RUSTON, La. (Nov. 26, 2019) – Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz spoke with the media Tuesday in preparation for Tech's final regular-season home game of the season vs. UTSA set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday from Joe Aillet Stadium.
 
Head Coach Skip Holtz
 
Opening Statement:
"It's hard to look back. When you look at how frustrating it's been the past two weeks and not being able to get it done with so much that's been on the line for this football team. Saturday in Birmingham was a hard-fought game. It was a competitive game on both sides. I was proud of our effort, the way we competed and the physical nature that our team played with. They had a tall task playing UAB who had won 17 straight home games dating back three years. To be as close as we were and not able to get it done was very frustrating. I thought there were an awful lot of good things we did from a defensive standpoint. I thought the front seven played extremely well. It was the best game our defensive line has played all year. All linebackers from Willie Baker, James Jackson, Ezekiel Barnett, Connor Taylor and Collin Scott I thought all played really well. I thought Amik (Robertson) again stepped up. Darryl Lewis was huge with all the tackles he had from the safety position. We had nine guys on the defensive side grade in the Victor's Club. I thought it was a great performance. It was a battle between two very good defensive football teams going at it and unfortunately, from an offensive standpoint, we couldn't make enough plays down the field. We couldn't get enough guys open down the field, and we could not convert enough big plays. That ended up being the difference in the game."
 
I thought Aaron Allen played really well for a freshman stepping into that situation. He managed the game well, took some shots, stood in there and protected the ball. I thought inside against the challenges with that defensive line that we talked about, I thought the center and two guards in (Kody) Russey, (Ethan) Reed and (Drew) Kirkpatrick played really well inside. Unfortunately, their defensive ends gave us fits for most of the day. We had a hard time sustaining anything offensively to put drives together with any consistency. We weren't able to make enough big plays down the field to flip the field a couple times when we needed to. It was a frustrating game and a frustrating loss because of everything that was riding on it.
 
We come back this week and have the opportunity to play at home. We always talk about the three periods of time: past, present and future. Sometimes when you lose, you want to linger on the what-ifs of the past. When you win, you want to project the future and what's going to happen. I think what's most important for us right now is to stay in the present. I know there's a couple of scenarios where we would still have the opportunity to represent the west, but none of them have any life at all if we don't win against UTSA and do our part here at home. Our focus is on this weekend and on what we need to do and control what we can control: and that is how we play against UTSA at home. We're fighting to go 6-0 at home this season. One of our goals at the beginning of the year was to go undefeated at home. We want to compete for double-digit wins, which is still available. If we get to double-digit wins, this senior class will go out as one of the winningest classes since we joined FBS. It's also Senior Day where we'll have a great opportunity to honor some of these players. We're still competing for first place in the west division. There's still an awful lot to play for this weekend, and I think that's where our focus needs to be.
 
I think Frank Wilson does a really nice job at UTSA. He's got a very talented football team. You look at the depth and talent they have at quarterback, tailback and wide receiver, with some of the freshman and younger players they're playing with, they're very talented. They're big up front on the offensive line. I think their defensive front is their strength, just like with UAB. They do some different things schematically, but overall they're playing really hard for Coach Wilson, and they're a very talented football team. It's going to take us putting everything in the past behind us, closing that chapter, moving on and playing with confidence as we get into this weekend."
 
On having quarterback J'Mar Smith available to play again:
"Having both J'Mar and Adrian Hardy available certainly makes a difference. Also getting Cee Jay Powell back, who hasn't really played much the past couple weeks because of an injury to his lower leg. Aaron Allen has been back there, and his leading receiver has been another freshman in Smoke Harris. Adrian Hardy hasn't been there, nor has Cee Jay Powell. I think adding all three of those back and their experience will help greatly. I am hopeful it will add more experience and some playmaking ability to the offensive side of the ball so we can put up some more points and help out the defensive effort we've seen on the field the past two weeks."
 
If J'Mar Smith will start on Saturday:
"We haven't even practiced yet. Right now, all those players are available again and we're going to start the best players that are going to give us the best chance to win. We'll see how he responds after being out for two weeks and the level he's going to be playing at when he gets here."
 
On the emotions he saw from the unavailable players the past couple weeks:
"Pain. Remorse. I think it's hard to sit there in the role that they've played in this team game when there's 120 people that came into this to accomplish something special. To not be able to be part of it and stand on the sidelines and to see some of these painful losses that your team is going through – I think it's very painful. It's a growing experience. Hopefully they will be better teammates, better people and better players after the experiences they've been through."
 
On what he's seen from Aaron Allen in his two starts:
"I thought he competed. He stood in there last week and took some shots. There were times last week where somebody would come free and Aaron held the ball till the last possible moment and then ended up across the field almost. He took some shots for sure. He didn't waver and the moment wasn't too big for him.  I thought he was positive. He protected the ball. That's one of the biggest things with younger players and inexperience. They sometimes panic and put the ball in danger. Really outside of one throw that they weren't able to convert on, I thought he did a great job of protecting the football and running the offense. I felt like he did a better job of managing the game than some other people around him. I didn't think the moment was too big for him at all. As he continues to grow, I think this was a great learning experience for him. It's different standing on the sidelines watching than it is standing back there behind the center when you're the guy having to make those split-second decisions. I thought he really did a nice job and gave us a chance to win. He didn't turn the ball over, give the defense a short field, or some of those things that we always talk about. That's what we asked him to do, stepping in as a freshman. One of the prettiest balls he through all night didn't amount to anything, but when he took a shot there on one of those last drives and stood in there and threw it with the game on the line. Unfortunately, we weren't able to convert, but I was certainly proud of the way he stepped in and played."
 
On dealing with adversity these past couple weeks:
"Those were the conversations we had these past two weeks. Everybody was going to have to step up and play better. We couldn't just put it all on one person. It was no different than an injury. They weren't here. We can't worry about the what-ifs and we don't have the luxury to play that game right now. If we're looking backwards at what we went through, then our focus and attention is not on what we need to do moving forward. We've got to get both feet in the boat right now for what it's going to take to beat UTSA. We've got some other players that are coming back that are going to help us be a stronger football team. We've got to find a way to play our best game and to go get a win."
 
On the conference's tiebreak rules:
"I think the spirit of the rules or the standard on which we determine who needs to represent needs to be the best football team. It needs to be settled on the field. If it can't be settled on the field because of head to heads and three ways and stuff, then we need to send our best representative from the west to go play the east. I don't think it's about the 'everybody gets a medal' mentality. It should go to the best team. Those things need to be determined on the field. We don't even know if it's going to become a factor this year. I certainly think it was a move to get something right, and I applaud the efforts of the people involved to stand up and say this is the spirit of the law. Sometimes these rules are written into a book during the offseason, but when you get into the heat and the reality of it, I think they got everything right."
 
On the Thanksgiving schedule:
"We will practice that morning. We'll practice Tuesday and Wednesday leading up like a typical week. We'll practice that Thursday morning and then we'll have a Thanksgiving meal here after that. We'll have an opportunity to get together with our football family here and talk a little bit about what we're thankful for here. Personally, two of my three children will be here, and I'll have the opportunity to spend a little time with them on Thursday afternoon and then we'll be back in the office on Friday. Players will come back at lunch and we'll practice that afternoon to get ready for Saturday. Thanksgiving is a special holiday. Any time you have an opportunity to be with family is special. We all should exercise the ability to be that much more appreciative of what we have on a daily basis. I love having the opportunity to get family together to talk about what we're thankful for and all the many blessings that we have. I say all the time 'I don't have a problem that the wind won't solve.' That's how blessed we are. So many times we take out health, our relationships and so many things for granted until you don't have them. I'm just very blessed to have the opportunities, the family, friends and relationships that I've been blessed with. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to be here at Louisiana tech with a great group of men and a great program. I'm awfully appreciative."
 
To access video of today's LA Tech press conference, go to: https://conferenceusa.box.com/v/2019-20Video
Password: 2019-20Video
 
Click on Conference USA File Share > Video > Football > then the week of highlights you are seeking > then the school you are seeking.
 
Audio from today's press conference can be accessed on SoundCloud by clicking on the links below.
 
HC Skip Holtz audio: https://soundcloud.com/latechathletics/skip-holtz-utsa-presser