Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
MT vs. Michigan presser
8/26/2019 3:28:00 PM | Football
Kickoff set for 6:30 PM Saturday in Ann Arbor
Middle Tennessee Football Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"We've got a huge challenge ahead of us playing Michigan, the No. 7 team in the country right now in all the preseason rankings. They're coming off a 10-win season, and they've done a really good job. The history and tradition of Michigan speaks for itself. I'm really proud of our team and how they approached camp and finished camp Saturday. I thought we had a really productive camp, and I like the focus our team has. We're looking forward to getting started here."
On facing a new opposing offensive coordinator (Josh Gattis) in week one:
"He's a really good coach. He's been at Alabama the last couple years and is coming into a program that has a lot of good players. He's got an experienced quarterback, an experienced offensive line and receivers that can run, so I'm sure he'll implement what Coach Harbaugh wants and believes in. We'll study a little what Alabama did, but we'll mostly focus on the players they've got returning at Michigan."
On the Michigan defense:
"They can run. They do a lot of man coverage. They'll challenge our receivers, they'll press us and they'll play a lot of man. Their defensive line and linebackers have two returning starters there that have played a bunch of snaps. They're fast, big, ginormous on both sides of the ball, so it comes down to doing our job fundamentally and being in good position mentally. If we do that, we'll have a chance to compete. If we get away from our fundamentals and not execute, then their athleticism and size will take advantage of any mistakes we make."
On playing in front of a big crowd under the lights at Michigan:
"We play three of these games every year. We've been in front of 70, 80, 90, 100,000 before. It'll be a new experience for this team, but a lot of our players played in that 2015 Alabama game when they had 100,000 at Alabama. We know we're going to play a really good team, but we're not going to walk in there in awe of them. Once the game starts, the field is 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide, and you try to block out all the noise from the 100,000 people and just play football. We'll get out there and compete, but we've got to understand that those 100,000 people aren't going to be playing, and we've got to block out that noise."
On playing the top teams in the country:
"It's an opportunity for us to go compete against the so-called best players in the country. They're full of four and five stars, and it's an opportunity for our team to go out there and compete. We're not going to bow down to anybody. Last year, we played three SEC teams, and we schedule like that every year. It's different in basketball. In basketball, they like to play those tough teams early in the year to get ready for tournament play. It's different in football because we don't play as many games. You can go 0-25 in basketball and win your [conference] tournament and you get in the [NCAA] tournament. In football, you've got to win a certain amount of games to get into the tournament, which is the bowl season. I look at it a little differently than what basketball does. It's an opportunity for us to compete against one of the best programs, a top-seven team in the country. We'll see how we stack up. We'll try and make improvements each week as the season goes along, but this is a good test for us. We're not going to go in there and be in awe or intimidated. We're going to roll up our sleeves, compete for 60 minutes and see what happens."
On finally approaching the first game of the year:
"We're guaranteed 12 games. Hopefully we can play in 14 — that's our goal. You've got to take advantage of every opportunity you get, because these guys put in an awful lot of work to only get to play 14 days out of the year. I'm anxious to watch our team play. I'm proud of them. Game week is always an exciting time. You'd rather be preparing for a game than just preparing for spring practice or 25 days of practice in August. This is what you play for. These guys are excited and anxious to play, and I know they'll be ready to play."
On not knowing Michigan's two-deep depth chart:
"We haven't made any final decisions yet — we don't have a two-deep, either. We don't have to decide who's going to start at left guard or right guard or quarterback or middle linebacker … until Saturday. They didn't release theirs, so we're not going to release ours. Like I said, I like our team and where we're at."
On the impact of college football on the Stockstill family:
"This is my 37th year as a college coach after five years as a player, so for 42 years of my life I've been involved in college football. We've been married 29 years, so Sara's been involved in college football for 29 years. Brent played in it and is now coaching in it. It's my passion, and I'm fortunate to be in this profession. I cherish it, and I'm appreciative of the opportunities I've had in this profession. I love college football, and my family loves college football. I'm very appreciative and honored to be able to be in this profession for 42 years now."
Redshirt Senior Safety Jovante Moffatt
On preparing for Michigan's offense:
"Like Coach [Stockstill] said, we've been watching a lot of [Alabama] film just because the offensive coordination switched over, so we're expecting a lot of stuff that they did there. Also, a lot of those things kind of tie in together, so we're pretty much trying to take a little here and there. We're preparing all we can with film for Michigan right now."
On Michigan's talented receivers:
"They have a lot of bigger sized guys, possession receivers and stronger guys. They'll run the read option and try to get the ball to them, having a lot of safeties coming in on the run fast and pulling it, so that's pretty much their scheme. We're just going to focus on that and do what we can."
On starting a new season:
"I've been healthy and I feel like everybody is ready to play, the team is ready to play and guys are healthy. We're ready to finally see what we can do. We've been working all year pretty much for this. Guys are ready to get back to the season and get things going."
On facing a dual-threat quarterback this weekend:
"We're going to do what we do; as Coach said, we love to blitz. We're going to run a lot of zone or man or whatever he wants to do going into this week, and being accountable to our ability for the most part."
On being the underdog in this game:
"We've always been the underdog. Like Coach [Stockstill] said, we play about three of these games each year. Most of them, we go in being the underdog, so you're not really expecting much. I feel like, for the most part, the team is going to come out there with a lot of confidence, a lot of morale. Being the underdog is not a big deal for us because we're used to it going into every season."
On if it motivates the team to be the underdog:
"I would say it does. We've won a couple of these games since I've been here, like Syracuse and [Missouri]. I say it builds confidence. Going into the game, a lot of guys are more energetic, but for the most part, I would say go into the game feeling the same as they would as if we were playing TSU next week or whatever the case may be."
On approaching the trip to Michigan:
"Yeah, I mean it's always a business trip when we're going to play ball, but I don't think a lot of guys know the history of it. A lot of guys are really just ready to go play football. I don't think they know a lot, other than all the fans being at the stadium, and all the stuff they have. I don't know if guys know more of the history side of the stadium, they're just ready to play college football. I don't think there is much more you could ask for."
On prior knowledge of Michigan:
"I'm going to learn as I go. Starting with this week, I know I'll be getting a lot of questions about them. I don't really know much other than it's a big stadium."
On the expectations of his team's play this year:
"You see a lot of guys that like the extra work. Especially with the defense, we've got a lot of guys coming back. Coach [Stockstill] said we're still trying to figure things out and build a connection around with everybody. Everything is going good, everybody is happy and ready to get it rolling, and it will all start at Tuesday's practice."
On the difference in this offseason from last year:
"I approached it kind of like I did last year. I worked just as hard this season as I did last season going into those four games. This season, it isn't really a big deal, I'm just ready to play football. I'll treat every game the same. I'm just ready to play."
Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman Will Gilchrist
On the performance of the three quarterbacks in practice:
"It was really good. As long as we're good up front, it doesn't matter what those guys do back there, because it all starts with us and just how they perform really goes with us and how far we can get them."
On new offensive linemen in the starting lineup:
"Yeah, it's really exciting because for all of us this is our first start in college football, so it's pretty crazy, but I feel like there's not as much pressure as there would be if we were all returning. We can all just play loose and just go as hard as we can go."
On what to focus on regarding Michigan's defense:
"They play a lot of guys in the box, and like Coach [Stockstill] said, they play a lot of man coverage, so really we have to play with a lot of great eyes and a lot of really good discipline and trust everything we do."
On the prowess of Michigan's defensive line:
"We just have to play under their pads. If we just get under them, we'll be alright."
On facing potential future NFL players:
"Oh yeah, that's always exciting because we get to go against those guys and those guys could be playing on Sundays. It's really a test for us, and we just want to go fly around the field and have fun."
On playing the role of underdog this weekend:
"I mean, yeah, it's always good going in there and people not really thinking a lot of us because that's how it has been for the majority of us all our lives. We just want to go in there and play hard and just play 60 minutes, just like Coach [Stockstill] said, and see what happens."
On consistently playing Power 5 competition:
"Of course it's a test, especially at the beginning of the season, to see what we're all about and what kind of team we are and see how hard we're going to go no matter who we play."
On the diversity and depth of the offense this season:
"We're not just deep at [the skill positions], we're also deep at offensive line. We're looking to play 10 guys this week. I know all of us are ready to go. We have good backs, good receivers and good quarterbacks — whoever it is, is going to be ready to go. We're looking forward to it."
On teaming up with fellow Pasadena, Texas native Matt Martin:
"It's pretty special. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, really, if you think about it. It really is crazy to think about where we came from and how we got here and the process it took, and it's really special because I get to see that guy every day. We live together and we just grind, and he makes me want to work harder every day. That guy is coming off an ACL tear and he recently tore it again, so just fighting with him every day is a constant battle, and competing with him every day makes us better day in and day out."
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening statement:
"We've got a huge challenge ahead of us playing Michigan, the No. 7 team in the country right now in all the preseason rankings. They're coming off a 10-win season, and they've done a really good job. The history and tradition of Michigan speaks for itself. I'm really proud of our team and how they approached camp and finished camp Saturday. I thought we had a really productive camp, and I like the focus our team has. We're looking forward to getting started here."
On facing a new opposing offensive coordinator (Josh Gattis) in week one:
"He's a really good coach. He's been at Alabama the last couple years and is coming into a program that has a lot of good players. He's got an experienced quarterback, an experienced offensive line and receivers that can run, so I'm sure he'll implement what Coach Harbaugh wants and believes in. We'll study a little what Alabama did, but we'll mostly focus on the players they've got returning at Michigan."
On the Michigan defense:
"They can run. They do a lot of man coverage. They'll challenge our receivers, they'll press us and they'll play a lot of man. Their defensive line and linebackers have two returning starters there that have played a bunch of snaps. They're fast, big, ginormous on both sides of the ball, so it comes down to doing our job fundamentally and being in good position mentally. If we do that, we'll have a chance to compete. If we get away from our fundamentals and not execute, then their athleticism and size will take advantage of any mistakes we make."
On playing in front of a big crowd under the lights at Michigan:
"We play three of these games every year. We've been in front of 70, 80, 90, 100,000 before. It'll be a new experience for this team, but a lot of our players played in that 2015 Alabama game when they had 100,000 at Alabama. We know we're going to play a really good team, but we're not going to walk in there in awe of them. Once the game starts, the field is 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide, and you try to block out all the noise from the 100,000 people and just play football. We'll get out there and compete, but we've got to understand that those 100,000 people aren't going to be playing, and we've got to block out that noise."
On playing the top teams in the country:
"It's an opportunity for us to go compete against the so-called best players in the country. They're full of four and five stars, and it's an opportunity for our team to go out there and compete. We're not going to bow down to anybody. Last year, we played three SEC teams, and we schedule like that every year. It's different in basketball. In basketball, they like to play those tough teams early in the year to get ready for tournament play. It's different in football because we don't play as many games. You can go 0-25 in basketball and win your [conference] tournament and you get in the [NCAA] tournament. In football, you've got to win a certain amount of games to get into the tournament, which is the bowl season. I look at it a little differently than what basketball does. It's an opportunity for us to compete against one of the best programs, a top-seven team in the country. We'll see how we stack up. We'll try and make improvements each week as the season goes along, but this is a good test for us. We're not going to go in there and be in awe or intimidated. We're going to roll up our sleeves, compete for 60 minutes and see what happens."
On finally approaching the first game of the year:
"We're guaranteed 12 games. Hopefully we can play in 14 — that's our goal. You've got to take advantage of every opportunity you get, because these guys put in an awful lot of work to only get to play 14 days out of the year. I'm anxious to watch our team play. I'm proud of them. Game week is always an exciting time. You'd rather be preparing for a game than just preparing for spring practice or 25 days of practice in August. This is what you play for. These guys are excited and anxious to play, and I know they'll be ready to play."
On not knowing Michigan's two-deep depth chart:
"We haven't made any final decisions yet — we don't have a two-deep, either. We don't have to decide who's going to start at left guard or right guard or quarterback or middle linebacker … until Saturday. They didn't release theirs, so we're not going to release ours. Like I said, I like our team and where we're at."
On the impact of college football on the Stockstill family:
"This is my 37th year as a college coach after five years as a player, so for 42 years of my life I've been involved in college football. We've been married 29 years, so Sara's been involved in college football for 29 years. Brent played in it and is now coaching in it. It's my passion, and I'm fortunate to be in this profession. I cherish it, and I'm appreciative of the opportunities I've had in this profession. I love college football, and my family loves college football. I'm very appreciative and honored to be able to be in this profession for 42 years now."
Redshirt Senior Safety Jovante Moffatt
On preparing for Michigan's offense:
"Like Coach [Stockstill] said, we've been watching a lot of [Alabama] film just because the offensive coordination switched over, so we're expecting a lot of stuff that they did there. Also, a lot of those things kind of tie in together, so we're pretty much trying to take a little here and there. We're preparing all we can with film for Michigan right now."
On Michigan's talented receivers:
"They have a lot of bigger sized guys, possession receivers and stronger guys. They'll run the read option and try to get the ball to them, having a lot of safeties coming in on the run fast and pulling it, so that's pretty much their scheme. We're just going to focus on that and do what we can."
On starting a new season:
"I've been healthy and I feel like everybody is ready to play, the team is ready to play and guys are healthy. We're ready to finally see what we can do. We've been working all year pretty much for this. Guys are ready to get back to the season and get things going."
On facing a dual-threat quarterback this weekend:
"We're going to do what we do; as Coach said, we love to blitz. We're going to run a lot of zone or man or whatever he wants to do going into this week, and being accountable to our ability for the most part."
On being the underdog in this game:
"We've always been the underdog. Like Coach [Stockstill] said, we play about three of these games each year. Most of them, we go in being the underdog, so you're not really expecting much. I feel like, for the most part, the team is going to come out there with a lot of confidence, a lot of morale. Being the underdog is not a big deal for us because we're used to it going into every season."
On if it motivates the team to be the underdog:
"I would say it does. We've won a couple of these games since I've been here, like Syracuse and [Missouri]. I say it builds confidence. Going into the game, a lot of guys are more energetic, but for the most part, I would say go into the game feeling the same as they would as if we were playing TSU next week or whatever the case may be."
On approaching the trip to Michigan:
"Yeah, I mean it's always a business trip when we're going to play ball, but I don't think a lot of guys know the history of it. A lot of guys are really just ready to go play football. I don't think they know a lot, other than all the fans being at the stadium, and all the stuff they have. I don't know if guys know more of the history side of the stadium, they're just ready to play college football. I don't think there is much more you could ask for."
On prior knowledge of Michigan:
"I'm going to learn as I go. Starting with this week, I know I'll be getting a lot of questions about them. I don't really know much other than it's a big stadium."
On the expectations of his team's play this year:
"You see a lot of guys that like the extra work. Especially with the defense, we've got a lot of guys coming back. Coach [Stockstill] said we're still trying to figure things out and build a connection around with everybody. Everything is going good, everybody is happy and ready to get it rolling, and it will all start at Tuesday's practice."
On the difference in this offseason from last year:
"I approached it kind of like I did last year. I worked just as hard this season as I did last season going into those four games. This season, it isn't really a big deal, I'm just ready to play football. I'll treat every game the same. I'm just ready to play."
Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman Will Gilchrist
On the performance of the three quarterbacks in practice:
"It was really good. As long as we're good up front, it doesn't matter what those guys do back there, because it all starts with us and just how they perform really goes with us and how far we can get them."
On new offensive linemen in the starting lineup:
"Yeah, it's really exciting because for all of us this is our first start in college football, so it's pretty crazy, but I feel like there's not as much pressure as there would be if we were all returning. We can all just play loose and just go as hard as we can go."
On what to focus on regarding Michigan's defense:
"They play a lot of guys in the box, and like Coach [Stockstill] said, they play a lot of man coverage, so really we have to play with a lot of great eyes and a lot of really good discipline and trust everything we do."
On the prowess of Michigan's defensive line:
"We just have to play under their pads. If we just get under them, we'll be alright."
On facing potential future NFL players:
"Oh yeah, that's always exciting because we get to go against those guys and those guys could be playing on Sundays. It's really a test for us, and we just want to go fly around the field and have fun."
On playing the role of underdog this weekend:
"I mean, yeah, it's always good going in there and people not really thinking a lot of us because that's how it has been for the majority of us all our lives. We just want to go in there and play hard and just play 60 minutes, just like Coach [Stockstill] said, and see what happens."
On consistently playing Power 5 competition:
"Of course it's a test, especially at the beginning of the season, to see what we're all about and what kind of team we are and see how hard we're going to go no matter who we play."
On the diversity and depth of the offense this season:
"We're not just deep at [the skill positions], we're also deep at offensive line. We're looking to play 10 guys this week. I know all of us are ready to go. We have good backs, good receivers and good quarterbacks — whoever it is, is going to be ready to go. We're looking forward to it."
On teaming up with fellow Pasadena, Texas native Matt Martin:
"It's pretty special. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, really, if you think about it. It really is crazy to think about where we came from and how we got here and the process it took, and it's really special because I get to see that guy every day. We live together and we just grind, and he makes me want to work harder every day. That guy is coming off an ACL tear and he recently tore it again, so just fighting with him every day is a constant battle, and competing with him every day makes us better day in and day out."
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