The Harrell Huddle: Full Transcript & Takeaways from BYU Week
East Carolina head coach Blake Harrell met with the media on Monday ahead of Saturday night’s ESPN2 showcase vs. BYU.
Opening Statement
"Thank you to Pirate Nation for making it to Conway, and painting that thing purple the other night. By the end of the game, you saw no teal, and it was all purple. And what a great sight. And our staff truly appreciates that, and so do our players. They feed off that energy, and it's a big deal to them. So they can't wait to see that, you know, packed out in Dowdy-Ficklen this Saturday night, 7:30 and we talked about playing big games and meaningful games. And we certainly got one this week, a Big 12 opponent, P4 opponent, and ESPN2, national TV. And what that means to not only our football program, not only our university, but all of Eastern North Carolina and Greenville. So it's going to be a big night for that. And our energy as a football team starts with our fans and especially our students. And did a great job with that last home game, and I expect no less this home game of packing that thing out and making a difference in there. So it'll be a great night football. And starts with the Pirate Walk. Like to invite everybody out to that. I think around 5:15-5:20, we'll start out here, just outside the stadium, and kind of finish to that new green space we talked about, where Scales Fieldhouse used to be, and got the big TV set up in there. So should be a great way to start off the evening for a great night of football."
On the Coastal Game
"Kind of going back to Coastal and reflecting on that. First of all, thank you to the the police officers and the police escort out of town here just helping us maneuver some red lights and get out of town. Just, it's always fun sitting in front of the bus and just watch those guys work and kind of get us through the lights there. So appreciate them doing that. But, I thought our guys did a really good job with their effort. And that's kind of what I'm most proud of, is I think we play harder and harder and harder each and every week, and I think we're getting better every single week. So just those guys keep going at it. At halftime, we talked about a few things that we've missed on in the first half, and they kept trusting the process. They kept just bringing it. We talked about early on in pregame, about the storm, and you know - our hotel was on the beach, and you're looking out at the ocean and you're seeing those waves come in, wave after wave. And we talked about what the waves look like in the storm, and how they are relentless, and how they keep bringing it. And we challenged our guys to bring it in the football game, just wave after wave, and keep bringing the storm. And I thought they did. They stuck to the plan in the second half. That paid off. You know, wore Coastal down, and had a big fourth quarter there as well. And so, offense rushes for over 200 yards, and just kept going at that thing, and kept pecking away, and finally broke through there in the fourth quarter and put up some good rushing yards. That was good to see.
"Anthony Smith had a big night. Most of those yards he caught the football were after yards after catch. Had a big night for that, just catching those screen passes, little short throws, we really good perimeter blocking. Thought those guys did a really good job blocking on the perimeter, whether it was Yannick Smith, Jaquaize Pettaway, several other guys out there doing some good things.
"Defensively, thought we did some things well on paper. We're getting better. And each and every week, it continues to take a next step. Ja'Marley Riddle made a big play down there in the red zone, picking the ball off. Rasheed Reason had a pick as well. Nice to see him coming back. Rasheed had missed some time last week. Had a family situation he had to attend to. And, you know, always tell those guys like, hey, the family is the most important thing. We're obviously family here, our football family, but you also gotta take care of things at home. So it's nice to see him there in the second half, playing some meaningful snaps. And I thought up front, defensive line wise, we did a good job with Jasiyah Robinson and JD Lampley. Robinson got his first start for us, and played really well. JD was solid inside, and then Kendrick DuJour and Kieran Davis also made some plays up front as well.
"In the special teams game, I think Kyler Pearson, he continues to be fun to watch, and we gotta do a better job overall on special teams, especially with our penalties. We only had six penalties on the night, three of them on special teams. We had the kick out of bounds, and then two on the punt return team, and Kyler is doing a great job catching the football, winning the hidden yardage there, but also getting 10-12, yards, getting us a first down. I told our punt return team this morning. We met today. Kyler will have a chance to be all conference, or maybe more, if we'll continue to play smart. I think we're playing hard. We have great effort. We just gotta play smarter on that team. And I said, That's not just an accolade for Kyler, that's an accolade for that whole unit. So we gotta take pride in that. On the blocked field goal down there, we got stepped on the wing. He trips and gets stepped on there, and didn't get out to the edge protect that, and just had a miscue there. So we've got to get better in that area. I talked with our team this morning, we have a chance with our depth, with our athleticism, to be good on those units. We got to continue to improve and get moving on those units there."
On BYU
"Good football team. They're 11-2 last year. Kalani Sitake, he is in his 10th season there, and done a really excellent job. I think that they visited ECU one time back in 2017, and we've been out there twice through the years. So they started out 2-0, they beat Portland State week one, and then week two, they beat Stanford. And then both home games for those guys. So it'll be their first road trip. Last week, they had the week off, so they've kind of had an extra week to prepare for us. In some ways you may say, as a football program, you enjoy having a bye week before you play. I kind of enjoy, like, 'Hey, we're getting better and better every week and everything,' you know, with a game that helped us out a little bit.
"They are returning nine starters on offense. I think they're averaging about 48 points a game offensively right now. The big thing that stands is how they are running the football. Obviously, you think of a big BYU team, you look at their football team, turn on the tape, they're big, they're athletic. They run well, they're physical, they're a hard-nosed football team, and they do that with running the football. I think they're averaging over 300 yards in the run game. And that starts out their running back, LJ Martin, number four. And then their offense is also led by the quarterback. Quarterback's got a unique number. He's number 47, usually don't see that in a traditional offense. He might remind you of someone like the Army quarterback last year, because he's going to be used a lot in run game. He started out his career last spring, he's a true freshman. He was at Stanford. Him and his brother both. He's Bear Bachmeier. His brother is Tiger, plays receiver for them. But for Bear, this will be his first game on the road as a true freshman, so definitely the fans can have a big part of making it tough on him for the entirety of the game.
"Also on the offense, they got Chase Roberts, number two, I believe he was receiver we played out there a couple years ago. He's their deep ball, kind of throw the ball up to him, type guy. JoJo Phillips is another speedster out there, and another guy that kind of catches my eye, he was a former high school quarterback, Parker Kingston, number 11. He's a lefty quarterback, left handed kid that tried to throw a double pass during the Stanford game.
"Defensively, they're mostly an odd team. Three down. They'll get in a little bit of four down. They've only given up three points in two football games. Haven't given up a touchdown yet. I think they're only giving up a little over 100 yards a game. And I think they've only given up three third downs on the year at 3-of-26, so been doing a pretty good job there. Their linebackers, are kind of the guys that stand out to me. Number 17, Jack Kelly. He's a transfer from Weber State. That's where Jay Hill, who was the head coach at Weber State, came over now as a defensive coordinator at BYU. So it's the same offensive coordinator as when we were out there in '22, and a new defensive coordinator. And then the other linebacker, Isaiah Glasker, number 16, is pretty athletic. So those are kind of the guys that stand out for them. But all in all, excited about the night. Excited, not only for our football team, our football program, our players, but all of Pirate Nation, and excited to make this place where it truly is, a place where football matters and a fan base that can make a difference in the game. We always talk about it takes everybody, and this week, it certainly will be, from the preparation all week long within our football program, around the building, those things and then certainly for Saturday night, as we make this thing a true rowdy in Dowdy experience for the visiting team."
On Not Making the Game Bigger Than It Is
"It's a big football game. It's a Big 12 opponent, Power Four opponent, an opponent that's been ranked in the top 25. They probably fell out of it this past week just because they didn't play. You know, if they're playing, they're probably still in the top 25 and in my opinion, they still are a top 25 football team, but the focus really comes down to us. We talked about that in the team meeting this morning. This morning, it is like, hey, it's about what we do, our execution, how we prepare and how we go play the game. Yeah, we're underdogs, but there's a lot of factors in my mind, playing in our court and that plays into our hand, but we just got to go prepare, and those things will help us, you know? And the fact you've played in a big ball game already early this season, Game One on the Road, in a different environment there, I think it helps you for the prepare you for this game as well."
On BYU QB Bear Bachmeier
"Yeah, I mean, he's a guy you're gonna have the plus-one runs and, you've got different aspects of that. And they've always done that, even going back to when we played out there several years ago. But he's kind of more involved. He's a bigger kid. I mean, he's 215-20 pounds, you know, looks more again, looks more like the Army quarterback from last year than maybe a traditional quarterback - a guy that's bigger, can run the football, doesn't really look like a freshman out there in the first two games. Now, there hasn't been a lot of stress. And, you know, everything's been smooth and easy going for him, but he's looked really well, throws the ball really well too. So he certainly creates some challenges.
"But at the same time, we've got to make sure we make him be a quarterback. We put him in situations where we stop the run first, put him behind the sticks, make him throw the football, make him sit back there, and they protect it and make him make full full field reads down the field. And you know, our crowd can certainly be a factor there as well. They're going to huddle, they're going to take their time, they're going to run the play clock down. So they're going to try to eat up the clock. I think their time of possession is almost double their opponent right now. And some of that is success they've had offensively and defensively, and some of it's just the way with the style of offense they run is So, you know, it'll be a unique challenge for."
On If He’s Satisfied with a Shutout
"I don't think you're ever satisfied. And that's just being honest. As a coach like you look at the corrections, no matter how good or how bad you play, and what can we get fixed? How can we be better? And I think it's our whole football team. I mean, there's a lot of teams out there. They win 38-0, they're going to be satisfied, and they're going to be happy, and they go okay with it. You know, our football team, our players, and everybody in our program, you have that outcome, there's still - they know they left a lot out there on both sides of football, and they know that, hey, we can be better. And told the guys this morning, if that's the case, and you feel that way, we can be a pretty good football team if we will keep working, if we will do the little things, if we'll pay attention to detail, if we'll keep team first and not let everything else creep in. Some people call that rat poison or whatever. You gotta be guarded against it, and you gotta focus on what's in front of you. Focus on yourself and how much better you can be each and every day, so there's room for improvement. Yeah, obviously, the outcome was the outcome, but we still gotta continue to get better."
On What’s Driving the Takeaways
"Fortunately and unfortunately, I did not see that in the preseason. Some of that was due to our offense doing a good job taking care of the football in which they continued it into the season. I know we had one the other night that slipped away from us, but you're talking about one in three games, you'll take that. And if we can go three more games and only have one, you feel pretty good about it. And on the other side of the ball, I think it's just about the effort. You know, if you're going to play hard, you're going to fly around, you're going to play relentless. Get 11 hats to the football. Good things are going to happen. And it's a number of guys. It's not just, hey, the starters and two-deep, and beyond that, are really buying into that and doing a good job in all phases."
On Getting the Run Game Going in the Second Half
"Yeah, first of all, I think that that Coastal defense is a pretty good defense. I think you'll look up at the end of the season and realize that's one of the better defenses we probably play. Jeremiah Johnson does a really good job down there, and they're, they're big and athletic and have good size to them. So you know, being able to run the football against them, especially in the second half when you got the lead and they know you're going to run the football is pretty key. It's not a situation where it's early in the game and you're trying to bust a run up in there, slip a run, and they may think it's a pass situation. You're earning hard, hard yards when the defense knows you're going to run the football, when their defensive coordinator's making run calls when you have the lead and you're trying to control the game, control the clock, so being able to do that and move some guys around shows you we're making progress. We still got a ways to go, but we are making progress, and I think that's if we can do that each and every week, we'll be heading the right direction."
On the Pass Rush vs. Coastal (and what it means for BYU)
"I think the best thing we did was stop the run early, and that got them behind the sticks. And then, you know, like, hey, they just try to run a stretch play or a zone play in there, and you stuff it, and now you get them behind the sticks, and they can't really throw another screen and run the football, they'll be in third and extra long with an uncomfortable situation. So they gotta kind of get part of that back and put them in a manageable situation. So that was when Coach Aldridge did a great job just going to our third down selection and make some calls there. And the kids did a great job executing, playing their tails off. And got some guys free up front so. And to add on that, BYU, they'll be similar, as far as they're going to put Bear in some similar screen situations of easy throws, getting the ball out to those wideouts. They're pretty athletic. They do a great job blocking on the perimeter. And they're trying to make them, let them make easy throws, make plays on the perimeter, and get them out of the box. But I think it really comes down to again, like, can we stop the run and and put them in uncomfortable situations and make him be a quarterback and make him have third and long, so that would be the key to it."
On Ways to Challenge a Freshman QB
"No doubt. Then the first thing, I think, is just stop the run. So you put him in a situation where he has to be a quarterback. The crowd is going to be huge. And again. they've had two home games, so when they're on offense, it's been pretty quiet for him. Now it's all sudden, he's on the road. He's across the country. I think he's originally from maybe California, so he's coming to the East Coast, maybe for the first time. So let's, let's make sure we give him a warm welcome, and then defensively, yeah, we got to disguise some looks, give some different things in there. I think he right now is more locked in on a certain receiver and how they do things, and getting those guys open on the deep sail routes and deep benders. So we got to make sure we take those first reads away and make him get to a second or third guy, and then it'll also get give a chance up front to get home."
On the 4th-Down “Bozo” Situation
"Probably will spill too much on here, but we call that play Bozo, and it's an opportunity, and I think you saw it last year in the playoffs with Georgia and Notre Dame. Same exact set up. They just used a timeout. We had our offense out there on fourth down. We're going to go for it. They just use a timeout. So now they can't call back to back timeouts, so we send our punt team out there. They match the personnel with their punt return unit. And I thought that I talked to the head of officials in our conference, and I got a call set up with him the day. I talked to him in the preseason about this, this situation arising. He said, long as you do it before 18 seconds, when you substitute, the defense should have time to match personnel. We should back off the ball, and you have plenty of time to snap the football. Preston (Carr) made the call. They come running off at 23 seconds. We get the offense out there pretty quick. They were a little slow matching the personnel. I was a little upset about it. Probably let it bother me, probably longer than I should've. But, you know, it's an opportunity for us to keep a drive going early in the game, an opportunity for us keep moving the football and take momentum early in the game and just thought like, we get the opportunity to do that, so we just want to make sure I communicate with him and make sure we get that coached up. So if it comes up again in the season, that we'll execute it at a high level, and hopefully the officials will too."
On JD Lampley’s Inside/Outside Flex
"JD Lampley started his career inside, and he's changed his body up over the years a little bit. It's been more effective on the edge. Got an injury inside right now, so kicking him inside, and JD is going to play with a motor. He's going to play with power, and he's got great hands and with some angle movement stuff we do in there, it helps as well. But just, really proud of him, just putting the team first, not worried about if he's inside or outside, and continue to go at it, and he's disruptive, whether he's on the edge and inside. And I think that's the key, just getting our best players on the field and our twitchiest and fastest players on the field. That was a move that allowed us to do that. Felt good about Kieran out there behind JR, and it gave us a little bit more depth inside last week, and we may continue to do some of that this week and next week as well."
On Marlon Gunn’s Usage
"Marlon's so much more to our football team than just a running back. Marlon's playing on special teams, kick return, punt return, and punt in certain situations. And Marlon's one of my favorite guys, and just always will be, and at some point this season, he's going to step up and make a big play with the ball in his hands. I'm positive of that and all those things. And I think, all those guys in our room - receivers, running backs, even the quarterback situation, there's all those guys like, at some point they know, hey, it's going to be my time to make a play for our football team. It's not that we don't believe in Marlon. The other night it was Parker and London, they were getting kind of the hot hands, and kind of went with those guys. And some point it's gonna be Marlon and excited about when that time comes for him."
On the Secondary’s Progress
"They're getting better. We still got a ways to go. I can stand up here, and I've talked about the corners and linebackers, but I think they're getting better. I think we're making moves in the right direction, and it's not just one guy. I think just, it's several guys. TyMir Brown, I think you'll be interviewing here in a few minutes and he's playing his best football of his career right now. He needs to continue to do that. And I think his best football is ahead of him. Rasheed had a big play the other night. You saw Key Crowell out there. He had a PI down the field, but he just got, he really probably should have picked the ball. Even said that this morning, says he should've just went and picked it. He was maybe panicked a little bit down the field. Just needs to remain calm. But sometimes you got to be in those situations to gain that experience. And I certainly see him making those plays. And I think we have some freshmen out wide that are going to continue to kind of show up as the season goes. And I think at linebacker, same thing. DayDay has done a good job in there. Sam's starting to learn the position. It's obviously a brand new position to him. So he's starting to come along as well."
On DeJuan Lacy’s Status
"I guess he stays in for another play. It's actually Yannick's touchdown, but got banged up with the play before that. We should know something on that one next day or two. But DeJuan's like a ball of energy in there. And I think you see that when he's carrying the football, you can see a little spark to it. He just has a little juice to him. And one of my favorite plays every time, you know, he's on the kick return, and he's the off returner, really the blocking returner. And they kick one in the end zone, touchback with us during the Campbell game with this past game. I see DeJaun celebrating like, you know, I've never seen anybody celebrate a touchback before, but he's just so fired up to get the game going, you know, get the ball in our hands and get going, to be out there in the football field. He is a great example of what our football team is about. Just guys that love playing the game, love each other. We talked this morning a little bit about love kind of makes a marriage, and then marriage kind of holds love together. Well, if you take a marriage, now you put the word team in, love makes a team, and team keeps the love. And all those things we talked about that, I think DeJuan Lacy is a perfect example of that, just praying for him and kind of, we'll find out a little bit more as the week goes on. Hopefully it's something he can come back from this season."
On the Fanbase’s Impact
"Without getting too emotional, it means everything. I mean, it really does. I think the way the fan base and Pirate Nation has embraced our football team and our program since last, last November, last October 20 of last year and rallied. And I told our players, like last week, we talked about September 11 and what that really meant for our country. And that day helped all of the country kind of came together and pull in the same direction. And I said, it's really what our football team has done for this fan base. You've got everybody excited to be a part of Pirate Nation. And just the way Pirate Nation has showed out in Raleigh, showed out in Conway, showed out here a couple weeks ago for the Campbell game, and the way they're going to show out this Saturday night in Dowdy-Ficklen, it's pretty awesome, pretty special be a part of and just blessed, you know, and our players feel the same way to be a part of it. It ain't about me or I. We're not in the center of attention. It's about all of us pulling together for a common goal, and it's taking everybody to get it done. And we couldn't be more excited about Saturday night, not only to play BYU and play a football game, but just for our fan base, just for Greenville and all Pirate Nation."