JSU GAME NOTES

Opening Comments:
“We had a very physical football game and thought we played hard. I thought Eastern Illinois came with everything they had. I was impressed with the way they fought. I was disappointed with our loss of composure a few times and that is something as a team that we have to develop the ability to bring emotion to the game without losing our composure and being hurt by penalties like we were.”

“We did have another game in which we controlled the line of scrimmage on offense by running the football. We have just been trying to find an offensive rhythm and that's the way the rhythm went Saturday. Do I expect that to be the rhythm every week? No, not at all and I am almost sure it won't be. We have skilled wide receivers and we are trying to put people in position to make plays and getting the ball down the field. We are as comfortable giving it to the wide receivers as we are with our running backs.”

“Defensively, I thought we rose up and played physical as the game went on. We got hurt when one guy came out of a gap early in the third quarter. By in large, I thought we won the line of scrimmage defensively and there is nothing more close to my heart than doing that other than the turnover ratio. We had some unfortunate turnovers that we are going to have to eliminate. I thought we did a good job of keeping pressure on them at the end and got some take-a-ways at the end. We need to become a better take-a-way team. I think we are athletic enough and fast enough to get people around the ball.”

“Just being able to coach on the field with Coach Spoo, one last time, meant a lot to me. It's truly great competition when you have great admiration and respect for the person in your role across the field.”



On Murray State
“Going forward, we go to Murray and some of our challenge this week is about Murray and some of it is just the way we handle our business. We are going on the road again and last time we went on the road, we didn't play very well. We've got to make this trip a part of our preparation because it is a long way up there and the environment is a little different. You are in a stadium with all the people are on one side and you have a parking lot behind you. I don't mean that sarcastically, it's a great stadium, but it is different. We have to prepare for the environment, the trip and prepare for the team.”

“The most important part is being ready when we line up and there are preparation challenges with Murray. It is a totally different approach to offensive football. It is a very subtle, deceptive approach because you see all four of those wide receivers and it's disguising a very effective runner. We have to play against the whole offense and we are playing a quarterback that found his way in the second half against us last year and went on to be an all-conference quarterback.”

“We are playing experience and the challenge of being on the road and the challenge of the competition of who we are lining up against. We are very challenged and we are a team that if we are ranked higher than fifth or sixth in the conference in all the categories – I'd be surprised. We are a team that is challenged with our own self. I don't think any less of our opportunity to become a running team, a run defensive team and a passing team that is needed to win the conference.”