Q & A With Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo
8/14/2015 8:44:00 AM | Football
Offensive coordinator Phil Longo is this week's featured football coach in this week's installment in GoBearkat.com's series of question and answer sessions with the Sam Houston assistants.
Longo coordinated an offense that became only the ninth team in FCS football history to surpass 7,000 total yards in a single season in 2014. The Bearkat offense also recorded the second highest rushing total in Sam Houston football history.
Longo's offense ranked ninth nationally in rushing, eighth in red zone offense, second in total first downs and 22nd in scoring in his first season with the Kats.
Question: What made the Bearkat offense so successful during your first season here at Sam Houston?
Longo: In retrospect, I would say three things were pivotal to our season last year. First, K. C. allowed me to just come in and install my entire system and run with it. He lets his assistant coaches coach. We appreciate the autonomy and the confidence he has in us.
Second, our coaching staff did an incredible job implementing the offense with our players. They are the reason the learning curve was not a huge obstacle last year. We have an incredible staff.
Third, our players embraced the challenge of living in a different culture offensively. I asked them day on in preseason camp to “give us one year of blind faith” in an effort to get the offense rolling. They did that and now I believe the trust exists that is needed is our goal is to win a national championship.
Question: How tough was the transition from the previous offense to the spread up-tempo system that you installed last spring?
Longo: Up until this point, the 2008 squad when I was at Southern Illinois had made the most successful transition in this offense after returning only three starters. However, this current group here at Sam Houston was done as good of a job in transitioning and excelling at what we do as any group I've coached. It's a tribute to the commitment that our players and coaches made during the change.
Question: Sam Houston threw the ball for more than 3,200 yards last year and rushed for more than 3,800 yards. Are you pleased with the balance your offense showed in 2014?
Longo: We were happy with our production but we don't measure balance in terms of pass versus run yardage. Balance in our offense is measure by how well we distribute the football to all of our weapons. We want everyone involved and we want everyone to be a factor.
Nineteen players caught a pass last season. Eight of them had 10 or more catches. Nine players caught touchdown passes. Four players rushed for almost 700 yards or more. That is balance to us. The ultimate goal is to force the defense to have to defend the entire field along with every skill player that is in the game.
Question: Does you philosophy focus on building an offense around the personnel or the system?
Longo: The offense is the offense. Throw it 70 times, run it 70 times, it doesn't really matter to me. We always take what the defense gives us. The offense is diverse and flexible. It gives us the ability to cater what we do to the strengths of the current players. The emphasis we have within the system will always be dictated by two things – our personnel and the weaknesses of the opponent.
Question: What is your recruiting philosophy?
Longo: Character and production. At the end of the day, if a recruit does not demonstrate these two components, we will probably move on. We have a very high character team here. Recruiting character is not always easy, but it's one of our most important requirements.
We want to coach good people. Secondly, a player must possess the ability to produce consistently which is indicative of great focus and preparation. To win consistently we must play consistently.
Question: What do you look for in a recruit when evaluating them offensively?
Longo: We look for speed, explosiveness, physicality and the ability to change direction. We want to create space schematically and let the athletes take care of the show. If we have to coach a skill player how to make a play in the open field, then we have the wrong guy. That is the same philosophy we have with our offensive linemen. They must be athletic and able to play in space. We like the personnel we have right now.
Question: What is it like coaching with K. C. Keeler after having played for him?
Answer: Honestly, I can say I enjoy coaching with him as much as I did playing for him. I learned three things early on as a player when K. C. was our offensive coordinator. He respected his players. He was a natural leader. And, he was a winner.
The experience I had with K. C. and then head coach John Bunting is the primary reason I am coaching college football today. K. C. has been to eight national championship games in 21 years. He is without question one of the best recruiters I have been around. I've known K.C. for 27 years and to finally have the opportunity to coach with him after all this time has been exciting.
Question: What have you been impressed with the most here at Sam Houston?
Longo: That's easy. It's the support we have from our University President Dr. Dana G. Hoyt and our Director of Athletics Bobby Williams. They are both tremendous people. It is evident that they both care about our program and our student-athletes. I also believe that they appreciate what a successful football program can do for a university. It is exciting for the players and the staff to have a president and an athletic director that demonstrate such great support for our program.
Question: How have you and your family adjusted to life in Texas?
Answer: My wife Tanya and I love it here in Texas. I don't know if we could find a better quality of life to raise our two girls, Gianna (4) and Macaria (2). We love the people, the weather and the pace of life in Texas. There is nothing better than finishing a great practice, feeling the warm sun on my face and watching my girls run out to me on the field after the workout.
Question: What do you think the strengths are for the offense heading into the 2015 season?
Answer: Our primary strength is the depth we have at each position. It breeds competition and our approach will always be to plug in the next weapon and keep attacking. Two, I believe our players practice as hard as any group I have ever been around. It's a testament to the high school coaching and the commitment to the sport of football in the state of Texas. These kids are well coached. They are high work ethic players who are prepared by the time they join our program.
Last but not least, I would say our staff is a major strength. Bart Tatum, our offensive line coach, has two national championship rings. I learn something from this guy every day. Kyle Segler and Matt Powledge are both grinders and they bring an enthusiasm to practice that every team needs. Both coaches have a Sam Houston background so they bleed orange. Terrence Archer and I have coached together before and I trust and depend on him quite a bit as our “eyes in the sky” during the course of every game.
These guys are committed. They are loyal and they care about our kids. I think those are characteristics you will find among the staff on both sides of the ball. I'm looking forward to getting after the 2015 season with this staff.
Coach Longo and the Bearkat offense open the 2015 schedule on Saturday Sept. 5 in Lubbock against Texas Tech. The first of six home games at Elliott T. Bowers pits Sam Houston against Lamar on Saturday September 19. Season tickets are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the athletic ticket office located on the west side of Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
