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Coach Johnson’s Monday Press Conference
10/4/2004
Coach Johnson’s Monday Press Conference
Coach Johnson addressed the media Monday to preview Vanderbilt’s matchup against Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 9.
On players showing up early and excited for Sunday’s practice:
“It’s obviously a better atmosphere on Sunday. Our guys have worked hard every Sunday but there were some smiles going on while we did it this time. I was glad to see them get rewarded and it was good to have that feeling to come out victorious.”
On keeping QB rotation, if they are keeping it:
“I think so. I think it pays off for us not only to give other teams a different look but also to rest Jay a little bit and also to give Steven some valuable experience in case there is a time when Jay is out of the game and can’t go back in and play. Steven will be able to take over and not have to get over that jittery feeling of never being in the game. We’re very pleased with that. Steven did a good job and led us on a couple of scoring drives. We’re keeping that (rotation).”
On what improvements Bright has to make at quarterback:
“It’s kind of hard to say what he needs to improve on because he hasn’t played a whole bunch. Just overall command of the passing game and just being able to have the experience to look down field and go through his reads. He’s physically talented and he can handle everything that we ask him to do in our.”
On two quarterback philosophy:
“I don’t think we have a two-quarterback system right now. We have Jay Cutler and we have Steven Bright able to come in and give him some needed rest while getting valuable experience. I don’t want this to grow into anything it’s not. Jay is our quarterback but we have tremendous confidence in Steven if he has to go in.”
On missing offensive line starters and the performance of guardBrian Kovolisky,the SEC offensive lineman of the week:
“I’m thrilled for Brian because he is truly an unsung hero. He is behind the scenes, doesn’t brag, doesn’t talk a lot, just goes out and does his job over and over again. I was very pleased to see him rewarded with that award.”
Overall impression of the offensive line:
“They all stepped up. (Tackle) Ryan King played 74 plays and I don’t think he had played more than 15 or 20 in a game except maybe Kentucky last year so that was quite a change. (Guard) Nigel Seaman started and played over 60 plays. Those guys really did a fine job taking over in a tough situation.”
On similarities between Rutgers and Vanderbilt:
“There are a lot of similarities. They have been trying to build their program the past few years. They are an academic school. They have probably enjoyed more success that we have here. They have had bigger wins, including Syracuse last year and Michigan State this year. They are ‘the’ university in the state of New Jersey so I think they are trying to capitalize on that. There are a lot of good football players in that part of the country. They probably think they can go out and find enough players to be successful. I believe they are right.”
Is it harder or easier to prepare for opponent that wasn’t on schedule last year:
“It’s a little harder, but they had the same problem, so that balances out. You look back at every game but you don’t know what they like to stick with when the game gets really tight. You just don’t have a real feel like you would after seeing Tennessee for three years. You have to worry about your own team in this situation more than the other team and make sure your guys are playing well and executing. We’ll see what we can adjust to if they give us something different than what they show on film.”
Will (Kelechi) Ohanaja and (Justin) Geisinger:
“Kelechi practiced a little bit yesterday. He ran well but he’s still very tender and if he were to get hit, I don’t think he would have been real happy. As far as the running, I think he’s ready to go. As far as taking contact, I don’t know. With Justin, we get a little closer everyday. Those things seem to have a plateau, you make a little progress early and then you plateau. I think he hit that plateau last week. It’s a bit discouraging, but I think he’s feeling better.”
It seems a lot changed in one week around the conference, you guys getting a good win and others having difficult losses.
“You have to look at the overall outlook. Even though we were struggling, we were improved and had a chance to win two of those first three games. I can’t speak for Tennessee, but I’m sure they’re not over there jumping off cliffs into the river. They lost one game. They have a very good football team and they have a lot of football ahead of them.”
Talk about the hit Brandon Smith took in the end zone:
“The defensive player covered a lot of ground on that play and was just trying to get there as soon as he could and break up the play. I don’t think it was an intentional head-to-head hit. To me that’s almost impossible to referee unless it’s roughing the passer when he’s already released it. It’s hard to control your body when you’re trying to cover that much ground. I was more upset for Brandon. It is dangerous but I don’t think it was intentional at all.”
The team tried to dump a water bucket on you.
“I’m still an athlete, a highly trained athlete. I want to get to the point where those kinds of victories are not considered water-bucket victories. We should expect to win a lot of those games, especially at home. Even though that was a really big one, we’ve got to start thinking like a winner.”
On the performance of placekicker Patrick Johnson and punter Abtin “Ponch” Iranmanesh:
“I am very pleased with Patrick’s progress. I think the one that blocked would have gone through. It makes play calling a lot easier when you don’t have to think about going for it on fourth down. If Patrick’s in range, we’re comfortable. The great thing about it is that Daniel Lee is also a very good kicker. Ponch does a very good job of locating his punts and his kickoffs have been tremendous. He has been very consistent. It makes us feel a whole lot better about field position. Against Mississippi State, we enjoyed better field position by far.”
Junior Linebacker Moses Osemwegie
“It (winning) feels a lot better. We worked hard all season and finally got payoff. This win is huge for us and a good confidence boost.”
What about two straight victories:
“Rutgers is a very good team. It would be big because we haven’t done that in a while. We just want to try our best and do our best. We will watch film and prepare for them as best we can and come up with a game plan that will help us win.”
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