Sunday Conversation With Guy Morriss
10/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 17, 2004
Q: It seemed like Nebraska was able to hit your defense with some big plays, more than in any other game this season. Why was that?
Morriss: "I don't think we had a mental meltdown, but we had a couple of blown coverages that hurt us. But, it is all just execution and attention to detail kind of stuff."
Q: What did you see on the offensive side of the ball against Nebraska, especially the first half performance vs. the second half?
Morriss: "It was a lot of the same kind of stuff, details, just small little stuff, that stops drives or messes up a play. We had the three illegal procedures and had a delay of game. We just kind of got rattled there for a minute. We kind of stopped ourselves again. Then, we come back out in the second half and I think we made some good things happen early. For the whole third quarter we played pretty well. We played about one quarter out of four, that was about it."
Q: Did Nebraska do anything different in the second half defensively?
Morriss: "They didn't start subbing until the fourth quarter. If there was anything positive with the second half, especially the third quarter, it was not like the game was over, there were some meaningful yards and stuff. We just kind of kept giving up the big play defensively at that point. Either big plays or TDs. The two mental busts we had, a 34-yard gain and the other went for a touchdown. One was a big play, the other touchdown was just a missed tackle on the lead draw down at the 7-yard line. The kickoff return to the 24 didn't help us. We had a couple of communication breakdowns, where one guy thought we were playing this coverage and one guy thought we were playing that coverage."
Q: What happened on the last play of the first half that went for a Nebraska touchdown?
Morriss: "What happened was we were in cover two (a two-deep zone) and we should have backed them off some a little bit. Basically, one guy misplayed it and didn't get any depth at all and guy just runs by else. We just didn't get the safety back there to help."
Q: It was 10-3 and Baylor had the ball, but the penalties really hurt the offense at that point. Was that true?
Morriss: "We just kind of unraveled there for a bit. We lost our focus and it was three plays in a row where we went backward (due to penalties). It was 1st and 2 and we were marching the wrong way."
Q: What did you say to your team at halftime?
Morriss: "The kids were playing hard and they did yesterday. The last play of the game they were running to the ball. That's not our problem. We have to understand and pay attention to detail stuff. That's killing us. I just told them let's relax, forget the first half, and go out and have fun, play hard and see what happens. They seemed maybe like they did relax a little bit."
Q: Did the defensive coaches have a grasp on how to defend Nebraska's West Coast offense?
Morriss: "I think we did, I really do. I'll give you the tape. It was technique breakdown. Little simple stuff really hurt us. Someone messes up and we breakdown."
Q: When you it to 31-17, did you think it was a game you could win?
Morriss: "Yes, I felt we could back in it and have a shot to win it if we could stop them from scoring. It seemed like every time we scored they answered. We never could close that two touchdown deficit. It was just too many big plays late in the game." Q: Were you looking for someone to make a play defensively yesterday?
Morriss: "We had opportunities to make plays. We need to do a better job of creating turnovers. We haven't got one in a long time now. They had the ball on the ground a time or two and we didn't get on it. We have to keep working at punching the ball out."
Q: How do you handle the frustration of this week it is the defense and special teams that broke down, while last week those two sides of the ball were strong and it was the offense that was missing?
Morriss: "I think the tape is the best ally you have to show the kids. They don't understand how the little things can kill you. That's the one thing that bugs you most of all is that we have to get them to understand that they have to take care of the details. Especially if you are kind of out-manned a little bit. You don't have any room for error. One player can look at you and say coach I only made one mistake, but if all 22 of them said I only made one mistake, we are not good enough to overcome 22 mistakes. That's the frustrating thing about it. It almost wants to make you scream."
Q: How out-manned are you out there? Can you see the program narrowing the gap a little bit?
Morriss: "It is too early yet. I feel good about the young kids that we've signed. In this league it is hard to win with young players, especially some of those true freshmen we've had to play. In some positions I feel we've closed the gap. I still think the strength of our defense is our secondary kids. But, at the same time, if we aren't putting heat on the quarterback, it makes it tough. It all has to work together. Right now we are struggling for sacks. The only way we've gotten them this year is to send the house with cover zero. When you are in zero and you don't land the blitz everybody says well you're secondary is terrible. It is hard to cover the receivers we are going to face for five or seconds."
Q: Did you think your defense was aggressive as it has been in previous games this season?
Morriss: "What was missing yesterday was big plays and then everyone runs up and high fives and jumps up and down. We didn't have any big plays defensively. I think some of that had to do with Nebraska. That bunch up front at Nebraska is a little better than that bunch up front at Missouri. That had a lot to do with it on both sides of the ball. Two weeks ago they were the fifth-ranked defense in the country and that had something to do with it, too."
Q: Can you take something out of your team's offensive performance against Nebraska in the second half?
Morriss: "We put up 21 points and had 200-plus yards in the third quarter. So my question to the team today is where were you the other three quarters? Where have you been lately. It was easy in the quarter because everyone was doing what they were supposed to do, executing really pretty good. We didn't have any penalties in the third quarter. First and 15 is hard for us to overcome. I'm just not excited about the way we played yesterday. We had one good quarter. We still haven't put a full four quarters together yet this season."
Q: Is there anything you have to zero-in on heading into this week's game against Iowa State?
Morriss: "We have to go back and as coaches make sure we aren't asking too much. I don't know what you could peel out of it. We've cut it to the bare bones. I don't think we add anything, that's for sure. We have to pick out a handful of things we do decently and rep'em and try to go execute. That's the key for us."
Baylor Notebook: Kickoff for Saturday's Homecoming game against Iowa State is set for 2:05 p.m. in Waco ... Both teams will be looking to break double-digit conference losing streaks when they meet Saturday, as Baylor has dropped 10 consecutive Big 12 games since last year's 42-30 victory over Colorado while the Cyclones have lost 13 straight league games since a 42-35 victory over Missouri during the 2002 season ... After recording a season-low 173 total-offense yards in a 30-10 loss to Missouri, the Bears racked up a season-high 400 yards at Nebraska ... Baylor also recorded season-highs for passing yards (300), touchdown passes (2, tied), total plays (78) and penalties (8, tied) vs. the Huskers ... Baylor's 400 total-offense yards rank as second-highest output in Guy Morriss' 18-game tenure (410 vs. Colorado were the most) on the Bears' sideline and rate as the best in a Big 12 road game since a 400-yard performance in 2002 at Oklahoma State ... The Baylor defense, meanwhile, allowed a season-high 342 passing yards ... Baylor has thrown at least one touchdown pass in seven consecutive games (its 2003 season-finale vs. Oklahoma State and every game in 2004) for the first time since a 10-game string that encompassed the final three games of the 1986 season and the first seven in 1987... Junior quarterback Dane King threw for a career-high 300 yards at Nebraska and recorded career-highs for completions (23) and pass attempts (38) ... King's three, 200-yard passing games this season place him in a tie for 11th on BU's career list ... Redshirt freshman cornerback Braelon Davis made his first career start in the Nebraska game and was credited with 4 tackles (2 solos) ... Sophomore wide receiver Trent Shelton has caught at least one pass in 17 consecutive games and at least two in 10 straight outings, the longest streak for a Baylor performer since Reggie Newhouse closed his career with a 34-game streak in 2002 ... Shelton had a team-high tying four receptions for 45 yards against Missouri ... Baylor's 17 turnovers this season have led to 66 points for the opponent. Meanwhile, the Bears have scored just seven points off five opponent turnovers, all of which came on senior linebacker Justin Crooks' 9-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Texas State ... Crooks had a career-high 13 tackles at Nebraska ... The Baylor defense has gone 14 consecutive quarters without forcing a turnover since an interception of a North Texas pass on the final play of the first half.
