Another frustrating loss. Tulane was outplayed today on both lines of scrimmage but still put itself in position to win down the stretch, then failed to make a single play when it mattered most. Barring a miracle victory at Ohio State, Tulane will have to go 5-3 in the AAC just to become bowl eligible. That's a tall task considering where the program is right now.
I was a one-man question-answering crew today. Requested Banks but he was not made available. Teamer, Lewis, Mooney and Bradwell talked.
WILLIE FRITZ
You put yourself in position to win in the fourth quarter but could not get it done. What did you tell the team?
"It was a very tough loss for us. We're disappointed. I talked to the players about it in the locker room. So many of them played their hearts out. We're making plays to be in the game. We're just not making plays to end the game, finish the game and win the game. Where we are right now, every game is gonna be close. We have to play as close to error free as we possibly can, and we just didn't do that."
The defense had played well in the second half for the most part, but then UAB drove 93 yards for the go-ahead TD. What happened?
"Yeah, I thought we were in the driver's seat. They had a long field to go and converted a couple of third downs. They had a little different scheme and we had a tough time finding the answer for it to be quite honest with you. They ran a lot of counter and quarterback power and we seemed to be a man short quite often."
What exactly were they doing different than you expected?
"They brought a couple of extra offensive linemen in and ran a lot more counter with it. With the personnel package we had put in to match it, we hadn't gotten those fits I guess to cover it like we wanted to, so that was tough."
Did you see what they called on (Terren) Encalade that negated the go-ahead touchdown?
"They called holding on the outside perimeter. I thought he did a good job of whipping the guy, but I also thought Jonathan was down earlier in the game. It looked like he landed on his butt and fumbled the ball. But you have to make one more play than they make."
Banks got hit a lot but also appeared to hold on to the ball too long. What did you see on that?
"It was a combination of both. Not real good protection and sometimes he held the ball a little bit too long waiting for some routes to develop. That's difficult. We've just got to do a better job being firm in our protection and get better at that. That's not our strength, and certainly when we get behind we have to do that. We just have to improve in that area."
You were punting in the second quarterback, then called timeout and changed your mind. You don't expect the result to be a sack, fumble and touchdown, but what was your thought process?
"The analytics told us to go. I decided not to go for it, then we called a timeout and I went with the book. It doesn't kill us if we hang on to the ball and they have to go 60 yards, but unfortunately (Banks did not hold on to the ball). I wish I would have gone against the book."''
It was a really slow start. What were the issues?
"They came out on fire and played a little bit different than what we thought they were going to do defensively and offensively, like I said, they had some different personnel groupings and ran some plays when they pulled two guys. That gives you four new gaps you've got to fit and we didn't do a very good job fitting them."
Darius Bradwell looks healthy now. What did you think of his performance?
"He ran with some power. I thought Corey (Dauphine) came within a whisker of scoring on a long run."
Like you said, all of these games are going to be close. What has to be different for you to win?
"We just have to play as close to error free as we can. That's just where we are right now. That's something a veteran team has got to do. We're not quite a veteran team, but we have to play like that. It's just disappointing."
Charles Jones did not make the trip. Is he injured again?
"He's injured right now and we didn't feel like he could play today so we had him stay home and get some treatment."
Jeffery Johnson did not practice all week but played today.
"Yeah, he played 20 or 30 snaps and hopefully did a good job. I'm not quite sure."
Ohio State is next. How do you get ready for that one?
"Well we've just to learn from our mistakes and move on. That's just the way of the world. I sound like a broken record, but that's what you have to do."
ROD TEAMER
After the slow start, the defense was playing well until the decisive long touchdown drive. What were the key factors in not getting a stop there?
"Honestly I can't answer that question until we watch film, and I don't want to credit it to anything I'm not sure of, but obviously at that point in the game fatigue becomes a factor. I don't want to blame that, but that leads into it and causes a lack of communication, so that might be a factor."
How hot did it feel today?
"It was pretty hot but we practice in heat, so it's not an excuse. I feel personally it's hotter when we practice."
How do you explain the slow start?
"They gave us some new looks that we haven't seen from them. Early in the season teams do different things and can watch last season and see what things hurt us, throw us some things that we've seen in the past. I feel like that's a credit to them and their coaching staff. They came out and gave us a curveball."
It seems like every one of these games comes down to a couple of plays. How frustrating is it to not quite be able to get over the hump?
"Of course it's extremely frustrating, but we want to stay steadfast, keep working hard, keep working for coach Fritz and his staff and for each other. At the end of the day it's a grind. It's week 3. We are going to keep pushing."
Jeffery Johnson did not practice this week but was able to contribute in the middle. What does that say about him?
"He's a tough guy. He didn't practice this week, but it wasn't his choice, obviously. Jeffery wants to be out there with this. He was out there today. I'm proud of the way he has come on as a freshman and the way he contributes to our defense."
It looked like you were going to come back and win, and you were ahead for a couple of seconds until the flag nullified Bradwell's TD. Can you take anything from that?
"We just have to keep focusing on the details. That's something we've been talking about since coach Fritz and his staff have taken over. That's something you always have to harp on and is something that always gets exposed in games like this. Even if you think your focus is what it should be, it might not be, so that's why we're going to go in and watch film and make corrections."
Spencer Brown is a tough running back. How much of a load is he to tackle?
"He's a big back. I talked to him a little bit after the game and he was telling me he likes my physicality. I like his physicality. I like running backs like him. He's a good running back, a physical runner, so I like that."
On the winning drive, they barely converted a third down for the first first down. What were you thinking at that point?
"At that point you try not to have feelings within the game. Giving up a first down is not going to win or lose the game, so I didn't really think about that play too much."
DONNIE LEWIS
How tough was it to have it end that way?
"Yeah, coach Fritz always talks to us about how we're going to have to grind and we are going to have a lot of close games and we are going to have to finish at the end. We have to come through and finish?
What was the key?
"Defensively we just have to pay attention to detail. There was a lot of stuff. They were going with a little tempo. There was a little heat. That's no excuse, but that does play a factor on the field when they are tempoing us. I would say just attention to details and getting lined up."
How frustrating was that winning drive and the way they kept converting third downs?
"It was definitely frustrating. We harp big on getting off the field on third down and they got us in a couple of third-down situations and they made a few plays. They are on scholarship just like we are, so at the end of the day we just have to bow up."
Any reason for the slow start?
"No sir. They came out with a bunch of new looks and a bunch of new things that we hadn't seen, a bunch of mass shifts. That all ties into communication, so we just have to get it communicated. We'll watch film and fix it."
You had the interception in the end zone. What happened there?
"Just making a play on the ball, baiting the quarterback and making a play on the ball. It was pretty nice."
You have Ohio State next. How do you bounce back?
"We have to take this game and learn from it. We have a 24-hour rule. We'll watch film, flush it and move on to the next opponent, so that's all we're going to do is stick to the script."
I was a one-man question-answering crew today. Requested Banks but he was not made available. Teamer, Lewis, Mooney and Bradwell talked.
WILLIE FRITZ
You put yourself in position to win in the fourth quarter but could not get it done. What did you tell the team?
"It was a very tough loss for us. We're disappointed. I talked to the players about it in the locker room. So many of them played their hearts out. We're making plays to be in the game. We're just not making plays to end the game, finish the game and win the game. Where we are right now, every game is gonna be close. We have to play as close to error free as we possibly can, and we just didn't do that."
The defense had played well in the second half for the most part, but then UAB drove 93 yards for the go-ahead TD. What happened?
"Yeah, I thought we were in the driver's seat. They had a long field to go and converted a couple of third downs. They had a little different scheme and we had a tough time finding the answer for it to be quite honest with you. They ran a lot of counter and quarterback power and we seemed to be a man short quite often."
What exactly were they doing different than you expected?
"They brought a couple of extra offensive linemen in and ran a lot more counter with it. With the personnel package we had put in to match it, we hadn't gotten those fits I guess to cover it like we wanted to, so that was tough."
Did you see what they called on (Terren) Encalade that negated the go-ahead touchdown?
"They called holding on the outside perimeter. I thought he did a good job of whipping the guy, but I also thought Jonathan was down earlier in the game. It looked like he landed on his butt and fumbled the ball. But you have to make one more play than they make."
Banks got hit a lot but also appeared to hold on to the ball too long. What did you see on that?
"It was a combination of both. Not real good protection and sometimes he held the ball a little bit too long waiting for some routes to develop. That's difficult. We've just got to do a better job being firm in our protection and get better at that. That's not our strength, and certainly when we get behind we have to do that. We just have to improve in that area."
You were punting in the second quarterback, then called timeout and changed your mind. You don't expect the result to be a sack, fumble and touchdown, but what was your thought process?
"The analytics told us to go. I decided not to go for it, then we called a timeout and I went with the book. It doesn't kill us if we hang on to the ball and they have to go 60 yards, but unfortunately (Banks did not hold on to the ball). I wish I would have gone against the book."''
It was a really slow start. What were the issues?
"They came out on fire and played a little bit different than what we thought they were going to do defensively and offensively, like I said, they had some different personnel groupings and ran some plays when they pulled two guys. That gives you four new gaps you've got to fit and we didn't do a very good job fitting them."
Darius Bradwell looks healthy now. What did you think of his performance?
"He ran with some power. I thought Corey (Dauphine) came within a whisker of scoring on a long run."
Like you said, all of these games are going to be close. What has to be different for you to win?
"We just have to play as close to error free as we can. That's just where we are right now. That's something a veteran team has got to do. We're not quite a veteran team, but we have to play like that. It's just disappointing."
Charles Jones did not make the trip. Is he injured again?
"He's injured right now and we didn't feel like he could play today so we had him stay home and get some treatment."
Jeffery Johnson did not practice all week but played today.
"Yeah, he played 20 or 30 snaps and hopefully did a good job. I'm not quite sure."
Ohio State is next. How do you get ready for that one?
"Well we've just to learn from our mistakes and move on. That's just the way of the world. I sound like a broken record, but that's what you have to do."
ROD TEAMER
After the slow start, the defense was playing well until the decisive long touchdown drive. What were the key factors in not getting a stop there?
"Honestly I can't answer that question until we watch film, and I don't want to credit it to anything I'm not sure of, but obviously at that point in the game fatigue becomes a factor. I don't want to blame that, but that leads into it and causes a lack of communication, so that might be a factor."
How hot did it feel today?
"It was pretty hot but we practice in heat, so it's not an excuse. I feel personally it's hotter when we practice."
How do you explain the slow start?
"They gave us some new looks that we haven't seen from them. Early in the season teams do different things and can watch last season and see what things hurt us, throw us some things that we've seen in the past. I feel like that's a credit to them and their coaching staff. They came out and gave us a curveball."
It seems like every one of these games comes down to a couple of plays. How frustrating is it to not quite be able to get over the hump?
"Of course it's extremely frustrating, but we want to stay steadfast, keep working hard, keep working for coach Fritz and his staff and for each other. At the end of the day it's a grind. It's week 3. We are going to keep pushing."
Jeffery Johnson did not practice this week but was able to contribute in the middle. What does that say about him?
"He's a tough guy. He didn't practice this week, but it wasn't his choice, obviously. Jeffery wants to be out there with this. He was out there today. I'm proud of the way he has come on as a freshman and the way he contributes to our defense."
It looked like you were going to come back and win, and you were ahead for a couple of seconds until the flag nullified Bradwell's TD. Can you take anything from that?
"We just have to keep focusing on the details. That's something we've been talking about since coach Fritz and his staff have taken over. That's something you always have to harp on and is something that always gets exposed in games like this. Even if you think your focus is what it should be, it might not be, so that's why we're going to go in and watch film and make corrections."
Spencer Brown is a tough running back. How much of a load is he to tackle?
"He's a big back. I talked to him a little bit after the game and he was telling me he likes my physicality. I like his physicality. I like running backs like him. He's a good running back, a physical runner, so I like that."
On the winning drive, they barely converted a third down for the first first down. What were you thinking at that point?
"At that point you try not to have feelings within the game. Giving up a first down is not going to win or lose the game, so I didn't really think about that play too much."
DONNIE LEWIS
How tough was it to have it end that way?
"Yeah, coach Fritz always talks to us about how we're going to have to grind and we are going to have a lot of close games and we are going to have to finish at the end. We have to come through and finish?
What was the key?
"Defensively we just have to pay attention to detail. There was a lot of stuff. They were going with a little tempo. There was a little heat. That's no excuse, but that does play a factor on the field when they are tempoing us. I would say just attention to details and getting lined up."
How frustrating was that winning drive and the way they kept converting third downs?
"It was definitely frustrating. We harp big on getting off the field on third down and they got us in a couple of third-down situations and they made a few plays. They are on scholarship just like we are, so at the end of the day we just have to bow up."
Any reason for the slow start?
"No sir. They came out with a bunch of new looks and a bunch of new things that we hadn't seen, a bunch of mass shifts. That all ties into communication, so we just have to get it communicated. We'll watch film and fix it."
You had the interception in the end zone. What happened there?
"Just making a play on the ball, baiting the quarterback and making a play on the ball. It was pretty nice."
You have Ohio State next. How do you bounce back?
"We have to take this game and learn from it. We have a 24-hour rule. We'll watch film, flush it and move on to the next opponent, so that's all we're going to do is stick to the script."
