Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz spoke with the media Monday in advance of the team's Conference USA road game at FIU Saturday, Oct. 22 at FIU Stadium in Miami.

Head Coach Skip Holtz

Opening comments:

"It was a good week, having an opportunity to take a different trip for our football team out of conference and go up to UMass, a team we did not have any history with. It was interesting for our players to go up to Boston. It is a different part of the country. We are very appreciative to the people of Boston College. We were able to go to Boston College and practice on Friday night. Our players got to go practice in Boston College's stadium. I thought it was a nice treat for them to get used to the weather a little bit. Getting to play in Gillette Stadium was a real treat. I have never been in Gillette Stadium. Ultimately, the trip was about finding a way to go 4-3. We were going to come home on that plane either 4-3 or 3-4. It was nice to win and go on the road to get our first win. I think the two keys we talked about as a football team were energy and execution. I thought we did both. It was not a stadium that would be jammed full. We talked about the atmosphere in that big stadium with not a lot of people in it. I told the team there would not be anyone there and we pull in and there were about seventeen-hundred school busses in the parking lot. I said 'oh my gosh, they are going to call me a liar.' The end zones were packed. The end zones were as good as I have ever seen them, where they put all the bands. It was a great venue. Most importantly, we found a way to win. We played the game with effort and I thought we executed and did some things really well."

On LA Tech Defense:

"Defensively, I think it was one of our better efforts. I think we are getting better. When things aren't going well, you have to evaluate what you are doing and who you are doing it with. With eight new faces on defense, we have a different team. Early in the year we were not doing anything different than we did last year. Last year, you were doing it with three and four year players. This year you are doing it with eight new faces. For a lot of those guys, they had only been in the system for a month or two. We have just simplified some things and made it to where we were not thinking as much."

"We had seven sacks in the game, which is our best effort this season. On third down we were excellent and we had four three-and-outs. As a defensive football team, we scored on defense and had zero big-play touchdowns. They only had two drives over fifty yards in the entire game. They had a 48-yard drive for a touchdown, off of a punt return. They had a 14-yard touchdown off of a turnover by the offense. They were put in some really bad field positions, but I thought defensively, it was our best effort this season. I feel like we are getting better and the players can see it. That is where confidence is built. Hopefully that continues this week as we get ready for a really explosive team in FIU."

On LA Tech Offense:

"Offensively, it was not very clean and during the course of the game, I was not very excited about the way we played. It was not until after the game where I saw we averaged ten yards a play and 600 yards of offense. You say 'Well I was going to get up here and blast everyone on offense.' The thing that bothered me is the four turnovers. That is why I say it was not a clean game and we have to eliminate the turnovers. The ball was on the ground more than it is in a soccer match. We have to do a better job of protecting it. We have to put two hands on it in traffic. If we have to sit some people down because they are going to put it on the ground, we need to sit some people down. We cannot do that to our football team. We have played two games this year in South Carolina State and UMass, where we have four turnovers. It is inexcusable. I do not want to get mad after a loss because we turned the ball over. Now is the time to make the emphasis on how important that football is. I think it is a great teaching opportunity for us."

On Carlos Henderson:

"Offensively, I could not be more proud of the day Carlos Henderson had. I am very appreciative to Walter Camp for acknowledging his play this week, as well as the ESPN helmet sticker. He had a pretty special game and to think we benched him in the third quarter, because we were mad at him. I think he is doing some good things, but they are great teaching moments for some of these young players."

On Jaqwis Dancy:

"We have a little more adversity that we are dealing with as a football team. Many of you may have noticed the number 20 helmet sticker that we are wearing on our helmets now, with the word compete on it. Jaqwis Dancy has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was diagnosed with stage three and we really did not want to talk about it publicly until we knew a little bit more where it was and what was going on with it. He complained about a lymph node, which they tested. Dr. [William] Sanders has done an unbelievable job of handling this situation, a very sensitive situation. It was tested and came back positive. He was notified of the results on Friday morning after the Western Kentucky game. Last week, he spent his week in Memphis at St. Jude's hospital. The people there could not have been better to work with. They have been awesome for Debra [Dancy] (Mother of Jaqwis), Jaqwis and his entire family. What they are going through right now is traumatic. It is hard to deal with. I have sat in those meeting, when you hear that "c" word and how hard it is to deal with, especially when you are a 19-year-old sophomore who is fit and healthy. Jaqwis is in a different battle right now. For everyone on this team, it has brought a real sense of togetherness and appreciation for the blessings that we have on a day-to-day basis. We find a way to complain, moan and groan over the issues that we have, but it is really easy. Now we have something close to home, a teammate in a battle for his life. He is in our thoughts and prayers, with everything that he is going through. He is reporting back there today to start a treatment program at St. Jude's in Memphis. All of our thoughts and prayers are with Jaqwis. He is constantly on our minds and in our prayers, with what we are doing as a football team right now. Getting the win was nice, but at the same time, there is a dose of reality that we have a teammate and a family member that is fighting through a tough battle right now."

On FIU:

"It is a whole new challenge. I love this football team and their focus. We are focused on the next step. This week it is FIU. This is a difficult team to prepare for. Three weeks ago they made a coaching change and Ron Turner, who I have great respect for, was relieved of his duties and Ron Cooper stepped into that position. I have known Ron since 1984, when he was a GA for my father. We coached together at Notre Dame. He was the secondary coach and I was the receivers coach. We went up against each other every day in one-on-ones. We coached together at South Carolina. He has been the head coach at Eastern Michigan and Louisville. He has been like a brother to me. I talk to him constantly. I am excited for the job that he is doing. He has them playing with an entirely new passion and energy. It is a completely different team. It is not just about stats, but they are averaging 18 more points per game and 140 more yards a game. They are holding their opponents to 11 less points a game. That is a 29 point swing. The most points they had scored was 14 and they have scored 33, 35 and 27. They are really doing some good things right now. They are 3-0 and in first place in the east. I know a lot of coaches on that staff. I coached with Kirk Doll, their special team coordinator, at East Carolina. He has been in the NFL for a long time and I have known Kirk Doll for a long time. He was with my father. Steve Shankweiler and I coached together at East Carolina and South Florida. He was an offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. I have great respect for him and the job that he does. This is hard for me to say, but his son Kort who is that passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, played for me at East Carolina. He was a quarterback, coaches' son, smart and tough. I know a lot of the guys on that staff and have great respect for them. I know the type of coaching that these players are getting and I know the way that they are playing right now. I am impressed with the job that this staff has done. They have turned a difficult situation into an incredibly positive one."

On FIU Offense:

"They have a three-year quarterback who has a strong arm. He is throwing the ball really well. They are what you would expect from a Florida team. They are long, lean and athletic. Their offensive line may be the most athletic group that we have played. Some of them are just big, but these guys are tall and athletic. They have a running back with great speed, who can hit the home run ball. He can take it to the house any time he gets it. They are a very explosive offensive football team."

On FIU Defense:

"They are second in the conference in passing defense. This will be a heck of a challenge because the two strengths of our offense and their defense are going to hit each other. We are going to find out which one is going to bend or break. I think they do a really good job with their pass defense. They have three starting linebackers coming back. Their two starting inside linebackers are two of the best players in this league. They are two of the top-five tacklers in the league. They are very active and involved in both the run and pass. They are very athletic and have a great feel for the game. This is a tough matchup against what right now is the number one team in the East. They are undefeated and 3-0 in the league. They are playing with a whole new sense of confidence. They are definitely playing with a stinger."

"It should be a great challenge for our players and we just have to stay focused on our players and what we need to do. We have to find a way to go down there and win a football game this week. That is our sole focus. It will be a great challenge but it is nice to get back into conference play."