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LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 2, 2017

Skip Holtz

Ruston, Louisiana

Northwestern State - 24, Louisiana Tech - 52

SKIP HOLTZ: Players didn't take long, did they. There must be a party in Ruston.

You know, it's always great to win the home opener, and I've got to keep telling myself that we won the game. You know, I've got to keep telling myself that I won the game, we won the game.

So many times as a coach, you have a tendency to look at the mistakes you make as a football team. You get frustrated and you understand how far we have to go. But when you came into this one, when we came into this game, we talked about our youth. We talked about our inexperience.

I was really worried, I was really worried about a lot of guys that had never played before. But I thought some guys stepped up and did some really good things, and I think there were some things that we definitely need to make a lot of improvements from week one to week two.

I applaud Northwestern State, the effort they played with. I thought their players were physical. I thought they had a very good scheme. I thought they played extremely hard. I thought they did a really nice job but as I said from the beginning, this game was about us. I was -- we had no film to watch. We had no idea what scheme we were going to get: Four-down, three-down, coverage-wise, we just had to adjust. We had no idea what they were going to do with their offense with the new coordinator. So we had to come in here and adjust. And I thought -- to find a way to win the game, I was really pleased with.

I am fuming over the three turnovers. We talked about how important the turnovers are, and we got in this game three years ago and we turned the ball over five times and we found a way to lose. We certainly came out, you know, the first half, I thought offensively we were average, at best. I think we scored three points in the first half. We were off.

I did not think J'mar was very consistent. Again, I've got a sophomore quarterback and I expect him to play like the last three seniors that have been here. It's the first game that he's really played where he had the offense and we were in spread sets and putting the ball in his hand and letting him make decisions. I think we've got a long way to go. I think we have a long way to go.

I think we're going to have to find other ways to win than just scoring 50 points a game. We're going to have to find other ways to win because I don't think we're going to be able to do that on a consistent basis as we get into the course of the season.

But overall, like I said, I'm pleased with the win. I thought some guys, I thought they competed. I thought they played hard. I thought they played together. They never hung their head.

We went in at half-time, we're up two scores, and we came out and we gave them away first 15 seconds, and then the very next possession, we give it away again, and all of a sudden we're in a close football game again. All of a sudden, you're in a football game where there's a lot of pressure on people to go out there and make plays and you're in a one-play game. Very fortunate that we had a couple people make some plays.

It was great to see some of the receivers step up. I think Teddy Veal has a chance to really be special, and I think he showed that tonight.

But I was probably most pleased with the way guys like Rhashid Bonnette stepped up as a receiver. I thought Woodard played a really good game and did some good things. I thought Marlon Watts played a solid football game.

I thought our receivers played decent. I think our two running backs are the staples where we need to hang this thing, and then I thought our offensive line was very average. I thought we were very inconsistent up front. We've still got a long way to go at quarterback on the offensive line.

Defensively, pleased with the effort. Defensively, very pleased with the effort. We gave up two big plays, really, that were two touchdown drives. We gave up the big play at the beginning of the game where we were there. The safety misjudged the ball, they made a great play on it, and there was seven points.

And then we gave up another big play on a corner fire just a little bit later when they were coming down to this building that led to their touchdown and we spotted them ten points by putting their defense in bad field position or 14 points in bad field position.

Overall, not very excited to win but not very pleased with the performance. Still got a lot of things that we can improve on, but you know what, 50 percent of the teams in the country lost this week. Half of them lost this week. Half of them start 0-1 and half start 1-0. Right now I'm grateful to be on the positive end, finding a way to win the game and really proud of the way the team went out and competed.

On the emotional story is Jaqwis Dancy. For him to get a touchdown tonight, to know what that young man has been through, to know what he has battled, fighting Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. And when Boston Scott's helmet came off and we were in a two-back, it gave him his opportunity, and I thought he out ran and ran the ball two plays, ran extremely hard and did a great job.

I know for me, I'm sure for his mother, I haven't had a chance to talk to her, but I know it was an emotional moment because you realize everything that he has been through and what he has fought through to get here, and all we talked about was watching him carry the ball in that stadium one day when he was diagnosed and watching him walk across the stage to get his degree.

So one of those things has been accomplished. Now I'm excited for the second one when he gets a chance to walk across that stage. Obviously very emotional day for Jaqwis and his family, but for a lot of the players on this team to see the excitement, joy and jubilation, knowing what he's been through to get to where he is.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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