Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT vs. WKU presser
11/13/2017 1:44:00 PM | Football
Kickoff is 7:02 PM Friday
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everybody being here. It's an exciting week, looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for us. We're playing a really good football team in Western Kentucky. They've got some really special and dynamic players on both sides of the ball. They're pretty high up there in all the conference rankings in offensive statistics, as well as defensive statistics. It's going to be an important game. We've got to have a great week of preparation, especially being on a short week coming off the Charlotte game. We've got to get going in a hurry, and we're looking forward to it."
On what the team can take from the first Friday game of the year heading into this week's matchup:
"It's a little bit different because it's an away game and the last one was at home. We've played just about every day of the week since I've been here. We've got a good schedule, a good plan. This one is later in the year compared to the Marshall game, so we've got to be a little bit more cognoscente about their bodies. I feel like we've got a good plan in place for this Western game this week."
On running back Brad Anderson's health status:
"We'll see. Obviously he couldn't go yesterday, so we're kind of day-by-day right now."
On who would be the backup running back if Anderson is out on Friday:
"That's a good question because two, three, four and five are hurt too. We'll probably look at Terelle (West) and Joc (Bruce), see how their doing."
On the health status of offensive linemen Robert Behanan and Lucas Hamilton:
"Again, it's day-by-day on those guys. Neither one of them we're able to practice yesterday."
On how Behanan being out changed the dynamic of the offensive line unit:
"I thought Josh (Fannin) came in and did a good job. His snaps we're pretty consistent. We had a couple penalties in the offensive line because of the cadence. His cadence varied. It took a couple times to get adjusted to that, but I thought Josh came in and held his own and did a nice job."
On facing WKU quarterback Mike White:
"He's a special player, he's really good. He can make all the throws, he's tough. He's played a lot of games, so he's a really good quarterback. He understands their offense and what they're trying to do. We've done a good job defensively in not giving up a lot of big explosive plays. With a team as explosive as Western Kentucky, you've really got to eliminate those explosion plays. He's really good, he's going to make his plays. We've just have to try and eliminate the explosion plays as much as we can."
On how encouraging it is to have two 30-plus point games in back-to-back weeks:
"Well I think it's good. Like I said last week, we got some juice back, we got some swagger back, we got some confidence back during that open date leading up to the UTEP game, and then carrying over to this past week. I think that anytime you win, obviously it breathes confidence. I just felt we like we did a really good job over the open date, we regained our swagger, regained some swagger that we might have lost there in those couple games before it."
On how close MT quarterback Brent Stockstill is to being back at full force:
"I thought he was full form when he came back. He missed a couple throws against UTEP, and then he played really well this past week. He'll continue to improve. Any competitor, any athlete, you always want to get better each week and that's what Brent will try to do this week."
On the '100 Miles of Hate' rivalry:
"That '100 Miles of Hate', I don't hate anybody. I don't hate their players, I don't hate their coaches. I have a lot of respect for their players. Mike White, (head coach) Mike Sanford, (Steve) Spurrier (Jr.) and those guys over there. I respect those coaches and I respect the players. I don't hate them. I understand the fans on the peripheral, the people on the outside. They're passionate. They may say they hate somebody. We as a coaching staff, we as a team, we respect everybody. This has been a really good rivalry since I've been here. Most of the games are close. We clobbered them one time here and they clobbered us one time up there. Most of the games have been relatively close. So they're a good football team and we've got to prepare to play a good team. Our players understand the importance of this game for a lot of different reasons, so I have no doubt we'll be excited and be ready to play this game."
On if there is anything behind the new goatee look:
"I think I told y'all why I did it. During the open date, I said 'I've got to change our luck around here and see if we can get something going'. So I shaved my head and grew (the beard). That was the only reason behind it though. Just trying to change our luck and it's worked the past two weeks."
On how much having Brent Stockstill back has meant to the team as they've tried to turn things around:
"Well you know, Brent's a big part of it obviously. Like I've said before, he gives our team a lot of confidence, not just our offensive team. His passion, his enthusiasm radiates throughout the whole team. That's part of it, but that's not the only part. We've played better, we've protected the ball better offensively, we've been able to run the ball better offensively. Defensively, we haven't given up the big plays that we gave up there at Marshall. We're getting pressure on the quarterback, we're getting off the field on third down. Our kicking game has been pretty good. We weren't very good against Charlotte but for the most part, our kicking game has been really good. I think it's just we're a more confident team in all three phases of our football team right now. Brent's apart of it, but he's not the only reason."
On how important it is to have seven wins as opposed to six when the regular season ends:
"You don't want to look ahead. We're just trying to get to six. Our main objective is trying to win this week and get our sixth win."
On how WKU's style has changed under first year head coach Mike Sanford:
"I don't think it's changed much. They're leading the conference in passing and all the passing statistics. They've done that the past couple of years. So offensively, they haven't changed a whole lot. Defensively, again, I think they led the conference in total defense last year and they're right up there, one, two and three in most of the categories this year. To me, it's the same team schematic wise, philosophical-wise that they've had the past few years. This is a really good football team that's had a couple close losses and have beat some good people."
On how important it'll be to get running back Tavares Thomas going early against WKU:
"It's going to be important to be able to run the ball no matter who you play. I said it a few weeks ago, as it gets to November, when it starts getting colder, you've got to be able to control the ball, control the clock and being able to run the ball. We've been able to do that the last two weeks pretty efficiently. So we're still going to come out, we're still going to study our game plan, have a good plan this week. We may come out and throw it every down or we may come out and run it every down; we'll see what gives us the best chance to win. But being able to run the ball is going to be critical for both teams in this game."
On going up against a tough pass defense:
"We've got to make plays. I told our receivers yesterday, we caught all the balls that when we were open. But when somebody got a little bit close to us, we put the ball on the ground. You've got to make a play. You know first play of the game, when we got a post in there, we dropped that. We dropped another post going into the third quarter, a couple plays on their sideline. So we've got to make some plays in the passing game. We've got to make some contested catches in the passing game. Right now, we haven't done that the last couple of weeks and that's what we've got to start doing, that'll help us."
Safety Jovante Moffatt
On stopping WKU's passing attack:
"Just get to the quarterback, we know they have a good receiving corps. So just getting hits on the quarterback will be big. We know he's pretty good, too. So that'll be the main focus going into the game."
On WKU's success in offense despite being 'one-dimensional':
"The receivers continue to get open, from what I've seen on film. We know we have to get pressure. They'll have different blocking schemes, so their stopping a lot of pressure coming from different angles. So we are just going to have to get to the quarterback and do what we can."
On learning from last year's shootout:
"Personally I just feel like staying poised is a big thing. Going into last year, it was my first game playing against them, so it's really hyped up. So just staying poised and mentally being ready from an all-around standpoint."
On Friday night preparations:
"Yeah the preparation is definitely different. You have a shorter week, getting ready for the game. So I just feel like being focused, really. Being focused and staying mentally ready."
On the difference of the team with Brent Stockstill back in the fold:
"Yeah having Brent out there is a big difference. We are a lot more confident team when he's playing. So we believe in him and we hope that he continues doing what he's doing. It helps the defense a lot. When he's out there we think he's going to score every time. We have no doubts in him."
On the new-look Rick Stockstill:
"We like it a lot. We enjoy it. It's a different style. He switched it up on us and it's a new start, new look."
On if he believes in superstition:
"Yeah I do actually. I wear my socks on different feet, left-to-right and right-to-left. So I switched that up. I've been doing it since high school."
On campus vibe during Western week:
"Yeah, (the students) are definitely aware. They always do a blood-drive week, and that always brings a lot of attention to it. The students are definitely aware and are going to be locked in for the game."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everybody being here. It's an exciting week, looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for us. We're playing a really good football team in Western Kentucky. They've got some really special and dynamic players on both sides of the ball. They're pretty high up there in all the conference rankings in offensive statistics, as well as defensive statistics. It's going to be an important game. We've got to have a great week of preparation, especially being on a short week coming off the Charlotte game. We've got to get going in a hurry, and we're looking forward to it."
On what the team can take from the first Friday game of the year heading into this week's matchup:
"It's a little bit different because it's an away game and the last one was at home. We've played just about every day of the week since I've been here. We've got a good schedule, a good plan. This one is later in the year compared to the Marshall game, so we've got to be a little bit more cognoscente about their bodies. I feel like we've got a good plan in place for this Western game this week."
On running back Brad Anderson's health status:
"We'll see. Obviously he couldn't go yesterday, so we're kind of day-by-day right now."
On who would be the backup running back if Anderson is out on Friday:
"That's a good question because two, three, four and five are hurt too. We'll probably look at Terelle (West) and Joc (Bruce), see how their doing."
On the health status of offensive linemen Robert Behanan and Lucas Hamilton:
"Again, it's day-by-day on those guys. Neither one of them we're able to practice yesterday."
On how Behanan being out changed the dynamic of the offensive line unit:
"I thought Josh (Fannin) came in and did a good job. His snaps we're pretty consistent. We had a couple penalties in the offensive line because of the cadence. His cadence varied. It took a couple times to get adjusted to that, but I thought Josh came in and held his own and did a nice job."
On facing WKU quarterback Mike White:
"He's a special player, he's really good. He can make all the throws, he's tough. He's played a lot of games, so he's a really good quarterback. He understands their offense and what they're trying to do. We've done a good job defensively in not giving up a lot of big explosive plays. With a team as explosive as Western Kentucky, you've really got to eliminate those explosion plays. He's really good, he's going to make his plays. We've just have to try and eliminate the explosion plays as much as we can."
On how encouraging it is to have two 30-plus point games in back-to-back weeks:
"Well I think it's good. Like I said last week, we got some juice back, we got some swagger back, we got some confidence back during that open date leading up to the UTEP game, and then carrying over to this past week. I think that anytime you win, obviously it breathes confidence. I just felt we like we did a really good job over the open date, we regained our swagger, regained some swagger that we might have lost there in those couple games before it."
On how close MT quarterback Brent Stockstill is to being back at full force:
"I thought he was full form when he came back. He missed a couple throws against UTEP, and then he played really well this past week. He'll continue to improve. Any competitor, any athlete, you always want to get better each week and that's what Brent will try to do this week."
On the '100 Miles of Hate' rivalry:
"That '100 Miles of Hate', I don't hate anybody. I don't hate their players, I don't hate their coaches. I have a lot of respect for their players. Mike White, (head coach) Mike Sanford, (Steve) Spurrier (Jr.) and those guys over there. I respect those coaches and I respect the players. I don't hate them. I understand the fans on the peripheral, the people on the outside. They're passionate. They may say they hate somebody. We as a coaching staff, we as a team, we respect everybody. This has been a really good rivalry since I've been here. Most of the games are close. We clobbered them one time here and they clobbered us one time up there. Most of the games have been relatively close. So they're a good football team and we've got to prepare to play a good team. Our players understand the importance of this game for a lot of different reasons, so I have no doubt we'll be excited and be ready to play this game."
On if there is anything behind the new goatee look:
"I think I told y'all why I did it. During the open date, I said 'I've got to change our luck around here and see if we can get something going'. So I shaved my head and grew (the beard). That was the only reason behind it though. Just trying to change our luck and it's worked the past two weeks."
On how much having Brent Stockstill back has meant to the team as they've tried to turn things around:
"Well you know, Brent's a big part of it obviously. Like I've said before, he gives our team a lot of confidence, not just our offensive team. His passion, his enthusiasm radiates throughout the whole team. That's part of it, but that's not the only part. We've played better, we've protected the ball better offensively, we've been able to run the ball better offensively. Defensively, we haven't given up the big plays that we gave up there at Marshall. We're getting pressure on the quarterback, we're getting off the field on third down. Our kicking game has been pretty good. We weren't very good against Charlotte but for the most part, our kicking game has been really good. I think it's just we're a more confident team in all three phases of our football team right now. Brent's apart of it, but he's not the only reason."
On how important it is to have seven wins as opposed to six when the regular season ends:
"You don't want to look ahead. We're just trying to get to six. Our main objective is trying to win this week and get our sixth win."
On how WKU's style has changed under first year head coach Mike Sanford:
"I don't think it's changed much. They're leading the conference in passing and all the passing statistics. They've done that the past couple of years. So offensively, they haven't changed a whole lot. Defensively, again, I think they led the conference in total defense last year and they're right up there, one, two and three in most of the categories this year. To me, it's the same team schematic wise, philosophical-wise that they've had the past few years. This is a really good football team that's had a couple close losses and have beat some good people."
On how important it'll be to get running back Tavares Thomas going early against WKU:
"It's going to be important to be able to run the ball no matter who you play. I said it a few weeks ago, as it gets to November, when it starts getting colder, you've got to be able to control the ball, control the clock and being able to run the ball. We've been able to do that the last two weeks pretty efficiently. So we're still going to come out, we're still going to study our game plan, have a good plan this week. We may come out and throw it every down or we may come out and run it every down; we'll see what gives us the best chance to win. But being able to run the ball is going to be critical for both teams in this game."
On going up against a tough pass defense:
"We've got to make plays. I told our receivers yesterday, we caught all the balls that when we were open. But when somebody got a little bit close to us, we put the ball on the ground. You've got to make a play. You know first play of the game, when we got a post in there, we dropped that. We dropped another post going into the third quarter, a couple plays on their sideline. So we've got to make some plays in the passing game. We've got to make some contested catches in the passing game. Right now, we haven't done that the last couple of weeks and that's what we've got to start doing, that'll help us."
Safety Jovante Moffatt
On stopping WKU's passing attack:
"Just get to the quarterback, we know they have a good receiving corps. So just getting hits on the quarterback will be big. We know he's pretty good, too. So that'll be the main focus going into the game."
On WKU's success in offense despite being 'one-dimensional':
"The receivers continue to get open, from what I've seen on film. We know we have to get pressure. They'll have different blocking schemes, so their stopping a lot of pressure coming from different angles. So we are just going to have to get to the quarterback and do what we can."
On learning from last year's shootout:
"Personally I just feel like staying poised is a big thing. Going into last year, it was my first game playing against them, so it's really hyped up. So just staying poised and mentally being ready from an all-around standpoint."
On Friday night preparations:
"Yeah the preparation is definitely different. You have a shorter week, getting ready for the game. So I just feel like being focused, really. Being focused and staying mentally ready."
On the difference of the team with Brent Stockstill back in the fold:
"Yeah having Brent out there is a big difference. We are a lot more confident team when he's playing. So we believe in him and we hope that he continues doing what he's doing. It helps the defense a lot. When he's out there we think he's going to score every time. We have no doubts in him."
On the new-look Rick Stockstill:
"We like it a lot. We enjoy it. It's a different style. He switched it up on us and it's a new start, new look."
On if he believes in superstition:
"Yeah I do actually. I wear my socks on different feet, left-to-right and right-to-left. So I switched that up. I've been doing it since high school."
On campus vibe during Western week:
"Yeah, (the students) are definitely aware. They always do a blood-drive week, and that always brings a lot of attention to it. The students are definitely aware and are going to be locked in for the game."
Players Mentioned
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