Oct. 27, 2015
Mason | Herring & Sherfield | Pulley | Gameday Central | Game Notes
Head coach Derek Mason, linebacker Darreon Herring, wide receiver Trent Sherfield and offensive lineman Spencer Pulley met the media Tuesday to discuss Vanderbilt’s next game at No. 18 Houston. The non-conference matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Head Coach Derek Mason
Opening Statement:
“Our football team is looking forward to the contest. We understand this about Houston, No. 18 in the country, has a tremendously talented offense, led by Gary Ward. He has done a tremendous job at not only getting the ball in the end zone, but being able to bolster a strong run game, averaging close to 256 yards a game passing. He is a dual-threat quarterback in every sense of the word. I believe Coach (Tom) Herman has done a tremendous job since coming to Houston at looking at exactly at who they have and looking at their personnel and being able to make sure he gets every ounce of talent out of that offense. Right now, Gary Ward is doing a great job. Defensively, I think they are a really good unit that has been stingy defensively. Offense has done a great job at putting pressure on teams, and the defense has done a great job taking the ball away. When you have that combination of being able to score points and take the ball away defensively. Your offensive philosophies and defensive philosophies really mesh and give you a great team concept. Houston has done a great job right now at doing exactly that.
“Their special teams have been extremely good at what they do. They are covering well. They are putting points on the board in special teams. For us, it is definitely going to be a challenge as well. But like anything else, I always look forward to the challenge. My football team looks forward to the challenge. Playing a ranked opponent at their place. So that is good. I think the pressure is on Houston. For us, we have to continue to do what we do and gain a little bit of ground.”
Houston quarterback Greg Ward gets a lot of carries but he leads the country in rushing touchdowns. They use him more him in the red zone?
“You have to be aware of what he can do with the ball in the red zone. When you are looking at teams like this and they do have a dual-threat quarterback, you’re playing 11-man football in the red zone. That is what it comes down to. You’re not defending 10 guys. You’re really defending 11 guys. It is mano-a-mano. You got to make sure you account for that. You’re defensive structure has to look that way so you play that way.”
What is a good percentage for your team’s third-down defense (which at 22 percent is currently third-best in the nation)? Or do you set that for your guys?
“I don’t. Any time you’re right around 35 percent you’re pretty good. Any time you’re under 30, you’re dang good. For us, I don’t emphasize it. I talk about playing first and second down so you get the opportunity to be good on third down. I say the same thing in the red zone. We’re just going to defend the blade of grass. For me, those things are part of situational football where you have to show up. Those two categories have really taken us through the season as we’ve started to get a little better, a little more comfortable with our personnel and who we are. Third-down defense and defense in the red zone have really been the things we’ve have really been able to hang our hat on. If we can continue to do that I think we will be where we want to be defensively.”
With two quarterbacks vying to be the starter, how do you evaluate who is the guy?
“Compete. That is all I am looking for. Manage the game and compete. We’ll continue to look at the best option and the best option is who had the best week of practice and managed the game. They will be out there first.”
What did you like best about the combination of the two quarterbacks on Saturday’s game against Missouri?
“Johnny (McCrary) has helped Kyle (Shurmur) and Kyle has helped Johnny. These two guys have developed probably an unlikely friendship. They’re very competitive at the quarterback position. But what these guys both know is that it has gone from being about any individual to making sure that they can help the team win. That is where we are at right now. I think these guys are doing a great job of managing not only the game, but helping each other become better quarterbacks.”
Inside Linebacker Darreon Herring
Playing Houston’s high-scoring offense:
“I think Houston has an extraordinary team. They’re undefeated right now and have a high-powered scoring offense. Its just another challenge for us this week as a defense and team to hold them and put some points on the board.”
Feelings about playing a ranked offense:
“Each week we play a different team and there is always something new to overcome and I think the coaches are doing a great job at preparing us for their tempo and speed that they play at.”
Playing Houston in the Compass Bowl:
“A little bit has changed but I know we were up at the beginning of that bowl game two years ago, and at the end they began to come back. This is a team that’s going to keep fighting till the end. The quarterback actually played there when we played them in the bowl game, and was doing pretty good, so that’s definitely something that we have to look at this week.”
Teammates watching his big play against Missouri:
“Oh they loved it. It was really good and at the end of the day I was just so happy to get off the field on third down, but everyone was so energetic. It was a great feeling.”
On third down defense:
“I think we’ve just got a relentless attitude. We’ve been getting off the field at third down and just giving the offense an opportunity to score for us. The coaches are really preparing us well throughout the week and mentally we’re tough out there. Everybody is in sync with each other and we just go out there and play for each other.”
Importance of first and second downs:
“It factors in a lot. Those are more so running downs and getting relentless on the line of scrimmage and give the DBs some coverage underneath just to give us the opportunity to get the third down and off the field. The first and second downs mean a lot before that.”
Wide Receiver Trent Sherfield
Playing with two quarterbacks:
“It’s just play call and go for everybody. Those guys know the offense really well and not just those guys… the whole quarterback system knows the playbook really well. They both played really well and my hats off to them.”
Difference between Shurmur and McCrary:
“They both understand the offense. Johnny (McCrary) can do one thing well at the two-minute offense and Kyle (Shurmur) can do another thing well in the pro-style, so both of those guys are great quarterbacks.”
Coming off a low scoring victory:
“All we have to do is score just one more point than them. Coach Mason preaches that all the time. Those guys playing on the field are playing outstanding. Tempo is not enough for us, we always want to go higher and generate some offense down the field and that’s what we’re trying to do this week.”
On freshman QB Kyle Shurmur starting over veterans:
“I think with him it’s his attitude and willingness to work. As soon as he came in he was calling and texting me asking when can we get some work in and I think that sets him apart. His dad being the OC with the Eagles, I think that has something to do with it as well. I think he instilled in him that the work has to be behind everything and I think that has a big play in it.”
On defenses double teaming him throughout games:
“Yeah they have been a little bit here and there. When we played Missouri I saw a few of them, but the quarterbacks are just trying to find an open guy and they’re doing a great job of doing that. If you have two guys on one you’re leaving somebody else open. So is that’s how it has to be, then so be it.”
Center Spencer Pulley
On being named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week:
“Linemen are usually someone that don’t get recognized. It is nice for the whole offense to get recognized like that. The offensive line was able to subdue that defensive front that no one was really able to do so much. The running backs ran just as hard as they have all season or harder. It is definitely a good thing to have the offense recognized like that.”
On how he felt he played:
“I felt like we played good enough to win. That’s always good enough for me. I think the offensive line played really well. I think guys like Jake Bernstein gave it all they can and played really hard. I think the running backs, like I said, hit the holes and ran harder than they probably have all season.”
On how it felt to get a conference win:
“It was great getting that conference win and it was great going 1-0 that week. Everybody definitely got some confidence. We had to re-learn how to win games and that is where we are getting. We are getting to the point that when it comes down to the end of the game, we’ll come out with the win. That’s how we are practicing and that is how we will play the rest of the season.”
On if it is starting to feel more like it did two or three years ago:
“Obviously, it is a whole different team and a different makeup altogether, but it is definitely getting to a new place where we know how to win games.”
On how he knows who the QB will be each series:
“At the beginning of the game, we have a plan and then at the end of every series, I know who is going to be going in next. It is definitely something we know and are ready for. We aren’t just going out there blind.”
On going from one QB to another:
“It’s really not too big of an adjustment. I practice with all the quarterbacks every day. It’s nothing new to me.”
On the difference between Johnny McCrary and Kyle Shurmur:
“There is definitely a difference. They both have a different set of skills that we used to win the game and that is what we did last week. I think you’ll see both of them come in the game and do the things they do well to help us win.”
On Kyle Shurmur becoming more comfortable as game progressed:
“Honestly, maybe a little bit. Right when he went out there, he was pretty calm and collected. Maybe a little bit during pregame you could tell, but when he stepped out on the field, you could tell he was confident, he was ready to go. It was really, maybe not surprising, but it was pretty cool to see he was able to lead us and take control in the huddle and everything. He not only just played well, but was able to do well in huddle and on the sideline.”
On needing to score more than 10 points to defeat Houston:
“I don’t really have a number that we need to put up. We have one of the best defenses in the country and they go out and play hard every week. As an offense, we are going to go out and do everything we can to execute and play hard and put up as many points as we can.”
On the improvement of the offensive line:
“I think guys have just grown a lot throughout the season. I think you’ve seen a lot of guys who maybe haven’t played as much prior to this season, and we’ve really bonded together. Guys have really learned the playbook, learned how the speed of the game is; really just how to play in a live game situation. They’ve just been working hard to get better.”
On Houston’s defense:
“Everybody talks about their offense, but they have a good defense as well. They have a lot of guys that are very active in the linebacking core and guys outside. They have done some things to disrupt plays and they have been able to force a lot of turnovers this season, so that is definitely something we are focusing on.”
On how the game feels compared to an SEC game:
“It feels just like any other game. Even if Houston wasn’t undefeated, it would still feel like a big game to us. They haven’t lost a game. They’ve been able to put up a lot of points and beat teams pretty handily. It definitely isn’t a game that we take lightly by any means. Even though it is out of conference, we still take it as a big game and we are focusing on this week just like any other week.”