Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Chris Davis
Neal Brown Press Conference - Idaho Game
9/26/2016 2:16:00 PM | Football
New Mexico State Highlights | Behind the Wall - Episode 4 | Jabir Frye Named Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week
Opening Statement…
"We appreciate our fans for showing up on Saturday night. That was probably the best atmosphere we have had at a home game in the two years that I have been the head coach. We need to continue with that support. It plays a huge role in our performance. Our players feed off the energy of the crowd. Our students have been tremendous, and I understand the more you win the more people will show up.
The game was closer than the final score indicates. It was a good win over a New Mexico State team that I think is going to be competitive and win some games in our league. I feel like they are one of the better offenses in our league for sure. They are very talented at wide-out, and Tyler Rogers, their quarterback, made a lot of plays. We were fortunate to come out on top, and we were able to play a lot of our guys. I am proud of our guys and really proud of our staff for being prepared. We played two road games against teams that I think are going to win 10 or more games in Clemson and Southern Miss. I was worried about this game coming off those away games. We coached the guys hard and I think the guys were ready to go for the game Saturday, so much credit to them.
Special teams provided our edge no question. The only negative on special teams was a penalty for a block in the back. Bratcher Underwood had his best day kicking the ball off. He had six touchbacks. We had a 100-yard kickoff return, that is our most improved aspect of the team. It has to do with recruiting a returner. We recruited Jabir (Frye) to do that. He is talented. We also had a blocked punt that we returned for a touchdown. It was schematically done very well. Special teams is something we take pride in here and is something that we have invested a lot of time on.
Defensively, we played against a very good offense. We had breakdowns in our pass defense and we didn't have enough pressure on those guys. We just didn't play as physical or as relentless as we have the previous two weeks. We invest a lot of time defensively in takeaways. We came away with five interceptions and we stopped the run. We held them to six points so that was big. We are making plays defensively on the ball.
Offensively, this is the most complete game we have played so far. We played much cleaner and only had one offensive penalty. This was the best tempo we have played, we had no turnovers and 27 first-downs in the game. Our perimeter blocking was much improved and we were 100 percent in the red zone. We had 10 guys that carried the ball and 12 guys that caught a pass.
Moving on to Idaho, they had a big win on the road against UNLV. This is our first flight trip that we have this year. It is a long trip out west. So there is a lot that goes into that. We have a lot of respect for Paul Petrino and his staff. They came in here and beat us on Homecoming last year. Most of that football team is back. Petrino is one of the best offensive minds in the country. He has worked under his brother (Bobby Petrino) for a long time, and Louisville probably has the best offense in the country right now. Paul is a tremendous play caller as well.
Matt Linehan, their quarterback can make all of the throws. He really hurt us last year with his feet. He can make plays when the pocket breaks down. The running back (Aaron) Duckworth is a physical runner. They have two tight ends that they use in the passing game a lot. That will be an element that we haven't faced this year. They are really big up front.
Defensively, they are a pain to prepare for because they mix up their fronts and their coverages so much. They have huge bodies up front. They have the conference defensive player of the week this week in Kaden Elliss. They got after us defensively last year.
On special teams, they have the best kicker/punter in our league. They are sound in all three phases.
On playing younger guys…
"If we are not going to redshirt them, then we are going to play them. Sometimes your initial tendency is to be a little bit more conservative and play the guys that know what to expect. But it is important for us to get those younger guys in the game. I thought Marcus Webb played extremely well. Uvakeious McGhee and Marcus Webb split the time that Junior (Gnonkonde) wasn't in the game. Webb is a guy that I am excited about. He is going to have a good year for us this year, but as he puts on weight and goes through the off-season he has a chance to be an All-Sun Belt type player. Zo (Bridges) gives us another element off the edge, and he created some pressure for us. We are playing a lot of true freshmen. Jabir Frye and Justin Wyatt made a start last week, Tevaris McCormick is getting more involved and Sidney Davis scored two touchdowns. Tristan Crowder and J.L. Gaston both played 30-plus snaps in the game. We are getting a lot of those guys playing."
On defensive issues…
"I just think we didn't play very well. I didn't think our focus was very good and we made some mental mistakes. We were out of position based on alignment. That is just not playing fundamental football. I'm fired up that we made five interceptions and that we held them to six points. I'm not fired up about how we played overall because I know for us to beat who we need to beat we need to get a lot better."
On last year's loss against Idaho…
"We never led in the game. They handled us from the get-go. We had opportunities to win the game. I thought they played better than us and deserved to win. I thought they came in here and soundly beat us. You get what you earn and they came in and outplayed us in all three phases. We are a much better team than we were a year ago, and I think they are a much better team than they were a year ago. There is some crossover on what we are doing on both sides of the ball, but I think they deserved to win the game last season."
On coaching approaches being 3-1…
The same way. We coached them harder last week than we have all year. We have to continue to do that. We will stay with the same process that we have all year. We are going to practice really hard on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm waiting for it to cool down a little bit, but we can't control that. The season is not such a grind just yet. We have some time to rest, but we are going to continue to coach them hard at practice."
On response of quarterbacks and receivers…
"They prepared better during the week and they caught the ball when it was thrown to them. Our route running still has to get better though. I played wideout and I coached them for several years, I am going to knit-pick at that position. We played with a better attitude, but we still have a long way to go to get where we want to be at wideout. We are better than we were a week ago. The quarterback played like he should. His decision making and managing the game was really good. He ran the ball effectively. Our pass game is still not as efficient as it needs to be."
On losing Ismail Saleem to an injury…
"We will miss him for sure. He hasn't been at full speed all year. He played in a couple of games, but we just thought it was better for him to go ahead and get surgery. He will get a medical redshirt and will get three years to play. We have been practicing without him, so I don't think our mindset changes. We just need those other guys to continue to step up."
"We appreciate our fans for showing up on Saturday night. That was probably the best atmosphere we have had at a home game in the two years that I have been the head coach. We need to continue with that support. It plays a huge role in our performance. Our players feed off the energy of the crowd. Our students have been tremendous, and I understand the more you win the more people will show up.
The game was closer than the final score indicates. It was a good win over a New Mexico State team that I think is going to be competitive and win some games in our league. I feel like they are one of the better offenses in our league for sure. They are very talented at wide-out, and Tyler Rogers, their quarterback, made a lot of plays. We were fortunate to come out on top, and we were able to play a lot of our guys. I am proud of our guys and really proud of our staff for being prepared. We played two road games against teams that I think are going to win 10 or more games in Clemson and Southern Miss. I was worried about this game coming off those away games. We coached the guys hard and I think the guys were ready to go for the game Saturday, so much credit to them.
Special teams provided our edge no question. The only negative on special teams was a penalty for a block in the back. Bratcher Underwood had his best day kicking the ball off. He had six touchbacks. We had a 100-yard kickoff return, that is our most improved aspect of the team. It has to do with recruiting a returner. We recruited Jabir (Frye) to do that. He is talented. We also had a blocked punt that we returned for a touchdown. It was schematically done very well. Special teams is something we take pride in here and is something that we have invested a lot of time on.
Defensively, we played against a very good offense. We had breakdowns in our pass defense and we didn't have enough pressure on those guys. We just didn't play as physical or as relentless as we have the previous two weeks. We invest a lot of time defensively in takeaways. We came away with five interceptions and we stopped the run. We held them to six points so that was big. We are making plays defensively on the ball.
Offensively, this is the most complete game we have played so far. We played much cleaner and only had one offensive penalty. This was the best tempo we have played, we had no turnovers and 27 first-downs in the game. Our perimeter blocking was much improved and we were 100 percent in the red zone. We had 10 guys that carried the ball and 12 guys that caught a pass.
Moving on to Idaho, they had a big win on the road against UNLV. This is our first flight trip that we have this year. It is a long trip out west. So there is a lot that goes into that. We have a lot of respect for Paul Petrino and his staff. They came in here and beat us on Homecoming last year. Most of that football team is back. Petrino is one of the best offensive minds in the country. He has worked under his brother (Bobby Petrino) for a long time, and Louisville probably has the best offense in the country right now. Paul is a tremendous play caller as well.
Matt Linehan, their quarterback can make all of the throws. He really hurt us last year with his feet. He can make plays when the pocket breaks down. The running back (Aaron) Duckworth is a physical runner. They have two tight ends that they use in the passing game a lot. That will be an element that we haven't faced this year. They are really big up front.
Defensively, they are a pain to prepare for because they mix up their fronts and their coverages so much. They have huge bodies up front. They have the conference defensive player of the week this week in Kaden Elliss. They got after us defensively last year.
On special teams, they have the best kicker/punter in our league. They are sound in all three phases.
On playing younger guys…
"If we are not going to redshirt them, then we are going to play them. Sometimes your initial tendency is to be a little bit more conservative and play the guys that know what to expect. But it is important for us to get those younger guys in the game. I thought Marcus Webb played extremely well. Uvakeious McGhee and Marcus Webb split the time that Junior (Gnonkonde) wasn't in the game. Webb is a guy that I am excited about. He is going to have a good year for us this year, but as he puts on weight and goes through the off-season he has a chance to be an All-Sun Belt type player. Zo (Bridges) gives us another element off the edge, and he created some pressure for us. We are playing a lot of true freshmen. Jabir Frye and Justin Wyatt made a start last week, Tevaris McCormick is getting more involved and Sidney Davis scored two touchdowns. Tristan Crowder and J.L. Gaston both played 30-plus snaps in the game. We are getting a lot of those guys playing."
On defensive issues…
"I just think we didn't play very well. I didn't think our focus was very good and we made some mental mistakes. We were out of position based on alignment. That is just not playing fundamental football. I'm fired up that we made five interceptions and that we held them to six points. I'm not fired up about how we played overall because I know for us to beat who we need to beat we need to get a lot better."
On last year's loss against Idaho…
"We never led in the game. They handled us from the get-go. We had opportunities to win the game. I thought they played better than us and deserved to win. I thought they came in here and soundly beat us. You get what you earn and they came in and outplayed us in all three phases. We are a much better team than we were a year ago, and I think they are a much better team than they were a year ago. There is some crossover on what we are doing on both sides of the ball, but I think they deserved to win the game last season."
On coaching approaches being 3-1…
The same way. We coached them harder last week than we have all year. We have to continue to do that. We will stay with the same process that we have all year. We are going to practice really hard on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm waiting for it to cool down a little bit, but we can't control that. The season is not such a grind just yet. We have some time to rest, but we are going to continue to coach them hard at practice."
On response of quarterbacks and receivers…
"They prepared better during the week and they caught the ball when it was thrown to them. Our route running still has to get better though. I played wideout and I coached them for several years, I am going to knit-pick at that position. We played with a better attitude, but we still have a long way to go to get where we want to be at wideout. We are better than we were a week ago. The quarterback played like he should. His decision making and managing the game was really good. He ran the ball effectively. Our pass game is still not as efficient as it needs to be."
On losing Ismail Saleem to an injury…
"We will miss him for sure. He hasn't been at full speed all year. He played in a couple of games, but we just thought it was better for him to go ahead and get surgery. He will get a medical redshirt and will get three years to play. We have been practicing without him, so I don't think our mindset changes. We just need those other guys to continue to step up."
Players Mentioned
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