On having so much time to prepare for WKU...
I think we're really trying to just focus on us. You know, as much as anything we have to make sure that what we're doing regardless of who we're playing, that we understand what that is and how it works and coming to work every single day and really focusing on the detail and the discipline that it takes to play to play the way that we want to.
In this type of offense, you're prepared to be at 20 percent passes, aren't you?
We gotta be prepared to do whatever it takes to win the football game. Those would be pretty lopsided numbers to be 80%. Probably either way, but you never know how it's going to go. We do feel like what we do on offense we have the ability to be flexible enough to adjust and manifest the pass game that's gonna give us the best chance to move the ball up and down the field and score points and we'll be willing to do that as well. But yeah, I think balance in our eyes is really just being able to take advantage of the opportunities that we have, whether it be run game or pass game and just, you know, go play it and let it roll.
On what the WKU defense offers and how to attack them...
They had a really good defense last year. You know, one of the things that stands out to us as an offensive staff, and as we've tried to, make the point to our players, you know, in preparing for this group as they lead the country and takeaways last year. So, anytime you're doing that, that's not an accident. You know, they were very opportunist, when they had the opportunity to get on fumbles, and obviously, they're creating fumbles and they're catching interceptions, not dropping them. You know, they did a phenomenal job of turning the teams over last year. So that's always a challenge for any offense is to take care of the football for 60 minutes, but you know, they're multiple, you know, the they do a bunch of different things which, you know, make you on offense have to be well prepared or, you know, you can get exposed pretty quickly. But they have really good players, they play really hard for 60 minutes, and you know, they're confident so, we're gonna have to match, you know, the excitement level on the field that they're going to bring and we're gonna have to match, you know, the detail that they bring to the table. You know, on our side of the ball.
Coach Orlando talked about seeing how his defense performs with the lights on. Do you feel the say way...
Absolutely. You know, this is why I prepare and work year round to get to the games and, you know, for all of us as first year coaches here, you know, being with this team, being brand new for all of us here, we haven't been on an airplane ride. We haven't been in a hotel we haven't done, you know, in a game setting. So I think that's what I'm, you know, super excited about is to see what happens when our guys are out there by themselves and playing against somebody else and, you know, they get an opportunity to kind of define who they are.
Does it take some games to learn how to best utilize players?
Yeah, I think we try to we try to figure out as much as we can before the game, you know, and put the guys in positions to kind of let those skill sets shine. But I do think the game is really the ultimate, you know, measure of, you know, what kind of player any any of our guys or anybody is really going to, you know, turn into when the lights turn on. And, you know, we've had some guys do some really good things in practice. And, you know, we're obviously expecting that they're going to be able to do the same things in the games but, you know, when when you get a chance to as a player, you get a chance to go out there and you're by yourself. You're not gonna have a coach whispering in your ear. You're playing against another opponent, I think you're definitely going to have an opportunity to see some things, at least from the coach's perspective like man, never seen this player do that or haven't seen this player do that. So I definitely think when the lights come on, and it's game time, you're gonna have an opportunity to see some things that you probably haven't seen in practice.
Golesh hasn't been on the field since he was at Iowa State. Is there an adjustment going from the booth to the field?
Yeah, absolutely. I spent most of my life as a coach upstairs in the press box. Last season, actually, probably the midpoint of the year, actually made the transition down to the field. And it's a whole nother game on the field. Like it's so much of the emotion that kind of gets blocked out when you're in the press box. You know when you get down on the field and you're in front of a bunch of people, you realize that obviously the emotions that the players are going through on the field is way different than it seems, you know, when you're in a press box. It's, you know, almost silent, you know, throughout the game, but obviously the vision and the angle that you see the field and all the bodies and all those things. Yeah, it definitely is different. And I'm sure you know, it'll be an adjustment and what we've tried to do as many things to prepare ourselves as a coaching staff or what that game is going to be like, you know, throughout the spring and throughout our fall camp to try to get ready for that.
On the communication between himself and Golesh during a game...
Yeah, there's a lot going on for us, you know, from one plate to the next and it's really been a work in progress for the whole staff, you know, not just myself and coach Golesh. We all kind of have, you know, our roles and our jobs on game day when we're playing. And from the first time that we did it in the spring to the Spring Game all the way through the fall we've been working on that and trying to improve it every single time but it is, man, communication is is the key, for sure.
I think we're really trying to just focus on us. You know, as much as anything we have to make sure that what we're doing regardless of who we're playing, that we understand what that is and how it works and coming to work every single day and really focusing on the detail and the discipline that it takes to play to play the way that we want to.
In this type of offense, you're prepared to be at 20 percent passes, aren't you?
We gotta be prepared to do whatever it takes to win the football game. Those would be pretty lopsided numbers to be 80%. Probably either way, but you never know how it's going to go. We do feel like what we do on offense we have the ability to be flexible enough to adjust and manifest the pass game that's gonna give us the best chance to move the ball up and down the field and score points and we'll be willing to do that as well. But yeah, I think balance in our eyes is really just being able to take advantage of the opportunities that we have, whether it be run game or pass game and just, you know, go play it and let it roll.
On what the WKU defense offers and how to attack them...
They had a really good defense last year. You know, one of the things that stands out to us as an offensive staff, and as we've tried to, make the point to our players, you know, in preparing for this group as they lead the country and takeaways last year. So, anytime you're doing that, that's not an accident. You know, they were very opportunist, when they had the opportunity to get on fumbles, and obviously, they're creating fumbles and they're catching interceptions, not dropping them. You know, they did a phenomenal job of turning the teams over last year. So that's always a challenge for any offense is to take care of the football for 60 minutes, but you know, they're multiple, you know, the they do a bunch of different things which, you know, make you on offense have to be well prepared or, you know, you can get exposed pretty quickly. But they have really good players, they play really hard for 60 minutes, and you know, they're confident so, we're gonna have to match, you know, the excitement level on the field that they're going to bring and we're gonna have to match, you know, the detail that they bring to the table. You know, on our side of the ball.
Coach Orlando talked about seeing how his defense performs with the lights on. Do you feel the say way...
Absolutely. You know, this is why I prepare and work year round to get to the games and, you know, for all of us as first year coaches here, you know, being with this team, being brand new for all of us here, we haven't been on an airplane ride. We haven't been in a hotel we haven't done, you know, in a game setting. So I think that's what I'm, you know, super excited about is to see what happens when our guys are out there by themselves and playing against somebody else and, you know, they get an opportunity to kind of define who they are.
Does it take some games to learn how to best utilize players?
Yeah, I think we try to we try to figure out as much as we can before the game, you know, and put the guys in positions to kind of let those skill sets shine. But I do think the game is really the ultimate, you know, measure of, you know, what kind of player any any of our guys or anybody is really going to, you know, turn into when the lights turn on. And, you know, we've had some guys do some really good things in practice. And, you know, we're obviously expecting that they're going to be able to do the same things in the games but, you know, when when you get a chance to as a player, you get a chance to go out there and you're by yourself. You're not gonna have a coach whispering in your ear. You're playing against another opponent, I think you're definitely going to have an opportunity to see some things, at least from the coach's perspective like man, never seen this player do that or haven't seen this player do that. So I definitely think when the lights come on, and it's game time, you're gonna have an opportunity to see some things that you probably haven't seen in practice.
Golesh hasn't been on the field since he was at Iowa State. Is there an adjustment going from the booth to the field?
Yeah, absolutely. I spent most of my life as a coach upstairs in the press box. Last season, actually, probably the midpoint of the year, actually made the transition down to the field. And it's a whole nother game on the field. Like it's so much of the emotion that kind of gets blocked out when you're in the press box. You know when you get down on the field and you're in front of a bunch of people, you realize that obviously the emotions that the players are going through on the field is way different than it seems, you know, when you're in a press box. It's, you know, almost silent, you know, throughout the game, but obviously the vision and the angle that you see the field and all the bodies and all those things. Yeah, it definitely is different. And I'm sure you know, it'll be an adjustment and what we've tried to do as many things to prepare ourselves as a coaching staff or what that game is going to be like, you know, throughout the spring and throughout our fall camp to try to get ready for that.
On the communication between himself and Golesh during a game...
Yeah, there's a lot going on for us, you know, from one plate to the next and it's really been a work in progress for the whole staff, you know, not just myself and coach Golesh. We all kind of have, you know, our roles and our jobs on game day when we're playing. And from the first time that we did it in the spring to the Spring Game all the way through the fall we've been working on that and trying to improve it every single time but it is, man, communication is is the key, for sure.
