Troy University Athletics
Chip Lindsey Press Conference - App State Pregame
11/26/2019 1:32:00 PM | Football
Troy Head Coach Chip Lindsey – November 26, 2019
Opening statement
I was very disappointed in our performance last Saturday. You have to give Louisiana credit, they have a good football team, but we didn't do anything to help ourselves the other night. We were outcoached and outplayed in all three phases of the game and it's unacceptable. We're not going to accept that kind of effort here at Troy. It's my responsibility to fix it as the head coach. Our guys continue to give us great effort, which has never been the issue. No one is happy with where we're at, but our players and coaches are 100 percent committed to fixing our issues as we move forward. We have a proud program here at Troy with a lot of great tradition. I think the future is really bright for this team and program. This week I think you'll see our guys respond this weekend in a way that will make the program and University proud. We had a great practice yesterday and now the attention shifts to App State.
On the matchup with App State
When you look at App State on film you see why they're 10-1 and the Sun Belt East Division winners. They're a really well-rounded football team, which is why they're 10-1 and going to play for a conference championship. We've played two really good teams back-to-back here which is a big challenge. I'm glad we get one last game here at The Vet which should be a special day, as we'll honor our seniors. We've got 17 seniors that have really had a great career here at Troy, and it should be very exciting to see those guys play their final game here. We expect a great effort out of all those guys, but our entire team as well. We've had a reality check this week and I think our team will respond the right way."
On the App State offense
Eliah Drinkwitz is an offensive guy who is been successful everywhere he's been. They're averaging 38 points-per-game on offense and have a very good offensive team. It starts with their QB Zac Thomas, who is the unquestioned leader on that side of the ball. He can really make plays with his arm and his feet. I've been very impressed with what Eliah has done with him and how [Thomas] has executed the offense. They have a great running back in Darrynton Evans who has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. He looks like an NFL guy. I'm very impressed with the way he runs the ball both inside and outside and with how he catches the ball. He's a complete back. They have a really solid offense and do a lot of good things with their formations and in the play-action game. They run a similar offense to us, so it's going to be a great challenge for our defense.
On the App State defense
Their coordinator Ted Roof is one of the best in the business and is very experienced. He's done a nice job everywhere he's been. Being a former linebacker, you see glimpses of that in the way they play defensively. Their inside linebacker Jordan Fehr is very impressive. He leads their team in overall tackles and runs the show for them, which is exactly what you want from your inside linebacker. This whole defense plays extremely hard and is very well coached. Akeem Davis-Gaither is one of the more talented guys in our league who will play a long time in the NFL. He has 12.5 tackles for loss, and they put him positions to make plays. They have a very talented defense and very mature defense. They start six or seven seniors which usually leads to a strong unit. Watching them on film they're very solid.
On how the preparation changes playing on Friday
We've had to move everything up a day with the game being on Friday. We got back on Sunday morning around three or four in the morning. Usually we give our guys Monday off, but we needed to practice ahead of the short week. Now today we'll be back into our normal weekly routine. We had a 'Tuesday' like practice yesterday and we'll have our more traditional 'Wednesday' practice today. We're trying to keep our guys in as much of a routine as possible, which is important for the players. This week isn't all that different than a normal week, we just lost the Monday off day. Our players had treatment and meetings on Sunday, but we didn't practice.
On the performance at Louisiana
The performance was a bit shocking. It seemed like we weren't in rhythm. When we would make a play or take a step forward, we'd commit a mistake that brought us two steps backwards. We can't make any excuses. We need to play better and coach better. That's the bottom line. I'm very aware of that, and I think you'll see our team rebound the right way.
On the seniors transitioning to the new coaching staff
You have a group of seniors that committed to Troy off a 4-8 season. J.L. Gaston was telling me that they came to Troy because they loved Troy and believed in the vision. When I got here our guys continued to do the same thing. We don't have a huge senior class, but it was very important that they bought into to us and what we were trying to do as coaches. And they did. They're great kids, and I feel like I have a great relationship with each and every one of them. It's going to be a special day Friday because of what they've meant to this program. We want to try and send them out the right way.
On the importance of ending the season with a win
Winning this game on Friday is important for a number of reasons. First of all, a win would give us the opportunity to make a bowl game, which would allow us to get the offseason started correctly. Then you have added storyline of it being our seniors last home game here at The Vet and you'd love to send those guys out the right way, which is something our team is rallying around. We all want to do a good job for our seniors.
Opening statement
I was very disappointed in our performance last Saturday. You have to give Louisiana credit, they have a good football team, but we didn't do anything to help ourselves the other night. We were outcoached and outplayed in all three phases of the game and it's unacceptable. We're not going to accept that kind of effort here at Troy. It's my responsibility to fix it as the head coach. Our guys continue to give us great effort, which has never been the issue. No one is happy with where we're at, but our players and coaches are 100 percent committed to fixing our issues as we move forward. We have a proud program here at Troy with a lot of great tradition. I think the future is really bright for this team and program. This week I think you'll see our guys respond this weekend in a way that will make the program and University proud. We had a great practice yesterday and now the attention shifts to App State.
On the matchup with App State
When you look at App State on film you see why they're 10-1 and the Sun Belt East Division winners. They're a really well-rounded football team, which is why they're 10-1 and going to play for a conference championship. We've played two really good teams back-to-back here which is a big challenge. I'm glad we get one last game here at The Vet which should be a special day, as we'll honor our seniors. We've got 17 seniors that have really had a great career here at Troy, and it should be very exciting to see those guys play their final game here. We expect a great effort out of all those guys, but our entire team as well. We've had a reality check this week and I think our team will respond the right way."
On the App State offense
Eliah Drinkwitz is an offensive guy who is been successful everywhere he's been. They're averaging 38 points-per-game on offense and have a very good offensive team. It starts with their QB Zac Thomas, who is the unquestioned leader on that side of the ball. He can really make plays with his arm and his feet. I've been very impressed with what Eliah has done with him and how [Thomas] has executed the offense. They have a great running back in Darrynton Evans who has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns this year. He looks like an NFL guy. I'm very impressed with the way he runs the ball both inside and outside and with how he catches the ball. He's a complete back. They have a really solid offense and do a lot of good things with their formations and in the play-action game. They run a similar offense to us, so it's going to be a great challenge for our defense.
On the App State defense
Their coordinator Ted Roof is one of the best in the business and is very experienced. He's done a nice job everywhere he's been. Being a former linebacker, you see glimpses of that in the way they play defensively. Their inside linebacker Jordan Fehr is very impressive. He leads their team in overall tackles and runs the show for them, which is exactly what you want from your inside linebacker. This whole defense plays extremely hard and is very well coached. Akeem Davis-Gaither is one of the more talented guys in our league who will play a long time in the NFL. He has 12.5 tackles for loss, and they put him positions to make plays. They have a very talented defense and very mature defense. They start six or seven seniors which usually leads to a strong unit. Watching them on film they're very solid.
On how the preparation changes playing on Friday
We've had to move everything up a day with the game being on Friday. We got back on Sunday morning around three or four in the morning. Usually we give our guys Monday off, but we needed to practice ahead of the short week. Now today we'll be back into our normal weekly routine. We had a 'Tuesday' like practice yesterday and we'll have our more traditional 'Wednesday' practice today. We're trying to keep our guys in as much of a routine as possible, which is important for the players. This week isn't all that different than a normal week, we just lost the Monday off day. Our players had treatment and meetings on Sunday, but we didn't practice.
On the performance at Louisiana
The performance was a bit shocking. It seemed like we weren't in rhythm. When we would make a play or take a step forward, we'd commit a mistake that brought us two steps backwards. We can't make any excuses. We need to play better and coach better. That's the bottom line. I'm very aware of that, and I think you'll see our team rebound the right way.
On the seniors transitioning to the new coaching staff
You have a group of seniors that committed to Troy off a 4-8 season. J.L. Gaston was telling me that they came to Troy because they loved Troy and believed in the vision. When I got here our guys continued to do the same thing. We don't have a huge senior class, but it was very important that they bought into to us and what we were trying to do as coaches. And they did. They're great kids, and I feel like I have a great relationship with each and every one of them. It's going to be a special day Friday because of what they've meant to this program. We want to try and send them out the right way.
On the importance of ending the season with a win
Winning this game on Friday is important for a number of reasons. First of all, a win would give us the opportunity to make a bowl game, which would allow us to get the offseason started correctly. Then you have added storyline of it being our seniors last home game here at The Vet and you'd love to send those guys out the right way, which is something our team is rallying around. We all want to do a good job for our seniors.
Players Mentioned
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