Tulane's descent continued today in impossibly ugly fashion. Not much more needs to be said, but here is what Willie Fritz, Cameron Carroll and Dorian Williams said. No other media member had the guts or the interest to ask any questions, so I flew solo.
FRITZ
"I'm disappointed. We dug ourselves a hole. The guys pushed back in the second half and played better, but we were horrible on offense and defense and had that miscue in the punt-return game (in the first half) and dug a big old hole. I talked to the guys in the locker room, our margin for error is very, very, very small. We have to play well. If we don't play well, we have a tough time winning games. If we play well, we have a chance to win a bunch of games in this league. (Inaudible on my record) challenged everybody else to play physical and smart, and if we do that, we have an opportunity to win. We didn't call a good game, the coaches, and there were a lot of execution errors as well. There were far too many times guys were hitting gaps incorrectly. Heck, one time we had a coverage call and should have had it double covered right there before the half, and they hit a guy over the top. We've just got to execute and play a heck of a lot better than we did. That was very disappointing."
On what they can do about the abysmal starts to games:
"Execution. We just have to do a better job of sticking bodies on bodies, blocking things up. We had some really big plays against us defensively, and offensively we didn't make big plays in the first half. Both sides didn't play very well, and we fumbled on the punt return on special teams."
On explaining how his defense could give up more than 300 rushing and passing yards:
"Tackling. We sometimes get confused whether we're on offense or defense and go up and try to cut guys. We have to use our arms and get them down. We have a hard time getting a pass rush and have to cover a little bit longer. No. 7 and No. 5 play in the NFL right now. We just have to find some guys that can rush the passer better than what we're doing right now. I thought Jadon Canady played real well today. We stuck him out there at corner (for an injured Lance Robinson). We'll look at the tape and see what he can improve on. The tackling, rushing the quarterback and not allowing guys to get out in space."
On if players are having a hard time understanding what Chris Hampton is teaching them:
"No. We review it and review it and review it review it, maybe too much. Paralysis by overanalysis. We take their offense and review these plays over and over and over and over and over again. but in the heat of the battle we've got to go out and execute. We had a tough time doing that."
ON ECU responding with touchdown drive after Tulane cut deficit to 8 in third quarter:
"Yeah, that really hurt us, but there was still time left if we played a little bit better. We had a chance to get back in the game at that point."
On if Pratt's misfires had anything to do with his injury:
"I don't think so. I'm sure he'd like to have a bunch of those balls back. I don't think that's what it is. It appeared to me he had good zip on the ball. He was just inaccurate at times. He played just like everyone. He wishes he would have played better just like I wish I would have coached better."
On timetable for when Nick Anderson can come back:
"In a week or two."
CAM CARROLL
On what the problem is at the start of games:
"Honestly it just comes down to execution. We're putting ourselves in the right positions, but we're just not making plays. We have to reflect inward on the mistakes that we're making because everything that we're doing is self-inflicted. If we focus in and lock in on each other and what we're supposed to do with our responsibility, it will help us out a lot."
On the difficulty of coming back from huge deficits:
"Our philosophy is we're never out of a game, so no matter what the scoreboard says, we have to keep pushing because we can't let negativity creep into our minds because then that becomes a cancer to the team, so we all have to stay kind of like-minded and positive on the same page so we can all keep pushing in the same direction. We may be down, but regardless of what the scoreboard says, we never feel like we're out of a game."
On if this is low point since he's been on team:
"I'd say it's definitely difficult, but like I said, all the mistakes that we're making are self-inflicted and we just have to keep responding. We have to keep working, we have to stay hungry and we have to stay positive most importantly. We have to continue to be here for each other and be able to help each other and lift each other because at the end of the day, we have to go out there as a team and make plays. Today we struggled with that, we had our issues, but everything that we're doing is self-inflicted. We have to keep honing in on our mistakes and make sure that we work to limit our mistakes. We can't keep making the same mistakes and expect to play our best brand of. football."
On if quick turnaround to Houston game is good or bad:
"Honestly it just depends on how we respond mentally. I feel like it will be a good thing for us because quick turnaround, we are going to keep working and it will be a good thing for us. We stay on the grind constantly and I honestly feel like it might help us."
On if everything that went wrong after they cut deficit to 8 in third quarter was the crucial time in the game:
"That's a tough question. Like I said, we have to work on limiting our mistakes because they come back to bite us in the end and our margin for error has to continue to decrease and we can't let negativity sink in. We can't let outside things creep in. We have to just stay focused and stay positive. That's the biggest thing for us. We can't get down on ourselves. We constantly have to lift each other up, we have to be there for each other because at the end of the day we have to go out and make plays."
DORIAN WILIAMS
On awful start for defense in games:
"We're just starting off slow. We need ti figure out a way to come out fast and slap people in the mouth."
On ECU rushing for more than 300 yards:
"It's very frustrating. I thought we had the right calls on. We have to wrap up and make tackles and stay in our gaps. We can't get greedy. We have to play our gaps."
On fourth-down conversions:
"Those were very crucial in the game. Fourth down, that's momentum, so we have to get off the field on third and fourth down and third-and-long situations and convert."
On defense jumping offside on fourth-and-short twice:
"Discipline, It's all about we have to be more disciplined on defense, just letting each other know what the yardage is. Fourth-and-short they are always going to hard count you, so you have to pay attention in those situations."
On key to defense turning it around:
"The key is playing smarter. We have to know our assignments and just be coachable. We have to be more coachable:
On if he sensed frustration as game went along:
"It's always frustrating giving up big plays, giving up runs, so it is very frurstrating."
On if short turnaround to Houston game is good or bad:
"I like it. You always like to play big Thursday night games on ESPN, so I like the competition. We just have to get going starting Sunday and get back into the groove."
FRITZ
"I'm disappointed. We dug ourselves a hole. The guys pushed back in the second half and played better, but we were horrible on offense and defense and had that miscue in the punt-return game (in the first half) and dug a big old hole. I talked to the guys in the locker room, our margin for error is very, very, very small. We have to play well. If we don't play well, we have a tough time winning games. If we play well, we have a chance to win a bunch of games in this league. (Inaudible on my record) challenged everybody else to play physical and smart, and if we do that, we have an opportunity to win. We didn't call a good game, the coaches, and there were a lot of execution errors as well. There were far too many times guys were hitting gaps incorrectly. Heck, one time we had a coverage call and should have had it double covered right there before the half, and they hit a guy over the top. We've just got to execute and play a heck of a lot better than we did. That was very disappointing."
On what they can do about the abysmal starts to games:
"Execution. We just have to do a better job of sticking bodies on bodies, blocking things up. We had some really big plays against us defensively, and offensively we didn't make big plays in the first half. Both sides didn't play very well, and we fumbled on the punt return on special teams."
On explaining how his defense could give up more than 300 rushing and passing yards:
"Tackling. We sometimes get confused whether we're on offense or defense and go up and try to cut guys. We have to use our arms and get them down. We have a hard time getting a pass rush and have to cover a little bit longer. No. 7 and No. 5 play in the NFL right now. We just have to find some guys that can rush the passer better than what we're doing right now. I thought Jadon Canady played real well today. We stuck him out there at corner (for an injured Lance Robinson). We'll look at the tape and see what he can improve on. The tackling, rushing the quarterback and not allowing guys to get out in space."
On if players are having a hard time understanding what Chris Hampton is teaching them:
"No. We review it and review it and review it review it, maybe too much. Paralysis by overanalysis. We take their offense and review these plays over and over and over and over and over again. but in the heat of the battle we've got to go out and execute. We had a tough time doing that."
ON ECU responding with touchdown drive after Tulane cut deficit to 8 in third quarter:
"Yeah, that really hurt us, but there was still time left if we played a little bit better. We had a chance to get back in the game at that point."
On if Pratt's misfires had anything to do with his injury:
"I don't think so. I'm sure he'd like to have a bunch of those balls back. I don't think that's what it is. It appeared to me he had good zip on the ball. He was just inaccurate at times. He played just like everyone. He wishes he would have played better just like I wish I would have coached better."
On timetable for when Nick Anderson can come back:
"In a week or two."
CAM CARROLL
On what the problem is at the start of games:
"Honestly it just comes down to execution. We're putting ourselves in the right positions, but we're just not making plays. We have to reflect inward on the mistakes that we're making because everything that we're doing is self-inflicted. If we focus in and lock in on each other and what we're supposed to do with our responsibility, it will help us out a lot."
On the difficulty of coming back from huge deficits:
"Our philosophy is we're never out of a game, so no matter what the scoreboard says, we have to keep pushing because we can't let negativity creep into our minds because then that becomes a cancer to the team, so we all have to stay kind of like-minded and positive on the same page so we can all keep pushing in the same direction. We may be down, but regardless of what the scoreboard says, we never feel like we're out of a game."
On if this is low point since he's been on team:
"I'd say it's definitely difficult, but like I said, all the mistakes that we're making are self-inflicted and we just have to keep responding. We have to keep working, we have to stay hungry and we have to stay positive most importantly. We have to continue to be here for each other and be able to help each other and lift each other because at the end of the day, we have to go out there as a team and make plays. Today we struggled with that, we had our issues, but everything that we're doing is self-inflicted. We have to keep honing in on our mistakes and make sure that we work to limit our mistakes. We can't keep making the same mistakes and expect to play our best brand of. football."
On if quick turnaround to Houston game is good or bad:
"Honestly it just depends on how we respond mentally. I feel like it will be a good thing for us because quick turnaround, we are going to keep working and it will be a good thing for us. We stay on the grind constantly and I honestly feel like it might help us."
On if everything that went wrong after they cut deficit to 8 in third quarter was the crucial time in the game:
"That's a tough question. Like I said, we have to work on limiting our mistakes because they come back to bite us in the end and our margin for error has to continue to decrease and we can't let negativity sink in. We can't let outside things creep in. We have to just stay focused and stay positive. That's the biggest thing for us. We can't get down on ourselves. We constantly have to lift each other up, we have to be there for each other because at the end of the day we have to go out and make plays."
DORIAN WILIAMS
On awful start for defense in games:
"We're just starting off slow. We need ti figure out a way to come out fast and slap people in the mouth."
On ECU rushing for more than 300 yards:
"It's very frustrating. I thought we had the right calls on. We have to wrap up and make tackles and stay in our gaps. We can't get greedy. We have to play our gaps."
On fourth-down conversions:
"Those were very crucial in the game. Fourth down, that's momentum, so we have to get off the field on third and fourth down and third-and-long situations and convert."
On defense jumping offside on fourth-and-short twice:
"Discipline, It's all about we have to be more disciplined on defense, just letting each other know what the yardage is. Fourth-and-short they are always going to hard count you, so you have to pay attention in those situations."
On key to defense turning it around:
"The key is playing smarter. We have to know our assignments and just be coachable. We have to be more coachable:
On if he sensed frustration as game went along:
"It's always frustrating giving up big plays, giving up runs, so it is very frurstrating."
On if short turnaround to Houston game is good or bad:
"I like it. You always like to play big Thursday night games on ESPN, so I like the competition. We just have to get going starting Sunday and get back into the groove."
