Interview with COACH CLAEYS and 

COACH LIMEGROVER 

Q. About familiarity with Miami (Ohio).

COACH LIMEGROVER: I think it helps from a personnel standpoint with having a new head coach and a new staff, them only playing one game. It's a little bit tough. We've been able to do our research. Personnel wise we've got a pretty good idea of them. We're relying on that and then some past history with some of their coaches.

Q. Did they surprise you with anything?

COACH LIMEGROVER:
New Mexico State? No, not really. Pretty much what we figured on. Going back, when we looked at the film, felt offensively as though we beat ourselves more than they did something to surprise us necessarily.

Q. Talk about the first practice without coach there.

COACH LIMEGROVER: You know, it really I think was kind of business as usual. Obviously it was on everybody's mind. But at the same time we kept it pretty regimented, pretty quick. I think that made a real difference. Got in, got out, got some good work done.

COACH CLAEYS: Went good. Don't mean to be cruel, but when you get out there, it's all football. If we don't handle things that way while he's away, when he gets back, we'll be fired. Stick to football, make sure the kids are prepared,give them the updates as we can.

Q. What are the defensive challenges you'll face?

COACH CLAEYS: We have to keep from giving up the big play quite frankly. We played better on third down. We have to quit giving up the big play. Part of that is we're not executing our base calls quite well enough. So we're having to blitz a little bit more than what I would really like to. You do need to put some pressure and that. But it's probably a little bit more than I'd like to right now.
So have to do a little better job in practices for getting the kids prepared for the base calls and executing them.

Q. As a coaching staff you have seen Coach Kill go through this before. Was there anything this week that you had to sit and talk to the guys for a minute, Hey, he's going to be okay, put their minds at ease?

COACH LIMEGROVER: I think that's a big part of it because even though this isn't new to us, it's new to them. We need to be understanding of that. It's a shock to the system to see something like that come about.
A big part, along with preparing for the game, is also making sure the guys understand that things are going to be back to normal pretty quickly. Coach Claeys has gone through Adam Clark, our player personnel director, they've been getting updates to make sure they know everything is going well. We make sure they're up to date.
Then really the best thing we found in the past is business as usual. They're going to come in at 2:00, we're going to have PAT, field goal, punt, kickoff return, then we'll go out and have the same kind of practice structure. We'll be coaching our tail ends off to get them better.
We feel like routine, keeping them informed, but having a routine is the best course of action.

Q. Tracy, has this week gone the same way as last time?

COACH CLAEYS: Yes, sir, they're very similar, very similar. Time, patterns, all that, all very similar.

Q. About MarQueis Gray …

COACH LIMEGROVER: I don't think it helps necessarily. One of the big things that we put a lot of emphasis on from USC to New Mexico State was operation, getting in and out of the huddle, not putting him in situations where that the clock was running down, had to make decisions right at the last second. It was a whole team effort.
We worked very hard, A, as a staff, and B, as an offense that that part we helped him with. I think his decision making got better last week. We need to continue to do that and need to make sure as coaches that we're putting not just him but all of our guys who can make plays in the position to make those plays.
We'd like the process to be sped up, but it's a learning process. We feel like we had a better idea going into New Mexico State. Now we're trying to build on that as we head into Miami.

Q. Where do both of you feel the mood or the spirit is of this football team collectively right now?

COACH CLAEYS: We haven't seen them since Sunday. The kids are around. I can tell you this. When we watched film on Sunday, it was awesome, how well film sessions go. Those kids want to do well. They worked their tails off. Asked questions. Hell, it's important to them. It's up to us as coaches to keep getting after them.
They had a great attitude on Sunday, worked hard at practice. I expect the same thing today.

Q. About the final offensive play last week. Did you think they players had a hard time focusing on the play, considering what had just happened?

COACH LIMEGROVER: It's hard to say. It wasn't an ideal situation. The hardest part about the whole deal was separating yourself from being a coach and being a friend. It's well noted how much time we've all spent together.
It was kind of tough to say, Myself or the rest of the offensive coaches were going to turn off what's going on, look towards that play. I think it was tough for the kids, as well. Eventually you have to do that, and we did, felt like we had a call that was going to give us a chance to get that first down.
I think there was some momentum that had been built up. I think it got squashed a little bit. But give credit to New Mexico State. They covered some people up. MarQueis didn't have a throw, so...

Q. Coach Kill has never missed a game. Are you preparing as if it's going to be business as usual?

COACH CLAEYS: There's a plan there in place in case he doesn't. I would be totally shocked. He showed up every time. I will be shocked if he's not there.