Troy University Athletics
News Conference Quotes
10/1/2009 7:45:00 PM | Football
Troy News Conference
Troy Head Coach Larry Blakeney
Opening comments on the victory at Arkansas State
“We had a great win. If you study it and look back at it, it's about like we said it was going to be. The teams were ranked pre-season one and two in the league wound up opening against each other. It was a game of runs, and they got up 10 and we give them 20 unanswered and it was back and forth in the second half. We were able to drive the ball downfield and made some plays and were actually able to burn the clock out with a three point lead. It was a thing of beauty to me. I like that play where you take it and kneel on it at the end.”
On Middle Tennessee
“We're going to try to put wins back-to-back together against Middle Tennessee coming up. They are a tough outing. The game is here and it is on national television. They have beaten some pretty good teams in Memphis and Maryland and of course North Texas in the league. I'm sure they will be highly motivated and well prepared. We have got to match that effort across the board to get a chance to win the game.”
On practice
“We gave our kids a couple of days (off) here. We gave them Sunday off without anything but treatment, Monday off without anything but weights and treatment, Tuesday we will meet with them and go over game film and Wednesday we will start practicing and preparing for Middle Tennesee.”
On the break in the schedule around MTSU
“I don't think there is any question. It's a good time for us to get some people well and get rejuvenated. It gives the coaches and players some time away from each other. They have basically been living with each other since the end of July. The main thing is that we don't lose any ground and get to feeling like working hard. Our coaching staff is a driven bunch of people. They work hard and they work late. They produce good plans in all three phases, and every now and then some of those guys need a break. Some of them are out recruiting. There are only so many days assistant coaches can go out and evaluate players so we're taking a few of those. I think it's all about what your attitude is during an open date or an open time. My whole philosophy is based on people being fresh, coaches and players alike. You can't be down and play a college football game. You have to have your spirits up and your body right. You have to be mentally sharp. We even start cutting practice back mid-way through the season to try to make sure we're not doing too much.”
On the rivalry
“It's certainly become a lot more important to our students since the Palladium has been in place. They travel well here and we travel well there. It's normally a pretty good game. It's been back and forth some over the years. I think it's added a little fuel to the fire so to speak, and they are the closest team presently in our league. We recruit a lot of the same areas. It's a pretty good rivalry.”
On national television exposure
“It's always better to win on national television. That's what both programs will be trying to do. It's a great stage for the Sun Belt Conference and both programs and universities. We're looking forward to it, and hopefully we're prepared well and get ready to play as well as we can.”
On Tony Franklin bringing another aspect to rivalry
“Well it certainly will with you guys. (Media) The TV people will be all over that. Tony Franklin, Neal Brown or Larry Blakeney can't put on a uniform and play a down. Tony is a good friend and a great football coach. I have the highest respect and regard for him. He knows how to coach football and get people in the right places to score points. I feel like we have the same type situation here. We'll line up and play for 60 minutes of history. It will be an element interesting for the people.”
On offensive similarities
“I think we're pretty similar. I'm sure it's very similar to ours. It won't take long watching it to know if it's the same type formations.”
On defensive advantages
“When we go through spring ball we become our defense's best look. The longer we go, the more they get in tune with what we do if we don't change it from day to day. Everybody is going to try to spice their deal up and break tendencies. I know Tony will, and I know there will be some gadgetry. It's a big game, and everybody will try to put their best foot forward.”
Senior Linebacker Boris Lee
On Middle Tennessee
“It's important. It's a home game and one of those national television games. We're hoping for a big crowd and with it being a mid-week game we hope people can get out to the game. I think we're going to need it.”
On how big the rivalry is between Troy and MTSU
“It's a pretty big deal. Everyone talks about it, and now that Tony Franklin is there it probably makes it a little bit bigger than it was.”
Playing on national TV
“It's a chance for us to show our talents to the entire nation. It's a chance for us to not only perform in front of everybody, but for everyone to see how Troy fans are and the stadium and how the school is.”
Defensive mentality about facing Tony Franklin
“We've been talking about it ever since we found out he went there. Tony Franklin is an amazing offensive coordinator. He's like a mad scientist. He's someone you don't want to go against every week. It's something you have to prepare for, and you have to prepare better than you've been preparing. We know Tony Franklin has something up his sleeve, and he's going to come and show up and have Middle Tennessee ready.”
Senior Quarterback Levi Brown
On facing MTSU
“It's a huge game for us. It's a conference game, rival game, ESPN game, home game, I mean what more could you say about it? We have an off day today, and we'll get back to work and start preparing for MTSU.”
“It makes a great story. I like Coach Franklin. He's a great coach and a great guy. He's the one that recruited me and got me here. I owe him that, but at the same time we would like to win against him. That's going to be what is going to be talked about all week with Coach Brown and Coach Franklin going against each other and running the same offense. It's going to come down to how we play and not how the coaches coach.”
Middle Tennessee News Conference
Head Coach Rick Stockstill
Opening Comments
We are excited about this
week. We are excited where we are. We are 1-0 in the conference and set to play
our next opponent, Troy. We did not practice yesterday. Instead, we watched the
film from the North Texas game. We will practice today and the rest of the week
and Sunday and then travel on Monday. We are excited about this game.
On the team forcing turnovers
We have not
emphasized it more than any other year. To me that is one of the key ingredients
of how you win the game, to protect the ball. We emphasize it on a daily basis
offensively, that you protect the ball and do not put it in harms way. And then
conversely, on defense, you want to be a ball hawk and do everything you can to
knock it loose or pick off a pass and get turnovers. That takes plays away from
their offense and gives your offense pretty decent field position most of the
time. To me, that is a key factor in winning football games.
On the importance of this week's game in regards to future
conference implications
It is the next game, it is no more
important than the North Texas game was last week. We understand who we are
playing and they are a good football team. We understand we have not beaten them
the last three years. We understand how good they are and they won the
conference three years in a row. They are a very good football team. We are not
going to put all our eggs in this game. It is an important game, but it is no
more important than the game we just played against North Texas or the next time
we play a conference game.
On Troy being the only team MT has not beaten under Rick
Stockstill
They have been better. That first year when they
came back and won at the end we were two pretty evenly matched teams. And the
last two years they have probably been better. I do not believe we played our
best in either one of those games. I think we had chances in both of them, but
we did not play as well. The game last year was a seven point game with five
minutes left in the game and we could not close it out. They have been a better
team in my opinion the last couple years.
On the teams playing better or worse on national
television
I do not think a team plays better or worse because
they are on television. I know our guys get excited to play on television and I
am sure theirs do also. The teams I have been apart of have won on national
television and lost on national television. After the first couple of plays you
have got to play. Whoever plays the best wins the game. I do not think it has
anything to do with being on national television.
On Troy quarterback Levi Brown
He is a good
quarterback with a live arm. He can make all the throws for them. He understands
their offense and has been doing a good job of protecting the football the last
couple of games. He is deserving of the reputation he has gotten the last couple
of weeks.
On Troy's defense
That is the misconception
about Troy. Yes, they have been good offensively, but the difference is how they
have been on defense. Their front seven guys are as good as anyone in the
country. They have always had good defensive end guys and good linebackers that
make a lot of plays for them.
On Middle Tennessee looking forward to this
game
The only circle on this was to remind the guys that we
play on Tuesday not Saturday and change the practice routine. We are not good
enough at any point of the season to say this is a game we have got to win. If
we did not win against North Texas this game would not mean as much. This is an
important game. I am not going to down play it or not emphasize it any, it is an
important game. Our players know it is an important game. Our coaches know it is
an important game. But when it is over, we still have to play seven more games.
We understand the significance of it, but it is no different than any other game
we will play.
On Middle Tennessee's attitude of play each game on at a
time
You should not dictate the emotion you play with to how
you play. It should not dictate how you prepare. It should not dictate how much
passion you play with. Because you are playing Troy, you should not get more
fired up to play Troy then if you are to play Siegal High School. You have got
to play the same way. That is how you get better. That is how you avoid the
highs and lows of a season. You have to play and approach every game the same.
On Middle Tennessee becoming one of the more prominent teams in
the Sun Belt Conference
We have played three very emotional
games against Clemson, Memphis and Maryland. Then we go out to North Texas and I
thought our mental approach was fantastic. We dominated them early, we stopped
them on the run, we got turnovers, and played really well. Then we had a lull in
the third quarter before we finished it out in the fourth quarter. I was really
proud of our team's approach to the game coming off those three games. To see
them come out and play the way they did, I hope people think we have a chance.
We think we have a chance. You have got to believe in what you are doing. I
truly believe our players believe in each other. There is a unity there amongst
themselves that this can be something special. We did not start talking about
this after the Memphis game. This is something that started back in the summer
and has carried over. I know we believe and I do not care what other people
believe. If we keep practicing and getting the work done then we think we have a
chance.
On trying to beat Troy for the first time
I do
not have a notch on my belt for each team we have beat. I want to beat them
because they are the next team on our schedule. I want to win this game because
they are the next opponent. There is no personal vindication about beating Troy.
On Middle Tennessee's running back
situation
D.D. (Kyles) and Benny (Cunningham) will get the
majority of the work. Marquise (Branton) and Dez (Desmond
Gee) will be in the mix as well. That was really the first time Benny had
really played. He got a couple of snaps early and I thought he danced a little
too much. He has got to put his foot in the ground and go. You can get away with
that a little bit in high school but the game is too fast at this level. The
same with D.D., who I think is getting better each game, is still too hesitant
at times. But when he puts his foot in the ground he has been successful. They
have to get better.
On Tony Franklin coaching at Troy previous to Middle
Tennessee
It is college football. You have no idea who you are
going to coach for and who you are going to coach against. At the time you do
not think who you are coaching against and think someday we will be coaching
together.
On Dwight
Dasher potentially being overused
There is a little bit of
concern, but you just want to do what you can to win the game. There is a little
bit of concern, but you want to win. We will worry about that when we can. We
have gotten him out of the game late against Memphis and North Texas. You have
to be cognizant, but you have to win the game. Right now we are going to do
whatever we can to win the game.
Senior Defensive Tackle Brandon
Perry
On the match up against Troy
We did not play as
well as we wanted the last couple years. We are a better team and they are a
good team. Going into it, it should be a great game.
On playing on national television
It is a great
opportunity playing on television, but you do not want to get too hyped up.
On forcing turnovers
Turnovers win the battle.
Everyone has to be hustling to the ball and it will happen. The coaches stress
to us to pursue the football, and they mean everybody so that is what we try to
do.
On changing practice schedule
In your mind it is
a little difficult. However, when you get out there it all makes sense and
Tuesday will seem like a Saturday game.
On Troy's offense being similar to Middle
Tennessee
Pass rush will be the big key for the defense this
game.
On determining a dominant team in the Sun
Belt
It is just the next game. We are not looking it as any
other game. I see them as any other game because they are a different team than
last year.
Senior Wide Receiver Gene
Delle Donne
On playing on national television
It is fun to
be the only game on Tuesday night. We know about that, but for us it is like any
other Saturday game. My family knows I am going to be on ESPN. Hopefully a lot
of people back home will be watching, but I am not approaching it any
differently.
On the game having future Sun Belt Championship
implications
We do not really read into that too much. We have
a very tough league and every game is important. Of course we want to be 2-0 and
we have to beat Troy to do that.
On the biggest offensive challenges against Troy
Their front seven is probably some of the best in the
country. Their defensive line is big and aggressive. The two linebackers they
have are very good with a fast secondary behind them. Hopefully, we can play our
best this week.
