Cavan, Players Ready for Hawaii
Sep 22 | Football
SMU head coach Mike Cavan has made some offensive adjustments during the past 10 days in preparation for Hawaii (2-1, 0-0 WAC). But, the coach insists that any offensive changes have to do more with the mental aspect of the game than different plays or formations.
"We need to be more consistent on offense -- stop turning the ball over and do a better job of running the football," said Cavan, who is 1-0 vs. Hawaii. "The changes we've made on offense were made to give us an opportunity to win football games. We need to quit beating ourselves and go line up and win some ball games. It's not a magic show."
SMU (0-2, 0-0 WAC) and Hawaii square off on Saturday, September 25, at the Cotton Bowl. Kickoff is set for 2:07 PM Central time.
Cavan and players Jason Simonton and Tony Newsome addressed the media at his weekly press luncheon. Here are their comments:
Head Coach Mike Cavan
"We've moved Tracy Hart from corner to safety with hopes that he and Raymon Brown will be able to settle things down in our secondary."
"We want to get a handle on our football team and then let's see where we go. We need to play hard for 60 minutes and start winning football games. It is a mind set more than anything else. We need to go out there and give 100% all over the field, play hard for 60 minutes and fight and work as hard as we can to win games. Doing all that doesn't guarantee a win, but eventually, that effort will turn into wins."
"Rodnick (Phillips) will start at tailback but I'm not sure what our rotation will be. Rodnick has to play a lot of football for us, at both tailback and fullback. I hope we get to the point where we're using all three of our running backs (Phillips, Kris Briggs and Johnnie Freeman) because I think each one brings something different to the field."
"We saw that potential in Johnnie Freeman during practice so we weren't surprised he put up those numbers (at Tulane). It's always surprising when your first touch of the ball goes for 60 yards but from practice, we knew he had that type of game in him."
"We need more consistency from our quarterbacks and then need to reduce the number of turnovers. I think the changes to the offense will help take some pressure off them to carry the team."
"We're not asking them to go out and win football games for us, we're just asking them to give us a chance to win because that is what it is all about. If it means giving up a little from each player on this team, so be it. I don't think there is any player or coach on this team that wouldn't do that if it meant helping us win."
"I plan on using both quarterbacks. Ideally, we would have redshirt Luker, but we need our backup with some experience should something happen to our starter."
Senior linebacker Jason Simonton
"The talks that Coach Cavan has had with us sent a message about what we can do as a team. I think we all realize that we have a little bit more in us than we've been giving at this point."
"Anyone can be on a winning streak and come into someone else's house and get beat."
"We're going into conference play and we're still 0-0, just like everyone else. We can still go on and win the WAC Championship and go to a bowl game."
"The off week has given us a chance to think things over. We're looking forward to getting back on the field and playing Hawaii Saturday."
Junior wide receiver Tony Newsome
"Our offense is different than it was at Tulane. We have fewer formations to worry about and that is letting us focus on the plays. Our mind set now is how many yards are we going to gain on this play, or are we going to score. In the past, you were thinking about the right formation or the right spot in the formation. People now know their assignments on each play and the offensive line is more aggressive with the mentality of running the ball."
"It's about the WAC Championship - whether we run the ball or throw it. I want to win. Every player and coach on this team wants the same thing."
"Any team that is winning commands respect and Hawaii is winning. But look at what has happened so far this year in college football. Any team can lose to any other team on any day."
