Charlotte Football: JMU Postgame Press Conference

okay I'll take some questions coach what did you think went wrong ultimately there in the second half we were two different teams and and I right now I don't have an explanation for that I mean first half we played totally lights out I thought we played great in the first half and and that was still with three turnovers and five penalties you know and what I thought going into the half was if we eliminate the turnovers and the penalties we're going to we're going to boat race these guys I think you know first of all James Madison did a good job um I uh yeah know I don't think they're a better team than we are that's a problem you got to live with these are the losses you live with that you just like you don't sleep at night uh I don't know what happened in the second half um I have to think of it I think about I have to look at the tape but you know if you look at it there were three big plays by then it was three plays in the game that killed us it was a 73 yard pass to doson it was a 43 yd pass to uh cam Ross and it was uh cam Ross's end round play that was three big plays and I thought our defense played really well in the first half and then you know not as well in the second half and I thought our offense you know it's interesting because our offense was was like moving the ball but not scoring any points and and you know we we you know I have again I have to go back and look at that and see what that's that's all about I mean we were set of seven of 19 on third down conversions they were three of 11 um you know we outp possessed the ball time of possession I I guess the big thing is is is they we had 76 offensive plays to their 60 but they had three explosive plays and we didn't have any you know it just seems like when you watch us from the sideline like we get a ball break past the line of scrimmage and it it seems like really hard Thro to kind of outrun anybody and the same thing in the past game I don't think the offensive line played great tonight um you know I thought the quarterback was running for his life a lot and and we didn't rush the ball I mean we only we rush the ball for uh uh 13 31 times for 131 yards um and you know a big part of our game plan and breaking them down is we thought we could Rush the ball against them and um now we we we we did have some injuries along the offensive line but I'm not going to use that as any kind of excuse you know guys that went in are own scholarship and we coach him and um next next question through the ball 45 times tonight we can't beat anybody doing that obviously trailing you want to air I mean I thought I thought the game dictated a lot of that but you know we we we didn't feel like we had a lot of momentum running the football football and so we wanted to put it in his hands because he does make things happen uh you know I even with the interceptions that he had uh I was really pleased with how he played got put in a couple really difficult positions how taxing can those be especially when you get later in the game it's really hard to have three Reds Zone stops and we had three in the first half and then you know the defense you just you get you know to get those Red Zone stops you gamble a little bit right and you know the The House Always Wins in gambling so when you go to you have to go to the well too many times uh you wind up getting hurt and and you know it was not it's interesting because I'm not disappointed in there were so many things they did so well you know like that we didn't see last year right so many things they did so well and um like I said to him at halftime I said you know that was about the worst half of football you can play and we're down two points you know three turnovers a lot of mistakes um and I said to him I said you know if we if we come out and play a cleaner game um we have a chance to to win a football game and we actually came out and did the exact opposite part of that is the first game these guys have played together and that's the first game jmu's played together too but um we have to learn at Charlotte how to win and we don't know that yet we don't know how to win yet and and but I but I am encouraged about the football team I I think we have a good football team and I think we're going to have a good football team I really do um and we'll see time will tell but but you know we'll play next week and we we'll look at this one tomorrow cuz tomorrow we work and Monday's our day off but uh um and then we we'll see what we can do to get better it's not like it gets any easier cuz we go to Chapel Hill to play those guys um but I thought the spirit was good on the sideline as far as the offense and defense were encouraging each other um had a few bumps but you're going to have a few bumps in a competitive division one college football game um you know the other thing I'll say is this you know you look at our offense and I I said on the headphones in the first half I said gosh this is going to be a fun year we actually can move the ball we can do some really exciting things and and I I still believe that uh we just have to go back and go to work but that's what you do that's what most teams or at least half of the teams in the country have to do cuz half of them come out a week one 0 and one and you got to decide what you're going to to be and and I I think these guys look I really like these guys I'm really proud of them we have we showed some some flashes of Brilliance and then some moments of what's the opposite word of Brilliance uh some moments of dullness um but these are all things that can be fixed the more physical team I'm sorry I couldn't hear physical team in the first half defensive line was rcky Havoc up front and then that kind of went away in the second half yeah they played great um they are they are really good we have a we have a defensive line we feel like we can play with anybody um I was a little you know oh to answer your question um what happened in the second half I think they got worn down um I'm not I don't I I just think they got worn down um and I also think that I was a little surprised by the Deep balls against our secondary because we have two really good Corners now our starting safety didn't play who might be our best player back there uh but but that's not an excuse you know we G we G we gave up deep balls right at the wrong time too you know it was like it was like if you could say okay look this is the exact wrong time to give that up we did it um so that answer your question mentioned how you don't think Charlotte needs to learn how to win what do you think needs to happen for this team to learn how well you got to win some right and then they got to have confidence that they can win and I I have to tell you I was personally very confident going into the game even with the injuries I was really confident going into the game I really thought we were going to beat them and I thought we were going to play very well and we did play very well except for a handful of plays but you know smart coaches say that most games come down to a handful of plays and their momentum plays and especially the explosive plays on on on on their offense you know against our defense like defensively they really you know we had one ball hits a receiver and bounces up that that's kind of a fluke play um max is trying to throw the ball away on one interception he's running for his life and he can't get it out of bounds I don't think you'll see much of that anymore um I don't think we fumbled the ball did we fumble and lose did we fumble and lose or we fumbled and recovered it yeah um and does anybody know the turnover so I don't have to look at it here anybody have that turn three of pece three to two three two three o and three then yeah two them three and two then uh yeah so you mentioned the big plays at untimely spots in the game right out of the half you guys take a timeout will you talk about what happened there why you chose to take a timeout yeah uh we um didn't communicate uh what defensive package we were going to be in and so we were we had the wrong Personnel on the field and it's inexcusable really um but I think it shows you a little bit about we kind of came out out of the out of halftime fairly lethargic and I don't know what that was about um you maybe we have to change our halftime protocol actually maybe I was thinking about this I was talking to Lis Carell about this I think we need to get on the field earlier in a second after half I don't think four minutes when you get out there by the time you get out there 2 minutes is enough to warm up before the half and and not for our guys so we got to get out there you know I mean i' I'd like to get out earlier and actually get a little bit more work actually um but we started the game I thought Inc you know they have a a vaunted run game and I mean that that kid that's number seven a kid from North Texas I mean he he's torn people up the last couple years and I don't think he had more than about 50 yards against us uh he had 51 yards on 17 no no I'm sorry he had 41 yards on on uh 10 10 uh carries am I reading that right yeah 41 yards on 10 carries um oh no sorry 41 yards on 17 carries for a 2.4 a uh a game and you look at the rush there was a big rush by the quarterback on a draw and I just don't understand that and then the uh cam Ross end round play which was a really good call um well you know you can always sit back and say well if you can change six plays it's a different game but you got to get to the point where you don't have to do that you know and um anything else another typ opponent next week going Hill on Saturday what do you hope to see different on the field to come out with a different outome next week say that one more time got another next week in ch Hill what do you hope to see different in practice or on the field next week to get the win well I want to see how we come out of this one um and uh you know we played 76 snaps on offense and 60 on defense so I have to say uh you know what they're like I'm hoping we get some of the injured guys back and uh and and and Chapel Hill will be you know I always try to be very honest with you all the thing that that I I I I and I know this doesn't sound right but there are losses where you say we got beat by a better team and then there are losses where you say holy smokes and to me this was a holy smokes um and you know that falls directly on me um Chapel Hill will be different because they will be highly talented at every position I mean they are they do a great great job recruiting they're very deep and they're loaded now their quarterback I hear was hurt um but but I but I expect those to go and and like I I always think this way about the our team I expect us to go and play really really really well and um but I I don't have a crystal ball you know all I know how to do is go back and break things down into minute details and then try to correct those things and that's what we'll do build on the good things and we will not belabor the the things we didn't do so well but we will correct them seeing two different teams out there on the field can you pinpoint a moment for play where things split for you guys I'm I'm sorry I'm having trouble hearing you sorry coach uh you talked about seeing two of your teams on the field uh today can you pinpoint a moment for a play where things split for you guys oh oh it was probably the uh the end round I think that really kind of we were stoning them for for quite a while and then I think that end [Music] around uh you know that that really that really that that gave him a chance to score going into the half and uh you know we throw the interception before but again that's a ball probably should have been caught um and you know and then it was a great call by them uh cuz we we we felt like they couldn't run it inside on us we just didn't set an edge and uh you know it was it was was a a good call BI just after the rice game last year kind of toward the end of the season you were pretty blunt about the changes that needed to happen going into the off season and you were pretty aggressive in the portal and kind of shaking up the coaching staff a little bit so given how intentional you were about trying to kind of revamp the the team is it a little more disappointing to see the offense kind of carry over some of those issues from last year being ineffective no this is a marathon not a Sprint and we have 11 more football games maybe 12 so no I I'm um I was encouraged by so much of what we did today and if you sat in that stadium and watched that game and you don't think this is a significantly better team than last year and you don't know what the hell you're talking about when it was just kind of those little mistakes that seem to take back those big plays you had how hard can that be to build momentum yeah um it it can feel like it just kills the drive and the like you said the momentum it's momentum is a huge part of the game and just understanding that um yeah you're going to have good and bad plays so um it's football you're going to have the Bad and the good so just learn to weather the storm and understand what we can do better going into the next week for Reed kind of just talking about the discrepancy between the first and second half what do you think happened because in the first half like I said the physical team you guys are the defensive line is getting you know pressure you see a more physical team and then second half didn't see that yeah I'd say like what coach said um just just got a little tired um second half just a little more mes a little more miscommunication and you know just the Minor Details that we need to fix um but yeah mostly worn out a little tired talk about your game today through the ball 45 times we were on the run a lot tonight just thoughts on your first game as a Niner yeah I think there's a lot that I need to clean up um I take a lot of responsibility of that loss onto myself um can't turn the ball usually when you turn lose the turnover margin you lose the game so um just understand the importance of taking care of the ball um yeah like coach said it's a marathon not a Sprint so understanding what you can do better going in next week and taking advantage of the week of practice and film watch and understand what we can do better it didn't end up going the way you wanted to but at the end of that first half there was some aggression there maybe to try to build on that lead how much does that faith maybe mean in you from the staff yeah um well I know that going into the game they have faith in you so um just kind of normal faith that they've had throughout us the whole um summer and spring so um yeah going into the half it's hard to go and get scored on right before the half but caused by a interception so um the swing of uh the middle late the four minutes at the end of this first half and the four minutes at the end of the second half are huge biggest part of the game so um just kind of being able to Bear Down going into that next week and understand the importance of it for read you kind of mentioned fatigue kind of down the stretch is that maybe more of just week one you haven't been you know in like a full football environment in a while is that what do you think contributes to that team say so um just new team getting comfortable with each other getting comfortable with game like reps um and getting comfortable with four quarters we haven't done that since last year obviously so um yeah just getting comfortable and staying in focus and staying in our doing what we have to do so and I can touch on that a little bit with kind of the offense being on the field more and um us being on the field more and not going in three and outs and ending drives allowing them to get a breather that can also help going into the second half and help them get their legs back and the breath back so game started out and getting you easy throws quick things to kind of get the ball out of your hands get you in the Rhythm early do you think you guys went away from that or what do you think kind of went into the offense not doing what it did early on the game no I I don't think we went away from it I think there was just little details um obviously going and penalties will will hurt you a lot and turning the ball over so losing the turnover margin and penalties it's it's harder to lose the game but um like coach said we were down two points going into the half so even down two points going into the half knowing that you played the way that the things shook out in the first half the way they did is kind of promising um and yeah you just got to be able to move past and understand it's football on the Run quite a bit tonight but a lot of it didn't seem designed do you want to do more with your legs as far as in the designed game and getting out on pocket things like that you feel like that fits your place though yeah I can move around but uh it's kind of comes down to play I don't I don't I don't know I'm to anything else