Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT vs. Minnesota presser
9/11/2017 1:27:00 PM | Football
Kickoff is 2:30 PM
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everybody being here. I would like to say I was really proud of our team and how we responded to Syracuse. I told them last week how much I believed in them. I said 'you got beat by a good team, but we're a good team also'. I said 'ignore the noise, what everybody is saying; and that's what we're going to have to do this week. Last week, nobody gave you two cents and now everybody wants to give you a quarter. So we've got to ignore that and prepare to focus on a really good Minnesota team. They're 2-0, as you guys knows. They're coming off of a nine-win season from last year. It's a really good football team. They're really balanced on offense, probably a little bit heavier run game than pass. I believe they're averaging 211 yards rushing a game, and a 198 or 199 passing. So it's a relatively good balanced offensive football team. Defensively, they're only giving up 243 yards a game and holding opponents to 65 yards a game rushing. So it's a really good football team. They're really sound in the kicking game also. The thing that really stands out to me is that they're almost doubling up their opponents on time of possession. They're averaging 37 and a half minutes keeping the ball, with their opponents just 22 and a half. We've got to do a really good job of converting third downs and staying on the field. And then defensively, getting off the field as much as we can. They're really big on both sides of the ball. I expect them to come in and try to impose their will from a running game standpoint, trying to run the ball on us as much as they can. It's a really good football team that we're playing here this week."
On the health of Brent Stockstill:
"He got an MRI yesterday and we're still waiting on the results of that. It's too early to tell at this point. He's wired different. It's only Monday so we don't practice today. We'll wait and see once we get those reports back hopefully this afternoon."
On what play Brent was injured:
"It was during the second half. Probably early in the fourth quarter, he ran the ball and got tackled. The ball was done and their big defensive linemen runs and jumps and lands on the top of him."
On how valuable it is to have Brent on the field as a runner:
"He's done a really great job for us. He had a couple nine, 10-yard runs and 20-yard run the other day. As ineffective as we've been running the ball here early this season, we need everybody we can to contribute. He's done a really nice job from that standpoint."
On giving more carries to Shane Tucker out of the backfield:
"Not right now. Shane can probably help us more at wide receiver than he can at running back."
On how Ty Lee has done transitioning to running back:
"It was his first game back there. I thought he did a nice job. You can see we moved him around, he was a receiver some and motioned him in out of the backfield. We got him involved in the passing game. I think he'll only get better as he sees more live reps."
On if the offensive line can replicate their performance from this past week:
"I have no doubt that they will. Of the seven, there's three new guys up there that have basically never played college football on the offensive line. There's a learning curve. It doesn't matter if you're a fifth-year senior, like two of them are. But they still never played. Until you get out there and start playing, especially the caliber of people we've had to play against in the first three weeks, you get exposed a little bit earlier than you would like. But I've got confidence in those guys that they'll continue to improve and get better."
On how important it is to have the defense ready for a run-first offense in Minnesota:
"The run is what they're going to lean on. They are going to try and overpower you. Vanderbilt, I would have assumed that they wanted to run it a little bit better than what they did. We did a good job of shutting those guys down for the most part in the run game. It is going to be important. There's only so much you can do from a physicality standpoint in practice right now, because you can't take a chance on getting people hurt. But we've got to be physical this game. It'll be similar to last week from a toughness standpoint. We've got to try and outnumber them in the box to maybe force them to throw the ball, and when they do that, we've got to match up on the back end. We did a nice job of that last week against Syracuse in our 1-on-1 matchups. When were in man coverage, we contested a lot of balls. I thought we played really well in the backend there. If that can carry over this week, that will help us with our ability to stop the running game."
On if it's tougher to ignore the noise from last week or this week:
"Probably this week because I really believe you can coach harder and that you can get on them a little bit more after a win than you can after a loss. After a loss, you try to build their confidence back up and their moral back up, motivating them to play good this week. It's easier to knock them back down to earth than it is to get them back up. So I think this week will be easier."
On the team's and Brent's toughness down the stretch against Syracuse:
"I told our team Friday night, and Saturday before we went out, that they key to the game was going to be playing with relentless effort and phenomenal toughness. That was physical toughness and mental toughness also. I thought our team displayed that. When you go on the road for the first time, when you go to a dome for the first time for a lot of those guys; how loud it was in there. Not many of your fans are there, it's mostly there's. And that's what I thought won the game, our toughness, our effort. When you look at it, how competed every snap and how relentless we were in all three phases of the game. I thought our toughness was really on display that game. I've always believed this: that if your quarterback is not tough, your team is usually not tough. That's the one position that everybody sees. You can look at an offensive lineman and might not be able to see him completely in there. But you can see a quarterback. Not only with the physical toughness, but with the mental toughness to overcome our adversity, to overcome our bad play. You know that's always on display. You think about it, you're the only player on the field that stands up there nine yards back from the line of scrimmage, you're there all by yourself standing straight up and down. Here comes a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman and he's coming into you to knock your teeth out and you've got got to stay in there; you've got to have the toughness, the poise to stay in there and make the throw and get hit. You get the stew knocked out of you and then get back up and do it again. That's the only position on the field that does that. On offense, you're blocking. As a runner, you've got the ball and can protect yourself. As a quarterback, you're exposed. That's why I think the toughness it takes to play that position is more critical than any position on the field. And I thought Brent displayed that. He's done it all his life, but that game especially in the second half, after he got hurt, to do what he did was pretty incredible. I think it rallied our team and our offense behind him. I think our toughness, not only what he showed but what the team showed, was pretty special."
On having played against Minnesota Head Coach P.J. Fleck in the 2015 Bahamas Bowl
"It's two different teams. A good coach is going to adjust his philosophy to his personnel. I'm sure he did some things at Western Michigan that he's not doing at Minnesota because he's got different personnel. He's probably doing some things he did at Minnesota that he didn't do at Western, so I don't think it will have any bearing whatsoever on the game."
On how new players such as Reed Blankenship and Walter Brady have contributed thus far:
"I think Reed has done a really good job. He played some snaps against Vanderbilt. Probably got in 25-30 snaps. He did a nice job this past week in the starting position for us this past week against Syracuse. He's done a really nice job. He's on all of our special teams. He's a smart football player, he's a good tackler, he understands the game. And to be doing what he's doing as a true freshman in the second game is pretty impressive. He came up with that huge interception there at the end, so he's done a nice job. Walter is a good football player who is getting back into the flow. I say it all the time, but anytime you don't play for a year, it takes you a little time to get in it. He played well the first week and did a nice job last week when he was in there. He's a good football player. Both of those guys are good football players and will continue to get better."
On preventing the big pass plays from a run-first team:
"To me, it goes back to being disciplined with your eyes, doing what you're coached to do. Whether you're in man coverage, zone coverage, whatever you're supposed you be doing, do your job. Do what your responsibilities are and understand the situation in the game when they run, run, run and here comes a play-action deep ball. You've just got be disciplined in your keys, be disciplined in your eyes in what you see and execute the defense that's called."
Quarterback Brent Stockstill
On his health:
"I'm doing good. I got a little banged up, but it's part of the game and part of the position but after a win everything is a little sweeter so I'm not too worried about it. I'm just a little sore but I'll be alright."
On dealing with injury during the game:
"I don't really feel much pain during the game. I think my adrenaline just flows and it might cover up anything that I might be feeling. Obviously I knew something kind of didn't feel right but you just keep pushing forward and focus on the task at hand and that's what I did."
On the injury having any impediment on performance:
"No I don't think so like I said I didn't play great in the first half and after that happened I played pretty well so maybe we need stuff like that to happen more often."
On the win building the team brand:
"I think it helps. These are the games you have to win to put the program on the map. Obviously it's a sweet win but I think we're expecting these kind of games. We've done it before with Missouri last year and now Syracuse and it's sweet so we'll enjoy it. But that's our standard here, we want to win those big time Power-5 games and that's what we have to do to put our program on the map. Like coach Kermit Davis says we want to create a national brand here and that's what we're trying to do."
On trying to get healthy for Minnesota:
"It's been about living in the training room. I've been doing whatever I've been told to do and trying to get my body healthy. Just trying to get ready to go tomorrow to see if I can get back out there and see how practice goes."
On confidence of putting up 30 against SU:
"It's still not good enough. That's not our standard as an offense. We want to be a lot better than that and we have been in the past. Just have to continue to figure things out. I have to play better at my position, it starts with me but I thought we got a lot better everywhere else on the field. I thought the offensive line played a lot better in the second half, really set the tone and they played physical against a really good defense. I thought Ty Lee also did a really good job at running back and the receivers are making plays like always. It was good to finish strong in the second half but we have to carry it over and start faster and be more consistent in moving the ball and scoring touchdowns."
On spreading the ball around:
"I think the game plan every week is getting the ball to your best players. I think whether or not you can do that, well you just have to wait and find out. We were able to get it to (Richie James) at Vanderbilt but they did a great job of bottling him up and at Syracuse they doubled him a lot, playing with a safety over the top and then they were playing tough, we couldn't really throw screens to him. So we had to spread it around and that's what we do, we've got people that I trust and Coach Franklin trusts to make plays when they get the ball in their hands and that's what we were able to do and we had some success doing it."
On playing consistent through four quarters:
"At the tempo we play at, you have to get first downs. If you can't get the first downs and get the tempo going and get the defense tired a little bit then we aren't going to be successful. But that's not how we play offense. I think in the second half we got some rhythm going and got the first down and that's what it starts with and that's what we need to do going into this week. We were terrible on third down, in order to be successful we have to convert on third down and that's what we'll focus on this week."
On if it's tougher to ignore noise after a win or loss:
"I think it's tougher this week, with the group of guys, men, after a loss it's easier to look yourself in the mirror, you just have to put your head down and go to work because there's no other option. Now, I think we're still very mature and we will ignore the noise either way but this week you have people patting you on the back and saying you did a great job. Now we have to be mature, and we just have to have the same work ethic that we do every week."
On how they can get better on third down:
"It's just execution. I think last year, we were pretty high in the country on third down (conversions) so we know we can do it. We don't do anything different, we just have to run our plays and execute them to the best of our ability. We just haven't been great, that's all it comes down to is the fundamentals and execution and doing what coach tells you to do. I think also we have to be better on first down to be successful on third down, I think we've been getting behind the chains and getting into some third and longs which is tough when you play really good defenses like we have been. That's going to be a point of emphasis is being better on first down so we can be better on third down."
On protecting the football against Minnesota:
"That's what they do, they create a lot of turnovers and it starts with myself. I feel like I haven't played up to my capability and I've made some dumb decisions and that's something I can fix in practice. I have to do a great job in practice of being perfect and making perfect decisions and hopefully that'll carry over to the game. At all positions I think we've done a good job of taking care of the ball and doing our fundamentals and that's something we're going to have to do against a really good team."
On coach Shafer's reaction to receiving the game ball:
"That was awesome. He didn't talk about it too much (before the game) and he didn't want any extra attention but all week long the guys in the locker room were telling him that we wanted to get it done for him and when official gave me the ball I knew I wanted to give it to him because he deserved it. You could see it in his eye how much it meant to him. Just to see him in the locker room with that big smile in his face, with me being around this profession, I know how it works and I know what it's like for a coach with job security, but for him to go back to the place where he spent a couple of years and get a win I know that was amazing for him and I'm glad we got to share it with him."
On the momentum shift from week one to week two:
"That's big for us. When you're at the bottom like we were after week one you have no choice but to rise up and get the job done and that's what we did. I think our defense is really good and that's really helping our offense by giving us a chance and staying in games. But we have to do our job on offense to get better and carry the momentum that we created in the second half (of Syracuse) into this game and hopefully our defense will keep playing the way they are."
Safety Jovante Moffatt:
On the linebacker play carrying over to Minnesota:
"They're really big on the run kind of like Vandy so the emphasis for us is going to be stopping the run and slowing them down. It's pretty huge for the linebackers to get into the backfield and making big plays along the way."
On improvements last week:
"I still feel like we have a lot of work to do. We're steady progressing as the weeks go by and just doing what Coach Shafer asks us to do, going by the plan and sticking with it."
On confidence level compared to last year:
"It's a big difference, I feel the shift. Guys are a lot more energized and (this year) we bring a lot more pressure (to the quarterback) so that's a lot more exciting. It's just a different flow of the defense and I feel like we all like the way it's going and we really enjoy it."
On how it feels to hold Syracuse's offense:
"It's a big confidence booster. I still feel like there were a lot of things we could have done better but in the long run we did what we were supposed to do and helped our offense win the game."
On limiting Minnesota's big play ability:
"I feel like it's going to be big on the back end this week not falling asleep. They're going to run, run, run and then try and sneak a long pass in there somehow. So I feel like it's going to be about keeping your eyes, staying consistent and just not getting carried away with the action of the game."
On ignoring the noise from media:
"Just keep doing what we're doing and staying consistent. Just keeping our heads on, I feel like we have a lot of good guys in the locker room that can help us throughout the way by staying focused."
On Reed Blankenship's performance:
"Yeah it's pretty good, he's like the little brother out of the safeties. But he's definitely growing and I like having him back there with me. He's a good communicator and I like him a lot."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everybody being here. I would like to say I was really proud of our team and how we responded to Syracuse. I told them last week how much I believed in them. I said 'you got beat by a good team, but we're a good team also'. I said 'ignore the noise, what everybody is saying; and that's what we're going to have to do this week. Last week, nobody gave you two cents and now everybody wants to give you a quarter. So we've got to ignore that and prepare to focus on a really good Minnesota team. They're 2-0, as you guys knows. They're coming off of a nine-win season from last year. It's a really good football team. They're really balanced on offense, probably a little bit heavier run game than pass. I believe they're averaging 211 yards rushing a game, and a 198 or 199 passing. So it's a relatively good balanced offensive football team. Defensively, they're only giving up 243 yards a game and holding opponents to 65 yards a game rushing. So it's a really good football team. They're really sound in the kicking game also. The thing that really stands out to me is that they're almost doubling up their opponents on time of possession. They're averaging 37 and a half minutes keeping the ball, with their opponents just 22 and a half. We've got to do a really good job of converting third downs and staying on the field. And then defensively, getting off the field as much as we can. They're really big on both sides of the ball. I expect them to come in and try to impose their will from a running game standpoint, trying to run the ball on us as much as they can. It's a really good football team that we're playing here this week."
On the health of Brent Stockstill:
"He got an MRI yesterday and we're still waiting on the results of that. It's too early to tell at this point. He's wired different. It's only Monday so we don't practice today. We'll wait and see once we get those reports back hopefully this afternoon."
On what play Brent was injured:
"It was during the second half. Probably early in the fourth quarter, he ran the ball and got tackled. The ball was done and their big defensive linemen runs and jumps and lands on the top of him."
On how valuable it is to have Brent on the field as a runner:
"He's done a really great job for us. He had a couple nine, 10-yard runs and 20-yard run the other day. As ineffective as we've been running the ball here early this season, we need everybody we can to contribute. He's done a really nice job from that standpoint."
On giving more carries to Shane Tucker out of the backfield:
"Not right now. Shane can probably help us more at wide receiver than he can at running back."
On how Ty Lee has done transitioning to running back:
"It was his first game back there. I thought he did a nice job. You can see we moved him around, he was a receiver some and motioned him in out of the backfield. We got him involved in the passing game. I think he'll only get better as he sees more live reps."
On if the offensive line can replicate their performance from this past week:
"I have no doubt that they will. Of the seven, there's three new guys up there that have basically never played college football on the offensive line. There's a learning curve. It doesn't matter if you're a fifth-year senior, like two of them are. But they still never played. Until you get out there and start playing, especially the caliber of people we've had to play against in the first three weeks, you get exposed a little bit earlier than you would like. But I've got confidence in those guys that they'll continue to improve and get better."
On how important it is to have the defense ready for a run-first offense in Minnesota:
"The run is what they're going to lean on. They are going to try and overpower you. Vanderbilt, I would have assumed that they wanted to run it a little bit better than what they did. We did a good job of shutting those guys down for the most part in the run game. It is going to be important. There's only so much you can do from a physicality standpoint in practice right now, because you can't take a chance on getting people hurt. But we've got to be physical this game. It'll be similar to last week from a toughness standpoint. We've got to try and outnumber them in the box to maybe force them to throw the ball, and when they do that, we've got to match up on the back end. We did a nice job of that last week against Syracuse in our 1-on-1 matchups. When were in man coverage, we contested a lot of balls. I thought we played really well in the backend there. If that can carry over this week, that will help us with our ability to stop the running game."
On if it's tougher to ignore the noise from last week or this week:
"Probably this week because I really believe you can coach harder and that you can get on them a little bit more after a win than you can after a loss. After a loss, you try to build their confidence back up and their moral back up, motivating them to play good this week. It's easier to knock them back down to earth than it is to get them back up. So I think this week will be easier."
On the team's and Brent's toughness down the stretch against Syracuse:
"I told our team Friday night, and Saturday before we went out, that they key to the game was going to be playing with relentless effort and phenomenal toughness. That was physical toughness and mental toughness also. I thought our team displayed that. When you go on the road for the first time, when you go to a dome for the first time for a lot of those guys; how loud it was in there. Not many of your fans are there, it's mostly there's. And that's what I thought won the game, our toughness, our effort. When you look at it, how competed every snap and how relentless we were in all three phases of the game. I thought our toughness was really on display that game. I've always believed this: that if your quarterback is not tough, your team is usually not tough. That's the one position that everybody sees. You can look at an offensive lineman and might not be able to see him completely in there. But you can see a quarterback. Not only with the physical toughness, but with the mental toughness to overcome our adversity, to overcome our bad play. You know that's always on display. You think about it, you're the only player on the field that stands up there nine yards back from the line of scrimmage, you're there all by yourself standing straight up and down. Here comes a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman and he's coming into you to knock your teeth out and you've got got to stay in there; you've got to have the toughness, the poise to stay in there and make the throw and get hit. You get the stew knocked out of you and then get back up and do it again. That's the only position on the field that does that. On offense, you're blocking. As a runner, you've got the ball and can protect yourself. As a quarterback, you're exposed. That's why I think the toughness it takes to play that position is more critical than any position on the field. And I thought Brent displayed that. He's done it all his life, but that game especially in the second half, after he got hurt, to do what he did was pretty incredible. I think it rallied our team and our offense behind him. I think our toughness, not only what he showed but what the team showed, was pretty special."
On having played against Minnesota Head Coach P.J. Fleck in the 2015 Bahamas Bowl
"It's two different teams. A good coach is going to adjust his philosophy to his personnel. I'm sure he did some things at Western Michigan that he's not doing at Minnesota because he's got different personnel. He's probably doing some things he did at Minnesota that he didn't do at Western, so I don't think it will have any bearing whatsoever on the game."
On how new players such as Reed Blankenship and Walter Brady have contributed thus far:
"I think Reed has done a really good job. He played some snaps against Vanderbilt. Probably got in 25-30 snaps. He did a nice job this past week in the starting position for us this past week against Syracuse. He's done a really nice job. He's on all of our special teams. He's a smart football player, he's a good tackler, he understands the game. And to be doing what he's doing as a true freshman in the second game is pretty impressive. He came up with that huge interception there at the end, so he's done a nice job. Walter is a good football player who is getting back into the flow. I say it all the time, but anytime you don't play for a year, it takes you a little time to get in it. He played well the first week and did a nice job last week when he was in there. He's a good football player. Both of those guys are good football players and will continue to get better."
On preventing the big pass plays from a run-first team:
"To me, it goes back to being disciplined with your eyes, doing what you're coached to do. Whether you're in man coverage, zone coverage, whatever you're supposed you be doing, do your job. Do what your responsibilities are and understand the situation in the game when they run, run, run and here comes a play-action deep ball. You've just got be disciplined in your keys, be disciplined in your eyes in what you see and execute the defense that's called."
Quarterback Brent Stockstill
On his health:
"I'm doing good. I got a little banged up, but it's part of the game and part of the position but after a win everything is a little sweeter so I'm not too worried about it. I'm just a little sore but I'll be alright."
On dealing with injury during the game:
"I don't really feel much pain during the game. I think my adrenaline just flows and it might cover up anything that I might be feeling. Obviously I knew something kind of didn't feel right but you just keep pushing forward and focus on the task at hand and that's what I did."
On the injury having any impediment on performance:
"No I don't think so like I said I didn't play great in the first half and after that happened I played pretty well so maybe we need stuff like that to happen more often."
On the win building the team brand:
"I think it helps. These are the games you have to win to put the program on the map. Obviously it's a sweet win but I think we're expecting these kind of games. We've done it before with Missouri last year and now Syracuse and it's sweet so we'll enjoy it. But that's our standard here, we want to win those big time Power-5 games and that's what we have to do to put our program on the map. Like coach Kermit Davis says we want to create a national brand here and that's what we're trying to do."
On trying to get healthy for Minnesota:
"It's been about living in the training room. I've been doing whatever I've been told to do and trying to get my body healthy. Just trying to get ready to go tomorrow to see if I can get back out there and see how practice goes."
On confidence of putting up 30 against SU:
"It's still not good enough. That's not our standard as an offense. We want to be a lot better than that and we have been in the past. Just have to continue to figure things out. I have to play better at my position, it starts with me but I thought we got a lot better everywhere else on the field. I thought the offensive line played a lot better in the second half, really set the tone and they played physical against a really good defense. I thought Ty Lee also did a really good job at running back and the receivers are making plays like always. It was good to finish strong in the second half but we have to carry it over and start faster and be more consistent in moving the ball and scoring touchdowns."
On spreading the ball around:
"I think the game plan every week is getting the ball to your best players. I think whether or not you can do that, well you just have to wait and find out. We were able to get it to (Richie James) at Vanderbilt but they did a great job of bottling him up and at Syracuse they doubled him a lot, playing with a safety over the top and then they were playing tough, we couldn't really throw screens to him. So we had to spread it around and that's what we do, we've got people that I trust and Coach Franklin trusts to make plays when they get the ball in their hands and that's what we were able to do and we had some success doing it."
On playing consistent through four quarters:
"At the tempo we play at, you have to get first downs. If you can't get the first downs and get the tempo going and get the defense tired a little bit then we aren't going to be successful. But that's not how we play offense. I think in the second half we got some rhythm going and got the first down and that's what it starts with and that's what we need to do going into this week. We were terrible on third down, in order to be successful we have to convert on third down and that's what we'll focus on this week."
On if it's tougher to ignore noise after a win or loss:
"I think it's tougher this week, with the group of guys, men, after a loss it's easier to look yourself in the mirror, you just have to put your head down and go to work because there's no other option. Now, I think we're still very mature and we will ignore the noise either way but this week you have people patting you on the back and saying you did a great job. Now we have to be mature, and we just have to have the same work ethic that we do every week."
On how they can get better on third down:
"It's just execution. I think last year, we were pretty high in the country on third down (conversions) so we know we can do it. We don't do anything different, we just have to run our plays and execute them to the best of our ability. We just haven't been great, that's all it comes down to is the fundamentals and execution and doing what coach tells you to do. I think also we have to be better on first down to be successful on third down, I think we've been getting behind the chains and getting into some third and longs which is tough when you play really good defenses like we have been. That's going to be a point of emphasis is being better on first down so we can be better on third down."
On protecting the football against Minnesota:
"That's what they do, they create a lot of turnovers and it starts with myself. I feel like I haven't played up to my capability and I've made some dumb decisions and that's something I can fix in practice. I have to do a great job in practice of being perfect and making perfect decisions and hopefully that'll carry over to the game. At all positions I think we've done a good job of taking care of the ball and doing our fundamentals and that's something we're going to have to do against a really good team."
On coach Shafer's reaction to receiving the game ball:
"That was awesome. He didn't talk about it too much (before the game) and he didn't want any extra attention but all week long the guys in the locker room were telling him that we wanted to get it done for him and when official gave me the ball I knew I wanted to give it to him because he deserved it. You could see it in his eye how much it meant to him. Just to see him in the locker room with that big smile in his face, with me being around this profession, I know how it works and I know what it's like for a coach with job security, but for him to go back to the place where he spent a couple of years and get a win I know that was amazing for him and I'm glad we got to share it with him."
On the momentum shift from week one to week two:
"That's big for us. When you're at the bottom like we were after week one you have no choice but to rise up and get the job done and that's what we did. I think our defense is really good and that's really helping our offense by giving us a chance and staying in games. But we have to do our job on offense to get better and carry the momentum that we created in the second half (of Syracuse) into this game and hopefully our defense will keep playing the way they are."
Safety Jovante Moffatt:
On the linebacker play carrying over to Minnesota:
"They're really big on the run kind of like Vandy so the emphasis for us is going to be stopping the run and slowing them down. It's pretty huge for the linebackers to get into the backfield and making big plays along the way."
On improvements last week:
"I still feel like we have a lot of work to do. We're steady progressing as the weeks go by and just doing what Coach Shafer asks us to do, going by the plan and sticking with it."
On confidence level compared to last year:
"It's a big difference, I feel the shift. Guys are a lot more energized and (this year) we bring a lot more pressure (to the quarterback) so that's a lot more exciting. It's just a different flow of the defense and I feel like we all like the way it's going and we really enjoy it."
On how it feels to hold Syracuse's offense:
"It's a big confidence booster. I still feel like there were a lot of things we could have done better but in the long run we did what we were supposed to do and helped our offense win the game."
On limiting Minnesota's big play ability:
"I feel like it's going to be big on the back end this week not falling asleep. They're going to run, run, run and then try and sneak a long pass in there somehow. So I feel like it's going to be about keeping your eyes, staying consistent and just not getting carried away with the action of the game."
On ignoring the noise from media:
"Just keep doing what we're doing and staying consistent. Just keeping our heads on, I feel like we have a lot of good guys in the locker room that can help us throughout the way by staying focused."
On Reed Blankenship's performance:
"Yeah it's pretty good, he's like the little brother out of the safeties. But he's definitely growing and I like having him back there with me. He's a good communicator and I like him a lot."
Players Mentioned
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QB
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ATH
/ FootballMTSU Football at Nevada highlights – 9/13/25
Sunday, September 14
MTSU Football at Nevada Full Game Highlights – 9/13/25
Saturday, September 13
MTSU Football Postgame Press Conference @ Nevada on 09-13-25
Saturday, September 13
Raider Report Week 3 - MTSU vs. University of Nevada
Friday, September 12
