it's a blessing you know in my opinion to have a chance to learn such a great lesson Um but not have a loss next to your your record to do it You know definitely a lesson in humility for our players and do not have to suffer a loss I thought ec you competed their butts off and and their staff and coach Houston and their players deserve a lot of credit you know for how they played in the second half And and just programmatically how he's developed their roster It's a good football team You have to give them credit You know I thought for us the game couldn't have started any better You know you're on the road you're dealing with crowd noise We win the toss go out there on defense on the second play the game Tyler baker Williams has a great interception Um but we didn't play complimentary football you know something I preach and and something our players understand but we played uncomplimentary football um really for the entire game what I mean by that is you know every time we swung momentum in our favor we had two takeaways on defense we got zero points after the takeaways with the two interceptions by shy and shy battle and Tyler baker Williams Um We had 1/4 down stop which led to no points at a special teams punt return by there that got across the 50 and led to no points You know we punted the ball inside the one yard line and let them off the goal line with a missed tackle and then they punt and flip the field to the 15 Offensively we get down to the goal line twice and get zero points So we just didn't play off of each other and as many times as we tried to set the other side of the ball up we didn't capitalize And it's very difficult to win a game when you play that way And and to me we won the game for a couple of reasons I think our special teams uh I'm not gonna say it was exceptional in every phase It wasn't but it was exceptional in the punt return pump block area And that was a huge part of winning that football game The field position we had 100 and 77 yards of hidden field position in that game Uh we started our field position and plus 30 range um from the goal line So you know with about 67 yards of field position to score Um A lot of their drives as you saw in the game started inside the 20 You know whether it was us tackling them inside the 20 or punching them inside the 10 And so the field position was a factor in the game And um major factor you know I think the goal line stand was probably or the goal line series is back to back where the most frustrating things to me um felt like we had two plays called that would have scored and the ball was stopped by the official on both of them which was kind of weird and its own right with neither of them being a penalty Um So we had to run nine plays but was really seven plays and you know those of you guys didn't know football um You really you really don't have that many you know you know you get that many people down there that close to the line of scrimmage so that's an area that we got to grow and learn from and be better Um Bright side is we won that football game and and a lot of things happened that were positive You know I didn't tell you this I've been on the other side of that and uh we played South Carolina in one of our openers we had 500 yards to their 250 yards and felt like we killed them and lost the game lost at Clemson on the missed field goal where we forced five turnovers in the game and felt like we you know manhandled them on the field and lost the game and it's a bad feeling and I've been there so to be on the other side of that I'm not gonna apologize for winning a game on the road and there's no such thing as an ugly win Nobody discredits you for winning a football game at the end of the season in any form or fashion and I will say that E C U Is a really good program I think those guys are gonna be exceptional team this year in their league And I think it's a great experience that will help our team and our staff you know playing from the rank position playing from the favored position Something that's new to our guys um something that they're gonna have to learn to embrace and be better understanding We we've been the team that's kinda hey we've got nothing to lose Nobody thinks we can win all that now it's the other way around and you do get your opponent's best shot each week And something that was a very valuable lesson It's nothing that we hadn't already discussed and talked about But as you guys know um some of your parents sometimes things just have to happen to younger people for them to believe what you're saying And uh in this case that was what it was You know offensively just breaking down the game the positives You know our offensive line protected well we had zero sacks giving up We performed well on third and long which is not easy to do against a defense like that I thought our tailbacks ran hard and protected well obviously like to not turn the ball over but Jordan's fumble but Demi sumo you know for his first game really showed um you've heard me talk a lot about him showed why we're excited about him and his future He's a hard guy to tackle He's tough both him and Jordan I thought ran hard and and had between the two of them had over 70 yards after contact gained I love the end a half first half drive went down and scored with fair you know a lot of guys played for the first time Really significant time on offense with Demi sumo cedric See burrow cam walker Darrell jones First time for us Julian gray Jalen COIT on special teams Keyon Lesane and and in that film is gonna be so valuable for them Um getting out there and play and I thought Darryl jones really did some good things It's good to see him out there He's a he's a very complete player Yeah I think there had one of his another just kind of ho hum game maybe for people out there but I thought he played exceptionally well He's worked hard on becoming a blocker as well as a route runner catcher returner and he's improved so much in that area Um I thought tim McKay on the offensive line shined some physical things you know let us some pancakes and in the game it's good to see his good rotation going on between him and species tackle and Derek Easton also came in and provided some good depth and and played well at right guard Um With Trent Pinex's injury it's a nonsurgical injury He will be out you know 4-6 weeks Um he'll be back this season you know it just depends on the healing process but I'm not going to get into the details of what it is but it is good news that he's not out for the season and he will be back with us and it's nonsurgical so thankful for that You know the negatives on offense you know we had five penalties four of them were pre snap preventable penalty penalties I thought we started slow you know very disappointed that we didn't take advantage of the first interception of the game and the first drive of the second half I think we wasted two opportunities to to build the scoreboard a little bit there not to mention the two goal line drives Um I think we're better at finishing blocks than we were in that game on the perimeter We need to do a better job We're getting bodies on bodies but not finishing You know and I think Devin leary did some really good things at times and enforce some things that he didn't need to and and just needs to get back to taking what the defense gives him and letting his guys make plays for him you know on defense very positive to get two interceptions I thought we responded well twice you know we had three what we call sudden changes where the other teams coming on the field with some momentum due to a turnover or special teams play and twice uh we forced punts out of those three really liked the way save Ian and David Van played I thought they were physical thought they knocked the line of scrimmage back and made it hard to run the football Um C J Clarke being back out there is a positive you know uh that game's gonna build a lot of confidence for him and we had 43 and outs we had no pre snap penalties on defense and we worked hard They were a big hard count team They got a lot of teams last year to jump offsides on defense So that was a positive negative I don't think we handled the quarterback run game scrambles in the draw the way we could have we missed way too many tackles maybe a record for us on missed tackles in the game And you know I take the blame for that We didn't tackle enough in training camp obviously trying to get these guys to get to the first game healthy and and that was a success But at the same time you know it didn't feel like we did the things that we routinely do as tacklers is a defense that was top five in the nation for fewest missed tackles a year ago and a lot of those kids are playing and so they're capable we need to get back to that You know the fundamentals of that Very important fundamental for that side of the football Probably the most important fundamental you know I think the busted red zone coverage on derrick Pitts was disappointing experienced player you know had his eyes in the backfield on a play action Um Peyton's M R I came back completely clean so that's just gonna be time Uh he's sore but there's nothing that's you know um damaged as far as the shoulder goes other than you know he's sore hadn't played football in over a year that way And so he's gonna need to give him a chance and it's a day to day recovery you know I won't know more than that until time is really the biggest thing but the positive is is it's not a season ending it's not a surgical type repair He just needs time to kind of rest up on it a little bit on special teams You know the bright spot of the game to me was the punt return punt block unit Just say a problem getting out there and blocking a punt that Sean Brown scores on was a huge play awesome play by him Good designed by coach Goebel we've now scored a touchdown on special teams in five straight games uh which is remarkable And uh Todd Goble has done an incredible job with these units and getting these guys to play that way You know it was the first time on the field returning kicks um for Julian gray and we're excited about what he can do You know I think he'll play better It'll start slowing down for him I thought you know he handled the ball well back there He made good decisions They had a great punt return the blocking was really good There was opportunities to clip guys and guys make good decisions His first game was Shane McDonough I thought he held very well You know uh his punts were you know good not great I think his hang time can get better He knows that but his pen punt was exceptional in the game and and I thought he got better as the game went on Our coverage will only improve as our hang time does And you know it's great to have joe shinko and chris done uh in the way they are you know moving on to this week it's great to come home to carter Findley and 12 30 kick we haven't had a noon game in a long time So you know asking folks to start their day early and uh you know get up and get their tailgate set up the night before If they need to come into the parking lots fired up and ready to watch these young men compete You know this game is all about us You know we play charleston Southern as you know but to me it's a a game regardless of who our opponent is We need to focus on improving Um not just as offense defense and special teams that they just talked but more importantly individually and collectively You know there's no way to get better um that I know of that actually playing a game and having a video to watch yourself as a player your resume as your film as a player and and having that opportunity now to study what you didn't know that your opponents are studying what you did and doing everything you can to take your mistakes off of film and improve on the things that you want to improve on It's gonna be a great week I can't wait to get on the field and help these guys you know work with our coaches and give the kids the best chance they can to go play a better football game for four quarters You know I know charleston Southern will come in here with nothing to lose and uh give us a great game and play hard and uh look forward to getting our team better and moving forward with another opportunity to grow and learn and it's a long season as you saw in the first week of college football a lot of crazy stuff happening every every game seems like drama and last night's game with florida state and L S U Is no different incredible football games happening The highs and lows and the road that goes It's um million things happen in a short period of time and it's awesome to be on this journey with this team and the staff So look forward to the next step questions Todd Gibson day of your last comment just kind of blew up what I was gonna ask you the first week of the season I mean you guys weren't the only ones that had a tough time Is it is it just the nature of that first game of the season that they can uh get things going a little bit sideways possibly You know I was thinking about it obviously a lot since the game and I didn't count the days but we hadn't played a real football game since U N C You know because of the bowl And so it's been a long time And some of the guys that were playing are returning from injuries and they've been out you know five months longer than that some of them And so obviously there's gonna be some growing pains with that much of a break between that game and the last game Um I don't know if it's necessarily the first game or what it is I think for us it was um for some other teams that you know had the opportunity to play a bowl Everyone's teams are a little different but there's new faces every year new teams and you have for us a new place in college football you know being ranked in the preseason having expectations how to handle them playing a team that has gotten a lot better That you know we hadn't played in a while um hadn't played in an environment like that against them and had a lot of things um that were positive you know about what was happening down there And I think for our team if it's a place you play every year every other year you know it's like when we go play uh in a loud stadium at florida state or at Clemson you mean you're ready for it We can talk about it all we want But like I said earlier I think That's the youth that you deal with You know I mean 18-22 year old mind sometimes doesn't see things the way that 50 60 year old mind can see things And I got to experience it you know but it was a great experience you know and there's lots of positives and lots of negatives and great opportunity to grow from both David hey coach you know Peyton's been through so much with adversity with injuries I mean although he's a little banged up just how thrilled are you that you know his his season is still intact Uh and then I know you don't have like a it is day to day but do you feel good about him playing week two or do you think it's gonna be more of a rest week for him Yeah Well to start with your comments Yeah I mean the guy's been through so much you know I mean the the knees the shoulders Um and he is a I mean one of the most elite competitive spirits that I've ever coached Like the way that he looks at the game and the warriors mentality he has for playing the game the physicality that he likes to play the game with He's he's a lot different more different than other people I'm not saying other people don't compete hard and all that they do but he's a warrior you know and so it hurts him not to be able to play the game the way he wants to play it I think too And so as far as when he'll be back David I don't know Um I'm not gonna rush that I want him to be at peace and ready and feel like he's not worried and you know what I mean So let him tell me when he's ready to go and the doctors and you know the trainers but the good news is is it's not a surgical injury It's not a long term thing probably you know he was in my office a little bit ago and he's not in a sling he's walking around normal All that kind of good stuff So makes your heart feel good that way for him But you know we'll just have to be patient and not rush the process yep Yeah coach when he went back and looked at the game video of the goal line offense in the fourth quarter What what were the biggest issues that you saw there I know those whistles that that happened that that disjointed things but what were some of the issues you spotted and not been able to push the ball in Yeah Um there's a lot of issues you know you can they put a lot of people at the line of scrimmage we had the block um at times you got to run over a guy to get in we didn't do that you know we didn't get enough movement There wasn't one person there were different plays Each play was somebody different you know um it's tough because the quarterback sneak we called would have scored and they blew it dead you know so that changes things a little bit you know the one play action pass we ran I think Devin could have thrown to to Jordan Houston I think we would have scored on that and he chose to throw it away because he didn't want to make you know uh created turnover possibly But I think if he would have gotten that off we probably would have scored on that play just comes down to executing and you know we were under center and in the shotgun we did both But clearly you know as coaches we can do a better job you know I mean you kind of second guess every call that doesn't work as a coach just like you guys second guess us we do the same thing you know what could we have done differently What can we do better So it's gonna be really good film you know and we've got to make sure that we're putting ourselves in the best position to get points on the board I mean you get to the one in my career I've never had something like that you know we had seven plays two different drives and not gotten any points So definitely was disappointing time Dave can you elaborate a little bit more on on the on the missed tackles I mean obviously you guys have a veteran team so you can't camp I imagine that's probably one of the reasons maybe you didn't tackle as much because you have a veteran team and and how will this maybe change your thinking moving forward You know we did tackle I mean we had two full scrimmages like we always do um some of the guys that had played a lot of reps like the Isaiah moors and Tanner angles we didn't play the entire scrimmages for obvious reasons We wanted to get guys more reps that hadn't gotten game reps and I do think that that hurt Tanner you know watching him tackle he was not himself He's a much better tackler than he showed in that game and I think he's inspired to show everybody that too You know I think he'll tell you he was as embarrassed as anybody watching himself miss those tackles He's one of the best tacklers in college football when he's doing things like he normally does So yeah I think it's just time between this competition in the last and you know it's it's a balancing act man I mean you guys know how many players I've had hurt in the last couple of years and so we were very cautious um and probably too cautious like I said to make sure that we had everybody healthy for game one and we did And so it was mission accomplished Um the price we paid maybe was not having enough contact that you know would have made us a little better Um I think I would still go with what happened I think I'd still rather have a healthy team in the opener you know and just need to study it Getting in the next year a year from now And maybe some ways we can be a little better there You know going into the opener with our tackling obviously uh maybe missed more tackles in Game one than we did in three games last year combined So scenario we've got to improve and you guys remember how we played a year ago and played against Louisville and teams like that They had great athletes and open spaces were capable of making a lot of the plays we didn't make saturday So that won't sit well with our d staff it won't sit well with our defensive kids and they will get out and fix it David Coach you you mentioned earlier how Great Demi played Um I mean he had 14 carries It's not like he didn't touch the ball or anything but you know with the way he played the elusiveness that he shows I mean plans to get him the ball even more to kind of show what he can do Yeah I think so You know I think him and Jordan will still you know rotate in there I think both of them played well other than Jordan's fumble both averaged over four yards of carry both ran hard both broke tackles both made miss people miss both caught the football So you know and as you know it's a long season and it's not a one player position anymore Those guys need to have a rotation to stay healthy But yeah I think you know last week it was probably 2-1 and and probably a little more balanced on reps you know between those two guys But we like both of them you know and we think both of them are really good football players and they're well rounded guys and they're tough and um so excited about that room I know there's a lot of questions about who are running backs were gonna be and how they were going to play and I think there's probably a little bit of excitement about that position now coming out of that first game James Yeah Dave you've mentioned in the past um analytics playing a role in some decisions you made I know you went for the uh the touchdown right there at the goal line with 10 minutes to go Is that a gut feel analytics What led to that decision for you Yeah I mean the analytics tell you to go forward inside the three every time So it's you know because if you don't get it you're giving the ball back to them in a position you should be able to hold him and get the ball back in good field position again And your odds of scoring on fourth and one are very high you know so it's just a position that you don't take for granted and you talk about odds and the odds are getting seven points are very high You're gonna take those odds you know um I also believe as a head coach you have to show trust to your line man You mean you get 1/4 and one on the goal line and don't go for it I mean if I was an offensive lineman and my head coach did that to me I wouldn't be very happy I mean that's just not how I look at things You know I need to give those guys a chance to earn it We didn't so they owe me one you know and they know it and and that's kind of where we are I think you know I'm not a cautious guy when it comes to going for things You know I didn't get to be a head coach as young as I was by being cautious as a coach You know we're gonna be aggressive in this program and sometimes it's not gonna work not everything is a guarantee you know but when it comes to trusting who you are and sticking with your your vision and trusting your guys I'm gonna be that kind of coach and if it doesn't work at least I'm going down swinging The reason I ask is you know you have the 10 point game against wake in 2018 Miami 2020 So just getting a 10 was that I mean obviously you're not playing for 10 at that point right I mean too much game left Yeah I mean we'd love to have two possession lead There's no doubt about it Um and you know maybe if the game was in the final three minutes be a little bit different conversation but with how much time was on the clock to say that that's going to end the game it's not James you know there's just too much time on the clock and again the odds tell you to go for it And so I don't know if any of you guys like to gamble but you're gonna take your odds when you have the most time and you're gonna go with who you are And uh if you're a cautious guy you probably make a cautious decision I'm not appreciate it Yeah Dave along those lines Thanks That just won an argument I had with somebody I figured you wanted to show your offensive lines and trust But along those lines as well I mean do you need to score those points to because is it a do you need to show points I guess I mean is it down to that nowadays for obviously you guys got bigger things down the road and do you want to see your team have a bigger win And and is that fair And and the whole grand scheme of things right now I'm not sure what you mean by that I mean just just just to have a more points scored and have a bigger win against an opponent and look how that would look on your resume resume as you're moving forward That's the last thing I was thinking about when I'm making a decision in the middle of a game Yeah I mean trying to win a game going with the things that you know things that you trust The things that you think are important for your program Um So Yeah I'm not thinking about what they're gonna decide in November because we scored 20 instead of 22 you know David looking forward to this week Um does having Jack Chambers on the team Does that offer any competitive advantage Yeah I I could see why you'd think that um I'm gonna be honest that this week is not about Jack Chambers and his time at that school It's it's not about that school Um because of how we played this this week I don't care if we're playing Clemson or charleston Southern This week's about us being the best us we can be We did not showcase that in week one Uh I think our players will tell you they're embarrassed as coaches It was not the product we expected and this game is gonna be about getting that done You know handling our business and you know offensively doing the things that we're capable of doing consistently and the same thing on defense Same thing on special teams Same thing with our sideline energy We need to bring our best to the field and we need to play the game the way that we know we can play it And that's what this game is about the fact that Jack went to school there It's a side story I think more than anything more interested in how we play this football game than any of that Corey Dave going back to the defensive side of the bowl Were you concerned at all about the lack of pressure I mean no sacks in this game uh did get a few quarterback pressures but didn't really get into the defensive to the offensive backfield for ec You quite as much as I'm sure you would like Yeah I think you know we had uh several opportunities maybe Um not sure sacking the quarterback something that matters as much as forcing him to throw um off time and throw incomplete passes and maybe throw more interceptions because he's pressured getting our hands up and tipping more balls He did get rid of the ball quickly in that game He did scramble a lot to get away from guys We did lose contained twice on blitzes that feel like might have been sacks had we not lost contained So can we be better Absolutely I think our rush lane discipline the distribution we call pass rush cage but the distribution of who's in which lane needs to be more consistent Um there's a lot to get better at when it comes to that You know the final getting the sack I know is kind of how you judge pass rush you know for us there's a lot of other ways pass rush is important Um and I completely agree it can be better Thanks Do we have any other questions for coach Alright Coach thank you Thanks everyone You guys have a great day Look forward to seeing everybody this week Thank you Thanks coach