Troy Football Press Conference - Oct. 13 - Troy University Athletics

Head coach Chip Lindsey

Opening Statement
I was really proud of our team and how we played last Saturday. To get off to a 1-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play is really important for us. We handled the distraction of getting our previous game [against South Alabama] rescheduled really well and refocused nicely. Then, the weather last Saturday was a concern the whole time, but we handled it well. I'm really excited about how our team responded. It's a sign of a mature team when you have the ability to handle the factors you cannot control. We came out and played with a lot of passion and energy. We were really excited to play which always goes a long way towards winning a game.

We weren't perfect and there are a lot of things to clean up in order to be the team we want to be. But I was excited for how we played overall. I also want to thank our fans who turned out for this game. It was the best atmosphere we've played in this season by far in what's obviously an unusual year. Our student section was loud and were into the game.

Our band, The Sound of The South, was excellent as usual. I had another coach from Texas State complement our band and the pregame stuff they performed. Our fans and the band go a long way in helping us win a football game and our guys are always excited to play here at Veterans Memorial Stadium. I just wanted to again say thank you to our fans, students and the band. It was good to get off to a 1-0 start and we're looking forward to this week. The game this week is a game where we need to go out and execute our offense and it will come down to us getting focused and playing and practicing to our standard. That's what we're selling to our team. We're excited to play again at home this week and next, and we're excited to get started.

On the offense last week
On offense we played pretty well, but there were lots of things to clean up. We weren't as clean as we wanted to be, especially early on. I thought we had a few areas that we had some miscommunication, but I also liked the way we responded. We continued to play fast and make plays down the field. Gunnar [Watson] played well and he looked poised and confident, which is really good for his growth. If he continues to get more and more comfortable back there, he'll be really good for us. That was just his third career start back there and I like what I'm seeing out of him so far.

His progress can really be attributed to our protection. Our offensive line and running backs did a really good job of protecting him and keeping defenders off of him, which allowed Gunnar to go through his progressions and make good decisions. So, hats off to the running backs and offensive line. We didn't have any penalties on offense, so it was another good day for them. Kimani Vidal really came in and played well for us. He's the third true freshman running back to come in and run for 100 yards in a game, so we're really excited about Kamani's future.

And then Kaylon Gieger and Reggie Todd showed up and made some plays down the field. We had 10 or 11 different guys catch a pass so a lot of people got involved, but Reggie and Kaylon both really stood out.

On the defensive effort
Defensively, I'm really pleased with how we have played in two of our three games this season. Our defense has really done a nice job of limiting explosive plays. I think that's the key to playing good defense in this day and age. With all of the good offenses out there you need to limit the explosive plays and ones that lead to quick touchdowns.

Those two things have been a major focus of our defense in the offseason. Our staff and players have bought into it, and really if everyone is doing their job then we should be able to make teams have to drive the length of the field more which usually doesn't result in touchdowns.

We gave up just over 200 yards of offense in the first three-and-a-half quarters plus before we started subbing in some reserves the last two drives. They hit a few runs but I was really pleased with how that unit played.

Javon Solomon and John Hines both stood out to me after watching the film. Both of those guys were extremely active and did a good job of disrupting the offense. Carlton [Martial] and KJ [Robertson] were very solid as usual. KJ played all three linebacker positions in this game which tells you how smart he is and how good of a football player he is. He loves the game of football, competes and understands it. Both he and Carlton were really solid.

In the secondary, I was really pleased with Dell Pettus and O'shai Fletcher. O'shai is a guy that is getting better and better, which we need. We need as much depth as we can back there. He had to play back there probably before he was ready but I'm really excited about those two guys in the secondary.

On the special teams
If I'm being honest, we probably did not play up to our standard on special teams and it's something we're going to work on in practice. We gave up a couple of kick returns that we're not happy about because it came down just not executing. We got a bit out of our line and didn't attack it the right way. Our field goal/PAT unit was bad. There's just no other way to put it.

The combination of the snap, the hold and the kick at times. We have to get some answers there, especially in terms of our protection. We going to have games that are going to come down to a field goal or a PAT, so we need to do a better job with that. We did down a punt on the 1-yard line which was an excellent job and Kyle Coale made a nice punt on that play. Then we executed the surprise on-side attempt, Jack Martin did a really good job with that and we were able to recover it. But we still have a lot of work to do. If we want to be the team we want to be we need to really improve on special teams.

On Eastern Kentucky
We get to play at The Vet again this week against one of the best programs in the FCS historically. They have a history of winning championships and they've done that for a long time. It shows their commitment to winning and what kind of football program they have that they're playing this season. A lot of the FCS schools are not playing this fall and these guys are committed to playing, which says a lot about their program and how important their program is to their university.

We've played them a few times historically in our I-AA days and we have a lot of respect for their program. They do a great job and they're going to come in Saturday ready and excited to play. We need to make sure we match their energy level and excitement. Walt Wells is a really good football coach and a guy that I have crossed paths with at a few different spots. He's got an offensive line background, so we know that they're going to be tough and physical. When you watch the film, you see those qualities and that they play really hard. He's doing a good job of putting his finger prints. We expect a really good football team to come in here on Saturday.

On the defense playing with an edge
Our defense has approached this whole season with an edge. We didn't play the best brand of defense last year if we're being honest. We can use a lot of excuses but at the end of the day [defensive coordinator Brandon] Hall, his staff and our players want to play to a certain standard. So, I definitely think last year is something that is in their mind all the time in practice and the games. Against BYU in the first half we actually played really good defense. Offensively we didn't do enough to help them out, but I'm really pleased with the progress we're making so far.

There are still a good number of things to clean up still, Brandon was talking about that yesterday, but I think this group has a chance to be really good. When you look at our defense, we have a lot of guys that played last year that returned this season. And I think they're trying to hold themselves to high standard and limit the other teams' explosive plays. If you can do that and tackle well in space, you have a chance to have a good defense.

On Brett Clark
Brett is a guy who didn't have a huge role before I got here, but my first spring we could tell that he had some talent. Brett and I have talked about him being talented enough but also what he needed to improve on to have a major role for us. We're committed to playing a lot of receivers and we play eight to 10 guys every week.

With how fast we play, we need to have depth. Brett is a smart football player and understands our offense. He's becoming really consistent for us in terms of catching the ball which is something I challenged him to do when I first got here. He's taking pride in route running and his energy and attitude has been good. He's a guy that has really developed over the last year and a half and he's a guy that we count on.

He's very solid. He has no ego and just plays his role and does a good job. When he gets an opportunity to makes plays his proven he can do that. I really enjoy coaching him and all of our guys. We have a lot of guys that are our kind of guys, and Brett is no different.

Troy University Athletics

Troy Football Press Conference - Oct. 13

Players Mentioned

Kyle Coale

O'shai Fletcher

Jack Martin

Dell Pettus

Javon Solomon

Reggie Todd

Kimani Vidal

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