Scott Satterfield Talks South Carolina, Previews Wake Forest
(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Atlantic Coast Conference Pool)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After wrinkles in the schedule caused by COVID-19 gave Louisville a third bye week, the Cardinals are now prepared to take the gridiron for their regular season finale. Next up, Louisville will be hosting the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12 at 12:00 p.m.
During the bye week, head coach Scott Satterfield found himself in the headlines after it was reported he was interviewing for the vacant head coaching position at South Carolina. Satterfield later stated that he will stay at Louisville.
Prior to Louisville's upcoming matchup with Wake Forest, Satterfield took time to meet with the media and discuss the meeting with South Carolina, preview the matchup with the Demon Deacons, and more.
Below is the transcript from Satterfield's press conference as well as the video:
(Opening Statement)
Good afternoon everyone. We certainly got Wake Forest this weekend, and that's our last game and I'm looking forward to that. But I do want to address some things that have gone on in the last couple of weeks, and particularly this weekend before we get started with this. Go back to a couple weeks ago, when we did get approached by South Carolina. Initially, (I) was not interested in that. I put a statement out there with that, saying that we're not interested. We're focused on Boston College, and that was 100% what we were doing that week. As we move forward, forgot about it, get ready to go to Boston College, we play the game at Boston College, we find out we're playing Wake Forest on the 12th. We have a bye week coming up, they circle back around with this. Thinking about again, I said, 'listen, we got a bye week, they want to have a conversation. I'll listen to what they have to say about this particular job." It's not one that I really was interested in, but I said I would listen, primarily because of where it's located. I think most all you guys know that I spent 23 years in Boone, N.C. at Appalachian State. Very familiar with the Carolinas. So I think that was probably the biggest thing for me, to be able to just say 'lemme listen'. Lemme listen to what they had to say. But not really much intentions on this job. So, after the conversation, decided immediately that 'listen, it's not where I want to be, and Louisville was where I wanted to be'. When I took the job two years ago, I was like, 'Man, what a great place that is'. A great opportunity to go to this program, and change what had happened in that previous year - 2018. And that hasn't changed, throughout this whole thing. The last two weeks it hasn't changed. We're focused on this program, making this the best program in the country, and that has not changed. I do want to apologize to the fans out there. I understand what has transpired here in the past, particularly with the head football job. I do apologize for that. It never was my intention to hurt anyone with that. Really. I put myself in your shoes, and I would think the same thing. Like man, this guy, why would he will listen to another opportunity? Well, again, I think it came down to location, and then after talking I'm like, 'Man, we got a great job'. We're located right here in Louisville, we have a passionate fan base and I love the fact that they're passionate. Louisville fans have been nothing but great to me and my family since we've been here - open arms, and I appreciate that, and still appreciate that. I do know this, also, in order to have a championship caliber program, there has to be alignment between the president, the AD, the football coach and everybody else. I absolutely love president Neeli (Bendapudi). I think she's done a fabulous job here, and will continue to do. She's awesome. And (athletic director) Vince (Tyra) has done a great job here, and will continue to do a great job here. For all those reasons, this is a great place. And we want to be here, and we want to continue to make this the best program in the country. We're very, very close, I realize this year, that we don't have the kind of wins that we want to have. I realize that. I do also realize the fact that, in the fourth quarter of every game, we're one possession away from winning the football game. As a fine line, we talk to our players all the time about wins and losses, you got to make those plays. We just, for whatever reason this year, we've turned the ball over. We've not made enough plays to go win. You think about last year, we won eight games and we won a lot of those games in the fourth quarter. There's such a fine line, but I think we're very, very close. We have a great class coming in here in nine days, and so excited about the class that's coming in. We've been in constant contact with these recruits, and they're fired up about the future of this program, and want to be a part of it. Number one, they're great kids, great families, and it's exactly the kind of players and families that we want to join our program. With that, we're excited about the future. We're excited about where we're headed. But I did want to make sure I apologize to the fans out there with that. I'm sorry that I hurt you. We're gonna do everything we can to earn that trust back and to move this program forward. We're gonna need you as we look forward. But we do have Wake Forest this weekend. We had a great practice last night, it was awesome. The guys were flying around. We know Wake Forest is No. 1 in the country in turnover margin, so it's gonna be a great test for us as we move forward. But that'll be probably the difference in that game.
(On what else appealed to him about the South Carolina job)
There really wasn't a whole lot else really, quite honestly. Where it's located was the was the biggest factor.
(On if he's had a chance to talk to his players about the South Carolina interview)
Yeah. You know, I've been up front with our guys really the whole time as well. I just shared my heart with them. Obviously, there's things you talk to a team but you don't want to talk about out in public, but I shared my heart. We love our guys man, and we're gonna do everything we can for these guys. We got great facilities, we have a lot of great things, but we want to do more. We want to do a lot more with with our program, and continue to grow and that's kind of what I was sharing with them. We're trying to do everything we can with this program to move forward. There's things that we need and want as we move forward to be the top program in the country, and that's what we're striving to do. The mission has not changed. These guys, they were fired up and they had a great practice. They went out and really did some great things just like we normally would do on a Sunday.
(On if he would entertain other jobs from the Carolinas going forward)
Well, I mean, I'm not gonna sit here and say that I wouldn't. But I think, if anything comes out, you know, a job that opens up in the future, it would definitely be handled a lot different. Last year there were several jobs that reached out last year. I did not entertain them. I think if you're doing a good job, wherever you are, it doesn't matter. You can look across the country, if somebody's doing a good job, then people are gonna inquire about it. Certainly that happened last year. But, you know, not interested. So if there is something in the future that would be out there, that we think would be enticing, certainly going to handle it a lot different. But again, we're committed to staying here and taking this program to the top of the country. I know a few years back, they were all the way to No. 3 in the country. That's what we want to be. We want to be a top five program year in and year out.
(On what mistakes he think he made during the process)
Just if I'm 100% serious about the job, then you're certainly gonna look at it. But I mean, really as I mentioned earlier, the location was what was enticing, and that was about it. If something in the future popped up and I think and if you want to look at it, you better be very, very serious. It is because I don't want to go. I don't want to put our fans, I don't want to put the people through, our players or anybody, through kind of what's transpired here over the last 48 hours. I'm not interested in doing that. So if it is something out there that is enticing, I think it is gonna have to be very, very serious and something that you can be out front about. Say, 'Listen man, here's something that maybe, whatever it may be, very interesting because of this, this and this. Hey, we're gonna take a look, and then we'll go from there'. But I think for me, this was obviously a learning process going through this. I don't want to put anybody in this situation.
(On balancing player commitment with entertaining job offers)
Well I think as players, it's a little bit different than coaches. I know sometimes we like to lump coaches in with players. As a player, you're there for 3-4 years, and then you're done, right? As players, you really don't have a family, it's just you. As coaches, and I'm just thinking in general terms here, coaches have wives and kids, and as a job, are they gonna be at a job for 40 years? There's a lot of different things I think that are involved with coaching. With the players, like I said it's three or four years, and they have to be all-in because it's hard as a player. It's hard as a player to go to class, to get up and go to meetings, go weight train, to go practice, come back and study, all the things. Oh by the way, then go perform on a game day. It's just a lot of things that a player has to do. There's so many different avenues that are pulling them. So you have to be all in with it. I think as coaches, it's a little bit different as I mentioned. You got a career in coaching. Go back and look at any coach's bio. Now, I've been fortunate and blessed to be, I was at one school for a long time, and I would rather it be that way. I don't like the fact that you pick up and move and all that. That's not who I am. I don't like that at all. You want to be in a place that you can thrive, and win, and have a great life, and all those things. But I do think there is a little bit of differential between a player and a coach.
(On the conversation with Tyra during the process, and the reaction from recruits)
No. 1, I think Vince and I have a great relationship, as I do with with President Neeli, and Josh Heird, and everybody in our administration. I think they all do a fabulous job. I think we'll continue to have that great relationship, and great dialogue. I think, as far as the recruits go, we had a Zoom call on Saturday, we already had that set up. You do have to address it, obviously. I mean, it's out in the media, so you have to address it with your recruits. We had great conversation with their families, and like I mentioned earlier in this press conference, we have some, not only good players, but great people that are coming in here. They're going to help elevate our program. They're the type of people that everybody's gonna be proud of. All the fans, and all our coaches, and our players that are on this team that want to be good. We had great dialogue, and we continue to have that dialogue with these recruits. I'm looking forward to getting them here. We're gonna have around roughly 10 guys that will be here in January, which is very, very soon. As you look at it right now, probably about a month away. So we're excited about getting those guys on campus.
(On what seniors could be coming back for their additional year granted by the NCAA)
This is senior week for our guys, and we'll be recognizing those guys during the game. We don't know yet how many guys will come back, we'll have those conversations after the season and figure that out. There's obviously going to be some guys that want to pursue an opportunity at the next level - NFL. There'll be some guys that want to come back to try to get to that level, I think just to have that help themselves out for one more season. So I think as we as we move forward through it, it'll be interesting to see who in fact really wants to come back. We've had some conversations with a few of the guys and then the other guys we already know that's going to try to go to the next level. So that'll be a conversation that we'll have after the season as we move into next semester. There's a few guys, too, that maybe are trying to finish up a Masters and those type things. So that'll fit in nicely for them to be able to come back and finish up with our Masters, which will be great.
(On the discussions about a potential bowl berth)
There hasn't been any discussions. I don't think we're going to a bowl game, we don't know how the bowl season is going to play out. Actually, we've seen how many, maybe 10, that have already canceled their their bowl for this year. I'm not sure how that's gonna continue to play out as we move forward with this. Maybe we'll get some clarity over this week and in the week after. But right now, we're not playing in a bowl game.
(On how to earn the fans' trust back)
Just continue to work hard, and continue to do the things that we should do to get this program at the top. That's kind of what we're doing. I know everybody wants to win. You got to put a product on the field that'll be competitive and win football games, and continue to do the things that'll allow that to happen. Bringing in his class, as I mentioned before, I think it's going to help us. Having at least 10 of them going to be here in January, they'll be able to go through spring practice as we head into next fall. I think I've always tried to be open and honest with everybody that I've come into contact with. I know the fans don't get around me, or our staff, on a daily basis in the building, but I think we try be that way. I think we try to treat people with respect, and we'll continue to do that.
(On if Tyra knew beforehand that he was going to talk to South Carolina)
Well, we certainly have had conversation throughout, really the whole time that I've been here. The conversation that we have had, obviously, are between us - between an AD and a head coach, and so I'll just leave it at that.
(On if the team is back to full strength after injuries and COVID-19)
I hope to be. We did have some dings coming out of the game with Boston College, but the bye week did help some of those guys to heal up. We mentioned (tight end) Marshon Ford was out, (inside linebacker) Monty Montgomery had a bum leg, (nose tackle Jared) Goldwire did not play. There was several guys, excuse me, and (defensive lineman) Dezmond Tell, but several guys were out, and we hope to have them all back. As we stand here today, most all of our guys will be available to play, which is a great thing to have a full complement of your team.
(On Wake Forest's odd read option offense)
I think offensively, they're very efficient. They do a great job with what they're trying to do. It's a little bit different with the way the quarterback kind of slow rides the running back, and then he can hand it off, he can pull it and run it, or he can pull it and throw it. You do get a lot of isolation plays with that, because you kind of commit your safeties and your linebackers to stop the run. Then all of a sudden, now you have a receiver that's running a post or a glance, and he's open there. They present a lot of problems. The quarterback is extremely accurate. He's the quarterback that played against us at the end of the game last year, I mean you remember back to the fourth quarter. He's thrown eight touchdowns and zero picks. They've done a great job of taking care of the football. I think just one turnover. We've got to do a great job defensively trying to keep everything in front of us. We did remember the challenge from last year, hopefully we'll play a lot better than that defensively. At the same time, I think, conversely on offense we have to do a good job of taking care of the football, obviously. But occupying the ball, keeping their offense off the field I think will be critical and huge in this game.
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