Troy University Athletics
Chip Lindsey Press Conference - Georgia State Pregame
10/22/2019 1:52:00 PM | Football
Troy Football Head Coach Chip Lindsey – Oct. 22, 2019
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Opening Statement
To recap South Alabama, we're very excited to have gotten the win. It was an important victory because it was a conference game and an important rivalry game. I want to thank our fans as they were incredible again last week and have been all year for us. Our students were loud, and you could hear them and feel the energy throughout the game. It was awesome to see the interactions between the students and our players after the game. It was nice to get a conference victory, and it ensures that all of our goals are still out there as we control our own destiny. Overall, it was a great night to be a Troy Trojan.
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Defensively I was very pleased. We really only gave up three points. We turned the ball over inside our own 10 which led to a touchdown, and then they got a field goal on another turnover aided drive. So, I felt like the defense only gave up three points and were excellent in the red zone.
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We forced three turnovers with the two interceptions and the one fumble, and almost created a fourth on a potential fumble that was blown dead. Our defense continues to make strides, especially the young guys in the secondary. Brandon [Hall] and his staff had a great plan and we executed it well. We mixed in some different coverages and switched it up a bit which may have led to the success we had.
Offensively, we were hit-and-miss and had a lot of self-inflicted problems. We did not punt at all the entire game which usually leads to a lot of points being scored, but the turnovers really held us back. For us to get to the place we want to get to, we need to do a better job of protecting the ball. We ran the ball really well and protected the quarterback well. Our offensive line played its best game so far. It was nice to get Jabir Daughtry-Frye back as well, as he went in and showed some explosiveness now that he's healthy. We just need to do a better job of protecting the ball.
We had a solid night on special teams, but we need to do a better job of covering on the kickoffs. When we were kicking into the wind and could not drive it into the end zone, we didn't do a good job of covering the returner. You have to credit South Alabama and their returner who does a great job, but we need to do a better job of staying in our lanes and doing the little things. It was exciting to see Tyler Sumpter earn Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week. He's been excellent for us both punting the ball and then making field goals too, so it was good to see him get recognition.
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On the offensive line's performance
All five our offensive linemen were named our internal Players of the Week. They played great as a unit. We ran for 220 yards and had 34 knockdowns, which is a really good number. They did not allow a sack, we had 13 explosive plays and most importantly no penalties. That's very impressive out of that unit.
On Georgia State
Georgia State is a really good football team. They're 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt so far. They're much improved and have come a long way. Shawn Elliott does a great job and you can see the recruiting success paying off for them. They're a very good football team with a couple of really good wins over an SEC team in Tennessee, and then they beat a really good Army team last week that offensively is really tough to matchup against. We'll have our hands full this week.
On offense, Dan Ellington is a really nice player for them and is one of the better quarterbacks in our league. He's a tough guy with a lot of moxie who has improved a lot since last year. He's where the offense starts. They have a solid running back in Tra Barnett who has rushed for six touchdowns this season and is averaging almost 100 yards per game. They have two productive wideouts and do a great job of spreading the ball around. They're a run-pass option team and will give us many different looks there.
Defensively it starts with Trajan Stephens-McQueen who makes a lot of plays for them. He's very physical and active and has a couple of interceptions so far for them. He's a guy we need to block. They've got some really good players on both sides of the ball and it's going to be a big challenge for us to go on the road and get a victory. We dropped a game against Arkansas State at home that we probably should have won, so now we need to go on the road and handle our business and play really well.
On the team controlling its destiny
For the psyche of our team, it's important but once you start playing it's really not a factor. Every week as the head coach you're trying to find different ways to motivate your team. Football is a long season and with young guys you need to find a way to motivate them and remind them that we can still accomplish our goals. As we sit here toward the end of October, we still play a lot of good football teams, but it helps that we still have all of our goals in front of us.
On the progression of the defense
We've played really good run defense all year if you look at the rankings. We played some teams early on that could really hurt you in the passing game, and we had younger guys playing back there. We've gotten some younger players game reps and the kids that are back there are working extremely hard to improve in the film room and the field. The more you play the better you're going to be. Every week is a different challenge based on the type of offenses you're playing so we need to be able to adjust. I like the way we're running to the ball and starting to tackle. Our front seven has been strong all year and the backend is getting better. I like the progress we're making and hopefully we'll continue to make progress.
On Melvin Tyus missing the first half due to a targeting call
It's tough to not have Melvin out there for the entire game. Melvin has had two of those calls go against him this year, and neither were intentional. On the first one, the running back lowered his head and Melvin tried to get lower, but they collided. It's unfortunate, and we don't want guys to get hurt because it's just as dangerous for the defensive player as it is the offensive player in those collisions. The one the other night he was reacting to a tight throw in the end zone, and his face hit the receiver's and by rule it's targeting. Melvin is a senior who has been here a long time, so anytime you lose that leadership it hurts. We'll have to prepare to not have him for the half and hopefully he'll make an impact in the second half.
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Opening Statement
To recap South Alabama, we're very excited to have gotten the win. It was an important victory because it was a conference game and an important rivalry game. I want to thank our fans as they were incredible again last week and have been all year for us. Our students were loud, and you could hear them and feel the energy throughout the game. It was awesome to see the interactions between the students and our players after the game. It was nice to get a conference victory, and it ensures that all of our goals are still out there as we control our own destiny. Overall, it was a great night to be a Troy Trojan.
Â
Defensively I was very pleased. We really only gave up three points. We turned the ball over inside our own 10 which led to a touchdown, and then they got a field goal on another turnover aided drive. So, I felt like the defense only gave up three points and were excellent in the red zone.
Â
We forced three turnovers with the two interceptions and the one fumble, and almost created a fourth on a potential fumble that was blown dead. Our defense continues to make strides, especially the young guys in the secondary. Brandon [Hall] and his staff had a great plan and we executed it well. We mixed in some different coverages and switched it up a bit which may have led to the success we had.
Offensively, we were hit-and-miss and had a lot of self-inflicted problems. We did not punt at all the entire game which usually leads to a lot of points being scored, but the turnovers really held us back. For us to get to the place we want to get to, we need to do a better job of protecting the ball. We ran the ball really well and protected the quarterback well. Our offensive line played its best game so far. It was nice to get Jabir Daughtry-Frye back as well, as he went in and showed some explosiveness now that he's healthy. We just need to do a better job of protecting the ball.
We had a solid night on special teams, but we need to do a better job of covering on the kickoffs. When we were kicking into the wind and could not drive it into the end zone, we didn't do a good job of covering the returner. You have to credit South Alabama and their returner who does a great job, but we need to do a better job of staying in our lanes and doing the little things. It was exciting to see Tyler Sumpter earn Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week. He's been excellent for us both punting the ball and then making field goals too, so it was good to see him get recognition.
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On the offensive line's performance
All five our offensive linemen were named our internal Players of the Week. They played great as a unit. We ran for 220 yards and had 34 knockdowns, which is a really good number. They did not allow a sack, we had 13 explosive plays and most importantly no penalties. That's very impressive out of that unit.
On Georgia State
Georgia State is a really good football team. They're 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt so far. They're much improved and have come a long way. Shawn Elliott does a great job and you can see the recruiting success paying off for them. They're a very good football team with a couple of really good wins over an SEC team in Tennessee, and then they beat a really good Army team last week that offensively is really tough to matchup against. We'll have our hands full this week.
On offense, Dan Ellington is a really nice player for them and is one of the better quarterbacks in our league. He's a tough guy with a lot of moxie who has improved a lot since last year. He's where the offense starts. They have a solid running back in Tra Barnett who has rushed for six touchdowns this season and is averaging almost 100 yards per game. They have two productive wideouts and do a great job of spreading the ball around. They're a run-pass option team and will give us many different looks there.
Defensively it starts with Trajan Stephens-McQueen who makes a lot of plays for them. He's very physical and active and has a couple of interceptions so far for them. He's a guy we need to block. They've got some really good players on both sides of the ball and it's going to be a big challenge for us to go on the road and get a victory. We dropped a game against Arkansas State at home that we probably should have won, so now we need to go on the road and handle our business and play really well.
On the team controlling its destiny
For the psyche of our team, it's important but once you start playing it's really not a factor. Every week as the head coach you're trying to find different ways to motivate your team. Football is a long season and with young guys you need to find a way to motivate them and remind them that we can still accomplish our goals. As we sit here toward the end of October, we still play a lot of good football teams, but it helps that we still have all of our goals in front of us.
On the progression of the defense
We've played really good run defense all year if you look at the rankings. We played some teams early on that could really hurt you in the passing game, and we had younger guys playing back there. We've gotten some younger players game reps and the kids that are back there are working extremely hard to improve in the film room and the field. The more you play the better you're going to be. Every week is a different challenge based on the type of offenses you're playing so we need to be able to adjust. I like the way we're running to the ball and starting to tackle. Our front seven has been strong all year and the backend is getting better. I like the progress we're making and hopefully we'll continue to make progress.
On Melvin Tyus missing the first half due to a targeting call
It's tough to not have Melvin out there for the entire game. Melvin has had two of those calls go against him this year, and neither were intentional. On the first one, the running back lowered his head and Melvin tried to get lower, but they collided. It's unfortunate, and we don't want guys to get hurt because it's just as dangerous for the defensive player as it is the offensive player in those collisions. The one the other night he was reacting to a tight throw in the end zone, and his face hit the receiver's and by rule it's targeting. Melvin is a senior who has been here a long time, so anytime you lose that leadership it hurts. We'll have to prepare to not have him for the half and hopefully he'll make an impact in the second half.
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