Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT vs. Bowling Green presser
9/18/2017 2:26:00 PM | Football
Kickoff is 6 PM
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"Appreciate everybody being here. As always, it means a lot to me that you'd give up an hour of your day or so to come over here and visit with us. I really appreciate that. We've got Bowling Green coming in here this week. They're 0-3. They've lost the Michigan State, South Dakota State and they got beat by Northwestern two days ago. They've had a tough stretch in who they've had to play to open up. They finished last year on a three-game winning streak. You've got a lot of guys that are coming back. There running backs are back, there quarterback (is back), they've got some dynamic receivers. I think the strength of their team is probably their offensive line. They're mature, they're older, they've got good size and they're pretty nasty up front. I think that's the strength of their team. Defensively, they're athletic. There four-man front is going to give you a lot of change ups on the backend and they are very sound in the kicking game. It was a tough, close game last year against them. Playing in that rain storm, we kind of pulled away from them a little bit there in the second half. As coaches talk about controlling what you can control and worrying about yourself, I think there's nothing that's ever been more true, and this is what I told our team yesterday: this is about us this week and we've got to really get better in a lot of places and worry about ourselves and improve this week. If we do that, then we'll have a chance to play a competitive game against Bowling Green."
On slowing down Bowling Green's run game:
"In that game last year, especially in the second half, because of how bad the weather was, it was conducive to running the ball as appose of throwing the ball. We're a lot better defense this year than we were last year. They're got two really good backs, and again it goes back to their offensive line. We've got to do a good job of creating a new line of scrimmage, trying to get in their backfield to disrupt their plays. We've got to tackle good, and we've tackled really well so far this year. It will be a challenge, but one I know our defense is up to."
On if playing three consecutive Power 5 programs is a benefit to the team early in the year:
"That's a tough question to answer. We've got a lot of guys hurt. It's going to be a different team out there this week. That's the downfall to playing back to back to back schools like that. Injuries can happen at any time and I'm not saying that those injuries wouldn't have happened against somebody else. But it's not easy when you play against three Power 5 teams. Like I said, we're the only school in the conference doing it. I told our team Saturday that's it's been a heck of a gauntlet they're had to go through. It's a tough three-game stretch to open the season. I told them I was really disappointed how we played in Minnesota, but I'm not the least bit discouraged. I believe in this team and I think there's something to it. We've just try to get our guys healthy, improve in the areas that we need to improve on, and worry about this Bowling Green team and not worry about what's taken place these first three weeks."
On quarterback Brent Stockstill's chance to play this Saturday:
"He's questionable."
On how close Brent Stockstill was to playing in last Saturday's game:
"If the doctors weren't invented, he would've been playing. If the doctors would have left it up to him, he would've played. He couldn't have played with the injury that he has."
On Richie James' status heading into Bowling Green:
"He's questionable."
On what Rick Stockstill's wants backup quarterback John Urzua to focus on this week in practice:
"Just to be poised more so in the pocket, to work hard in the pocket. He needs to focus on protecting the football, carrying practice over to the game and doing the little things better. So probably throw all that in there and to just play a little more consistently than he did."
On third string quarterback Kyle Banks' performance against Minnesota:
"I told Kyle yesterday that I was proud of him. I thought he did a good job when he was in there. That's the first time he's played college football, so I thought he did a nice job. He didn't have a "deer in the headlights" type of look. He was poised back there. There's competition every day, but John (Urzua) is our second-team quarterback right now. I've got a lot of confidence in John. I think he'll play better."
On how MT's run can improve against a poor run defense in Bowling Green.
"I mean you can judge pretty good right now that our running game stinks. Who we've played has nothing to do with it. But we've got to get better. When you look at Bowling Green, and that's why you can't put a lot into statistics, but they played Michigan State. Michigan State's a heavy run team. Northwestern is a heavy run team. South Dakota State threw it around little bit. They've got a good front seven. I think they are really good with their linebackers in front. It's going to be a challenge for us, but again it goes back to us executing the fundamentals. We're good when we're disciplined in our technique, how we run the football and how we block in the perimeter, as well as inside. Running the ball isn't just your offensive line or your running back; its everybody involved in it. We've all got to be accountable to take a little bit more pride in the product that we're putting out there in the run game."
On building up team confidence after a grueling week three:
"You never know when your opportunity is going to be called and when that door is knocked on, you've got to be ready to answer. So whoever is behind Brent, whoever is behind Richie, whosever behind these other guys, it's there opportunity. They're here for a reason and they need to perform at that level. I believe in this team. This team is got something to it. I said Vanderbilt is a good team. Nobody wanted to believe that because of their name, but they just beat the No. 19 team in the country and held them to seven points. So we've played some good teams. We got beat by Vandy, we went up to Syracuse and beat them and then we got beat by Minnesota. Those guys are 8-1, the three opponents we've played. We've played a heck of a schedule to kick this thing off. I'm proud of this team, I'm proud of the fight and character that this team shows and competes with. We've got to have some guys rise up now. We've got to have some guys step up to the plate and perform at a level that they guys in front of them were performing at. It's going to be a challenge, but everybody is depending on this guy or that guy, whoever's taking this guy's place to perform. So hopefully we'll be able to do that better this week than we did last week."
On what replacing the leadership on the field in Brent Stockstill and what he provides on the sideline in games he doesn't dress:
"It's hard because like I said last week, when you're on the field competing and whether you are on offense and the defense is out there, you see how hard they are playing or how hard this guy's playing on defense. When the offense is out there, the defense can see how hard this guy's competing and playing the toughness that he's showing. It unifies and rallies your team. You can't replace that when a player's not playing. But Brent did a great on the sideline with our offensive line and with John, our quarterback. He made everybody stay positive and tried to help them. There's nothing like having that person on the field though."
On the difference between stopping the run against Vanderbilt and Minnesota:
"The big thing is I thought our defense tackled extremely well. You've got to give Minnesota credit, they had two really good backs and a huge offensive line. They got a lead there right before the end of the half to make it 13-3. With a couple minutes left, we throw the interception for a touchdown and puts it 20-3 at the half. We had a bad punt that put them on a short field. They had the long kickoff return that put them on short field. So I think that played a part in it. The big thing is, I think that's what Minnesota does. They ran the ball more than what Vanderbilt did. Vanderbilt threw the ball more than what Minnesota did. I think it's just one of those games that Minnesota did what they're made to do. I think our defense played really well. They tackled the ball good. I think we had five or six missed tackles. One was on the little tight end play down the sideline late in the game. I told them the middle of the fourth quarter or third quarter, whatever it was, that we've got a dang good defense and if we just keep battling and keep fighting, we're going to get better and better each week. Give Minnesota credit, they have good players and they executed their game plan."
On how time of possession played a factor against Minnesota:
"We held them to less than what they've been averaging. They've got a 6-10, 280-pound tight end. The joker is humongous. Eventually, those two-yard gains became four-yard gains and five-yard gains. Just give them credit, they have a good football team and they won nine games last year and they are 3-0 now, so it's not like we're going out there and playing Cupcake U."
Safety Jovante Moffatt
On maintaining success versus the run:
"The main focus is just to get hats to the ball. Effort is also going to be big, just getting all 11 guys to the ball in pursuit. It's about making the plays that need to be made."
On if Minnesota's time of possession taking a toll:
"Yeah it eventually wore on us, I guess. Their running back starting falling forward a lot more and I think that was a big part of it. Like coach said they started turning those two yard gains into four yard gains and that was a big part of their success."
On if the defense's ability to maintain focus against Bowling Green changes:
"No not at all. I feel like Coach Shafer does a really good job of keeping our confidence level up. He's always making sure we play a consistent rate and just being who we are, and that's what I think we will do."
On tough opponents on the schedule showing the defense their potential:
"Yeah it did. As far as confidence, definitely. I feel like going into our conference, it should help us a lot. Especially seeing what we've done early in the season."
On cleaning up missed assignments:
"Yeah a lot of it has been cleaned up. We still have some things we can work on, a lot of things actually. But a lot of it has been much better."
On the early season 'gauntlet' being different than a normal non-conference schedule:
"I mean, you see a lot more bigger bodies. Different styles of play, we've been facing a lot of strong running teams. But I feel like that can only help us on where we're going (in the season). But it's still hitting and it's still football."
On the missing leadership without quarterback Brent Stockstill:
"The team respects Brent, from a very high standpoint. Just being around and helping guys out so you can tell when he's not playing or when he's not around. But he's still going to do what he can to help us by being on the sidelines so we take that from him."
On the defense keeping the team in ballgames:
"We're just doing what we can to help the team win."
On the weather versus Bowling Green last year:
"I'm just really hoping it doesn't rain again. (Last year) was terrible, the turf was coming up and there was water everywhere.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"Appreciate everybody being here. As always, it means a lot to me that you'd give up an hour of your day or so to come over here and visit with us. I really appreciate that. We've got Bowling Green coming in here this week. They're 0-3. They've lost the Michigan State, South Dakota State and they got beat by Northwestern two days ago. They've had a tough stretch in who they've had to play to open up. They finished last year on a three-game winning streak. You've got a lot of guys that are coming back. There running backs are back, there quarterback (is back), they've got some dynamic receivers. I think the strength of their team is probably their offensive line. They're mature, they're older, they've got good size and they're pretty nasty up front. I think that's the strength of their team. Defensively, they're athletic. There four-man front is going to give you a lot of change ups on the backend and they are very sound in the kicking game. It was a tough, close game last year against them. Playing in that rain storm, we kind of pulled away from them a little bit there in the second half. As coaches talk about controlling what you can control and worrying about yourself, I think there's nothing that's ever been more true, and this is what I told our team yesterday: this is about us this week and we've got to really get better in a lot of places and worry about ourselves and improve this week. If we do that, then we'll have a chance to play a competitive game against Bowling Green."
On slowing down Bowling Green's run game:
"In that game last year, especially in the second half, because of how bad the weather was, it was conducive to running the ball as appose of throwing the ball. We're a lot better defense this year than we were last year. They're got two really good backs, and again it goes back to their offensive line. We've got to do a good job of creating a new line of scrimmage, trying to get in their backfield to disrupt their plays. We've got to tackle good, and we've tackled really well so far this year. It will be a challenge, but one I know our defense is up to."
On if playing three consecutive Power 5 programs is a benefit to the team early in the year:
"That's a tough question to answer. We've got a lot of guys hurt. It's going to be a different team out there this week. That's the downfall to playing back to back to back schools like that. Injuries can happen at any time and I'm not saying that those injuries wouldn't have happened against somebody else. But it's not easy when you play against three Power 5 teams. Like I said, we're the only school in the conference doing it. I told our team Saturday that's it's been a heck of a gauntlet they're had to go through. It's a tough three-game stretch to open the season. I told them I was really disappointed how we played in Minnesota, but I'm not the least bit discouraged. I believe in this team and I think there's something to it. We've just try to get our guys healthy, improve in the areas that we need to improve on, and worry about this Bowling Green team and not worry about what's taken place these first three weeks."
On quarterback Brent Stockstill's chance to play this Saturday:
"He's questionable."
On how close Brent Stockstill was to playing in last Saturday's game:
"If the doctors weren't invented, he would've been playing. If the doctors would have left it up to him, he would've played. He couldn't have played with the injury that he has."
On Richie James' status heading into Bowling Green:
"He's questionable."
On what Rick Stockstill's wants backup quarterback John Urzua to focus on this week in practice:
"Just to be poised more so in the pocket, to work hard in the pocket. He needs to focus on protecting the football, carrying practice over to the game and doing the little things better. So probably throw all that in there and to just play a little more consistently than he did."
On third string quarterback Kyle Banks' performance against Minnesota:
"I told Kyle yesterday that I was proud of him. I thought he did a good job when he was in there. That's the first time he's played college football, so I thought he did a nice job. He didn't have a "deer in the headlights" type of look. He was poised back there. There's competition every day, but John (Urzua) is our second-team quarterback right now. I've got a lot of confidence in John. I think he'll play better."
On how MT's run can improve against a poor run defense in Bowling Green.
"I mean you can judge pretty good right now that our running game stinks. Who we've played has nothing to do with it. But we've got to get better. When you look at Bowling Green, and that's why you can't put a lot into statistics, but they played Michigan State. Michigan State's a heavy run team. Northwestern is a heavy run team. South Dakota State threw it around little bit. They've got a good front seven. I think they are really good with their linebackers in front. It's going to be a challenge for us, but again it goes back to us executing the fundamentals. We're good when we're disciplined in our technique, how we run the football and how we block in the perimeter, as well as inside. Running the ball isn't just your offensive line or your running back; its everybody involved in it. We've all got to be accountable to take a little bit more pride in the product that we're putting out there in the run game."
On building up team confidence after a grueling week three:
"You never know when your opportunity is going to be called and when that door is knocked on, you've got to be ready to answer. So whoever is behind Brent, whoever is behind Richie, whosever behind these other guys, it's there opportunity. They're here for a reason and they need to perform at that level. I believe in this team. This team is got something to it. I said Vanderbilt is a good team. Nobody wanted to believe that because of their name, but they just beat the No. 19 team in the country and held them to seven points. So we've played some good teams. We got beat by Vandy, we went up to Syracuse and beat them and then we got beat by Minnesota. Those guys are 8-1, the three opponents we've played. We've played a heck of a schedule to kick this thing off. I'm proud of this team, I'm proud of the fight and character that this team shows and competes with. We've got to have some guys rise up now. We've got to have some guys step up to the plate and perform at a level that they guys in front of them were performing at. It's going to be a challenge, but everybody is depending on this guy or that guy, whoever's taking this guy's place to perform. So hopefully we'll be able to do that better this week than we did last week."
On what replacing the leadership on the field in Brent Stockstill and what he provides on the sideline in games he doesn't dress:
"It's hard because like I said last week, when you're on the field competing and whether you are on offense and the defense is out there, you see how hard they are playing or how hard this guy's playing on defense. When the offense is out there, the defense can see how hard this guy's competing and playing the toughness that he's showing. It unifies and rallies your team. You can't replace that when a player's not playing. But Brent did a great on the sideline with our offensive line and with John, our quarterback. He made everybody stay positive and tried to help them. There's nothing like having that person on the field though."
On the difference between stopping the run against Vanderbilt and Minnesota:
"The big thing is I thought our defense tackled extremely well. You've got to give Minnesota credit, they had two really good backs and a huge offensive line. They got a lead there right before the end of the half to make it 13-3. With a couple minutes left, we throw the interception for a touchdown and puts it 20-3 at the half. We had a bad punt that put them on a short field. They had the long kickoff return that put them on short field. So I think that played a part in it. The big thing is, I think that's what Minnesota does. They ran the ball more than what Vanderbilt did. Vanderbilt threw the ball more than what Minnesota did. I think it's just one of those games that Minnesota did what they're made to do. I think our defense played really well. They tackled the ball good. I think we had five or six missed tackles. One was on the little tight end play down the sideline late in the game. I told them the middle of the fourth quarter or third quarter, whatever it was, that we've got a dang good defense and if we just keep battling and keep fighting, we're going to get better and better each week. Give Minnesota credit, they have good players and they executed their game plan."
On how time of possession played a factor against Minnesota:
"We held them to less than what they've been averaging. They've got a 6-10, 280-pound tight end. The joker is humongous. Eventually, those two-yard gains became four-yard gains and five-yard gains. Just give them credit, they have a good football team and they won nine games last year and they are 3-0 now, so it's not like we're going out there and playing Cupcake U."
Safety Jovante Moffatt
On maintaining success versus the run:
"The main focus is just to get hats to the ball. Effort is also going to be big, just getting all 11 guys to the ball in pursuit. It's about making the plays that need to be made."
On if Minnesota's time of possession taking a toll:
"Yeah it eventually wore on us, I guess. Their running back starting falling forward a lot more and I think that was a big part of it. Like coach said they started turning those two yard gains into four yard gains and that was a big part of their success."
On if the defense's ability to maintain focus against Bowling Green changes:
"No not at all. I feel like Coach Shafer does a really good job of keeping our confidence level up. He's always making sure we play a consistent rate and just being who we are, and that's what I think we will do."
On tough opponents on the schedule showing the defense their potential:
"Yeah it did. As far as confidence, definitely. I feel like going into our conference, it should help us a lot. Especially seeing what we've done early in the season."
On cleaning up missed assignments:
"Yeah a lot of it has been cleaned up. We still have some things we can work on, a lot of things actually. But a lot of it has been much better."
On the early season 'gauntlet' being different than a normal non-conference schedule:
"I mean, you see a lot more bigger bodies. Different styles of play, we've been facing a lot of strong running teams. But I feel like that can only help us on where we're going (in the season). But it's still hitting and it's still football."
On the missing leadership without quarterback Brent Stockstill:
"The team respects Brent, from a very high standpoint. Just being around and helping guys out so you can tell when he's not playing or when he's not around. But he's still going to do what he can to help us by being on the sidelines so we take that from him."
On the defense keeping the team in ballgames:
"We're just doing what we can to help the team win."
On the weather versus Bowling Green last year:
"I'm just really hoping it doesn't rain again. (Last year) was terrible, the turf was coming up and there was water everywhere.
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