Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
MT vs. Georgia presser
9/10/2018 2:05:00 PM | Football
Blue Raiders face No. 3 Bulldogs Saturday
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everyone being here as always. Obviously, everybody knows the challenge that this (Georgia) team presents. But it's a challenge that we're looking forward to. I know our players are excited. They've got great players at every position. Kirby Smart has done a great job since being there. Their coaching staff has done a great job. Georgia is one of those premier jobs in the country. That's one the top five jobs in the country. It's a great environment, we played them when I was at Clemson. It's always a great crowd there and it will be a great college atmosphere. When you play games like this, you've got to play perfect. You've got to play your best to have a chance. We're going to go down there and get excited to play this game. We've got to correct our mistakes from last week. I thought we did some things better this past week than we did the week before. If we can continue to improve and correct our mistakes that we made against Tennessee Martin, We'll continue to get better as this season moves forward."
On playing against a team with national championship aspirations:
"They played for the national championship last year. They're up there at number two or number three this year. They're projected to win the SEC East and to play for the national title again. Our players are motivated and ready to go. They know the type of players, program, and atmosphere that we're going into. But like I've said, we're not going to back down from anybody. We knew our schedule a long time ago and we knew we were going to play Georgia a long time ago. These guys will be ready and when you play anybody in games like this, you can't control what they're going to do. All you can do is control what you do. We just have to play to the best of our ability, play as hard as you can, and compete as hard as you can. And at the end of the day you look up at the scoreboard and see how you did."
On his teams tackling against Tennessee Martin and if it was an emphasis on Sunday's practice:
"After you watch the tape, it probably wasn't as bad as what I thought right after the game. Wayne Parks returns that punt for a touchdown and then our defense has to go right back out there. Martin throws a pick at our three yard line and we return it for a touchdown and our defense has to go right back out there. So they played a lot of snaps. They played over 90 snaps. Part of it was because we scored pretty quickly on offense. Part of it was that we couldn't get off the field and should've made more tackles. At times, we didn't get lined up with the urgency we needed to. But it wasn't as bad as I emphasized after the game. We couldn't get outside yesterday because of the lightning and the rain, and the basketball team was in the gym so we didn't have anywhere to go. So all we did was meet yesterday."
On knowing that Georgia's skill players will be tough to tackle:
"We have to tackle but it doesn't matter who you play. Georgia's got good skill, Florida Atlantic is going to have good skill, and Marshall is going to have good skill. Everyone we play is going to have good skill. So we know we've got to tackle. We tackled pretty well against Vandy the first game. We didn't have a bunch of missed tackles but we had a bunch of missed tackles this past game. So we've got to get that corrected. We can't give up as many missed tackles as we did against Martin moving forward against Georgia and as we move closer to conference play."
On being better defensively on the opening drive:
"It's early in the season. Against Vandy, we get a terrible kick and they start on the 40. Their first play, we get a penalty so now they're on the plus side of the field. Then they break a tackle on fourth down and score. Last week they hit us with a 20-yard run on the first play. Then they got a deep ball on top of us. So they got two explosive plays in the first drive of the game. So we have to stop that. It's early in the year. Obviously you would like to get a three and out every time but I know that's not realistic when you play good football teams."
On playing on national TV this weekend:
"Everybody wants to play on TV. We've got guys from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and California. It's an opportunity for their friends and family to see them play. It's a great testament to our program that ESPN wants to put us on TV. So there's a lot of factors that go into that. As a competitor and a player, it's always a nice reward to be on TV."
On Asher O'Hara being the backup QB last Saturday:
"Asher and Chase Cunningham are the two guys battling for the number two position. We decided to go with Asher Saturday but those two guys will continue to battle for that number two spot."
On what he wants to see from his team on Saturday:
"Other than winning the game, to continue to get better. As a coach this early in the season that's what you're looking for. You want to get better each week. You want to see improvement from week two to week three. The objective is to win the game, that's what we're looking for. If we don't improve then we're not going to win. That goes hand in hand. We're playing a lot of new people and hope that the moment is not too big for them and that they don't get deer in the headlight looks. We went down to Alabama to play, but going down to Athens for a night game, they haven't been there and done that. It'll be rowdy and extremely loud and energetic. Their fans will have all day to get primed and they'll be ready to go. Just continue to improve each week as this season goes along."
On the bye week coming up after Georgia:
"Thank goodness it's not like last year or the years past where it was week seven or eight or whatever it's been the last few years. We're so beat up right now, we need to try to get healthy before we start conference play the following week. I think the open week, especially this year with our injury status, could not have come at a better time."
On Gregory Grate Jr. in his first action last week:
"He made a really nice play on the pick, but that was his first time playing. He did some really good things and did some things that will get you beat. But that's the natural maturation process of playing young people. He's got a great future ahead of him. He'll only continue to get better with the more he practices, sees, and plays. He's got a great upside to him."
On his assessment of his defensive line play:
"Most of your sacks are going to come from you linebackers and safeties. It's hard for defensive linemen to get sacks. Defensive ends, they've got a better chance, but the inside guys like Malik and Rosheem, those guys have really done a good job of getting pressure and trying to move the pocket back a little bit to give you linebackers a chance to get some pressure in there. It's something that we've got to continue to emphasize and work on. The more pressure you can get on a quarterback, the better your chances of making something happen. But the defensive line has done a great job these past couple games."
Quarterback Brent Stockstill
On facing Georgia:
"We have to play perfect. It's really not an exaggeration. If you want to hang with a team like that, you have to play perfect. You have a great plan going in, have the ball bounce your way sometimes, have guys make plays, and hopefully you'll have a chance in the fourth to put one in the end zone and have a chance to win. Hopefully we'll have a great week of practice and play perfect this weekend."
On the MT running game:
"I don't think it's been terrible. We ran well early against Vanderbilt and went away from it for a little bit but got it going at the end. We're a balanced offense, we'll do whatever we need to do to put the ball in the end zone. This week, (the defense) well be big and fast. We're going to have to find ways to move the ball. Whether that's through the air or on the ground, hopefully we'll find a way to score."
On how to handle the atmosphere at Sanford Stadium:
"Well they played in the National Championship last year and it's one of the most storied stadiums in college football. The fanbase is always energetic. What I've learned from these situations in the past is to have tunnel vision and block out everything else going on. A lot of times, it's so loud that you're not thinking about anything but the game. We've got to be locked in, but we'll soak it in too because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want to enjoy it. At the same time, we'll need to be focused on what we want to do."
On Georgia's Defense:
"Well it starts with the coaching. Coach Kirby Smart has done a great job everywhere he's been. Their players are the best of the best, big and fast. They're a complete defense and one of the best in the country."
On the Bye Week next week:
"Our bye week is normally pretty late, maybe after the seventh or eighth game. This one is pretty early, but with the two SEC games and opening up conference against the defending Conference-USA champions, it does fall at a good time. We've got some guys that are banged up, so hopefully we can get healthy."
On the comparisons between 2015 Alabama and 2018 Georgia:
"I don't think you know until after the season. Alabama ended up winning the National Championship the year we played them and they had a ton of guys on defense that got drafted. I know Georgia has really good players, so we'll see what they do moving forward and what legacy they write. That Alabama team was number two in the country and Georgia is number three, so I think that speaks for itself."
Linebacker Darius Harris
On facing Georgia:
"We'll definitely need to do better tackling. They've got a lot of good athletes on both sides of the ball, so we'll need to improve our tackling. We did a good job against UT Martin, but we had a lot of missed tackles and gave up a lot of explosive plays. To have any chance of winning this week, we have to do a better job of tackling and limiting explosive plays."
On what stands out about Georgia's offense:
"They've got some big guys on the line. They have good athletes that can move and they have talent at all the skill positions. We need to play the game as one to have a chance at winning."
On limiting first drive touchdowns:
"We have to start faster. I think we try to feel our way into a game, but we need to start out fast and get locked in and focused."
On Gregory Grate Jr.
"It was a good play by him to get his first touchdown. That's a confidence booster for him and allowed him to get his feet wet so he can make more plays."
On playing on national television:
"It's a good feeling to be on (ESPN2). Everyone back home can watch you. It's still football though, whether it's in the backyard or on TV, you've got to go out and execute. We know what we have to do and that we need to stay locked in."
On Georgia Quarterback Jake Fromm:
"He's a good young quarterback and made a lot of plays last year. He makes good reads, so we'll have to get after him and give him different looks to try and get him off the ground."
On the defensive schemes for this week:
"Coach (Scott) Shafer will make a good gameplan this week. Whatever he comes up with, it's our job to go out and execute it."
On the defensive performance against UT-Martin:
"Overall, we did some good things, but the big thing we looked at was the missed tackles. We must improve on that going forward and looking ahead to conference play. UT-Martin did a good job breaking tackles and making our guys miss, but it starts with the little things for us. We need to tackle better."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"I appreciate everyone being here as always. Obviously, everybody knows the challenge that this (Georgia) team presents. But it's a challenge that we're looking forward to. I know our players are excited. They've got great players at every position. Kirby Smart has done a great job since being there. Their coaching staff has done a great job. Georgia is one of those premier jobs in the country. That's one the top five jobs in the country. It's a great environment, we played them when I was at Clemson. It's always a great crowd there and it will be a great college atmosphere. When you play games like this, you've got to play perfect. You've got to play your best to have a chance. We're going to go down there and get excited to play this game. We've got to correct our mistakes from last week. I thought we did some things better this past week than we did the week before. If we can continue to improve and correct our mistakes that we made against Tennessee Martin, We'll continue to get better as this season moves forward."
On playing against a team with national championship aspirations:
"They played for the national championship last year. They're up there at number two or number three this year. They're projected to win the SEC East and to play for the national title again. Our players are motivated and ready to go. They know the type of players, program, and atmosphere that we're going into. But like I've said, we're not going to back down from anybody. We knew our schedule a long time ago and we knew we were going to play Georgia a long time ago. These guys will be ready and when you play anybody in games like this, you can't control what they're going to do. All you can do is control what you do. We just have to play to the best of our ability, play as hard as you can, and compete as hard as you can. And at the end of the day you look up at the scoreboard and see how you did."
On his teams tackling against Tennessee Martin and if it was an emphasis on Sunday's practice:
"After you watch the tape, it probably wasn't as bad as what I thought right after the game. Wayne Parks returns that punt for a touchdown and then our defense has to go right back out there. Martin throws a pick at our three yard line and we return it for a touchdown and our defense has to go right back out there. So they played a lot of snaps. They played over 90 snaps. Part of it was because we scored pretty quickly on offense. Part of it was that we couldn't get off the field and should've made more tackles. At times, we didn't get lined up with the urgency we needed to. But it wasn't as bad as I emphasized after the game. We couldn't get outside yesterday because of the lightning and the rain, and the basketball team was in the gym so we didn't have anywhere to go. So all we did was meet yesterday."
On knowing that Georgia's skill players will be tough to tackle:
"We have to tackle but it doesn't matter who you play. Georgia's got good skill, Florida Atlantic is going to have good skill, and Marshall is going to have good skill. Everyone we play is going to have good skill. So we know we've got to tackle. We tackled pretty well against Vandy the first game. We didn't have a bunch of missed tackles but we had a bunch of missed tackles this past game. So we've got to get that corrected. We can't give up as many missed tackles as we did against Martin moving forward against Georgia and as we move closer to conference play."
On being better defensively on the opening drive:
"It's early in the season. Against Vandy, we get a terrible kick and they start on the 40. Their first play, we get a penalty so now they're on the plus side of the field. Then they break a tackle on fourth down and score. Last week they hit us with a 20-yard run on the first play. Then they got a deep ball on top of us. So they got two explosive plays in the first drive of the game. So we have to stop that. It's early in the year. Obviously you would like to get a three and out every time but I know that's not realistic when you play good football teams."
On playing on national TV this weekend:
"Everybody wants to play on TV. We've got guys from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and California. It's an opportunity for their friends and family to see them play. It's a great testament to our program that ESPN wants to put us on TV. So there's a lot of factors that go into that. As a competitor and a player, it's always a nice reward to be on TV."
On Asher O'Hara being the backup QB last Saturday:
"Asher and Chase Cunningham are the two guys battling for the number two position. We decided to go with Asher Saturday but those two guys will continue to battle for that number two spot."
On what he wants to see from his team on Saturday:
"Other than winning the game, to continue to get better. As a coach this early in the season that's what you're looking for. You want to get better each week. You want to see improvement from week two to week three. The objective is to win the game, that's what we're looking for. If we don't improve then we're not going to win. That goes hand in hand. We're playing a lot of new people and hope that the moment is not too big for them and that they don't get deer in the headlight looks. We went down to Alabama to play, but going down to Athens for a night game, they haven't been there and done that. It'll be rowdy and extremely loud and energetic. Their fans will have all day to get primed and they'll be ready to go. Just continue to improve each week as this season goes along."
On the bye week coming up after Georgia:
"Thank goodness it's not like last year or the years past where it was week seven or eight or whatever it's been the last few years. We're so beat up right now, we need to try to get healthy before we start conference play the following week. I think the open week, especially this year with our injury status, could not have come at a better time."
On Gregory Grate Jr. in his first action last week:
"He made a really nice play on the pick, but that was his first time playing. He did some really good things and did some things that will get you beat. But that's the natural maturation process of playing young people. He's got a great future ahead of him. He'll only continue to get better with the more he practices, sees, and plays. He's got a great upside to him."
On his assessment of his defensive line play:
"Most of your sacks are going to come from you linebackers and safeties. It's hard for defensive linemen to get sacks. Defensive ends, they've got a better chance, but the inside guys like Malik and Rosheem, those guys have really done a good job of getting pressure and trying to move the pocket back a little bit to give you linebackers a chance to get some pressure in there. It's something that we've got to continue to emphasize and work on. The more pressure you can get on a quarterback, the better your chances of making something happen. But the defensive line has done a great job these past couple games."
Quarterback Brent Stockstill
On facing Georgia:
"We have to play perfect. It's really not an exaggeration. If you want to hang with a team like that, you have to play perfect. You have a great plan going in, have the ball bounce your way sometimes, have guys make plays, and hopefully you'll have a chance in the fourth to put one in the end zone and have a chance to win. Hopefully we'll have a great week of practice and play perfect this weekend."
On the MT running game:
"I don't think it's been terrible. We ran well early against Vanderbilt and went away from it for a little bit but got it going at the end. We're a balanced offense, we'll do whatever we need to do to put the ball in the end zone. This week, (the defense) well be big and fast. We're going to have to find ways to move the ball. Whether that's through the air or on the ground, hopefully we'll find a way to score."
On how to handle the atmosphere at Sanford Stadium:
"Well they played in the National Championship last year and it's one of the most storied stadiums in college football. The fanbase is always energetic. What I've learned from these situations in the past is to have tunnel vision and block out everything else going on. A lot of times, it's so loud that you're not thinking about anything but the game. We've got to be locked in, but we'll soak it in too because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want to enjoy it. At the same time, we'll need to be focused on what we want to do."
On Georgia's Defense:
"Well it starts with the coaching. Coach Kirby Smart has done a great job everywhere he's been. Their players are the best of the best, big and fast. They're a complete defense and one of the best in the country."
On the Bye Week next week:
"Our bye week is normally pretty late, maybe after the seventh or eighth game. This one is pretty early, but with the two SEC games and opening up conference against the defending Conference-USA champions, it does fall at a good time. We've got some guys that are banged up, so hopefully we can get healthy."
On the comparisons between 2015 Alabama and 2018 Georgia:
"I don't think you know until after the season. Alabama ended up winning the National Championship the year we played them and they had a ton of guys on defense that got drafted. I know Georgia has really good players, so we'll see what they do moving forward and what legacy they write. That Alabama team was number two in the country and Georgia is number three, so I think that speaks for itself."
Linebacker Darius Harris
On facing Georgia:
"We'll definitely need to do better tackling. They've got a lot of good athletes on both sides of the ball, so we'll need to improve our tackling. We did a good job against UT Martin, but we had a lot of missed tackles and gave up a lot of explosive plays. To have any chance of winning this week, we have to do a better job of tackling and limiting explosive plays."
On what stands out about Georgia's offense:
"They've got some big guys on the line. They have good athletes that can move and they have talent at all the skill positions. We need to play the game as one to have a chance at winning."
On limiting first drive touchdowns:
"We have to start faster. I think we try to feel our way into a game, but we need to start out fast and get locked in and focused."
On Gregory Grate Jr.
"It was a good play by him to get his first touchdown. That's a confidence booster for him and allowed him to get his feet wet so he can make more plays."
On playing on national television:
"It's a good feeling to be on (ESPN2). Everyone back home can watch you. It's still football though, whether it's in the backyard or on TV, you've got to go out and execute. We know what we have to do and that we need to stay locked in."
On Georgia Quarterback Jake Fromm:
"He's a good young quarterback and made a lot of plays last year. He makes good reads, so we'll have to get after him and give him different looks to try and get him off the ground."
On the defensive schemes for this week:
"Coach (Scott) Shafer will make a good gameplan this week. Whatever he comes up with, it's our job to go out and execute it."
On the defensive performance against UT-Martin:
"Overall, we did some good things, but the big thing we looked at was the missed tackles. We must improve on that going forward and looking ahead to conference play. UT-Martin did a good job breaking tackles and making our guys miss, but it starts with the little things for us. We need to tackle better."
Players Mentioned
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