MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield and defensive coordinator Greg Stewart participated in the team's annual media day Friday at the football field house.
Highlights from the press conferences include:
Offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield
-Opening Statement:
"I have really enjoyed coaching these guys; it's really been a lot of fun up to this point. Our entire (coaching) staff is having a lot of fun. We work a lot of long hours like a lot of football coaches, so it's really good when everybody gets along. I think on the field, that's starting to take shape. Offensively, we're getting just a little bit better every day, and if we continue to do that then we'll find where we need to be at the right spot."
-On what he wants to see from the offense in Saturday's scrimmage:
"I want to see us take care of the football; if we do that every game, then we're going to win every game. I want to see us be able to run the football, and take some chances down the field when we have an opportunity to stretch the defense. We have a lot of guys who are playmakers and can make plays in space, so we have to give them that opportunity. To do that, you have to be able to run the ball. People are going to not let you run the ball at some point, and you have to make them pay. That's what we want to be able to do on Saturday."
-On consistency in execution:
"First and foremost, we're asking them (players) to do just a little bit every day. We can't look at the end of the year and wonder where we're going to be, we're thinking about now and seeing what we can learn from what we did today. We're putting a little bit on them at a time, so I think they can see a lot of success at that point. We'll be able to get better every day if we keep doing that."
-On the quarterback competition:
"I like them; I have five guys I enjoy coaching. They are all trying to do what I and Coach Campbell want them to do, and I think they're going to make it tough on us. They could all play, and hopefully we can get it narrowed down so they can get more reps but right now we are trying to equal the reps. I hope tomorrow that it starts to shape itself – it did in the spring. I think it will again, but I'm really excited about it. It's fun coaching them, because you can see they are all competing. I think it is going to be hard to tell. They have all had their spots at practice. I think the guy who protects the ball the best, gets us in the best play and the guy who keeps moving the chains and scoring points is the guy who is going to play."
Defensive coordinator Greg Stewart
-On what he's looking for out of his group in Saturday's first scrimmage of the fall:
"We have some young guys that are trying to make a push for playing time and tomorrow will be important for them. Jamal Hickbottom and Keith Gallman are guys that are getting reps with the twos. We have some other players that its really important for them to get some good quality snaps tomorrow and have an opportunity to help us. Saturday is a big scrimmage."
-On his overall defensive philosophy:
"We're not going to be real fancy. We're going to line up and do the same thing over and over. When the ball's snapped, we're going to try to play fast. We don't do a lot of stuff, which gives our players the opportunity to get lined up, because when that ball gets snapped, it's time to go. We stress that every day and the guys have been doing well with it in practice. We play hard, number one, which a lot of people talk about doing that, but we try to live it. We're going to try to stop the run, try to control the pass; we don't want them to throw it over our head, and then we're going to try to get the ball. That's out defensive philosophy. Like Coach Campbell said, we've got a bunch of guys that love football. Their want to be successful makes you want to coach them hard. We're having fun out there and I love those dudes."
-On Bull Barge:
"Bull's a leader and plays as hard as he can play every play. He comes to work every day and he's one of those guys who the younger players can look up to because we're trying to set a standard. We have some older players on the defensive side of the ball and they're all carrying the torch pretty well. I've been proud of them."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/sports/2013/3/13/Gridiron Club.aspx?id=22
—USA—
