Chip Lindsey Press Conference - Missouri Game

Troy Football Head Coach Chip Lindsey Press Conference – October 1, 2019

Just to recap last weekend's game against Arkansas State, obviously we're very disappointed we didn't win the game. It was the first Sun Belt Conference game of the season, and we had a great opportunity. Our fans were outstanding again, the attendance was around 26,400. The fans continue to come out, especially our student body. Our students have really connected with our players, and they do a great job of providing a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done. Hats off to Arkansas State.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that they made enough plays to win the game, and we did not. That's something that we need to continue to strive to do when we get our opportunities. Offensively, defensively and on special teams. I think as you look back on the game that's the way it played out.

We missed some opportunities. Defensively we got five or six stops in the second half, forced four turnovers in the game, two interceptions and two fumbles. We capitalized on a few of the turnovers, but when you look back, we missed plenty of opportunities when our defense made stops.

We turned the ball over twice, one of which went for a touchdown. And then if you count the safety, we turned the ball over three times. For us, I think on offense we missed a lot of opportunities. Defensively, we didn't get off to a great start with them scoring on the first play of the game when their kid made a great play.

Then we gave them a touchdown on the fumble, so we're down 14-0 again at home. We need to get past that and start better at home. For whatever reason we have not done that so far this season with the exception of maybe the Campbell game.

Our team battled back and tied the game at 31-31 heading into halftime after being down 14-0. We really felt good going into the half considering the start we got off to. The second half really came down to us missing some opportunities. We had a chance to really take over the game at one point, and we just couldn't get it done.

On the last drive, we had an opportunity for a two-minute drive thanks to a turnover and drove the ball down the field some. It just did not end the way we wanted it to because we did not get a chance to finish the drive off before the clock expired. We work on that two-minute situation every week and for the most part did a decent job, but we just did not execute like we wanted to or like we practiced.

Other than that, I think this team continues to fight. We've got some areas we need to clean up in order to get to where we want to be at the end of the season. But I like the way we continue to battle and fight. There's a lot of energy on our sideline throughout the whole game. Nobody hangs their head, everybody is battling. Which I think is a sign of good things to come.

We've played some really good offenses so far in Southern Miss and Arkansas State. Both of those teams have great wide receivers with quarterbacks who do a great job leading their team. Facing those teams will help prepare us as we move throughout the season.

Our defense will continue to improve and the guys in the secondary will continue to get better. Offensively, we need to continue to try and take advantage of the opportunities we're getting. We need to continue to try and score touchdowns when we get the big opportunities. As the games continue to get more important, we need to do a better job of taking care of the ball.

On the internal players of the week
Offensively Kaylon Geiger had eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He continues to make a lot of plays for us in a lot of ways. We're trying to find creative ways to get him the ball and get him some opportunities. I thought we did a better job of that last week.

Defensively we chose freshman Dell Pettus. He played in the secondary, played some safety for us as well as corner. He played safety last weekend and had 10 tackles and two pass break ups. We're really pleased with how he's progressing. When he came here, we thought he was a guy who would have a chance to be a role player for us and help provide some depth. Instead he's become a starter for us. I think each week he continues to get better. He comes from a great family and is a great kid, and I'm excited about his progress as a young player.

On special teams, we selected Tyler Sumpter. I thought he was outstanding. He had four punts that averaged almost 42 yards-per-punt. He was 3-of-3 on field goals and was perfect on extra-points. I like the way he responded after missing a field goal earlier in the year.

On this week's matchup at Missouri
Looking ahead to Missouri, I'm really excited to get the opportunity to play a quality opponent like Missouri on the road. We have a little bit of a history here at Troy with them, beating them several years ago. Now they're in the SEC, so it's an even better opportunity for us. We're looking forward to that. Head coach Barry Odom does a great job with his team and is a great defensive mind. His teams are always well prepared and play extremely hard. He's a guy who has spent most of his career at Missouri. He played there and has coached there for a while now, so he's had a great run there.

Offensively, they average almost 39-points-per-game. They do a nice job on that side of the ball. On defense they give up just under 15-points-per-game. So, it's a big challenge for us. In their last game against South Carolina, they allowed something like 16 yards rushing. This is going to be a really good defense, and the best one we've faced all year, and we'll have to play really well in all three phases to win the game.

Overall, it's a very good football team. These guys are very solid and it's a big challenge for us. But I know it's a challenge our guys are very excited about. We're going to put together a great plan and give ourselves a chance to be successful and win the football game. That's what our motto and mentality is. We're going to get a plan together each week that gives us a chance. We're looking forward to the challenge and excited to get back out on the practice field later today.

On the Missouri offense
On offense it starts with Kelly Bryant, their quarterback who is a transfer from Clemson. He's a fantastic player who looks much improved in the passing game. He's throwing the ball down the field on time and accurately. I coached against him when he was at Clemson, and I thought he always threw the deep ball well, but it looks like he's developed even further since then. He's a very good athlete who can hurt you with his feet as well, because he's a very explosive player. We'll have to do a great job of trying to limit his opportunities.

Their running back is a guy who's been a good player for a long time there. He's 10^th or 11^th all-time on their rushing list, with a few games left to go. They do a great job running the ball and they use a similar offense to us. They do a few things different, but I'm really impressed with them.

I've also been really impressed with their offensive coordinator Derek Dooley and what he's done with Kelly Bryant. He's built their offense around his strengths and has done a nice job of utilizing his players. That's what every coordinator wants to do.

Their tight end is outstanding and has matured and filled out since his high school days. He's a first team All-SEC selection and a first round talent when it comes to the NFL Draft. He's very versatile, blocks well in the run game and gets down the field. He's already caught four touchdowns this season and I'm very impressed by him.

They have a big, physical, athletic offensive line that plays well together as unit. They're really solid up front, and it's going to a big challenge for us to stop these guys. We're going to need to play team defense on be on top of everything.

On the Missouri defense
Defensively, they're a top-three or four unit in the SEC in every category. They're very good from a numbers' standpoint and even better when you flip the film on. Linebacker Cale Garrett is a guy who stands out. He's a senior who has been there awhile and is their leading tackler. He's a guy who gets them lined up and makes sure they're in the right call. He's a very experienced and heady player who reminds me of some of the guys they've had in the past. He's a guy that gets that unit going, similar to Carlton [Martial] for us.

Their defensive line is a very impressive and athletic group that plays with a lot of passion and energy. They play extremely hard. Jordan Elliot is a guy that stands out to me. He's up there in a lot of the statistical categories and is very athletic and active. He's a big guy who we'll have to block well.

They have two impressive safeties in Tyree Gillespie and Joshua Bledsoe who are ranked in the top five or six in total tackles for them. They're aggressive and very active. They play downhill and also can cover. Those guys are typical SEC-type safeties.

On the Missouri special teams
On special teams their kicker Tucker McCann stands out to me. He's also happens to be their punter and kicks off for them as well. He's really impressive. He's averaging almost 44 yards-per-punt and is 7-of-9 on field goals, making a 52 yarder. I think the most impressive thing is his kickoffs. He's kicked 28-of-29 for touchbacks which limits the return game. He's really impressive and will probably kick in the NFL for a long time.

Their punt returner averages almost 18 yards-per-return and has already returned a punt for a touchdown this season. So, we'll have to do a great job of covering and limiting his returns.

On Troy's recent success against P5 programs
I think the opportunity to play in these games is what makes Troy a special place for our players to come to. They're excited about this opportunity. Obviously, each year is different because the team is different, and I wasn't here the last couple of years, but I know our players are excited about this opportunity.

Historically we have five Power 5 victories which leads the Sun Belt Conference. Some of those wins were a while ago and some were more recent. But each year is different. Our players are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against a quality SEC opponent.

On Carlton Martial's consistency
I see a guy that comes to practice every day and is the same. He shows up to a game and is the same. He's very consistent, brings no drama and is very unselfish. He does his job, and I think that says a lot about him. It's never about him, but instead it's about the team and winning games. He gets a lot of recognition for making tackles which he should, but at the end of the day he wants to win the game like all of us do. I'm really impressed with him. He's very consistent and that's the most impressive thing about him. He's the same guy every day, and we're very glad he's on our team."

On preparing the defense to face Kelly Bryant
Our players understand and know what kind of player Kelly Bryant is. That's not going to be a problem. We just need to make sure we're where we're supposed to be, and our eyes are where they're supposed to be. It's no different in the sense that we're going to prepare and give ourselves the best chance to win. He's a great player and will probably make his share of plays. But we need to limit his big plays. If we can do that things will be good for us.

Troy University Athletics

Chip Lindsey Press Conference - Missouri Game

Players Mentioned

Kaylon Geiger

Carlton Martial

Dell Pettus

Tyler Sumpter

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