Troy University Athletics
Troy Football Press Conference - Dec. 8
12/8/2020 2:56:00 PM | Football
Troy Football Press Conference – Dec. 8, 2020
Head coach Chip Lindsey
Opening Statement:
Saturday was a big win for us, and I was really proud of our team and how we played as unit. All three phases of the ball really complimented each other. We had a great week of practice last week which is really where it started. When you get your guys back that have been missing for various reasons it allows you to have a really good practice. Our guys went to work and worked extremely hard. Our practices were spirited and physical and it seemed like it paid off on Saturday. As a team, we played really good complimentary football. We threw the interception on the trick play and the defense responded with a stop. I was really proud of how we played on Saturday.
On the offense Saturday:
Gunnar [Watson] played probably as well as he has all year on Saturday. He was very efficient, took care of the football and made great decisions. He didn't turn the ball over which was crucial to our success. We had the one interception on the trick play, but that can happen when you roll the dice on those kinds of plays. Kimani Vidal ran the ball extremely hard and we were determined to get him as many carries as we could with him back after missing a couple of weeks. He was very fresh which showed on Saturday.
And then I thought Jamontez Woods did some good things as well. So, between those two guys our running game was much better. Our offensive line played better and we communicated better as well. To put it simply, our guys went out on executed.
On the defense:
Defensively, we were really solid. Anytime you get a shutout in college football you're doing something right. Our front dominated the line of scrimmage and we ran to the ball well as a unit. We played with a lot of good energy and I'm very proud of them. Brandon [Hall] and his staff had a great plan that our guys were able to execute which is just as important.
On No. 11 Coastal Carolina:
This week is a great opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country at home in Coastal Carolina. Jamey Chadwell does a great job and in year three you can really see the difference. They've gone from winning three games his first year to being undefeated this year. You can see them growing up. They were a younger team last year but they added a few key transfers that have made a big difference. Overall, this is a really good football team and a very well coached team. It's a great opportunity for our team and we're looking forward to get a chance to play them here at home. We're looking forward to Saturday. Now we have to have a great week of practice to ourselves a chance to win.
On the CCU Offense:
They're a very multiple offense that does a lot of great things. They run a play of the option but more out of the shotgun than under center. Their quarterback Grayson McCall has played outstanding for them. He doesn't turn the ball over much and can really run and throw. CJ Marable is another important player that we're really familiar with. We thought he was a really good player for them last year who has improved further this year. Their wide receiver corps is really impressive and under noticed. They do a great job of getting open and making plays. Their offensive line is really impressive too and do a great job of doing what they do. It's going to be a great challenge for us defensively because they really attack the field. We're going to have to limit their big plays.
On the Chants defense:
They're very impressive on defense and it starts with their defensive front. Their four guys up front really dominate the line of scrimmage. They play extremely hard and they have two really good linebackers as well. And then their secondary is much improved from last year.
On Coastal's win over BYU:
They were very impressive in that game. We've seen BYU up close and personal, but I thought Coastal had great momentum going into that game which helped. They've had a lot of really good things happen for them this season. When you play good football, you put yourself in position to build momentum. BYU is a really good football team and it probably hurt them some having to come across the country last minute, but you can't take anything away from Coastal. They had a great plan, executed that plan and won the game. I was very impressed with them as I have been all year.
On the confidence after the South win:
It's always good to win for sure, but the biggest thing for us was we finally played well again. The fact that we feel like we're healthier than we have been most of the year and we were able to practice better than we have been. We were in a situation the last couple of weeks where we didn't have enough players to run scout team which is a problem. And you try and limit the amount of snaps your starters play against each other due to injury concerns, but last week we were able to get back to our normal practice routine. Hopefully it can help us play well again this week against a really good opponent.
On the offensive line improving:
We had three guys coming into the season that hadn't played a lot of football for us so they're still learning. Whenever you're young at that position you're going to experience growing pains. Dylan Bradshaw and Austin Stidham have both played a lot of snaps here so they have experience. But with Grant [Betts], Jake [Andrews] and Derrick [Graham] we have three guys who will continue to improve as they get more experience. I told Derrick the other day that he's really not a freshman anymore because he's played 10 games for us. I think you see him improving. In order to win games, you need to win up front which is something that we'll get better at going forward. I do like the progress that our group has made and from a communication standpoint we were much better on Saturday than we have been. We have a great challenge this week, but I'm pretty sure our guys will be excited and ready.
On finishing with three home games:
In a year where everything is crazy and the schedule has changed multiple times, there's nothing better than having two home games at The Vet to finish our season. Our players have handled all of the adversity that we've gone through extremely well and have continued to focus and do the best job we can do. We feel like we've gotten a bit of a shot in the arm because we're finally back healthy and at full strength. The opportunity to play two games at home and make a bowl game has excited our team. It's been a long season. We've been going since Aug. 1 and it's not your typical season with everything that's going on with cancelations and what not. It's been a roller coaster year but our guys have handled it well. The opportunity to play two games at home and qualify for a bowl game is really exciting for our guys.
