Luke Fickell: 'Made Sure' Ben Bryant Knows how Much we Appreciate him

Cincinnati takes on East Carolina at home this Friday night.

CINCINNATI — UC head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly presser as the team faces a short week against East Carolina.

Check out some of his best quotes from the session, including a strong endorsement for QB Ben Bryant.

On The Criticism Of Ben Bryant Compared To The Criticism Desmond Ridder Got In His UC Career:

“I think Dez got a lot of scrutiny from inside the program. Whether it was his freshman, sophomore, or junior year, and that was coming from him as well. After last week, I did feel like, 'oh, maybe I need to pay attention a little more.' Make sure I understand what our guys are going through. I did pay a little bit more attention, I grabbed him (Bryant) and just made sure he knows how much we appreciate what it is that he does.

"How much we count on him and know how great of a job he's doing. I don't think he needed it. I think he's very mature and competent in what he's doing. I thought it was important, maybe even for me, to make sure I recognize that there are maybe some other opinions of what people want us to be or want him to be. It kind of all goes back to just being us. Had that been Evan Prater as our quarterback, it was still the same motto, like you know, it would have been, just be us. Whether you're Evan or you're Ben, we don't want you to be Dez.

On The ECU Defense (79th In Yards Per Game, 391):

“I think they're very aggressive. I mean, we get a lot of crossover games, watch them a ton have actually tried to pull some of the things they do defensively. As we have always kind of developed and what we do defensively and I think it's really critical how aggressive they are. They don't want to let you run the football. They will be ultra-aggressive attacking downhill and, I'm not saying they take some chances, but they'll change it up on you as well.

"I've been very impressed over the last couple years of with what they've done defensively, and you can see them continue to grow. They haven't changed I think in the last two and a half three years in the big picture of what they do defensively. You see how that growth has really taken place. They apply a lot of pressure to everybody, They might be some man-man situations, but they're not going to be free access and easy throws. If you're going to do that, then there's going to be people heating down your throat because they're going to be aggressive up front as well.”

On Preparing For Sixth-Year ECU QB Holton Ahlers On A Short Week:

“I don't know if that makes it any different. I mean, for me and for some of the coaches you have maybe a decent grasp, but it's not what we know, it is what those guys in those seats can know and understand. We have a lot of guys that haven't played on both sides of the ball, but short weeks are always different and difficult for us because we get into such a routine that you got to change some things up, so it is what it is, but we got to move forward.”

On The 77-63 SMU Win Over Houston:

“Well, I did go home and watch a little bit of football, and I saw a score come across the bottom at halftime was like 55 to 30. I swore it had to be a misprint. I did not know it was a football game. ... I didn't pay much attention and saw the final score like 77 to 63. 10 touchdowns for Tanner Mordecai (SMU quarterback). So, it's great. I'm not exactly sure but at some point, in time we will watch that just to see how that went. There's a lot of things that go on and that did amaze me. That's what you see that week in and week out. There isn't that much of a discrepancy between a lot of these teams, and I mean that. So, who's got the hothand, who's playing well, who continues to grow, and what guys can keep their teams pointed in the right direction? Obviously, that's not a bad football team that can obviously score some points.”

On ECU Star Running Back Keaton Mitchell:

“Yeah, he's a difference maker, that’s why he’s leading the league in rushing. And I think the uniqueness is, you can see the big, long runs where he can circle the defense because of his electric speed and quickness, to be honest with you. But there are plenty of shots where he hits it right up in the middle. He went a long one against BYU right to the A gap. They've got a really good one-two punch with him, meaning that he can take it outside and he can make things happen, but he's not afraid to stick it up in the middle.

"I think they’ll get a little bit more onus on him, and I think for them it might even be a better thing to get the hot hand going a little bit more and give him some more opportunities. So, everybody would say, hey, they're the team that swings the football—they’re also a team with the leading rusher in the league. That's what makes them who they are offensively and what makes them so good.”

Check out the full press conference.

https://youtu.be/IkY_BkJ5I2U

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