2017 Seth Littrell ODU Press Conference

Transcript

Transcript via You Tube and my editing for clarity

All right it was good to be back out there today and start preparing for another quality opponent. The best thing to help you put a game like that behind you this past week is going out getting back in the grind and get back to work so that’s exactly what we’ve done. It’s been a tough loss but we have to learn from it make sure we correct our mistakes make sure we move on preparing the right way to win football games. We can’t allow this disappointment to keep our — to seep into our preparation this week we’ve got to make sure that we learn from it and everybody has to look in the mirrors and make sure we do self-evaluation making sure we’re doing everything possible to make sure we’re preparing the proper way. Our team goals are still all out in front of us undefeated at home it’s one of our goals as a team making sure that we win our bowl game as one of our missions all that’s still right there in front of us so we’ve got to again learn from this this past loss our mistakes in this previous game and moving forward. We need to do a better job of understanding what’s going to allow those us to accomplish the mission together just given up on your goals because of one loss is like slashing your other three tires off of a flat one flat. So we’ve got to move forward had been challenged to refocus and when you get back and get focus quick especially after a game like that there’s only one thing to do. No one feels good about it, coaches, players you know we all got to do our job too the focus is there right now.

Again it was great to get back out there today — that’s what we need to do so — good in there

Q: ODU got Ray Lowry back and in its first game against West Kentucky had a huge game what have you seen from him and what do you need to work — change as far as the run defense this goes to really change?

SL: First thing when you do is make sure that we have a lot of energy and we have a lot of focus. We’ve — we’ve done some really good things with our run defense this past weekend wasn’t a reflection upon that so we’ve got to make sure guys are fitting their gaps at the correct way everybody’s doing their job again it should be gapped out right. And we got to make sure guys are in the right the right spots.

Q: The run game has been successful all season despite the SMU game and last week’s game what have you seen from that how important is it they all stick with that even when it gets rough.

SL: Well yeah it’s extremely important you want to have good balance when we get our run game going I think everything else opens up but there’s times to where you know you get so far that you’ve got to make decisions on how you gonna catch back up and how you gonna figure out a way to win the football game. So we’ve talked a little bit about that we evaluate that as a staff and make sure that we grow from that as well.

Q: One of the deepest positions how if they have been able to be so effective without Bryce and with Tillman Johnson just now comeing back.

SL: I think first office the leadership of that group I think coach Yellock does a great job with that group has really been developing and continuing to get better every week you know and that’s just that’s been one of our you look at that group it’s been one of our group’s that’s had probably the most leadership in that and that one area so and then plus competition competition always makes everybody better. So we’ve got to get back to making sure that we dominate the line of scrimmage that’s when we have success — on both sides of the ball not just defense — but when we win up front on both sides of the ball we have success when we don’t we don’t.

Q: Talk a little bit about Old Dominion. As far as what they got I know they’ve got a 17 year old Quarterback, like we’ve been mentioning they got Lowry back — what do you see in those guys?

SL: Well I think that you know same thing they want to establish the run they do a great job and in their scheme, of you know, getting the matchups they want — making sure that they’re in clean plays they do a lot of Run/ Pass options because coach Wilder does a great job he’s a great coach they’re very sound offensively. You know they got a young quarterback which is he’s really growing it to his own you can see every single week he’s getting more confident and you know starting to come around and then grasp — it’s a lot like Mason was early in this past year. You know it takes time for those guys to get that confidence but he’s — they do a great job of their quarterbacks they always have defensively they were very sound, their strengths up front and those front four they make it all happen. They got some really good players and you know they’re not gonna — it’s not something that they’re gonna give you so much multiple looks or confusion they line up and there’s very sound and what they do and they attack. So we’re gonna we’re gonna have to make sure we’re great with our fundamentals and the most important is we got to make sure we’re great at doing our job making sure we understand what we’re trying to get accomplished. Again offense/defense comes down to your assignment.

Q: You suffered your first conference loss of the season do you believe that FAU gave other schools a CUSA game plan on how to beat North Texas.

SL: We’ll see. You know if I was if I was another team I’d definitely be watching that game.

Q: Is Guyton gonna be okay this this week, Jalen?

SL: Yes.

Q: Is everyboyd else fairly healthy? You guys pretty good going into this game?

SL: Yes.

Q: When you guys came into this season this year you took such a dramatic jump defensively last year considering he had a brand new system brand new coordinators I you know the expectation seemed like it’d be that you guys would continue to make that progress especially in the second year in the system that’s been it’s been good at times it’s been a struggle with others and you mentioned out to the game you need to kind of look at the film to evaluate where you’re at now that you’ve had a chance to look at the film after that game where do you think you are defensively you’re just going forward?

SL: Inconsistent we got it we got to learn an attack every day and every play making sure we play aggressive. I don’t think we did.

Q: Did you have the impression coming into this season and feel like you have the the people the players to really make another step forward defensively?

SL: Yeah absolutely and again I think it’s been inconsistent some of that’s for there’s a lot of reasons that can play into — first and foremost it starts with me it starts with me as a coach making sure that we’re doing the right things and it goes down to our assistant coaches making sure that we put our guys in the best situations. When we do that, the players have to take ownership and doing their job and playing at a high level playing full-speed. So you know we got to continue to grow we got to get better there’s no doubt about that. Just keep growing. You know I think there’s a fine line between — I’ve been apart of teams that have no confidence and building their confidence up and — then there’s a fine line between being confident and cocky. You start getting cocky the bad things are fixing to happen it never fails. And so we got to get back to understanding who we are you know the way we work the way we prepare. We’ve got to have that energy. We got to play hard every single snap in order to be people and so we’ve got to get back to doing those things.

Q: Anything just beyond consistency you think that’s hard giving you guys it problems defensively?

SL: I just said it. There’s a fine line between being cocky and confident. And there’s a you got to make sure that when you’re putting the right spots you got that time and again we got a self evaluate and make sure we’re putting these guys in the right situations. So comes down to all of us everybody that’s to make sure that we’re doing what we’re coached to do as coaches and players.

Q: A little bit of a different dynamic there, know you had the two defensive coordinators last year you’ve gone strictly to Reffet this year and one of the things that he mentioned early in the season was that you guys wanted to play a lot more man coverage this year maybe be a little bit more aggressive is that philosophical switch paid off the way that you hoped it would?

SL: Coach Reffett is my DC. He makes the calls. I have a lot of faith in him. I know who he is. I know how he coaches. So there you have it.

Q: These guys have a lot of confidence after last week or you try to rebuild it through the practices?

SL: Yeah I think I think maybe we had a little bit too much confidence there, Brett — this past week. Don’t think it paid off too well for so this’ll bring you back down to earth I guess, back to again doing what we do well and that’s going out in blue-collar and working hard and making sure that we’re completely locked in and focused in through Saturday.

Q: There are a couple of guys that were you know preseason all-conference the expectations are pretty high for Nate Brooks, Kishawn McLain some of the other guys on in yours go in your defense for all levels have you have you seen those guys live up to what you hoped they would do this year?

SL: I don’t look at all that I really don’t I could I could care less on who has what — some of that’s just — your play speaks for itself and at the end of the year I think a lot of those things are team team driven. Great players you know step up on and great teams and usually when you have success as a football team you know those those awards and accolades come. So I think it better go out play can’t worry about all that crap.

Q: TJ — has he contributed a little a little bit to your guys as you know success this year you have been successful in someone’s guess he helped you guys this year?

SL: I think you know again I think up front we have been our biggest strength I think TJ is a big reason for that he’s a big guy strong he and he he’s great at using us hands he has good techniques so he’s been solid again we got to get back to that we got to get back to our fundamentals and making sure our fits are correct and those linebackers we got to keep guys off those guys and let them roam and make plays and hit their gaps.

Q: What was the mood like?

SL: Better practice was great here’s the thing practice we had great practices last week we had a great Tuesday we had a great Wednesday you know so it’s more than just yeah you better be locked in and focused in practice but then you know once you kind of get through the week through your preparation making sure that that that that focus, that energy continues to stay through through to the game. And so yeah but again yeah the mood obviously it’s not happy-go-lucky you know. It’s focused in trying to get it day better and that’s what we have to do go back just take taking it one day at a time and making sure that we’re doing everything necessary we can to help our team win a football game appreciate it thank you you