RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz and select coaches and student-athletes spoke with the media Monday in advance of the team's conference opener at WKU.

Head coach Skip Holtz

Opening comments:
"As I said in the postgame, I was really proud of the focus, the concentration and the way those players went into that game last week. I think it shows a lot about our senior leadership, the upperclassmen and the maturity of this football team for our starters to go out and play the way they did and execute at a really high level. We talked about it before how it wasn't about an FCS, it was not about a team that you were better than or trying to play over your head on; it was about us going and playing our game. You keep hearing that battle cry from a lot of our players because it has been one of the battle cries we have had the entire offseason. We control the way we play. That is the only thing we can control and the only thing we can worry about. I am just really proud of the way the players went out and the way they executed and focused. They were very serious."

"I thought some guys really stepped up and played well outside of the obvious with the big plays on the offensive side of the ball from Kenneth [Dixon], Paul Turner, Trent Taylor and Jeff Driskel. We really had some guys step up and make some big plays for us, which was really nice. Defensively, I thought Xavier Woods, Kentrell Brice, Adairius Barnes, Bryson Abraham, Nick Thomason, Beau Fitte and those guys really played well when you talk about those experienced players. What was so great about that game was having the opportunity to play really two and a half quarters with a lot of guys that had never played football before with Courtney Wallace, Jordan Bradford, Immanuel Turner and Ephraim Kitchen on defense. You have four true freshmen. You have O'Shea Dugas, Deontae McCrady, Jaqwis Dancy and those guys playing in their first college football game. They have not even gone to a college class yet and they are out there playing for you. I think that is invaluable experience especially with this second game coming up."

"It was a good start to the 2015 season, but we now realize we are looking down a gun barrel this week in a short week. Western Kentucky had an opportunity to play against Vanderbilt a couple days before we did. They are going to have a week to prepare for this game where we are going to have about five days. We are kind of in an uphill battle. We are going against a team that has been picked to win the east. Most people pick them to win this game. Most people pick them to win the conference. We realize going there we are an underdog in this situation and we are looking forward to the challenge."

"A lot of people have talked about the game a year ago, but those were the 2014 teams and not the 2015 teams. I think they are much improved. I think Coach [Jeff] Brohm has done a great job with his team. They return nine starters on their defense. They replaced the two that left with two transfers from UAB who may be two of their better players with the defensive lineman and linebacker. I think the linebacker led them in tackles last week against Vanderbilt. They have a very, very talented football team and they are very experienced. When you look at their offense, it is pretty much the same thing. All their skill players are back. The majority of their offensive linemen are back, but the most important thing is their quarterback is back. He does an excellent job. I know Blake [Baker] talked a little bit about the things he did last year statistically with leading the country in about three different categories. You look at him now and he is on the Davey [O'Brien] Watch List, the Manning Watch List; he is on almost every watch list there is for a football player. He is certainly deserving of those credits because of the things he has accomplished and the type of player he is on the football field. It is a great challenge for us as an offense, as a defense and with the kicking game walking into this game. It will be a great challenge for us, but it is one we are really excited about."

On facing WKU on a short week:
"We did not find out we had this game Sunday. We have known for a while we were playing this game on a short week, so we have had all summer. We do summer scouting reports where we put our game plans together for our first four opponents based off last year's film and what we have. Then, obviously, we carried that right into Southern and we carry that into this one and comparing what they did against Vanderbilt to what they did a year ago. We pretty much have a game plan already written up on the wall. We have known this one was coming for a while. The hard part is you are not going to get the opportunity to practice that much. When you look at it, today is our Wednesday. We are going to go out and have our practice tonight and since today is our Wednesday, really we have lost two days of preparation in getting ready for this game. We have talked to our players. We have challenged them on what we have with a short week and what we are going to have to do and how important it is going to be with us not in class this week to come in and watch a lot of extra film, putting the time and effort in off the field this week to make sure we are ready to play on Thursday night."

On the schedule for a short week:
"We will practice tonight in shells. We have to get at least one day of practice in pads this week. We really lost our Tuesday. Today will be our Wednesday practice and then tomorrow we will be in shorts like a Thursday practice, then on Wednesday we are on the plane. We will travel and go up there and then play the game on Thursday. As I told the players last night, it is going to get here in a hurry because it is a short week with as much as we want to cram in. Everyone talks about the significance of the game, the size of the game where we are picked No. 1 and they are picked No. 1 in the divisions this preseason. There is a lot of hype around the game, but it is going to get to us in a hurry with the short week."

"We have to make sure we are organized and that we do a great job as an offensive and defensive staff putting the game plans together and making sure we can communicate that to our players so they can go out and execute it. This is not going to be a scheme game. You just want to make sure your players know what they are doing and they can go out and execute fast. Obviously, we both have wrinkles we have put in our pockets for this football game that will be brought out, but I think that is part of playing early in the season. You have to be prepared. You have to have enough in your holster offensively and defensively for whatever they may throw at you, then you make game time adjustments."

On the game day atmosphere for Southern:
"The first thing I talked about postgame was just the crowd. It was awesome. The atmosphere was awesome and to see the place full and see the excitement, it was loud, electric and a great opening day venue. The thing that makes it exciting is if we can do that once, we can do it more as a fan base. I would love for that to become the norm here at Joe Aillet Stadium instead of just something we talk about how excited we are because it was a big-time venue. It was a big time setting and atmosphere. I thought the crowd was awesome. I know Southern traveled really well and it is a very proud program. They support their program really well. But I think it probably showed a lot of the Louisiana Tech fans just how special that atmosphere can be and what a home field advantage it can be. I know a lot has been written and said about our players and how they fed off that crowd. That is one of the advantages of playing at home."

On looking back to last year's game vs. WKU:
"You look at it as far as your personnel versus their personnel and schematically what you did, but you cannot go in and carry the same game plan because they have the same film. They are looking at it and going to put in this defense to stop that. Right now, both sides have the chalk and both sides are kind of scheming up where they are going to put their chess pieces to play this game. I think you can look at it as far as the personnel matches up, but at the same time I think they are going to be doing different things as are we."

On Carlos Henderson's role vs. WKU:
"I am expecting him to play a major role. He was in a full hand cast to play and very limited with how well he could catch the ball with the cast he had on it. They really wanted to protect it. He went back there and had one kickoff return. We got the ball in his hand, but he did not feel like he could catch the ball very well with the restrictive cast. He was not very happy about it. He wanted to play, but the medical team talked about how important it was to protect some of the things that happened with the surgery. I think that cast will get smaller and smaller as time goes on and he will play a much bigger role in this game than he did last week. I had planned on playing him a little bit more in that game, but when we got off to an early lead and had 17 points right out of the chute, I felt pretty good and said let's just rest him and save him for another week."

On the quarterback matchup this week vs. WKU:
"You are going to have two really good quarterbacks playing in this game for sure. When you look at Brandon's [Doughty] perspective and Jeff's perspective, they are not playing each other. They are playing the defense. Right now, their work is to prepare for what they are going to be going against. From a media standpoint and a fan standpoint, it is two quarterbacks matched up playing against each other. I think it is two of the better quarterbacks in this conference and two of the better quarterbacks in the country. It ought to make for a very exciting game from a fan standpoint or for anyone that is going to watch it. I think it will create a lot of drama and atmosphere around this game. But for the two quarterbacks, they are going to be focused on the other side of the ball."

On the passing of a Franklin Parish High School football player Tyrell Cameron:
"It is sad. I do not know that you can put a lot into it, but this is a great game. There are pros and cons with probably everything. I think it is really unfortunate, but at the same time I think there are a lot of benefits that come out of playing this game. But right now, it is just really sad and unfortunate."

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker

On WKU's offense:
"They are tremendous. It is a tremendous opportunity for us. [Their quarterback] led the country last year in passing yards and passing touchdowns. They have a great group of wide receivers. Their running back to me is as good as it gets, 1,500-plus yards, 235 pounds and runs with authority. It is a great opportunity for us."

On copying last year's defensive game plan:
"Not exactly. I think on a shorter week, we will do some things differently. I am sure that is what they are watching a lot of is last year. We will have some changeups."

On the game plan being successful last year:
"To me, it is about our players. I do not know if we did anything special to them. I just think our players went out there with an attitude and with a tremendous effort. We have some really good football players. I do not think we out-schemed them X's and O's wise. I think we just went in there and just executed what we asked them to do."

On wanting to rattle WKU's quarterback:
"We would like to do that every quarterback. We have to cut off the head of the snake. We are not going to change that personality. That is one of our main five pillars is to rattle a quarterback. That will be the same every single week."

On the performance of the backups versus Southern:
"We saw some really good things. There are some things we definitely have to clean up. There were a lot of missed opportunities, maybe for tackles-for-losses and a couple of interceptions we thought we could have had. It was an opportunity for them to get out there in that atmosphere which was absolutely electric, a packed house. For a lot of them, it was their first ever college football game. To have that opportunity, I think it will relax some of them going into the season more so. I saw some really good things on tape from them."

On freshman defensive tackles Courtney Wallace and Jordan Bradford:
"Courtney Wallace is an extremely explosive young man. He is violent with his hands. The one thing that I really like about him is that he is competitive. He is really competitive. He hates losing. Jordan Bradford, I thought he did some really nice things. He is a fundamentally sound football player. He is going to do exactly what coach Petri asks him to do. He definitely made some plays for us in the running game. I think they both have bright futures here."

On expectations of WKU considering last year's win game:
"It is going to be an intense atmosphere. I do not think they put their best foot forward last year. We have to understand that we are the hunted now instead of the hunters. People probably slept on us some last year, but I definitely expect a great performance out of them mentally and physically. They have a long week with a couple extra days to prepare for us. We are expecting their best."

On WKU using tight ends:
"Even in my days at Arkansas State, [WKU] has done a great job of recruiting tight ends. They always have big, athletic kids that can run and block. In today's football, it is hard to find those guys. As far as the matchup is concerned, it will be similar to last year. The one thing you have to be aware with them is never take your eyes off of them. A lot of those players they make with their tight ends are tight end delays where they will pause and delay them late. They do a really good job utilizing them within their offense."

On the philosophy of stopping the run:
"If you can make a team one dimensional, you have a great chance to win a ball game. You look at the best teams in the country, they usually have a great run defense. We talk about our five main pillars, our No. 1 pillar is to stop the run. Saturday, I thought we could have done a better job with some runs that squirted. If we cannot stop the run, it is going to be a long day for us."

QB Jeff Driskel

On WKU:
"Obviously, they just played Vanderbilt. They had a lot of big sets Vanderbilt did so [WKU] played a lot of people in the box. They are not scared to play man with their corners outside. They did a good job all day, but going back to last year, they are talented. They have a couple of new transfers. We are going to have our hands full. We think we are going to have a good plan going into the game. It is a short week. We are excited. We are going to use our time wisely and be as prepared as we need to for the game."

On having more perspective on WKU with them having played an SEC opponent:
"That does not really matter. Whatever film you have, you are going to watch. I do not think [the opponent] matters at all. It is just a matter of the sets they got in. Vanderbilt had a bunch of tight ends in the game. We do some of that, but we also spread it out a little bit so we are going to use that game, look at the personnel, look at the big sets, look at the short yardage plays, and just go off what we see."

On the matchup of quarterbacks:
"I am not playing him. We are playing the defense. I am not going to watch any film of Western Kentucky's offense. I know they are talented and they put up points. Like I said, we are playing the defense and that is what we are concerned with on the offensive side of the ball. I think that quarterback head-to-head matchups are more blown up by the media than anybody else. We have never talked about that and we will not talk about that."

On comparing WKU's defense last year to this year:
"They have a lot of guys coming back. I think they have eight returning starters and a couple of transfers that came in. They are a talented group, but we think that if we go out and play our game, we will have a really good shot to win when it is all said and done. Like coach Holtz always says, `This game is about us and executing what we do.'"

On the performance against Southern:
"I thought we had a good day. I thought we executed. The big plays were huge. We got in and watched film yesterday and put it behind us and moved forward. It was a good starting point for us. We still think we can get better. We did not play our best game on offense, but it is a good start to get some points up on the board and have some big plays."

On expectations of WKU considering last year's win game:
"Looking on the film from last year, it really was a blowout. They have had this game circled the whole year. They have been looking forward to it. They are going to come out playing fast, playing hard, and they are going to want us. It is going to be a good atmosphere. We are going to go out and play hard too. They are going to come out and want it."

On if WKU's motivation changes anything:
"I do not think so. Like I said, it is about us. We are going to go out and execute and do what we do and control what we can control. We cannot control the other team's attitude. We can control our attitude and effort. We will be ready to play."

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