Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
MT vs. WKU presser
11/25/2019 2:00:00 PM | Football
Kickoff set for 1 PM Saturday on ESPN+
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"We're coming off a good week last week, and we've got Western Kentucky this Saturday. Western's a really good football team. They're top two, top three in our conference defensively in all the different statistical categories. They play a really good, sound defense. They're not giving up a lot of points, so we've got to be very efficient offensively, and we've got to do a great job protecting the ball because they make you earn everything you get. They're really talented on defense, and on offense they keep getting better each week. They kind of settled in on their quarterback now. Through the first few games of the year they were going back and forth. [Ty] Storey is playing really well. He's protecting the ball. He's throwing the ball really well. He's a good runner. He's not going to run by you or anything like that, but he is an effective runner, so we've got to be cognizant of him in the run game. They're very sound in the kicking game. They've got a really good ball club, a really good team. Going on the road up there is always tough, so we've got to make sure we have a great week of practice and that we are mentally and physically tough going on the road this week."
On what makes WKU's defense so good:
"One, to me it always starts with players. They've got good players on defense. It's an older group. They've got a transfer linebacker in from Georgia, the University of Georgia, that has helped, and they've got good players. The guys up front, their defensive line, has good size, and they're athletic. Then they do a good job on the back end. They mix up the coverages with man and zone, and they do a good job of keeping the ball in front of them on the back end. To me, it starts with players and then what they do schematically defensively, they change up the pressures with zone and man coverages, their pressure packages are very diverse. They do a good job. They've got a good football team on that side."
On WKU wide receiver Lucky Jackson and the Hilltopper offense's improvement:
"The big thing is, they've gotten better, and to me, it starts with their quarterback. They've gotten better there, they've been more consistent with his play. He's throwing the ball to the right guys, he's protecting the ball. Their skill guy, Lucky Jackson, is really dynamic. He's a good player. I think it starts with their quarterback. He's doing a good job throwing the ball as well as being effective enough in the run game. Their running back is fifth or sixth in the conference in rushing yards. They just have a good football club. They've got a good ball team."
On what makes the MT-WKU rivalry fun:
"I think the passion that everybody has on both sides of the ball for this game. Their coaches and players, our coaches and players. Our fans, their fans. The history of this game goes back a long, long way — back to the OVC and 1-AA days. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history in this game. Here recently, since we started playing every year from the Sun Belt to Conference USA — I know we had that one year from Sun Belt to Conference USA that we didn't play while they were still in the Sun Belt and we were in Conference USA — there were exciting, close, competitive games. I respect their players, their team, their program. I have a lot of respect for their coaches. Coach [Tyson] Helton's done a good job there. It's the competitiveness for this game, the passion that people have for this game, makes it fun, makes it enjoyable, makes you want to play, makes you want to coach in this game."
On what the rivalry means for the fans of both programs:
"The players in the game, they only know this rivalry probably since the time they've been at their respective schools. The fans, they've known it for the past 30 years, when it goes back to whenever we first started playing. That adds to it. As a player, I don't think you look at 'I want to beat this team so they don't do this,' or 'I want to beat this team so they can't do that.' I don't think players look at games like that. I think players look at — or should look at it — as 'We want to win this game for us. We want to do whatever it takes to win this game for us.'"
On the play of the seniors on Saturday's senior day game:
"I think they did [step up]. I've always believed if your seniors play their best and have their best game or season, it has a lot to do with the success that your team has. You look at it, I think our guys — Jovante [Moffatt] and those guys — played really well. Our seniors made some plays. Some of them didn't play at all because they've been hurt. I was just glad those guys can walk off the field the last time they ever stepped on it as a winner. That was important to me and our team."
Redshirt Senior Safety Jovante Moffatt
On the MT-WKU rivalry:
"There have always been games that have gone more than four quarters. I remember coming on a recruiting trip here, and I saw my first game here as a rivalry game. I think it went to three overtimes or three extra overtime quarters. I came in my freshman year, it was a really a competitive game; sophomore year, overtime; junior year; overtime. You never know what to expect going into this game. This week, I'm going to be ready to play, no matter what comes our way."
On the week leading up to a big rivalry game:
"Like I said, you have to be ready for anything that can come your way, trick plays, whatever. It's the end of the season. Like I said, it's a big rivalry, and there is a lot of animosity built up, so you just have to be prepared and ready for whatever."
On the play of the defense against ODU coming off a loss to Rice:
"Stopping the run, that was one of the things that we wanted to focus on. Stopping the run, keeping the quarterback limited from throwing the ball in the air, and just make sure everyone is doing their job and assignment."
On playing more games at MT than any other Blue Raider:
"I'm just blessed and thankful for it. I've been able to play the game so long, even with the injuries I've had, I've been able to come back and continue to play. I'm thankful, and I'm happy I'm still able to play going into this week."
Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman Will Gilchrist
On what makes playing in a rivalry game fun:
"It gives you a lot of motivation. I had one of these games like this in high school where it was basically real close, and you knew what was about to happen, and it was going to be a great game in a great atmosphere, and it's always a fun one to play in."
On building from the win against ODU going into the WKU game:
"Just learn from what we did in that game and start fast. That was really what we preached all week: start fast and finish strong."
On spending Thanksgiving with his teammates:
"It's a great time because we get to bond more, we get to hang out and just enjoy ourselves. It's been a long grind this season, and I'm looking forward to having a good meal."
On whether he preferred ham, turkey or both:
"I've got to go with both."
On the success of the team in games in the rain:
"We've prepared, we practiced in the rain before the last game on Friday, and that prepared us pretty well. We all just had a really good time in that game. We all got after it, and the momentum was just rolling our way."
On the WKU defense:
"They're really athletic. We just have to understand what they do and try to contain them as much as possible and find their tendencies like we did last week with those guys from Old Dominion. They're great players, and it's going to be a great challenge. What a better way to go out at the end of the year playing a team like that."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"We're coming off a good week last week, and we've got Western Kentucky this Saturday. Western's a really good football team. They're top two, top three in our conference defensively in all the different statistical categories. They play a really good, sound defense. They're not giving up a lot of points, so we've got to be very efficient offensively, and we've got to do a great job protecting the ball because they make you earn everything you get. They're really talented on defense, and on offense they keep getting better each week. They kind of settled in on their quarterback now. Through the first few games of the year they were going back and forth. [Ty] Storey is playing really well. He's protecting the ball. He's throwing the ball really well. He's a good runner. He's not going to run by you or anything like that, but he is an effective runner, so we've got to be cognizant of him in the run game. They're very sound in the kicking game. They've got a really good ball club, a really good team. Going on the road up there is always tough, so we've got to make sure we have a great week of practice and that we are mentally and physically tough going on the road this week."
On what makes WKU's defense so good:
"One, to me it always starts with players. They've got good players on defense. It's an older group. They've got a transfer linebacker in from Georgia, the University of Georgia, that has helped, and they've got good players. The guys up front, their defensive line, has good size, and they're athletic. Then they do a good job on the back end. They mix up the coverages with man and zone, and they do a good job of keeping the ball in front of them on the back end. To me, it starts with players and then what they do schematically defensively, they change up the pressures with zone and man coverages, their pressure packages are very diverse. They do a good job. They've got a good football team on that side."
On WKU wide receiver Lucky Jackson and the Hilltopper offense's improvement:
"The big thing is, they've gotten better, and to me, it starts with their quarterback. They've gotten better there, they've been more consistent with his play. He's throwing the ball to the right guys, he's protecting the ball. Their skill guy, Lucky Jackson, is really dynamic. He's a good player. I think it starts with their quarterback. He's doing a good job throwing the ball as well as being effective enough in the run game. Their running back is fifth or sixth in the conference in rushing yards. They just have a good football club. They've got a good ball team."
On what makes the MT-WKU rivalry fun:
"I think the passion that everybody has on both sides of the ball for this game. Their coaches and players, our coaches and players. Our fans, their fans. The history of this game goes back a long, long way — back to the OVC and 1-AA days. There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history in this game. Here recently, since we started playing every year from the Sun Belt to Conference USA — I know we had that one year from Sun Belt to Conference USA that we didn't play while they were still in the Sun Belt and we were in Conference USA — there were exciting, close, competitive games. I respect their players, their team, their program. I have a lot of respect for their coaches. Coach [Tyson] Helton's done a good job there. It's the competitiveness for this game, the passion that people have for this game, makes it fun, makes it enjoyable, makes you want to play, makes you want to coach in this game."
On what the rivalry means for the fans of both programs:
"The players in the game, they only know this rivalry probably since the time they've been at their respective schools. The fans, they've known it for the past 30 years, when it goes back to whenever we first started playing. That adds to it. As a player, I don't think you look at 'I want to beat this team so they don't do this,' or 'I want to beat this team so they can't do that.' I don't think players look at games like that. I think players look at — or should look at it — as 'We want to win this game for us. We want to do whatever it takes to win this game for us.'"
On the play of the seniors on Saturday's senior day game:
"I think they did [step up]. I've always believed if your seniors play their best and have their best game or season, it has a lot to do with the success that your team has. You look at it, I think our guys — Jovante [Moffatt] and those guys — played really well. Our seniors made some plays. Some of them didn't play at all because they've been hurt. I was just glad those guys can walk off the field the last time they ever stepped on it as a winner. That was important to me and our team."
Redshirt Senior Safety Jovante Moffatt
On the MT-WKU rivalry:
"There have always been games that have gone more than four quarters. I remember coming on a recruiting trip here, and I saw my first game here as a rivalry game. I think it went to three overtimes or three extra overtime quarters. I came in my freshman year, it was a really a competitive game; sophomore year, overtime; junior year; overtime. You never know what to expect going into this game. This week, I'm going to be ready to play, no matter what comes our way."
On the week leading up to a big rivalry game:
"Like I said, you have to be ready for anything that can come your way, trick plays, whatever. It's the end of the season. Like I said, it's a big rivalry, and there is a lot of animosity built up, so you just have to be prepared and ready for whatever."
On the play of the defense against ODU coming off a loss to Rice:
"Stopping the run, that was one of the things that we wanted to focus on. Stopping the run, keeping the quarterback limited from throwing the ball in the air, and just make sure everyone is doing their job and assignment."
On playing more games at MT than any other Blue Raider:
"I'm just blessed and thankful for it. I've been able to play the game so long, even with the injuries I've had, I've been able to come back and continue to play. I'm thankful, and I'm happy I'm still able to play going into this week."
Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman Will Gilchrist
On what makes playing in a rivalry game fun:
"It gives you a lot of motivation. I had one of these games like this in high school where it was basically real close, and you knew what was about to happen, and it was going to be a great game in a great atmosphere, and it's always a fun one to play in."
On building from the win against ODU going into the WKU game:
"Just learn from what we did in that game and start fast. That was really what we preached all week: start fast and finish strong."
On spending Thanksgiving with his teammates:
"It's a great time because we get to bond more, we get to hang out and just enjoy ourselves. It's been a long grind this season, and I'm looking forward to having a good meal."
On whether he preferred ham, turkey or both:
"I've got to go with both."
On the success of the team in games in the rain:
"We've prepared, we practiced in the rain before the last game on Friday, and that prepared us pretty well. We all just had a really good time in that game. We all got after it, and the momentum was just rolling our way."
On the WKU defense:
"They're really athletic. We just have to understand what they do and try to contain them as much as possible and find their tendencies like we did last week with those guys from Old Dominion. They're great players, and it's going to be a great challenge. What a better way to go out at the end of the year playing a team like that."
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