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UNIVERSITY OF TULSA MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 30, 2010

Todd Graham

Tulsa Â– 28
Notre Dame - 27

COACH GRAHAM: First of all, I want to say our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Went through something similar like that at Rice. Puts things in perspective. Can't say much other than our hearts go out to the family. Our prayers go with them.
Today was a big day for the University of Tulsa. Really proud of our kids. Just came in as a team. The effort that went into putting together, I can't put into words how much this means to our program.
I came here in 2003 from West Virginia. We had the number one turnaround in the country in '03, had gone a decade without a winning football season. To be sitting here at this podium at a place that's very dear to me as I grew up, and the tradition, and I love college football, and Notre Dame is college football, to be sitting here, to have the opportunity to come into South Bend, Indiana, and win is something I'll cherish the rest of my life.
I told our kids the same thing. I have tremendous respect for this place. They've got a good football team. Our kids just wouldn't be denied today. They played with unbelievable heart and unbelievable character.
We were honored to come here. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with the Sullivan family. We really appreciate the opportunity to come here.
Questions.

Q. Were you shocked they threw the ball there, second down?
COACH GRAHAM: You know, you got probably the best receiver in the country. I'm not going to sit here and second guess what anybody else does because I get myself second guessed a whole bunch.
I'll tell you how we play. We play to win. We put it in the left lane, put the hammer down. I think it was aggressive.
I'll be real honest with you. When I seen the ball get thrown, I was scared to death because you got the best receiver in the country going up.
That's the other thing, I can't get at this podium and not talk about our secondary. I don't want to single people out. We're 120th in the country in pass defense. Guys have been just beat up to death in the paper, how terrible we are, all that. Finally got all of our guys healthy today. First time we got all of our guys healthy. Those guys played outstanding today.

Q. Were you anticipating a run? What were you looking for?
COACH GRAHAM: We pretty much over and under, cloud covered, what we called cloud coverage. We were cloud number three. We did that to Floyd most of the game, just trying to disrupt him. We basically were calling what we call cloud bracket coverage. Our corner had him over the top. He did what he's coached to do. He had great positioning on the ball. The ball looked to be just a little bit under-thrown and he was able to make a play on it.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: I just can't describe it. I really can't. I'm just so proud of our staff, our players. There's so many individual efforts. Damaris Johnson's punt return was unbelievable, phenomenal. Shawn Jackson, a true freshman, to come on this field play like he did today. Interception for a touchdown. Our guys were unbelievable.
I'll tell you what we kept doing: kept reminding ourselves to play the next play. We didn't come here for a good showing; we came here to win. That's the way we called the game. We were very aggressive. It was a real physical game, too. Guys are really beat up.
I can't express what this means to me personally and to our program. To get our first BCS win against Notre Dame is pretty awesome.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: To win in a big game, you have to play defense, and we played defense today.

Q. Where does this win fit in terms of your coaching career?
COACH GRAHAM: Biggest win ever. No question in my mind. Regular-season game, no question. I don't want to put down the championship teams I've had an opportunity to coach in the past, but as far as a single game, to come here, growing up as a kid, loving college football. Man, I remember when I was in seventh grade, I dreamed of being a college football coach, a college football player. To be able to get to fulfill my dream.
Guys, in 2000, I was coaching at Allen High School. To be sitting up here and get this opportunity to do this, I'm very grateful to Bubba and to our president. We got a great school, great university. Boy, means a lot to me.
No question, it's the very top.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: Which one? We completed about four. We just finally got one.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: Well, you know, it was big for us. I kept reminding Coach Morris, our offensive coordinator, they give me a hard time hiring a high school guy. There was a guy calling plays against Austin Westlake last year and he's calling them against Notre Dame today.
I kept reminding him, keep going aggressive, keep going aggressive. You have to give their front a lot of credit. They sacked us. We did not have our way offensively at all. As a matter of fact, they did a great job defending us. They did some things that caught us off guard and we had a tough time adjusting to.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: Yeah, I mean, I told him that. I told him it was very, very important that he used his legs today. We felt like that the one thing that we did have going into the game is that we got a lot of speed. We got guys that can run.
GJ really hasn't ran the ball this year that much. A lot of it's been that Shavodrick has been hurt. We've been a little leery. I told him, we're coming in here. That Shavodrick really couldn't have played today if we had him, probably would have had to play a true freshman. That was a big part of our plan for GJ to run, for him to be tough. He did a great job. Very proud of him to lead this team to victory over Notre Dame.

Q. Coach, when Tommy Rees came in, did your strategy change in terms of how you wanted to attack him? What were your impressions?
COACH GRAHAM: I think he's a very good thrower. Naturally we didn't change much. What we really tried to do with having a new guy in there is just not stay with the same coverage. We tried to vary the coverage over and over and over and not be able to give them any type of rhythm.
I think the difference in the game, to be honest with you, football is still like it was 50 years ago: you got to be able to run the football. We stopped the run. We were able to stop the run. That allowed us to play, you know, full four, five under, three- and two-deep coverages. That helped us a great deal. Really proud of how the guys played, how physical they played up front. I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage.

Q. The blocked extra point, something you saw on film?
COACH GRAHAM: We challenged our guys. We've been pretty good at it. It's something that we do very well. I think it was a low kick. I think Cory Dorris got his hand up.
We had good push. It's all about effort. PAT field goal block, that's all it's about, straining, wanting to get to the ball. If I remember right, the kick was a little bit low.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH GRAHAM: Said he better not miss it (laughter).
No, I felt like early in the game, when he missed the field goal, I always talk to him. I'd be a liar if I knew anything about coaching kickers. I don't. But I heard at a clinic one time: Don't miss left. We talked to him about not missing left. He was just kind of being lackadaisical. I think the atmosphere had ahold of him a little bit. I said, Son, you have to block everything else. If you miss it, kick it hard. Go attack the ball.
Really, to be honest with you, on both field goals, we had bad snaps. Such did an unbelievable job of getting all three of the ones that we kicked.
I don't ever say anything to the kicker. Coach Blankenship doesn't let me to do that. Defensive guys yelling at the kickers is not good.
Guys, thank you. Appreciate you having us.

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