Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
MT vs. FAU presser
11/21/2016 11:20:00 AM | Football
Kickoff is 4:30 PM Saturday
Following are quotes from today's football press conference, featuring Middle Tennessee Head Coach Rick Stockstill and junior linebacker DJ Sanders. Middle Tennessee faces Florida Atlantic on Senior Day Saturday. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m.
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening Statement…
"I appreciate everybody being here. Seems like we just started this a few days ago. We have FAU this week. You guys are going to look at their record and think they aren't very good. They are 3-8 and have lost four games by one possession. If you look at us, we have won four games by one possession. This is a good football team coming in here. They have had some close losses. Don't determine how good this team is by looking at their record. They have won two of the last three games. This game over the history of these two schools, at least since I have been here, has always been a close game, especially the last three or four. It's a good team. Any time you play a Florida Atlantic, FIU, or teams from Texas, they are going to be very athletic. They can run at every position. Their big guys on both sides of the ball are athletic and can run. This is going to be a very talented team coming in that we will have to play very well. Where we are right now — we're disappointed in our ball security. We've turned the ball over 10 times in the last 11 quarters, and we have only gotten two turnovers. We are not doing a very good job protecting the ball, and we are not doing a good job in getting take-aways. We lost the turnover ball at Charlotte 2-0. When you lose the turnover ball, usually the games are close and have a hard time winning. That was a close game last week because of that. We've got to worry about us, focus on us and what we can control. We need to improve on this last regular season game. That's where we are right now."
On watching FAU quarterback Jason Driskel on tape…
"I've seen tape. We started watching it yesterday and watched some this morning. He's a good player. When he came in last year in the games he played, he was very productive. I think he has gotten better, especially the last month of the season. I know they are playing two guys little bit in there with (Daniel) Parr at quarterback. They are both playing some. He's a good player. I think he can make all the throws. He's not a real dynamic runner, but he can buy time and get outside the pocket to make some things happen with his feet. He has really improved. He's a good football player and we have to understand he is very talented and can beat us."
On facing FAU defensive end Trey Hendrickson…
"He's a really good player. He's an effort player. He plays with effort and has a great motor. He plays on both sides of the ball. They will put him in on short-yardage and goal line situations. That tells you what kind of team player he is. Our offensive line has got to play with the same mental intensity and toughness that they played with last week. Anytime you play against a player who is as talented as he is, it's always a great motivating factor and challenge that I know our offensive line will look forward to. You like to compete against good players. He's definitely a good player that our entire team and offensive line will enjoy competing against."
On FAU running backs Gregory "Buddy" Howell and Devin Singletary…
"Buddy Howell has been there a few years now. He's a tough, hard-nose runner. He's physical. They both have good speed. We have to tackle well. We've got to be in good fundamental positions to make tackles. If you are not, he has the strength and speed to break tackles and extend the play. They are both good players. This time of the year, you're going to face good players. We faced a good back last week at Charlotte. They had the top rushing offense in the conference, and we tackled better last week than we did the previous week. We have to continue that defensively."
On having success with Richie James and Ty Lee in the backfield against Charlotte…
"Absolutely. With Richie and Dennis (Andrews), and Richie was more wildcat than Dennis was, but Dennis got out there a couple times and did a nice job. I thought Richie did a nice job when he was there. Having Richie and Ty in the backfield along with I'Tavius gives you the ability to run the ball with more people. I thought it was really effective. I don't want to say it won the game for us, but it was a big factor. We'll continue to utilize those three guys."
On senior day…
"It's always bittersweet when you have this day. The good thing about this day is that it's not their last game. It's their last home game, but it's not their last game. That's the good, fun and enjoyable part. They can enjoy the pre-game stuff. This senior class and the fifth-year guys have won a bunch of games. They've been bowl eligible each year. Their freshman year they win eight games but don't go to a bowl game because we switch conferences. These seniors have meant a lot to me personally, this team and to this university. All of them have graduated or will graduate in December or this spring. The entire class will have graduated. I'm extremely proud of that. I'm extremely proud of what they have accomplished on the field. I'm proud of the men they have grown into be. They come here at 18 years old as young men, and now you're sending them off four or five years later as men who will be productive citizens in whichever community they decide to live in, and they will be able to provide for their families because of the lessons they have learned in this program. I'm so proud of them and very appreciative of every one of them. Some have been here four years, some five years, some have only been here two years, but I'm really proud of this group, and hopefully it will be a special day for them."
On John Urzua's performance at Charlotte and progression…
"I thought John did a better job than he did the previous two games. He's still making mistakes, and I don't want to say it's understandable or acceptable because it's not, but he did play better and he is getting better. Hopefully with each snap he will gain more confidence and poise. I think what we did offensively with Richie, Dennis and Ty really helped. We just have to do a better job protecting the football. I thought John played better, and hopefully he will play better this week than he did last week. That's what you want. I thought John did some good things Saturday."
LB DJ Sanders
On what the defense can improve on this season:
"For me personally, I've learned from the team to never think the game is over and never take life for granted because you never know when you last game is going to be. We can learn a lot from these last two games. We have to go out there and finish. Just because we won last week doesn't mean it'll be given to us this week. We have to approach every day like we lost because we have to get better."
On slowing down FAU's rushing attack:
"We have to fit the run consistently. Last week our defensive line dominated, and that allows lanes to be open for linebackers to make plays."
On the mood in the locker after the win:
"After the game we were very excited; we were happy we won. Yesterday we got to the locker room and got ready for practice. We are focused on FAU. We're ready to play again, and we're hungry for another win."
On potential pressure about the location of the bowl game:
"I haven't heard anyone talk about the bowl game. We're just focused on winning this week. We'll worry about the bowl game when it comes around."
On facing great running backs in conference play:
"I think it's fun because it's a new challenge. No two backs are the same, and no two teams are the same. It gives us a chance to test ourselves and see how much we've improved from the last game."
On the bend, but don't break mentality:
"When the offense turns the ball over, we get excited because that's another chance for us to play defense. Coach talked about a bend, but don't break mentality last year, and that really stuck with us. Bend, don't break is something we live by."
On facing a dual quarterback system:
"You have to look at the strengths of both quarterbacks. One might be a better runner, and one might be a better passer. Then you look at tendencies in the games to see what they're actually doing."
On the group of seniors:
"They've meant a lot to me. When I came in, they were sophomores and we all got close overtime. Now, it's like a brotherhood. I'm going to miss all of them. I'll miss playing with them, especially the defensive line. We don't have any senior linebackers, so we're not losing any of them. I'll miss Jeremy [Cutrer]. I'll miss them all. I'll miss Maurquice [Shakir] and [Josh] Chester and the offensive guys too. It's been a fun season."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening Statement…
"I appreciate everybody being here. Seems like we just started this a few days ago. We have FAU this week. You guys are going to look at their record and think they aren't very good. They are 3-8 and have lost four games by one possession. If you look at us, we have won four games by one possession. This is a good football team coming in here. They have had some close losses. Don't determine how good this team is by looking at their record. They have won two of the last three games. This game over the history of these two schools, at least since I have been here, has always been a close game, especially the last three or four. It's a good team. Any time you play a Florida Atlantic, FIU, or teams from Texas, they are going to be very athletic. They can run at every position. Their big guys on both sides of the ball are athletic and can run. This is going to be a very talented team coming in that we will have to play very well. Where we are right now — we're disappointed in our ball security. We've turned the ball over 10 times in the last 11 quarters, and we have only gotten two turnovers. We are not doing a very good job protecting the ball, and we are not doing a good job in getting take-aways. We lost the turnover ball at Charlotte 2-0. When you lose the turnover ball, usually the games are close and have a hard time winning. That was a close game last week because of that. We've got to worry about us, focus on us and what we can control. We need to improve on this last regular season game. That's where we are right now."
On watching FAU quarterback Jason Driskel on tape…
"I've seen tape. We started watching it yesterday and watched some this morning. He's a good player. When he came in last year in the games he played, he was very productive. I think he has gotten better, especially the last month of the season. I know they are playing two guys little bit in there with (Daniel) Parr at quarterback. They are both playing some. He's a good player. I think he can make all the throws. He's not a real dynamic runner, but he can buy time and get outside the pocket to make some things happen with his feet. He has really improved. He's a good football player and we have to understand he is very talented and can beat us."
On facing FAU defensive end Trey Hendrickson…
"He's a really good player. He's an effort player. He plays with effort and has a great motor. He plays on both sides of the ball. They will put him in on short-yardage and goal line situations. That tells you what kind of team player he is. Our offensive line has got to play with the same mental intensity and toughness that they played with last week. Anytime you play against a player who is as talented as he is, it's always a great motivating factor and challenge that I know our offensive line will look forward to. You like to compete against good players. He's definitely a good player that our entire team and offensive line will enjoy competing against."
On FAU running backs Gregory "Buddy" Howell and Devin Singletary…
"Buddy Howell has been there a few years now. He's a tough, hard-nose runner. He's physical. They both have good speed. We have to tackle well. We've got to be in good fundamental positions to make tackles. If you are not, he has the strength and speed to break tackles and extend the play. They are both good players. This time of the year, you're going to face good players. We faced a good back last week at Charlotte. They had the top rushing offense in the conference, and we tackled better last week than we did the previous week. We have to continue that defensively."
On having success with Richie James and Ty Lee in the backfield against Charlotte…
"Absolutely. With Richie and Dennis (Andrews), and Richie was more wildcat than Dennis was, but Dennis got out there a couple times and did a nice job. I thought Richie did a nice job when he was there. Having Richie and Ty in the backfield along with I'Tavius gives you the ability to run the ball with more people. I thought it was really effective. I don't want to say it won the game for us, but it was a big factor. We'll continue to utilize those three guys."
On senior day…
"It's always bittersweet when you have this day. The good thing about this day is that it's not their last game. It's their last home game, but it's not their last game. That's the good, fun and enjoyable part. They can enjoy the pre-game stuff. This senior class and the fifth-year guys have won a bunch of games. They've been bowl eligible each year. Their freshman year they win eight games but don't go to a bowl game because we switch conferences. These seniors have meant a lot to me personally, this team and to this university. All of them have graduated or will graduate in December or this spring. The entire class will have graduated. I'm extremely proud of that. I'm extremely proud of what they have accomplished on the field. I'm proud of the men they have grown into be. They come here at 18 years old as young men, and now you're sending them off four or five years later as men who will be productive citizens in whichever community they decide to live in, and they will be able to provide for their families because of the lessons they have learned in this program. I'm so proud of them and very appreciative of every one of them. Some have been here four years, some five years, some have only been here two years, but I'm really proud of this group, and hopefully it will be a special day for them."
On John Urzua's performance at Charlotte and progression…
"I thought John did a better job than he did the previous two games. He's still making mistakes, and I don't want to say it's understandable or acceptable because it's not, but he did play better and he is getting better. Hopefully with each snap he will gain more confidence and poise. I think what we did offensively with Richie, Dennis and Ty really helped. We just have to do a better job protecting the football. I thought John played better, and hopefully he will play better this week than he did last week. That's what you want. I thought John did some good things Saturday."
LB DJ Sanders
On what the defense can improve on this season:
"For me personally, I've learned from the team to never think the game is over and never take life for granted because you never know when you last game is going to be. We can learn a lot from these last two games. We have to go out there and finish. Just because we won last week doesn't mean it'll be given to us this week. We have to approach every day like we lost because we have to get better."
On slowing down FAU's rushing attack:
"We have to fit the run consistently. Last week our defensive line dominated, and that allows lanes to be open for linebackers to make plays."
On the mood in the locker after the win:
"After the game we were very excited; we were happy we won. Yesterday we got to the locker room and got ready for practice. We are focused on FAU. We're ready to play again, and we're hungry for another win."
On potential pressure about the location of the bowl game:
"I haven't heard anyone talk about the bowl game. We're just focused on winning this week. We'll worry about the bowl game when it comes around."
On facing great running backs in conference play:
"I think it's fun because it's a new challenge. No two backs are the same, and no two teams are the same. It gives us a chance to test ourselves and see how much we've improved from the last game."
On the bend, but don't break mentality:
"When the offense turns the ball over, we get excited because that's another chance for us to play defense. Coach talked about a bend, but don't break mentality last year, and that really stuck with us. Bend, don't break is something we live by."
On facing a dual quarterback system:
"You have to look at the strengths of both quarterbacks. One might be a better runner, and one might be a better passer. Then you look at tendencies in the games to see what they're actually doing."
On the group of seniors:
"They've meant a lot to me. When I came in, they were sophomores and we all got close overtime. Now, it's like a brotherhood. I'm going to miss all of them. I'll miss playing with them, especially the defensive line. We don't have any senior linebackers, so we're not losing any of them. I'll miss Jeremy [Cutrer]. I'll miss them all. I'll miss Maurquice [Shakir] and [Josh] Chester and the offensive guys too. It's been a fun season."
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