From Jim Leavitt Press Conference

FOOTBALL: From Jim Leavitt's Tuesday press conference:

Opening Statements … "We had a good practice last night. Our guys worked really hard. Going back to the Penn St. game, we did a few good things and we certainly have to clean up a lot of other things. We have to play better. The key to any football team in this country is getting better and improving from week to week."

On Florida A&M … "They are a good football team, they are athletic. We expect it to be a heck of a game. We know they are going to bring their best effort. There is going to be a large crowd. They have a big offensive line. It’s probably the biggest we will face all year. They get real tight and it’s going to be hard to run though them. All the receivers catch the ball well. Their offensive coordinator is outstanding. The defensive line can play."

On QB Pat Julmiste … "Pat is our starter right now, that’s as far as I go with that right now. We’ve got Carlton (Hill) he’s worked at WR and a little at QB; we’re just trying to get our offense to do some things and give Pat a chance. Beyond that I don’t have any plans right now. He went out and played ok but made a few mistakes. He played better then the limited time Courtney (Densen) was in there."

On punter Brandon Baker … "Brandon has always had a pretty good leg. He’s had very good games in the past; this isn’t the first time he’s punted well. We expect him to do well."

On USF’s wideouts … "I wasn’t happy with all the dropped passes like anybody wasn’t. That part is disappointing. On the other hand, I was encouraged by the same guys going out in the second half and making big catches."

On the home opener with Florida A&M … "I really haven’t thought of it. I’m kind of a boring guy to talk to. Honestly I’m thinking about practice today, I haven’t thought about there being a home game. I’ve been thinking about being fundamentally sound and getting better. We need to be a good football team weather we are at home or on the road. I just want to get better as a team"

On getting the first game out of the way … "There were a lot of guys who haven’t played a football game yet. I was really proud of Amari Jackson. He put a uniform and pads on, he lined up in almost the right spot. He looked like a receiver. Louis Gachette made some mistake abut I told him I was really proud of him. We had a lot of guys who have never been in a college game. That part is good to get a game behind them so they can look at the game for improvement."
On the defensive line … "You better have a pretty active front four if you want to have success. I think Penn St. they have a senior secondary and they made their defense go. It’s always been he key to our defense. It starts up front. I trust all the guys who get in and play. We need everyone to step up and play.

GO BULLS!