Southern University head football coach Eric Dooley talks about his team's performance with the media in his post-game interview.
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:03 >> Now introducing Southern University head coach, Eric Newley.
00:06 The floor is open for questions.
00:09 >> Coach, that had to be disappointing for you just to come from the home opener and
00:14 have the score end up like that.
00:16 It looks like the offense still has got some reservations.
00:20 >> I don't never point the finger at one, I just think the team has some issues,
00:25 some things that I have to correct.
00:27 It's not disappointing, it's hurting, cuz I know how hard we train and
00:31 how hard we work for to have that outcome.
00:33 But the thing about it, in this business, right,
00:36 you just gotta keep grinding and keep working and some good things are gonna start
00:40 happening.
00:41 >> How uncharacteristic was that for a man of your right, being here tonight?
00:45 >> Very, very uncharacteristic.
00:46 Some things that took place that I would never even worry about, but
00:51 we gotta make those corrections.
00:53 Jackson saw some things, they exploited it, and
00:55 now we have to correct that because I always say this is a copycat league.
00:59 So the next team will try to do the same thing.
01:01 >> Did you feel pretty good when you had the 27 yard teeny run by Kendrick and
01:08 looked like y'all had some momentum going, and then you give up the big long run?
01:12 >> Absolutely, I thought we had a chance.
01:15 In my opinion, as long as we got time on the clock and
01:18 we're down, as long as we're down by two scores, I feel we have an opportunity.
01:21 The reason why I feel that way,
01:22 because I feel we got an offense that should be able to score fast, and
01:25 we got a defense that can score as well.
01:27 So being down like that, I never doubted that we had the opportunity to come back.
01:32 >> What did you say to Harrell?
01:33 He had another two interceptions and a fumble again.
01:35 >> Those interceptions,
01:38 you gotta make sure you critique those interceptions the right way.
01:41 He did throw one, I thought he forced one in when he was trying to get into
01:44 the end zone, but the other one,
01:46 talking about a tip drill, that defense practice all the time.
01:48 So those things we definitely have to correct,
01:51 because we don't want any turnovers.
01:53 I mean, you can't win games with turnovers.
01:56 >> Coach, what's the key for this offense to keep up the momentum that they start
01:59 with in the beginning of the game?
02:00 >> Well, I just think we gotta understand that it's a 60 minute game.
02:04 You just can't start fast, you gotta start fast and finish strong.
02:07 And those are the things that we work on.
02:09 I don't put it on the offense, that's just how I am.
02:12 I put it on me.
02:14 I gotta finish, I gotta finish the game.
02:15 I gotta start fast and finish strong.
02:17 >> You seem like there's some trouble relating to plays.
02:21 Normally, you don't see your offense all the way down to the end of the play clock,
02:24 but multiple times you've had to play on that.
02:26 >> Well, there's some new things that took place.
02:28 And we do multiple formations.
02:31 And when you do multiple formations and you substitute,
02:34 the referee's gonna stand over the ball until they substitute as well.
02:37 So I mean, just a game plan, you can scheme that as well.
02:41 I'm gonna lay the substitute.
02:42 So now what, you only got, what, ten seconds left?
02:45 And then if you had any type of motion, you can't allow, you can't use it.
02:48 >> Coach, what's your overall message to the team?
02:52 I mean, the fact that I mean, y'all started the season with two losses, but
02:55 everything that y'all want is still there.
02:57 >> That's the biggest thing, and I told them, you'll never hear me say that I'm
03:01 gonna ever accept losses.
03:02 This is gonna go with me to my grave, bottom line.
03:05 I would never accept being defeated.
03:08 The good thing about it, if you try to pull something away, not good, but
03:12 if you try to pull something away,
03:14 everything that we started out this season right here is still before us.
03:18 But at the end of the day, it's not gonna be here forever.
03:20 So we gotta step up and we gotta make those choices and continue to grind.
03:25 The team is working hard.
03:27 Unfortunately, we had two tough losses, but I feel we'll be where we need to be at.
03:33 >> Does it seem like this version of Jackson State is more physical
03:37 compared to the past two years?
03:40 >> To me, football is physical, it's blocking and tackling.
03:44 That's what it's been for the last 90 years.
03:46 So I mean, they hit the same way to me.
03:49 There's no difference to me.
03:51 I thought they had a good team last year.
03:52 They got a good team this year, but the physicality part of it,
03:56 that's what you want from any team.
03:58 >> Coach, what do you say to the fan base?
04:00 You had a packed house tonight, first hard sellout since 2000.
04:03 What do you say to that fan base to keep them on the way, to keep them in the game?
04:06 >> Well, I think you don't count us out.
04:09 I can tell you that right there.
04:10 There's some things that's gonna happen.
04:12 And I do understand that.
04:13 I know they wanna see a show.
04:14 I know they wanna see wins.
04:16 And they have that right.
04:17 But at the end of the day, we're gonna continue to fight.
04:19 We're gonna continue to grind.
04:21 We're gonna continue to work to get better.
04:22 And at the end, we'll be where we need to be at.
04:25 >> It seems like a lot of people have talked about the troubles that your
04:29 quarterback has had from last year with Sean McRae to Harold on blood this year.
04:34 What is the correlation between the troubles your quarterback has,
04:38 with ball protection, things like that?
04:40 Is there a correlation between the offense and what's going on with the quarterback?
04:44 >> Well, you see a lot of folks, and you can define that.
04:47 What's your definition of a lot of folks?
04:49 You got a lot of guys that probably never coached this game before and
04:52 make decisions.
04:53 They see one game, but they don't see the whole process.
04:56 I don't think it's a correlation of one person.
04:58 I think that's why they call it a team.
05:00 That's why it's 11 guys.
05:02 If Harold Blood, and I know that's in the past,
05:06 Sean McRae can win it by itself, we wouldn't need five offensive linemen.
05:10 We wouldn't need a running back or receivers.
05:12 So I think everybody got to gel together.
05:14 Everybody just got to do their job.
05:16 They do their job.
05:17 I like our chances with Harold Blood.
05:20 >> Coach, are you surprised the running game has not been consistent?
05:23 Looks like y'all really struggled to run tonight on a consistent basis.
05:26 >> Yeah, that was my message at halftime.
05:30 We gotta be able to establish the run.
05:32 Establishing the run helps us to throw the football and
05:35 do the things that we wanna do, multiple formations and a lot of different plays.
05:38 But we haven't been able to establish that thus far in these first two ball games.
05:43 That's something we have to work on.
05:45 >> What about their offense?
05:47 They had two very long touchdowns, obviously a big part of the game.
05:51 Did they surprise you with what they were doing in any way?
05:54 >> They did not.
05:55 I mean, just what we saw on tape and what we had a chance to evaluate.
05:59 They did that.
05:59 They just made a couple of plays.
06:01 The play that did surprise me, 85 scored a long touchdown.
06:04 I just didn't see that happening on our defense.
06:06 We have a fast defense.
06:07 And for him to run that many yards and get a touchdown was very surprising to me.
06:12 But it's no question it's gonna come down to somebody didn't do their job.
06:17 And you know what?
06:17 I'm never gonna point the finger at a player that didn't do their job.
06:20 I didn't do my job.
06:22 >> Thank you, Coach Dooley.
06:23 >> Thank you.
06:23 Thank you.