Holtz: Keeping emotions in check key

Posted Aug 29, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 29, 2011 at 12:50 PM

USF coach Skip Holtz talked Sunday evening about the need for his players to keep their emotions in check leading up to Saturday’s game at Notre Dame, and he reiterated that point again Monday during the Big East coaches teleconference when asked what are some things he needs to guard against going into a place like South Bend to face a nationally-ranked Irish squad in the season opener.

“What I worry about it, being an opening game, is guys getting too emotional during the week,” Holtz said. “We just need to make sure that we stay focused on what happens in between the lines.

“There’s a lot of circus that goes around playing a team like a Notre Dame, with the media requests and everything that goes on. I just want to make sure that we stay focused on the game, and that we’ve just got to make sure that we’re peaking, not Tuesday, Wednesday in our excitement for the game, but we’ve just got to make sure we stay focused on our preparation during the week and then we can start to get emotional about the game as we get closer to game time.”

—-Holtz said he expects everyone to be available for Saturday’s game, outside of the five players he ruled out Sunday evening - TE Jeff Hawkins (knee), LB Kalin Hall (knee), S C.J. Garye (knee), OL Jake Kaufman (back) and OL Thor Jozwiak (shoulder).