Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Photo by: Brent Beerends/MT Athletic Communications
MT vs. Missouri presser
10/17/2016 12:15:00 PM | Football
Raiders, Tigers kick off at 3:00 on SEC Netwok
Following are comments from today's Middle Tennessee press conference in advance of Saturday's football game vs. Missouri.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening Statement…
"Thanks everybody for being here. I'm not going to talk about last week unless you all have questions and I'll talk about it then. Moving to Missouri this week, they are a very talented team. They've had some tough losses to Georgia, LSU and Florida — three really outstanding football teams. Going on the road to their place will be a great challenge for our players. We're looking forward to it. A little bit about them; they are a lot more explosive. They have really changed a lot offensively from last year. They are throwing the ball a lot more than they did last year and a lot more effectively. They have great speed at the wide receiver positions. Their quarterback is off to a good start as well. As you would think being an SEC team, their offensive line and defensive line are gigantic. They have a good running back. It will be a great challenge for us. Their defense was really good last year, and again it's on pace to be one of the top defenses again in the SEC this year. They have good players and good coaches. They are very sound in the kicking game. We've got to get ready to play a really good football team this week."
On any enjoyment of stepping out of conference this week…
"To be honest with you, no. We've played three in a row right there with LA Tech, North Texas and Western Kentucky, and you get in a conference flow. You can't draw it up how you like it, but I have always liked playing the nonconference games early. It's just how the schedule falls this year. For preference, once we get in conference I like to stay in conference."
On Missouri's offensive line size, and offensive line coach and former Blue Raider Glen Elarbee…
"You're not going to make up for it. As big as they are, they are quick and athletic also. Glen is an excellent football coach. He did a phenomenal job the one year he was here with me. I know he was here prior to me being here. But Glen is a great coach, and I have a lot of respect for him and how he coaches his players. The big thing is when you play guys bigger than you, you have to do a great job of getting off blocks. You have to be active. You can't be stagnant and you have to move. Hopefully our athleticism will enable us to get off the blocks. They're really big, so you have to do a good job. You have to compete, fight, play hard and do whatever it takes to get the ball carrier on the ground."
On any advantage defensively seeing another spread offense in Missouri…
"No sir. Our defense sees it every day in practice, so we are used to it. Every team we have played has been a spread team other than Vanderbilt. We've seen it a bunch now and see it every day in practice. I don't see it giving our defense a leg up. Probably where you have more issues defensively is when we play the teams we've played then you go play Georgia Tech or play a Navy on a week notice, where the offense is drastically different. Our defense will be ready. We've got good coaches and good players on that side of the ball, so we'll be ready for them."
On limiting sacks against Missouri's defense…
"I think the big thing is, and I say it all the time, there are a lot of people involved in not giving up sacks. Sometimes a quarterback will get sacked and it's not the offensive line's fault. Sometimes you get sacked and the secondary is the cause of it. Our offensive line and running backs have done a great job in protection. Brent has done a great job in getting the ball out. Our receivers have done a good job also working when Brent scrambles. There are a lot of components in that. The big thing is you have to do your fundamentals and technique right. Everybody has to be working on the same level. It will be a challenge, but our players will be ready for it and they'll accept it."
On having a strong red zone defense…
"They don't get a point until they cross that white line. You just have to make them snap it one more time. We spent a lot of time in the red zone in August during camp and in the spring giving those situations. Our defensive coaches do a good job and our players have done a good job. You just play as hard as you can every snap one play at a time. You're not rewarded until you cross that line, and that's the mentality we have on defense. We've done a good job in the red zone so far."
On Richie James' performance against WKU…
"I thought Richie was a lot better against Western Kentucky than he was against North Texas. I didn't think he was very good against North Texas. He worked extremely hard and took it personally the week in practice leading up to the Western Kentucky game. He was more consistent with his routes. He didn't improvise as much as he was doing at North Texas. He made some good plays and had a good game."
On difference in overtime losses and losses that result in a bigger deficit…
"Every loss has its own identity. That one Saturday stings. It's hard to get over. It's a tough pill to swallow, but you have to swallow it. You have to be tough and move on. We have to learn from it and learn how bad losing tastes, and that you don't want to experience it again. Players hurt, and as a coach you hurt because you lost, but you also hurt because you see how much it hurts your players. The investment they put into that game, and then not have the success they worked so hard to achieve not happen, it makes it tough. You have to be a man and move forward. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. There is no sense in moping around stepping on your lip."
On Missouri's mentality to play hard on every down…
"They are a good football team. Florida scores 40 points, and they run two interceptions back for a touchdown and that on-side kick. Missouri's defense is really good. They are a talented team. Their coaching staff, I know some of those guys over there, and they aren't going to quit for anything. (Head Coach Barry Odom) is building his program and the culture that he wants. I have no doubt that we'll play a really good football team this weekend. It doesn't surprise me of the attitude they play with; they have good players and the types of coaches they have over there."
On Missouri dropping in tackles for loss statistics from last season but still expecting an aggressive game…
"It will be one of the best defenses we've played in a long time. They are really talented. They are athletic, big and they can run. Tackles for loss, all that stuff — that's seasonal sometimes. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't have as many as the year before. This is one of the top defenses in the SEC. It doesn't surprise me how good they are."
On having experience in playing at SEC stadiums…
"I think it helps. Each stadium is different and unique in its own way. It's their homecoming this weekend, so they will have a good crowd. We've played the SEC and the ACC so much now, our guys don't walk into a stadium now in awe. We're used to playing a couple games a year in front of 80,000 people. We're not going to be intimidated or in awe. We know that talent level of players they have. It's helps a little bit, but we're kind of 'been there, done that' so much that we're not in awe of it."
On any added edge in being a homecoming opponent…
"It's homecoming. To me, it's just a game. They aren't emphasizing, 'hey, it's homecoming so we have to practice harder and play harder.' To me, it's not an issue."
QB Brent Stockstill
On controlling emotions throughout the game…
"We have a very mature team, and we're very mentally tough. Throughout this season so far we've faced a number of different situations. We've faced a lot of ups and downs. We tried to stay at an even keel and stay upbeat."
On Missouri's defense…
"We've got to be good. They've got a good defense. We've faced some tough defenses this year. We've got good players and great coaches, and we'll have a great plan going in. We've just got to execute and find ways to move the ball and finish when we get close, and put some points on the board."
On facing Missouri's pass defense…
"It doesn't matter who the star is, we've had a different guy every game that's stepped up big and made plays. I know Richie [James] has good numbers, but all those other guys are contributing as well. We don't get too caught up in who's guarding who. Wherever the progression takes me is who's going to get the ball."
On what the team took away from the loss against WKU…
"We played well and moved the ball well. We settled for some field goals. Everybody played hard. We were disciplined. From a personal standpoint, I can improve in my decision making. We'll bounce back from this. There's always stuff to improve on."
On making the tackle after throwing an interception…
"If I make a mistake like that, I feel like it's my job to find a way to get him down and give the defense a chance to make plays like they did. WKU moved the ball but missed the field goal on that drive."
On receivers learning to adjust to moving outside of the pocket…
"That's something we work on every week. When you scramble, that's when a lot of big plays happen. Our receivers do a great job of knowing where to work, how to get open, and they take a lot of pride in doing that. They make it easy on me, so credit goes to those guys."
On getting national exposure by playing on SECNetwork…
"I think it's fun. It's always good to get more eyes on you. It's fun for some of our guys who have families that don't get to see them play often. That's an incentive to them to know their families are watching that game. We won't play any differently, but I think it's fun to play on a national broadcast."
LB DJ Sanders
On the defense's performance against WKU…
"For the most part, we did our job. There was a little time in the game where we didn't, and that hurt us at the end."
On Missouri's new spread offense…
"We need to stop the run first and eliminate explosive plays. We go against a passing offense most of the time. Vanderbilt is the only team we've played that doesn't pass the ball very much. We're used to it now."
On defending explosive receivers…
"We can't get fooled on play action. If we do get pulled up by the fake, we have to remember to cut off the pass over the middle."
On facing a large Missouri offensive line…
"We have to have solid technique against them."
On getting national exposure by playing on SECNetwork…
"It's just another chance for my family and friends back home to see me play."
On the success the team has had defensively in the red zone…
"We always work on the red zone situation two times a week. It's a very important part of our game. They don't get points until they cross that line, like Coach Stockstill says. We have that mentality of bend, don't break."
On stepping out of conference play this week…
"It's just another chance to play a game. I don't really think too much of it. It's just another chance to play a game."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening Statement…
"Thanks everybody for being here. I'm not going to talk about last week unless you all have questions and I'll talk about it then. Moving to Missouri this week, they are a very talented team. They've had some tough losses to Georgia, LSU and Florida — three really outstanding football teams. Going on the road to their place will be a great challenge for our players. We're looking forward to it. A little bit about them; they are a lot more explosive. They have really changed a lot offensively from last year. They are throwing the ball a lot more than they did last year and a lot more effectively. They have great speed at the wide receiver positions. Their quarterback is off to a good start as well. As you would think being an SEC team, their offensive line and defensive line are gigantic. They have a good running back. It will be a great challenge for us. Their defense was really good last year, and again it's on pace to be one of the top defenses again in the SEC this year. They have good players and good coaches. They are very sound in the kicking game. We've got to get ready to play a really good football team this week."
On any enjoyment of stepping out of conference this week…
"To be honest with you, no. We've played three in a row right there with LA Tech, North Texas and Western Kentucky, and you get in a conference flow. You can't draw it up how you like it, but I have always liked playing the nonconference games early. It's just how the schedule falls this year. For preference, once we get in conference I like to stay in conference."
On Missouri's offensive line size, and offensive line coach and former Blue Raider Glen Elarbee…
"You're not going to make up for it. As big as they are, they are quick and athletic also. Glen is an excellent football coach. He did a phenomenal job the one year he was here with me. I know he was here prior to me being here. But Glen is a great coach, and I have a lot of respect for him and how he coaches his players. The big thing is when you play guys bigger than you, you have to do a great job of getting off blocks. You have to be active. You can't be stagnant and you have to move. Hopefully our athleticism will enable us to get off the blocks. They're really big, so you have to do a good job. You have to compete, fight, play hard and do whatever it takes to get the ball carrier on the ground."
On any advantage defensively seeing another spread offense in Missouri…
"No sir. Our defense sees it every day in practice, so we are used to it. Every team we have played has been a spread team other than Vanderbilt. We've seen it a bunch now and see it every day in practice. I don't see it giving our defense a leg up. Probably where you have more issues defensively is when we play the teams we've played then you go play Georgia Tech or play a Navy on a week notice, where the offense is drastically different. Our defense will be ready. We've got good coaches and good players on that side of the ball, so we'll be ready for them."
On limiting sacks against Missouri's defense…
"I think the big thing is, and I say it all the time, there are a lot of people involved in not giving up sacks. Sometimes a quarterback will get sacked and it's not the offensive line's fault. Sometimes you get sacked and the secondary is the cause of it. Our offensive line and running backs have done a great job in protection. Brent has done a great job in getting the ball out. Our receivers have done a good job also working when Brent scrambles. There are a lot of components in that. The big thing is you have to do your fundamentals and technique right. Everybody has to be working on the same level. It will be a challenge, but our players will be ready for it and they'll accept it."
On having a strong red zone defense…
"They don't get a point until they cross that white line. You just have to make them snap it one more time. We spent a lot of time in the red zone in August during camp and in the spring giving those situations. Our defensive coaches do a good job and our players have done a good job. You just play as hard as you can every snap one play at a time. You're not rewarded until you cross that line, and that's the mentality we have on defense. We've done a good job in the red zone so far."
On Richie James' performance against WKU…
"I thought Richie was a lot better against Western Kentucky than he was against North Texas. I didn't think he was very good against North Texas. He worked extremely hard and took it personally the week in practice leading up to the Western Kentucky game. He was more consistent with his routes. He didn't improvise as much as he was doing at North Texas. He made some good plays and had a good game."
On difference in overtime losses and losses that result in a bigger deficit…
"Every loss has its own identity. That one Saturday stings. It's hard to get over. It's a tough pill to swallow, but you have to swallow it. You have to be tough and move on. We have to learn from it and learn how bad losing tastes, and that you don't want to experience it again. Players hurt, and as a coach you hurt because you lost, but you also hurt because you see how much it hurts your players. The investment they put into that game, and then not have the success they worked so hard to achieve not happen, it makes it tough. You have to be a man and move forward. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. There is no sense in moping around stepping on your lip."
On Missouri's mentality to play hard on every down…
"They are a good football team. Florida scores 40 points, and they run two interceptions back for a touchdown and that on-side kick. Missouri's defense is really good. They are a talented team. Their coaching staff, I know some of those guys over there, and they aren't going to quit for anything. (Head Coach Barry Odom) is building his program and the culture that he wants. I have no doubt that we'll play a really good football team this weekend. It doesn't surprise me of the attitude they play with; they have good players and the types of coaches they have over there."
On Missouri dropping in tackles for loss statistics from last season but still expecting an aggressive game…
"It will be one of the best defenses we've played in a long time. They are really talented. They are athletic, big and they can run. Tackles for loss, all that stuff — that's seasonal sometimes. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't have as many as the year before. This is one of the top defenses in the SEC. It doesn't surprise me how good they are."
On having experience in playing at SEC stadiums…
"I think it helps. Each stadium is different and unique in its own way. It's their homecoming this weekend, so they will have a good crowd. We've played the SEC and the ACC so much now, our guys don't walk into a stadium now in awe. We're used to playing a couple games a year in front of 80,000 people. We're not going to be intimidated or in awe. We know that talent level of players they have. It's helps a little bit, but we're kind of 'been there, done that' so much that we're not in awe of it."
On any added edge in being a homecoming opponent…
"It's homecoming. To me, it's just a game. They aren't emphasizing, 'hey, it's homecoming so we have to practice harder and play harder.' To me, it's not an issue."
QB Brent Stockstill
On controlling emotions throughout the game…
"We have a very mature team, and we're very mentally tough. Throughout this season so far we've faced a number of different situations. We've faced a lot of ups and downs. We tried to stay at an even keel and stay upbeat."
On Missouri's defense…
"We've got to be good. They've got a good defense. We've faced some tough defenses this year. We've got good players and great coaches, and we'll have a great plan going in. We've just got to execute and find ways to move the ball and finish when we get close, and put some points on the board."
On facing Missouri's pass defense…
"It doesn't matter who the star is, we've had a different guy every game that's stepped up big and made plays. I know Richie [James] has good numbers, but all those other guys are contributing as well. We don't get too caught up in who's guarding who. Wherever the progression takes me is who's going to get the ball."
On what the team took away from the loss against WKU…
"We played well and moved the ball well. We settled for some field goals. Everybody played hard. We were disciplined. From a personal standpoint, I can improve in my decision making. We'll bounce back from this. There's always stuff to improve on."
On making the tackle after throwing an interception…
"If I make a mistake like that, I feel like it's my job to find a way to get him down and give the defense a chance to make plays like they did. WKU moved the ball but missed the field goal on that drive."
On receivers learning to adjust to moving outside of the pocket…
"That's something we work on every week. When you scramble, that's when a lot of big plays happen. Our receivers do a great job of knowing where to work, how to get open, and they take a lot of pride in doing that. They make it easy on me, so credit goes to those guys."
On getting national exposure by playing on SECNetwork…
"I think it's fun. It's always good to get more eyes on you. It's fun for some of our guys who have families that don't get to see them play often. That's an incentive to them to know their families are watching that game. We won't play any differently, but I think it's fun to play on a national broadcast."
LB DJ Sanders
On the defense's performance against WKU…
"For the most part, we did our job. There was a little time in the game where we didn't, and that hurt us at the end."
On Missouri's new spread offense…
"We need to stop the run first and eliminate explosive plays. We go against a passing offense most of the time. Vanderbilt is the only team we've played that doesn't pass the ball very much. We're used to it now."
On defending explosive receivers…
"We can't get fooled on play action. If we do get pulled up by the fake, we have to remember to cut off the pass over the middle."
On facing a large Missouri offensive line…
"We have to have solid technique against them."
On getting national exposure by playing on SECNetwork…
"It's just another chance for my family and friends back home to see me play."
On the success the team has had defensively in the red zone…
"We always work on the red zone situation two times a week. It's a very important part of our game. They don't get points until they cross that line, like Coach Stockstill says. We have that mentality of bend, don't break."
On stepping out of conference play this week…
"It's just another chance to play a game. I don't really think too much of it. It's just another chance to play a game."
Players Mentioned
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