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Coach Johnson’s Monday Press Conference
10/3/2005
Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson addressed the media Monday in advance of this weekend’s game against LSU. An excerpt of Coach Johnson’s press conference can be found below.
Head Coach Bobby Johnson
(Opening Statement)
“Obviously we face a tremendous challenge in coming off of a disappointing loss and now having to play one of the most talented teams that we’ve seen in a while, but we’re still excited for our contest against LSU. We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of ‘confidence rebuilding’ and we’ll try to get out there and make our team a little bit better and see if we can make some plays that will allow us to win games.”
(On how to rebuild the players’ confidence)
“I think you look at the good things that we did, not only in the last game, and we did some good things in that game, but all year. Let them see how we played and remind them. And then get out there and get things down in practice so they feel more comfortable. I think that if you feel comfortable, you play a lot better and a lot more efficiently.”
“We’re going to work on it. We’re not going to ignore it. We had a disappointing loss. Middle Tennessee did a great job. They capitalized when we didn’t. If we had done some certain things better we would have won the game. That was the disappointing part. That’s why you’ve got to get the confidence back up. You can do those things. You can catch the ball. You can block properly so we can get the kick off. That’s what I’m talking about — regaining the confidence that we had, and I still think we’ve got it, we just have to prove it to them.”
(On the mood of the team)
“They were disappointed. The meetings are when everybody is down and out, when they’re looking at the film. When we got on the practice field, I thought they did a good job in preparing to get our practice sequence underway, to get Sunday started. They’re off today and they’ll get back tomorrow and I think they’ll practice hard.”
(On how LSU has handled adversity this season)
“They’ve handled it unbelievably well, in my opinion. You’ve got hurricanes and having to deal with that, and we don’t know half the story there. We’ve all had our own little world and we don’t know what they’re going through…. You have a lot of guys from Louisiana that are, I’m sure, in shock. I think they’ve done a great job of getting their team together. They had a chance to make a real statement in the Tennessee game and they probably should have [won], but they came right back with a great win over Mississippi State and they’ll be ready.”
(On LSU’s offensive threats)
“They’re running game is really top notch. JaMarcus Russell, I think, was extremely efficient at quarterback. I think he was 22-of-27, if I’m correct. It’s just hard to be able to control all that with the defense — to be able to stop the run, and play-action pass, and even the drop-back passes. I think they’re [very] efficient.”
(On the LSU-UT game)
“Tennessee had a great rally and that’s just one of those things that happens in the second half of a game. It’s happened to a lot of teams. You just can’t turn momentum. They had it. They kept it and they capitalized on it and LSU was the victim. I don’t think it was anything scheme-wise or play-calling-wise or any weaknesses at a certain position that Tennessee exploited, they just played well, especially in the second half. We’re going to have to play well to even have a chance.”
(On overcoming Vanderbilt’s recent history)
“I’ve really not addressed too much history. We’re not worried about what Vanderbilt’s done in the past. We’re trying to do what we’re doing this year. We got off to a great start and we just want to keep it going for us, for our team.”
(On the progress of injured players)
“George Smith was out practicing last night. I think he should be ready to go. Again we’re going to be extremely careful with that kind of an injury. Reshard Langford played well. He had a cut on his finger, that’s all. We were just worried about stitches breaking, but as far as impeding him I don’t think it was a problem. Steven Bright had a good day yesterday. He’s got more flexibility in his knee. He was able to hold for the first time. He ran some stuff. He’s not feeling pain anymore. He’s just got a little weakness or uncertainty that he’s got to overcome. That’s a pretty serious injury and we just want to make sure he’s ready before we stick him back in there.”
(On playing so many consecutive home games)
“There’s a comfort zone there. We’ve got a routine. We’re close by here. We don’t have to travel. It’s very efficient. It’s a lot more fun than getting on airplanes and buses. I like home. And our crowds have been great. Our students have been great. I hope they’ll continue with us and I’m sure they will. They’ve been fantastic.”
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