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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Monday Morning with Charlie Partridge
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 24, 2014
BOCA RATON, Fla. - On the Middle Tennessee Game
I'm proud that the coaches and the players put us in a position to win. Bottom line, we need to be 00:19 seconds better. There are things here and there and things that could have been better to where we didn't have to be 00:19 seconds better -could have been a better margin. But really I'm proud of the effort coming out of the bye week - coming out of what has been a challenging season for them to come out and compete the way that they did. They continue to persevere and stay the course, which has been one of our major messages to these guys as we build this program. Stay the course and don't flinch. This week is all about our seniors - period - bar none. We want to give them the kind of week they deserve after everything they have been through, and we are going to work to do that and hopefully give them a victory on Saturday against ODU, which is a very formidable opponent.
On ODU
It starts with Taylor Heinike. He is an outstanding quarterback. He moves with his feet. He has a good arm, quick release. He is an NFL prospect for a reason. He is good. I have been fortunate to see a lot of good quarterbacks over the years and he definitely ranks up there. Their defense is led by senior mike linebacker DJ Simon. He has 83 or 84 tackles. He is a good player. Their punt returner [Antonio Vaughn] has two [one] touchdowns and they blocked a punt, so you are talking about all three phases that have major contributors. So, that is where we are at. Like I said, the week is all about the seniors. We will rally, regroup, and have a great week of practice to compete on Saturday afternoon.
The seniors going through four head coaches in four years
It really has been tough for them. One part I think is every coach has their slogans, their sayings and their core beliefs. They have been through four sets of core beliefs. I'm fortunate or unfortunate (laugh) that I walked into a similar situation at Arkansas - in that [Bobby] Petrino, followed by John L. [Smith], followed by [Bret Bielema]. The parallels in the culture of the state of the locker room really are fascinating. I have talked about it before. Their 30 to nothing win over Ole Miss was no surprise to me - that they are having success, nothing to do with Ole Miss/Arkansas match-up. I know what Brett is building. I know the culture of stability. I feel those parallels here and it is challenging for those kids. You have new languages every year. The bottom line is I have seen media members come into staff meetings at one point or another and hear us talk and unless you guys have experienced that, what has become a language for us, when people walk in and have never heard that language in a meeting room it can take you back and they have had to go through that transition four times, at least three. I feel for them. I told the kids after the game on Saturday night that this week is going to be about the seniors. My only regret is that I don't get more time with them because they are good kids and I'm proud of them for persevering.
How much do you need a win going into the off season?
I think the biggest thing is to continue to show progress. There are things that you can point to on film where there is marked progress. Jay Warren - he was not going to lose the ball on Saturday. He was not going to do it and you could see it whether he covered it with two hands or on his way down squeezing it with the pressure point from his elbow, and I'm proud of him for doing that. He was productive, almost had 100 yards. That is marked progress. Jerrad Ward played better. Kalib Woods went up and made a contested catch for a touchdown that is as good as you will see. Jenson Stoshak had nine catches. Quez [Jaquez Johnson] managed the game very well. The biggest thing is to continue to make progress. Let the scoreboard take care of itself. Our record right now is 0-0, the scoreboard is 0-0, and that is going to be our approach again Saturday afternoon.
It has to be comforting that the guys that you didn't recruit feel that way [strong about staying the course]?
It does and I have worked hard to do it consciously. The reason I coach - is the wins are going to take care of themselves. It is a byproduct. I'm going back to December 17, almost a year ago. The reason I coach is to help these young men become better young men and the wins will take care of themselves. With that being said, I have formed a bond with these seniors in a short 11 months that for some of them it will last a lifetime. Some of them I may not hear from them for a few years and then they call back. Both are okay. It does mean a lot. I have told the kids this too. I do what I do because of what I believe in. I'm not going to flinch. Job security is not something that I have any fear of this year or really period because I believe we have four corner stones of how to win today and that is how we are going to do it. We are going to stay the course. You can really see and feel it coming. It is going to be a hard ticket to get. We are going to have a very good football team. The coaches in the league [C-USA] know where we are going. The comments and conversations I have with coaches in the league are very complimentary and sincere.
Players Mentioned
QB
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WR
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LB
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RB
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WR
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