Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT vs. North Texas presser
9/26/2016 11:49:00 AM | Football
Kickoff set for 6 PM
HC Rick Stockstill
Opening Statement…
"I appreciate you guys being here. I'm not going to talk much about last week other than just congratulating our players and coaches again. It was a heck of a win. I'm proud of their effort and how they competed that game and beat a really good LA Tech team. Skip (Holtz) has a really good team down there, and they are going to win a bunch more games. We're really proud of our team and the effort they put forth to come back and win that game.
Moving on to North Texas this week, they are 2-2 now and in first place in the West, just like us. This will be a good matchup. They are coming off a big win on the road. They beat Rice, and they had a come-from-behind win, too. They were down 17-0 in the middle to the second quarter to force double-overtime and win that thing in the end. They are really balanced on offense. They have some good players. They moved a defensive back to wide receiver and it has given them some big-play opportunities in the passing game. They are doing a good job offensively. Defensively, it's a little bit of a different scheme than what they were last year. They are doing a good job. They are about the middle of the pack conference-wise in most statistical categories. They are very sound in the kicking game. They have taken great pride in playing at home over the years. This is going to be a great challenge for our guys going on the road and playing a night game at their stadium. We've got to prepare ourselves for that. I like where we are as a team right now from a mental standpoint. We have to approach this week like we did last week and prepare ourselves mentally to play another tough, physical conference game."
On the improvement of North Texas' defense…
"They are a little bit older defensively than they were last year when we played them. They are probably more of a three-man front, an odd-front this year. Looks like there is a lot of zone coverage, but that will probably change against us. Seems like people are playing us with a lot of man coverage this year because of where we are at from an injury standpoint. We'll make that adjustment when we get to the game on Saturday. They have good players. (Head coach) Seth (Littrell) has done a good job since he has been over there for the last eight or nine months. They're not giving up the big play as much as they did last year. They are a more mature team, I think, because of the age they have on their defense. They are well coached, and I think that probably is as much as anything also.
On getting a strategy in facing a first-year head coach after first four games…
"I think four games is enough. You evaluate the players and their schemes more than anything. You don't look at first-year head coach or anything like that. You evaluate what the players have put on tape, what their schemes are and what their philosophies are. It's about us. We have to go out and play. We're getting a little better each week and that's our goal this week. We won't worry about who is coaching them. We'll worry about the players.
On any plan to rush more against North Texas' 11th-ranked rush defense in the conference…
"No sir. We'll go in with a plan. We're not going to force anything. We'll do what we do and adjust that plan accordingly throughout the game based on what we are having success with or not having success with. We'll have a good plan offensively that our players can digest and understand, and they can go out and be successful executing that plan. We're not going to go in and say, 'Hey, they are giving up this many yards through the air, so we better throw it a bunch,' or, 'They are giving up this many yards on the ground, so we better run it a bunch.' We've got to do what we can execute based on our personality."
On resilience of the team with a comeback win against LA Tech…
"It speaks volumes. I've always said that character, attitude and competitiveness is more important to me than talent. There will be times you face adversity throughout a game, and you have to have strong character and great leadership in your players to overcome that adversity. We were faced with a lot of adversity Saturday getting down 27-7 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. To have the mental and physical toughness to keep competing play after play and score after score, it's why I said after that game it's as satisfying a win that I have ever been a part of because of the competitive spirit those guys played with throughout the game. It speaks volumes to their character, their attitude and their never-give-up spirit."
On teachable experience in coming from behind to win…
"I think it's always a sign of a really good team to have the ability to come from behind. It shows the character and discipline of your team to be able to do that. I think when you do have a come-from-behind win, especially in the fourth quarter when you're down seven with two-and-a half minutes left and you drive and score to go ahead by four, that breeds confidence in the defense to say 'If we can get a stop our offense can score.' Now the it's the same thing when you're up four points with two minutes left and your defense gets a stop. Now your offense says, 'We can score and know our defense can get us off the field.' I think it works hand-in-hand, and it breeds a lot of confidence in your team any time you can get a come-from-behind win."
On Patrick Smith stepping in due to injuries at wide receiver…
"I'm proud of him and it's a great opportunity. Anytime people get hurt, it's an opportunity for the next guy. Patrick was going to play regardless of these injuries. His role has just increased because of the people we have lost at wide receiver. Patrick had a good spring and a good summer. I'm proud of him because everyone in that locker room, ever since they were a little kid, their dream was to play college football. He's one of the 110 guys who gets to fulfill that dream of being able to play Division I college football, and having success doing it also means that much more for him. I'm happy for him because he is a good person and he has worked hard. I like people that have worked hard and do the right things. I'm always happy to see them have success and enjoy success."
On any surprise Mathers' contributions in both rushing and receiving…
"I'm not surprised, but I will say that I think I'Tavius' catchability has improved since he got here a year-and-a-half ago. He has worked really hard at it. He spent a lot of time catching balls. I think he has improved in that area. Just like I said about Patrick, I'm happy for him to enjoy the success he is having, especially it being his last year as a college football player. I think I'Tavius deserves a lot of credit on how hard he has worked since he got here to become a complete back. I think I'Tavius is a complete back. I think he is good with the ball in his hands, I think he is good in the passing game and I think he is good when the ball is not in his hands when we ask him to block. I've said it a bunch, but I'm proud really proud of I'Tavius."
On Ty Lee's touchdown grab symbolizing the team's effort in the comeback win…
"There were a lot of great, individual plays throughout the course of the second half on both sides of the ball. A lot of guys showed a lot of toughness in converting third downs, making stops, getting off the field defensively, continuing drives and making plays. Ty was one of those guys. I think two plays before that he dropped a ball. We had an over-route and he drops a ball, but again it just shows the mental toughness that two plays later he comes back and makes a special play. He gets a good ball and makes a good catch, and his run-after-catch was special. I think it did exemplify the effort it took to overcome that deficit."
On biggest takeaway of what needs to be improved…
"Offensively, we dropped way too many balls. They weren't hitches. We dropped three take-offs that are potentially scoring plays and potentially drive-extending plays. We dropped a couple of screens and Ty on the over-route. Offensively, we need to get better there and get more consistent. Defensively, our plan going in was to make them one-dimensional. We wanted to stop the run and we did. But you can't give up 500 yards passing to stop the run. We had a few mistakes on the back-end that we have to clean up and get better, and we will. I thought we were really good in the kicking game. I thought we punted good. I thought we covered really well. We made our kicks. I was really proud of the improvements we made in the kicking game. We've got to continue that, but offensively and defensively, I think those are two areas that stand out the most from Saturday's game."
QB Brent Stockstill:
On the development of I'Tavius Mathers: As a running back, when you take a year off and then try to get back into game mode, that's tough. The more times he carries it this year, the more he'll improve, which is showing right now. When he first got here, you could tell he wasn't very good at catching the football, but he's put in the work and it's paying off. He deserves all the success he's had.
On North Texas's defense: They're a good defense and it starts with the coaching. We'll probably see a lot of man coverage just because we are down in numbers at receiver. They'll try to bring a lot of pressure, disguise some different things, and force you to make bad decisions, so we'll have a great plan like we always do going in. As long as we execute, we'll be okay.
On Coach Tony Franklin on the sideline in the second half: For me personally, it's not too big of a difference. We're going to have the same type of communication no matter what. He's a phenomenal leader—obviously he's a great coach—and he understands the pulse of the team and what we need to hear at the time. He got us jump-started in the second half, and it payed off for us.
On what MT will see differently from North Texas this season: Schematically it's tough to tell right now since it's early in the season. We had some success last year, but that doesn't mean much at all. They've grown up as a group with a new coaching staff. They changed their front a little bit. They'll bring some pressure sometimes and try to create some confusion. Last year they were a little simpler, so their complexity will be a little different this year.
On the mood of the team down 27-7 vs. LA Tech: We never lost belief. We know we're capable of scoring points very quickly. In the first half, that wasn't us. We didn't execute, but we didn't hang our heads. We had a big scoring drive, then the defense kept us in the game with some stops. It was a lot of fun to see that momentum keep building on the sidelines but also the whole atmosphere in the stands was pretty cool to see.
On talking to a receiver after a dropped pass: I tell them to keep their head up. I know these guys can make plays and they know they can make plays. I've seen them do it countless times. Bad plays are going to happen—they happen to us all. That's just part of the game. You have to have a short memory. It's my job to keep encouraging them, and those guys that had some drops ended up making big-time plays late in the game. That just shows they're mentally tough and the ability to overcome that and make a play.
LB DJ Sanders
On individuals stepping up on the defense: We were able to stop the run because our front dominated throughout the whole game, so we forced them to pass the ball more. We have a next-man-up mentality. We have faith in every linebacker that plays. I never doubted Chris Melton. I consider him to be a starter. I wasn't surprised when he had a great game.
On starting out the game strong: We need to come out focused more in the first half. At first we're a little too excited, and we need to calm down some and play our game.
On the last defensive series vs. LA Tech: We were confident in ourselves. We have those type scenarios against the offense in practice all the time, so we were used to that situation. We knew we had to get the done. The game was on our back. The offense did their job, so we knew we had to stop them.
On the defensive philosophy: We always say "Bend, but don't break," but we gave them a few explosive plays that shouldn't have happened. We'll get that fixed.
On preparing for North Texas's offense: We'll have to stop the run and eliminate explosive plays.
Opening Statement…
"I appreciate you guys being here. I'm not going to talk much about last week other than just congratulating our players and coaches again. It was a heck of a win. I'm proud of their effort and how they competed that game and beat a really good LA Tech team. Skip (Holtz) has a really good team down there, and they are going to win a bunch more games. We're really proud of our team and the effort they put forth to come back and win that game.
Moving on to North Texas this week, they are 2-2 now and in first place in the West, just like us. This will be a good matchup. They are coming off a big win on the road. They beat Rice, and they had a come-from-behind win, too. They were down 17-0 in the middle to the second quarter to force double-overtime and win that thing in the end. They are really balanced on offense. They have some good players. They moved a defensive back to wide receiver and it has given them some big-play opportunities in the passing game. They are doing a good job offensively. Defensively, it's a little bit of a different scheme than what they were last year. They are doing a good job. They are about the middle of the pack conference-wise in most statistical categories. They are very sound in the kicking game. They have taken great pride in playing at home over the years. This is going to be a great challenge for our guys going on the road and playing a night game at their stadium. We've got to prepare ourselves for that. I like where we are as a team right now from a mental standpoint. We have to approach this week like we did last week and prepare ourselves mentally to play another tough, physical conference game."
On the improvement of North Texas' defense…
"They are a little bit older defensively than they were last year when we played them. They are probably more of a three-man front, an odd-front this year. Looks like there is a lot of zone coverage, but that will probably change against us. Seems like people are playing us with a lot of man coverage this year because of where we are at from an injury standpoint. We'll make that adjustment when we get to the game on Saturday. They have good players. (Head coach) Seth (Littrell) has done a good job since he has been over there for the last eight or nine months. They're not giving up the big play as much as they did last year. They are a more mature team, I think, because of the age they have on their defense. They are well coached, and I think that probably is as much as anything also.
On getting a strategy in facing a first-year head coach after first four games…
"I think four games is enough. You evaluate the players and their schemes more than anything. You don't look at first-year head coach or anything like that. You evaluate what the players have put on tape, what their schemes are and what their philosophies are. It's about us. We have to go out and play. We're getting a little better each week and that's our goal this week. We won't worry about who is coaching them. We'll worry about the players.
On any plan to rush more against North Texas' 11th-ranked rush defense in the conference…
"No sir. We'll go in with a plan. We're not going to force anything. We'll do what we do and adjust that plan accordingly throughout the game based on what we are having success with or not having success with. We'll have a good plan offensively that our players can digest and understand, and they can go out and be successful executing that plan. We're not going to go in and say, 'Hey, they are giving up this many yards through the air, so we better throw it a bunch,' or, 'They are giving up this many yards on the ground, so we better run it a bunch.' We've got to do what we can execute based on our personality."
On resilience of the team with a comeback win against LA Tech…
"It speaks volumes. I've always said that character, attitude and competitiveness is more important to me than talent. There will be times you face adversity throughout a game, and you have to have strong character and great leadership in your players to overcome that adversity. We were faced with a lot of adversity Saturday getting down 27-7 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. To have the mental and physical toughness to keep competing play after play and score after score, it's why I said after that game it's as satisfying a win that I have ever been a part of because of the competitive spirit those guys played with throughout the game. It speaks volumes to their character, their attitude and their never-give-up spirit."
On teachable experience in coming from behind to win…
"I think it's always a sign of a really good team to have the ability to come from behind. It shows the character and discipline of your team to be able to do that. I think when you do have a come-from-behind win, especially in the fourth quarter when you're down seven with two-and-a half minutes left and you drive and score to go ahead by four, that breeds confidence in the defense to say 'If we can get a stop our offense can score.' Now the it's the same thing when you're up four points with two minutes left and your defense gets a stop. Now your offense says, 'We can score and know our defense can get us off the field.' I think it works hand-in-hand, and it breeds a lot of confidence in your team any time you can get a come-from-behind win."
On Patrick Smith stepping in due to injuries at wide receiver…
"I'm proud of him and it's a great opportunity. Anytime people get hurt, it's an opportunity for the next guy. Patrick was going to play regardless of these injuries. His role has just increased because of the people we have lost at wide receiver. Patrick had a good spring and a good summer. I'm proud of him because everyone in that locker room, ever since they were a little kid, their dream was to play college football. He's one of the 110 guys who gets to fulfill that dream of being able to play Division I college football, and having success doing it also means that much more for him. I'm happy for him because he is a good person and he has worked hard. I like people that have worked hard and do the right things. I'm always happy to see them have success and enjoy success."
On any surprise Mathers' contributions in both rushing and receiving…
"I'm not surprised, but I will say that I think I'Tavius' catchability has improved since he got here a year-and-a-half ago. He has worked really hard at it. He spent a lot of time catching balls. I think he has improved in that area. Just like I said about Patrick, I'm happy for him to enjoy the success he is having, especially it being his last year as a college football player. I think I'Tavius deserves a lot of credit on how hard he has worked since he got here to become a complete back. I think I'Tavius is a complete back. I think he is good with the ball in his hands, I think he is good in the passing game and I think he is good when the ball is not in his hands when we ask him to block. I've said it a bunch, but I'm proud really proud of I'Tavius."
On Ty Lee's touchdown grab symbolizing the team's effort in the comeback win…
"There were a lot of great, individual plays throughout the course of the second half on both sides of the ball. A lot of guys showed a lot of toughness in converting third downs, making stops, getting off the field defensively, continuing drives and making plays. Ty was one of those guys. I think two plays before that he dropped a ball. We had an over-route and he drops a ball, but again it just shows the mental toughness that two plays later he comes back and makes a special play. He gets a good ball and makes a good catch, and his run-after-catch was special. I think it did exemplify the effort it took to overcome that deficit."
On biggest takeaway of what needs to be improved…
"Offensively, we dropped way too many balls. They weren't hitches. We dropped three take-offs that are potentially scoring plays and potentially drive-extending plays. We dropped a couple of screens and Ty on the over-route. Offensively, we need to get better there and get more consistent. Defensively, our plan going in was to make them one-dimensional. We wanted to stop the run and we did. But you can't give up 500 yards passing to stop the run. We had a few mistakes on the back-end that we have to clean up and get better, and we will. I thought we were really good in the kicking game. I thought we punted good. I thought we covered really well. We made our kicks. I was really proud of the improvements we made in the kicking game. We've got to continue that, but offensively and defensively, I think those are two areas that stand out the most from Saturday's game."
QB Brent Stockstill:
On the development of I'Tavius Mathers: As a running back, when you take a year off and then try to get back into game mode, that's tough. The more times he carries it this year, the more he'll improve, which is showing right now. When he first got here, you could tell he wasn't very good at catching the football, but he's put in the work and it's paying off. He deserves all the success he's had.
On North Texas's defense: They're a good defense and it starts with the coaching. We'll probably see a lot of man coverage just because we are down in numbers at receiver. They'll try to bring a lot of pressure, disguise some different things, and force you to make bad decisions, so we'll have a great plan like we always do going in. As long as we execute, we'll be okay.
On Coach Tony Franklin on the sideline in the second half: For me personally, it's not too big of a difference. We're going to have the same type of communication no matter what. He's a phenomenal leader—obviously he's a great coach—and he understands the pulse of the team and what we need to hear at the time. He got us jump-started in the second half, and it payed off for us.
On what MT will see differently from North Texas this season: Schematically it's tough to tell right now since it's early in the season. We had some success last year, but that doesn't mean much at all. They've grown up as a group with a new coaching staff. They changed their front a little bit. They'll bring some pressure sometimes and try to create some confusion. Last year they were a little simpler, so their complexity will be a little different this year.
On the mood of the team down 27-7 vs. LA Tech: We never lost belief. We know we're capable of scoring points very quickly. In the first half, that wasn't us. We didn't execute, but we didn't hang our heads. We had a big scoring drive, then the defense kept us in the game with some stops. It was a lot of fun to see that momentum keep building on the sidelines but also the whole atmosphere in the stands was pretty cool to see.
On talking to a receiver after a dropped pass: I tell them to keep their head up. I know these guys can make plays and they know they can make plays. I've seen them do it countless times. Bad plays are going to happen—they happen to us all. That's just part of the game. You have to have a short memory. It's my job to keep encouraging them, and those guys that had some drops ended up making big-time plays late in the game. That just shows they're mentally tough and the ability to overcome that and make a play.
LB DJ Sanders
On individuals stepping up on the defense: We were able to stop the run because our front dominated throughout the whole game, so we forced them to pass the ball more. We have a next-man-up mentality. We have faith in every linebacker that plays. I never doubted Chris Melton. I consider him to be a starter. I wasn't surprised when he had a great game.
On starting out the game strong: We need to come out focused more in the first half. At first we're a little too excited, and we need to calm down some and play our game.
On the last defensive series vs. LA Tech: We were confident in ourselves. We have those type scenarios against the offense in practice all the time, so we were used to that situation. We knew we had to get the done. The game was on our back. The offense did their job, so we knew we had to stop them.
On the defensive philosophy: We always say "Bend, but don't break," but we gave them a few explosive plays that shouldn't have happened. We'll get that fixed.
On preparing for North Texas's offense: We'll have to stop the run and eliminate explosive plays.
Players Mentioned
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