is we have 100 pieces of evidence this year of teams that play in a rivalry game, play in a big game, and win the game and then go and lay an egg the next week. You can point out numerous examples of that being the case. We're locked into, really a new season. This is a four-game stretch here in November. Everyone remembers what happens in November, the old cliché. This is week one for us, and we're trying to find a way to be 1-0.

QUESTION: How critical has scoring a touchdown on the opening possession of games been?

LOEFFLER: We love to start fast, but you have to adapt and adjust. Sometimes, you have field position issues and you're trying to flip the field. Other times, you're dealing with weather situations. In a perfect world, we'd love to start every game scoring first, but that's all based upon what's going on in the game.

QUESTION: How much does preparation help with trying to get off to a good start?

LOEFFLER: It's going to be critical in this game. I think [with] Central Michigan, those guys have been together for a long time. If not at Central, they were together at Florida. They know what they're doing. They have a great scheme. They create problems with multiple fronts [and] multiple coverages. Offensively, we have to be completely locked in. With the quarterback situation with Central, they've found a way to change their offense to suit their quarterbacks. ‘Mac’ [Jim McElwain] is a great offensive coach, and he'll find a way to score points. He'll find a way to stress our defense, so we have to be on top of our stuff.

QUESTION: How does the staff make the adjustment going to midweek games?

LOEFFLER: We're used to it, to be honest with you. We only have to do it twice this year for some ungodly reason. I think we went eight weeks of it these last couple years. I actually like it. I like it to the fact that it reminds me closer to pro football in terms of, you don't have school. So, your players are able to practice, and then able to come in on their own and get extra film work [and] extra treatment without having the academic classes being on the weekend. I actually like Wednesday games better than Tuesday, just because our Tuesday is technically Friday, which is tomorrow, and our Wednesday is Saturday. When you play on a Wednesday, your two most important practices are completely on the weekend. [It’s] not so much when you play on Tuesday. Today was our Monday. We went out in spiders and helmets. We did what we typically do on a Monday, and we'll hit the ground running tomorrow with our Tuesday practice.

QUESTION: Is there an ideal number of mid-week games you would like the team to play in?

LOEFFLER: Whatever they tell me to play, honestly. [If] they said we had to play all four midweek games, that's what we’d do. I do like the Saturday games, just because like last week I think it gives the ability for the stadium to be full. But again, you get a ton of national attention being on national TV too, so there's a lot of ways to look at it. Wherever they tell us to play, when they tell us to play, what day we'll try to get ready and give our best efforts.

QUESTION: Where do you stand on playing the Friday games?

LOEFFLER: [I] haven't even thought that far. [We] haven't had a Friday game in a long time. [I] was accustomed to them being at Virginia Tech on Thursday nights and Fridays. We had more than others, just because that's a tradition there. Just like I said, wherever they tell us to play, what time, we'll find a way to prepare our tails off and try to go compete to our very best and try to win the game.

QUESTION: The defense is playing with that swagger like savages that you have called it the last few games. How do you keep that going?

LOEFFLER: It's who we should be. I said this to our kids, and there was a frustration point of our season [in] about week four that we weren't playing to our best of our ability. At the end of the day, that's all I ask is that both offense, defense and special teams, we play to our very best. If someone's better than us, then someone's better than us. When we're clicking altogether and we're worrying about the important stuff and we prepare like we're supposed to prepare and we're staying away from the selfish thoughts and the selfish things that are going on and concentrate on just being great teammates and concentrating on doing our jobs, we're a good team. We are, and when you're not, it's hard to be good. This game requires a ton of concentration. This game requires a ton of preparation. This game takes a ton of discipline, other than even going to school and just practicing right. You have to take care of your body. You have to sleep. You have to eat right. You have to train the right way. You have to rehab the right way. So, this game takes a lot, and whenever your mind is not focused on doing all the things that it takes to win, you're going to get your tail beat. We found that out, and we figured that out. I'm hoping that our squad got to taste what it's supposed to look like. We've had four games, in my opinion, that we played top notch football in every aspect. We've had four that we were not so much at times we were or one side of the ball was and the other wasn't. As long as we're doing our best and as long as we're locked in and doing things 100% the right way, that's all you can ask as a coach, and that's all you can ask as a teammate. When you're not, that's normally whenever losses occur, and you just have to be locked in at all times.

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