University Southern California Trojans
Coaches Discuss USC-Cal Game
June 21, 1999 | Football
Oct. 6, 1998
LOS ANGELES - Following is a transcript of the media luncheon hosted by USC Coach Paul Hackett and the teleconference held by California Coach Tom Holmoe on Tuesday:
USC COACH PAUL HACKETT
It's nice to be 4-1. I thought that was a fine performance by the entire football team. But that's last week and we have to put it behind us as quick as we can and move on to the Golden Bears. I'm looking forward to this contest. It's a team being carried by its defense, similar to ours. I'm really impressed by the turnovers that they've forced. There might not be a better front seven in the conference. Our offense is certainly going to be tested. Their special teams are strong. Their offense is very similar to us, the difference is that they have a veteran quarterback. They have an excellent receiving corps and a strong offensive line. But clearly the strengths are their defense and our defense. The game matches up very well, I guess you could say their strength versus our weakness and our strength versus their weakness.
(On losing Marc Matock) He's a guy that really exemplified the work ethic of this team. He's been a standout on the team. To have this happen is extremely disappointing. It's really an intangible loss because he's played very well, but he has really set a standard and tempo for this team. The doctors say he might be able to play again at the first of the year, so I'm ecstatic about that. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game ... There are a couple of candidates to replace him, such as Ryan Nielsen, Darren Collins and Bobby DeMars. There are some options there. Our defensive line does a lot of rotating. We really have six or seven starters.
(On Chad Morton's status) We'll know at 3:23 on Saturday. I don't feel like it's a situation where we want to push Chad. He wants to play and when he's played, he's played beautifully. We just have to be patient. There were two games now that he wasn't going to play and he played in one and didn't play in the other. But if he can be out there, he'll be out there.
(On special teams) When we started in the spring, I really felt that special teams could be a key ingredient. The reason I felt that was because of our returners. We had Daylon McCutcheon, R. Jay Soward, Chad Morton and Larry Parker, and we could take an offensive approach to the special teams. Going in, we were concerned about the punting and happy with the place-kicking. We made it an emphasis. Shawn (Slocum) has done a great job. Most important of all, there has been an acceptance that special teams is important. Numerous walk-ons contribute. The intensity and kind of play has been exciting. The speed and tempo has really been very rewarding. Four scores off of special teams, that's a great start. You see the look in their eye when they get ready. We have to be relentless on special teams ... There's been a long tradition here where the best freshmen play on special teams. The best freshmen usually end up being the best players. I feel strongly that way, we've got a lot of our younger players playing. But I said at the beginning, you earn your position on offense and defense, but you're hand-picked for special teams. We go with the best guys. Five guys have been on the field for all of the touchdowns (McCutcheon, Ohalete, Steen, Simmons and one other). Those are our core guys ... Championships are won when the special teams are great. As we build the team, special teams will continue to be a priority. Mike MacGillivray had an off- day on Saturday, and he now needs to respond the same way that Adam Abrams did after a bad game three weeks ago.
(On Antoine Harris) Antoine is one of the best players on this team. He's very young. His strength is his blocking. It doesn't mean he won't be a much-improved or better receiver. But right now the offense is in its infant stages. We haven't figured out how get him out in the passing game. It's a reaction to the Florida State game, bringing everyone in to block. As we feel more comfortable there, we'll throw more to the tight end. Right now we have to settle down the offense. We got better against Arizona State, a good team. It's one of those areas we need to improve.
(On the next step for Carson Palmer) Maybe play in the second quarter. He continues to improve. He continues to have a better grasp of the subtleties of what we're doing. But he continues to be a freshman. As he improves, he'll get more playing time. At Florida State, it wasn't my intention to have him play half the game. We did make a decision he would come in the third quarter against Arizona State and he did an excellent job. And he made the play on the two-point conversion. He's a playmaker and I'm delighted with his progress. But I still think that the leadership of this offense is still in the hands of Mike Van Raaphorst. If I feel that we have to make a change then we will, but I don't feel that way at all.
(On the people that want Palmer to start) I would like to take a poll on how many years they've coached quarterbacks. And then I'd like to put that against how many years that I've coached quarterbacks, which is about 29 now, and I would like to tell them to have patience and to trust me. Let's see what happens. We're 4-1 going into a big game. We're heading into the meat of the schedule ... I'm not going to preclude that he's not going to start before the end of the season, but I'm not going to say that I expect him to, because I don't.
John Fox is moving back to quarterback. We have some depth now. He wants to move. He thought that was the right thing. We've been concerned about No. 3 all along. John felt comfortable making the move so I said fine. No more tight end. If Michael Jordan could switch sports and go back, then a guy can switch positions and go back.
(On Mike Van Raaphorst) I think that was the best that he's thrown the ball. He ran for a touchdown and that was a pretty nifty move. He threw the deep ball well. I was impressed. Mike continues to improve. And so does Carson. This is a marvelous situation to be in. I think it's mostly the coaching. There are two quarterbacks with three coaches, how can they miss?
(On Chris Claiborne) Chris is one of those people that doesn't need to say much. He's impressed me as a guy whose quiet determination is something that his teammates really respect. His work ethic off the field, studying film, his fascination with football, bending Coach Slocum's ear, it all trickles down to the rest of the defensive players. Then on the practice field, when the special teams is practicing he's with Coach Orgeron and the defensive line learning how to pass rush better. Then in the linebacker drills he's at the front of the line. He's not a rah-rah guy but he sets the tempo. He sets the standard. We know what he's done on Saturday. He'll be great on Sunday too.
(On penalties) I checked to see what the record was and we're going to go for it. If we can be 4-1 and have the most penalties, then we can be 8-2 and have the most penalties ... I have a problem with the penalties. I've said this before. Half of them are penalties that are stupid mistakes. We shouldn't be making them. Then the other half are ones where we're fighting and fighting and inadvertently grabs a face mask or he isn't sensible enough to get his head where it should be. I'm concerned about those things and I address them every week. What I don't want to do is make a change in personnel until I feel it's hopeless ... As long as we're young, we're going to have penalties. But we're going to keep working at it. No, I'm not going to be resigned at any point to accepting penalties.
CALIFORNIA COACH TOM HOLMOE
You never know how the bye will be. Sometimes, in the past you've have a bye and you lose your momentum. But this year it couldn't have come at a better time. We've had a couple of really physical games and we're a little wounded. There's probably a couple of guys that wouldn't have played last Saturday. We also had more time to work on the game plan for USC than usual.
This team has a number of players that have played for quite a while. Two years ago they took their lumps and now they're starting as juniors and seniors. They're coming into their own. But our defense is the part of the team that's having the most success. They've carried the team most games. Special teams has played pretty well. The offense is struggling. We have guys who put points on the board but our execution has been poor and we've shot ourselves in the foot. We're not hitting on all cylinders but we hope to remedy that quickly.
(On the defense) Marquis Smith, our strong safety, is very skillful and consistent. He's a physical force at safety. Matt Beck missed the first game and he makes a difference. He's very fast. Sekou Sanyika is an outside linebacker that makes plays. He forces fumbles, gets sacks, tackles for losses and makes a lot of big plays. These guys consistently come up with big plays. The defensive line has had its battles against some tough running teams. Now there's a new challenge in playing Pac-10 teams.
(On the Pac-10) It's shaped up like I thought it would. Some teams that struggled last year are getting better. The middle of the Pac-10 is up for grabs. The top echelon has yet to be decided. There are some clear front-runners based on the first few games, but a number of teams could jump up with good fortune and good health. That's what we're trying to do.
(On playing on the 49ers with Paul Hackett) I remember one year I was hurt. I hurt my shoulder and I was on injured reserve. When it was better, they had me practicing. I ran the service defense and then I got to run wide receiver. He wore me out. I think I ran every play in practice for the whole year. He was my offensive coach. I don't really claim to have been a wide receiver for the 49ers, but he knows that I helped him out in practice that year. He was a good coach. It was a great team to be on. Paul and I have very fond memories of being associated with that organization. When he came back to USC it was nice to see a friend come back into the league. I knew it was going to be tough on people because he's a darn good coach.
(On playing USC) Early in the summer, publications were calling to get a synopsis on the Pac-10. I always mentioned USC as a team that was going to be strong this year. The reason I said that is they have some tremendous individual players. If they came together in some areas, they were going to be solid. That's what they're doing. They have a number of talented players that have made the difference in their games. They've gained more confidence, and they are where I thought they would be at this point.
(On preparing for USC) I'm sure Coach Hackett is a little concerned with what's going on with the offense. It's not unlike us. Our offense could bust out any time and I know that their's could. Any time you put the ball in the hands of Chad Morton or R. Jay Soward, it could be a touchdown ... Five games into the season, things might not be going as planned but they're 4-1. There's a lot of coaches in this country that would like to trade places.
(On quarterback Justin Vedder) He's taken some of the heat for our offensive problems. One area that's been unsettled is the offensive line. Against Houston, Justin was chased out of the pocket a ton and we couldn't run the ball. He was pretty frustrated. Last year he had a pretty good year statistically. Justin takes a lot of the pressure on himself, he carries a lot of the burden and our woes personally. He's a responsible guy who's accountable to his teammates and will do everything he can to get us back on track. There couldn't be a better guy to do it.
