Coach Dana Holgorsen addresses members of the media on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.

 

Opening Statement

I think everybody is probably in the same frame of mind today. I am excited about it being game week. I think everybody is pretty fired up about it. We have 25 practices down. I am excited about going out on the practice field this afternoon, and practice the final touches of a pretty extensive preparation for an opponent. I think there is going to continue to be a bit of buzz around here for the next four days. Our players, I know, are ready for this Saturday. Coaching wise, we are ready for this Saturday. I think you all are just as excited as we are to have to talk about something else other than the preparation. There is only so much you can write and talk about without having a full game under our belt.

 

I went over a lot about Georgia Southern. I gave you the depth chart, and I let you know who is going to go out there and play. I think at this point, it is all about getting out there and playing a game. We know we have a quality opponent coming to town, and they are as good as advertised. We had our players’ attention when we put the film on last week and showed them a bunch of stuff. We will do the same thing this week to refresh their memories. We will probably reduce the amount of practice time that we would normally have for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in order to get them in a pretty good place going into Saturday’s game.

 

Everybody is looking forward to it, so that is where we are at. I will take specific questions.

 

On redshirt senior linebacker Edward Muldrow III health conditions

We are the same as we were. You all can talk to him. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. If that’s the only thing that we have to talk about, then I think we are probably in a pretty good place. We are one hundred percent healthy. He’s the only one that has not practiced.

 

On if there is a point in the week where the coaches stop cramming specifics and focusing on play

I don’t know how to do that. We have to show them tape and come up with a plan, which we did. We have to teach the scout teams what to do, and then we have to get out there and run plays and defend it, which we did Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We are tired of doing it in a controlled setting, and the only way we can do it in a non-controlled setting is on Saturday night. I’m anxious to see them play. I’m anxious to see our guys. We know what our plan is on all three sides of the ball. I can’t wait to turn them loose and watch them play. I want to see how they are going to react. I don’t know how else to do it. We can’t go live against each other anymore. It’s counterproductive. The plans are different. The schemes are different. They pose some challenges with their schemes. They are well coached. They won a bunch of games. They have good football players, and we have to go out there and play.

 

On starting a true freshman at the wide receiver role and what to expect from them in that role

I thought about this the other day. I don’t know if we ever started a true freshman at wide out. We started plenty of true freshman around here. I don’t know how many of them have been at wide out. I guess (junior wide receiver) Daikiel (Shorts Jr.) started as a true freshman. (Junior running back) Wendell (Smallwood) started as a true freshman. There hasn’t been very many of them. One, we don’t have any returning starters at that position, so somebody has to get out there and do it. I named him (freshman wide receiver Jovon Durante) and (redshirt sophomore wide receiver) Shelton (Gibson) starters, but I’m curious to see what the total snaps are at the end of the game. There could be two other people at that position that end up playing more snaps than him (freshman wide receiver Jovon Durante). You have to look and see how they are going to react to these types of situations. I am anxious to see how the other guys react to it as well. A bunch of people are making a big deal about him (freshman wide receiver Jovon Durante) being the starter, and I am proud of him. He (freshman wide receiver Jovon Durante) has made some pretty good plays, and he has bundles of potential. Until it happens in a game, I am going to reserve the right to sit here and brag about him.

 

On if redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ka’Raun White will be one of those players

He will be one of the six wideouts that play. There will be six that play. You can only play two at a time.

 

On if he has a plan to use more depth at the wide position

No, I really don’t, other than just look at them on the sidelines and see how they are reacting to the situation. We’ve always played four. There always was a backup going into the game. When a guy establishes himself as a bona fide starter, which we haven’t established yet. Somebody has to march out there, and I told you who the two are going to be. Until they establish themselves as a bona fide starter, like Kevin (White) and Mario (Alford) did last year, you have to figure out the percentage that they can handle. Kevin (White) and Mario (Alford) took about 85 percent of the snaps. Stedman (Bailey) was like 95 or 98 (percent). He could play all the time. Whatever that percentage is, the other guys will play the other percent. We always played a bunch. We will look at them and see how they are doing. We will see what their temperament is and what kind of success they are having. We will see how much confidence they have. We will either put them back out there or put somebody else out there.

 

On if redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ka’Raun White is on the same track as Kevin White

Yes. Kevin (White) didn’t start his first three games here. Kevin (White) was a junior. Again, I kind of hesitate talking about guys until they really made a play, but he’s in the same boat that Kevin (White) was when he was first here.

 

On how redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ka’Raun White compares to Kevin (White)

He’s third team right now. Let’s give him a chance to play and develop, and then we will see how that comes. I don’t want to compare him to Kevin (White). It’s not fair to compare him to Kevin (White). He’s a backup receiver right now, and he has done a good job. He was discussed about being a starter after one game. Let’s see what kind of player he develops into. I think it’s going to be pretty good.

 

On redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Kyle Bosch

Tough. Physical. You need your linemen to be tough and physical. He’s shown toughness. He’s shown the ability to be physical. He took advantage of (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Tony (Matteo) not taking reps for about a week with a shoulder injury. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman) Tony (Matteo) is back. He is fine. He is 100 percent. He practiced last week, but we know we are going to need more guards, so by him emerging as a guy that we know we can rotate is good. This goes back to the same discussion as far as getting excited about starters. I wouldn’t be surprised if (redshirt junior offensive lineman Tony) Matteo is the guard on the second series. That’s going to continue. This does support my point that we need to play a game in order to have something else to talk about. What happens if I didn’t put that (the depth chart) out there a couple days ago that these three guys are actually the starters. You wouldn’t have anything to write about. We need to go out there and play.

 

On his comfort level with redshirt junior quarterback William Crest Jr. communication with the offense

(Redshirt junior quarterback) William (Crest Jr.) has done well. He continues to get better. He has only focused on quarterback for the last two or three weeks. It may change today. I don’t know. You always have to keep something in your back pocket. The communication has been a lot better. The execution has been better, with not only him, but with (junior quarterback) Skyler (Howard) and (freshman quarterback Chris Chugunov) Chuggs as well.

 

On if he feels comfortable about the backup linemen rotating into the game

Yes, I do. Probably more so than any point since I been here. (Redshirt senior offensive lineman) Stone Underwood had a great camp, but nobody wants to talk about it because (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Tyler Orlosky is so solid. If he had to go in as a backup center, it wouldn’t change what we do one bit. He can also play guard. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman Tony) Matteo can play both guards. (Redshirt junior offensive lineman Adam) Pankey can bump out to tackle. (Redshirt freshman offensive lineman) Marcell Lazard has done better. (Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman) Grant Lingafelter has been playing guard and tackle. We have depth. (Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Kyle) Bosch has never taken a snap here, and (redshirt freshman offensive lineman) Yodny (Cajuste) has never taken a snap here. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and say that we are the best offensive line unit in the world, but with the eight or nine guys, I feel more comfortable rotating people now than I have in the past.

 

On how he will dictate the rotation of the offensive line

You have to just do it. You have to resist the temptation of the continuity being pretty good. We don’t want to mess with that. We are going to rotate in, and we are going to keep people as fresh as we possibly we can. If we can do it all year, that would be great. You have to develop continuity, and there is going to be very challenging defensive lines and defensive games to where you want your best guys out there all the time.

 

On what unit he is curious to see hold up on Saturday

All three (units). We worked real hard on special teams, and I am anxious to see that live. It’s really tough to simulate that live in practice. Obviously I am the most excited in this room to see how the offense and defense does against somebody else. You can’t name one. I am about to stand here in front of the whole team in about two hours and tell them the same thing. There is nothing I can say about Georgia Southern that is going to open their eyes any more than they are already. We’ve talked enough. I can’t tell you how excited I am to watch these guys play.

 

On what he will tell the team before he sends them out there on game day

Go have fun. Go play ball. We are at the point now where they are prepared. I feel like we are pretty well coached, too. Our opponent is pretty well coached. They have good players. We have good players, and we are pretty well coached. I am excited to get out there and watch them play.

 

On how the turnovers are in practice

It’s a hard thing to gauge. Is it because the defense does a good job at getting a turnover or does the offense do a good job at turning the ball over? It’s hard to gauge that. We have to keep emphasizing that. We don’t really have winners and losers when it comes to that, because it may be a guy that is not going to play on Saturday that gave the ball up in practice. I don’t know how you really count it. We worked hard on it. We talked about it. We emphasized it. Until you get into a game, you really have to judge the turnover margin. I don’t know how to assess that. It’s probably the first thing I will look at when the game is over.

 

On if there is an explanation as to why Georgia Southern doesn’t turn the ball over

It’s very impressive. They handle the ball a lot of different ways. They have eight fumbles in 12 games. I think that’s pretty impressive. I told our team, our defense, since day one not to wait on the offense to give them the ball. They have to go affect the ball. I am excited to see our guys really trying to effect the ball.

 

On what he sees from Georgia Southern’s defense

They are good. They have a lot coming back. They had the same coordinator for five years now. (Assistant coach/defensive coordinator/secondary) Jack (Curtis) has been with them for five years. Coach (Willie) Fritz retained him, so they have been doing the same thing for the last five years. They have good continuity. They understand what to do. They don’t have busts. They have six or seven returning starters that have played a lot. They are a very good outfit.

 

On if someone didn’t mention the quarterback in your first media session of the season two or three years ago

I would be pretty fired up about it. I would be excited about it. I guess nobody has any worries. I can tell by your reaction there that you have some concerns. We all do. He’s (junior quarterback Skyler Howard) played in 15 games in the last two years. That’s a good bit of experience, and he has had a lot of practice time. (Junior quarterback) Skyler (Howard) feels comfortable. The communication with me and him is flawless. He knows how to execute this offense. He has a chip on his shoulder, and he is ready to play. He is ready to turn loose, so I feel good about where he is at. I really do. The biggest thing with him is that I have to get him to let his teammates play hard, too. He has to run the offense. He doesn’t have to go out there and make a huge play after a huge play. He just has to go out there and run it the way we ask him to do it. Good things will happen. I have been happy with where he is at and the mentality that he brings to the table. His leadership skills are good, too.

 

On if he ever recruited against Georgia Southern at the Division II level

Not really. Georgia Southern and Valdosta (State) played each other the year before I got there. They played the year before, so I heard a lot about them and knew a lot about them. I understand their tradition very well, the days of Erk Russell and all their national championships in Division I-AA. It goes without saying that they have a powerhouse across the coaching fraternity. I can tell you that.