Oct. 12, 2009
Get Flash to see this player. Click here to download it.
Purchase Football Tickets | Gameday Central
Listen to Coach Johnson’s Press Conference
Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson
Press Conference – Georgia Week
Opening statement:
“After an extremely disappointing loss it is important for us to bounce back right away and get to work against Georgia. Obviously, a top priority for us is to find some sort of offensive production, especially getting the ball into the end zone. Our red zone efficiency has been pretty poor and kept us from winning that game on Saturday. That was the biggest thing that we didn’t do and we are going to search to get better. It is always tough to be searching when you are going to play a good football team like Georgia. They are going to make it tough for us, but that is our charge this week. We need to continue to play well on defense and try to maintain our upward trend on special teams. If we can do that, we are going to have a good chance to win the game.”
On if there is anything in general that is hindering the team in the red zone:
“Just general lack of execution. I don’t think it has been one person or one thing; it’s a combination of a lot of things that we have to get corrected. The penalty situation has to cease. You look back at some of the big wins we had last year, and you look at the Music City Bowl as an example, and we had no penalties. That’s how we have to play and we are far from that right now.”
On eliminating penalties:
“I don’t think (the players) are doing it because they are pressing or they are nervous. It is not a particular person or a particular incident that is causing them, it is just a general lack of concentration in certain situations, and it is not the same guy repeating them. We’ve got to coach them all and let them know the significance of playing penalty free or near penalty free.”
On wide receiver John Cole’s development:
“He had six catches last week and he’s working with a hand that was operated on two weeks ago. I think that is pretty remarkable. He will get better and better on his routes, which just comes with experience. John is used to catching a lot of balls. He caught a lot in high school and it isn’t foreign to him at all. We expected John to step in there and do some good things and he was going to play last year as a freshman until he got hurt. We are glad to have him back in there and he is going to be a good player for us.”
On getting the team’s punt returns to the same level as kick returns:
“Sometimes when you are rushing the punter trying to block it, you aren’t going to get a return. The other thing is that Army did a good job of dribbling some down there just like we do sometimes and it is hard to pick up and go. You have to win your yards, which is a term coach (Jamie) Bryant uses, and it is true. You have to win your yards on the line scrimmage. If you block them (on the line), you don’t have to mess with them down the field when you are catching the football. We have to do a better job on the line of scrimmage making it look like we are coming to block every one of them and put (the opponent) in a situation where they have to protect the punter, and that will keep them from getting down the field so fast.
On covering Georgia’s Brandon Boykin on kick returns:
“I think every SEC game you play, you are going to see a quality returner. Obviously, he has hit some big plays, but I don’t know what else we will do other than tell our guys to run down there fast and avoid blocks. We can’t put 12 or 13 players out there.”
On if rotating offensive linemen during the game causes penalty issues:
“Possibly, but we’ve (rotated) because Ryan Custer has a bad ankle and Eric Hensley has bad knees. You have to get reserves in there to give those guys some rest. Thomas (Welch) goes most of the time, as does Bradley Vierling. There is always a chance that you could break someone’s concentration by taking them in and out, but I don’t think that is the big thing right now.”
On how he thought the team handled the option:
“We could have been a little better. For the short time Army has been running the option, they have done a remarkable job with a freshman quarterback going in there. They are very content with getting three and a half yards every play. Everyone asks why we didn’t go for it on fourth and two, but you don’t want to give them the ball on the 40-yard line because they are one first down from being in four-down territory. They kept some drives alive by going for short yardage and it is just tough to stop all the things they are capable of doing running the football on short yardage. We can be better there and we will have to be when we play Georgia Tech because they are much more advanced then Army is, and they have better athletes.”
On the performance of kicker Ryan Fowler against Army:
“I prefer he not try to bank them. I don’t think he is that far a long in his development yet, so if he will just kick them between the poles that would be better. Ryan has kicked really well the last couple of weeks in practice and I was really surprised in the Ole Miss game. I think he tried to over-kick those balls that were against the win. I think he is going to be a good kicker. He is also developing a strong leg. I think he averaged getting the ball to the 2-yard line on kickoffs, and that is pretty good. You look at a lot of the pro kickers and there aren’t many that can kick it into the end zone on a consistent basis. We feel like we have a good kicker.”
On Vanderbilt’s offensive pass interference call in the end zone:
“We weren’t trying to pick. Udom (Umoh) ran down there, turned around like he was supposed and (Army’s) defensive back pushed Umoh into (Army’s) man and they called a pick play on us.”
On what enabled Tennessee to score on Georgia last week:
“They proved that they could run the ball. The play action pass was huge for them. Bootlegs were really kicking and the quarterback did a good job of finding the crosser. He was getting big yardage from the crossing routes, but it was all setup when they got those linebackers biting on the fake. You have to be able to run the ball, and they did a good job on both.”
On what you said to running back Warren Norman after his fumble in overtime:
“Just keep running hard. You have to put that one behind you. Warren is a good player and he has a knack for keeping his feet moving and squirming around and he just pops out the other end of the pile sometimes. That is a good trait. He really felt bad after the game. He’s got many more good plays in him in his career and we are anxious to see what he will do here.”
On if it is a bad rule that a fumble is rewarded as a touchback for defensive team:
“I hadn’t really thought about it until someone asked me that question on Saturday. I don’t know how you would change it except for treating it as out of bounds where you fumbled it, but that isn’t really fair to the defense either. That guy made a great play. He came down there and hammered the ball and it popped out. I think that would not reward him for a great play, so probably the best thing is like it is. You see a lot of people now who like to stick the ball out at the goal line, and fumbles happen more than you think. I don’t think you should do that unless you are in the corner or it is fourth down.”
On recruiting kids from Georgia:
“Georgia and Georgia Tech are going to have the advantage so you have to pick your targets and let the kids know that we have the best situation for them. We have a different product then they have so we have to sell it differently. Georgia is a big state. They have a lot of players there, and they can’t get them all. We had a bunch of Georgia guys when we were at Furman and we like to recruit down there.”
On if this game is more emotional for the players from Georgia:
“We are going to have a huge number of recruits here and I’m sure a lot of them will be from Georgia. The guys on our team from Georgia always want to do well. But we don’t try to overplay that. We try to get ready to play every game no matter who the opponent is.”
On how frustrated the team is with a 0-3 record in the SEC:
“All three of those losses were close enough that we had a chance to win the game, so it is real frustrating. We feel like we are better than that. We have to prove it on the field and do it in games that you are supposed to win. We just aren’t holding up our end of the bargain right now.”
On Georgia quarterback Joe Cox:
“Joe was an accomplished high school quarterback. He is used to winning, but he was just playing behind a great player. I don’t know if he is patient or had to be patient. When he’s had his chance, he’s done a good job. He can throw the football. He has a guy like (wide receiver) A.J. Green to throw to and that is very dangerous. I think they are developing other good receivers as the season goes on, and (Georgia) is going to be just as dangerous throwing the ball as they have always been because of A.J. Green and Joe Cox. We have to treat it that way and we have to play great on defense.”
On the team who puts away their frustration sooner having the upper hand Saturday:
“I think so. Both teams are probably frustrated and feel like they are better than their records indicate and the only way to prove that is to win the next game. This is the next opportunity. I hope our players hold those opportunities dear. It is important to them to approach every game as an opportunity to get a big win, especially in the Southeastern Conference. If you win a game in the SEC, it is a big win.”