Saturday, November 30
JACKSONVILLE
7 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
vs
Samford
Bill Clark Press Conference Quotes - The Samford Game
11/25/2013 3:14:00 PM | Football
Jacksonville State Head Coach Bill Clark
November 25, 2013
The Samford Game – NCAA FCS Playoffs
November 25, 2013
The Samford Game – NCAA FCS Playoffs
JSU GAME NOTES
Opening Comments:
"One of the things that we said going in to last week was that we were still alive. We were coming off of a tough loss and we wanted to see our guys bounce back and start fast against a Southeast Missouri team that we had a lot of respect for. We knew they had been in a lot of close games and playing their best football coming in to the game. We had a great start by our guys and we jumped out on them early, and the offense did a heck of a job with DaMarcus (James) and Eli (Jenkins) leading the way. It was a good start by the defense. I thought we bent a little bit, but we did not break and went in to halftime with a really good lead. At halftime, we were concerned because they had moved the ball on us and scored real easy on the first series. We just let them come back and we didn't tackle well, and had a few guys banged up. We were able to hang on and then we just waited for the announcement."
On Samford:
"I think they are similar to us in some ways. They were having to work their way in and I give them a lot of credit for going and beating a good Chattanooga team on the road. They found a way to come back and win that game in the fourth quarter, and that is something that I have a lot of respect for. This is a really good team and we have seen them early getting ready for Georgia State. They were impressive in that game and played really well all year long. Defensively, watching them against Georgia State early in the year, I was intrigued with how athletic they are on defense. They play really well up front and they move guys around. They have a bunch of really good players, especially the two safeties.
Offensively, they are similar to the Malzahn-type offense with the 'Y' as a fullback and they use him as a block guy and they really have a good run game. Their quarterback is doing an outstanding job and is a big guy, he throws the ball really well and they have good receivers. It is a really well-constructed offense. They are also great in special teams, and run a pro-style punt team and good specialists."
On the process of getting in to the playoffs:
"I think our conference was fourth in the nation…and that shows how you did as a conference and who you beat out of the conference. I have a lot of respect for our conference and you saw a lot of solid, well-coached teams in this league. That, in itself, helped in the process and we have gone out and played well against the opponents outside of the league. I think that would have to had been one of the biggest things they looked at."
On playing Samford:
"Anytime you are doing schedules, you look at proximity and open dates they have and so many factors that go in to scheduling. Any time that you can play people that are close to you – it is just good excitement for the game. This isn't the team I would have picked to play, but I guess there aren't many bad teams in the playoffs. We are just glad to be in and I am sure they feel the same way. We are playing someone that is an hour away from us, so it should be exciting.
On playing on the same day as the Iron Bowl:
"We have all said – watch that game and then come watch ours. If you love good football, it couldn't get any better. You have Alabama and Auburn, and then you have our game with Samford. I think it will lead in to our game really good. Of course, I really didn't know there was another game going on that day, so I am glad you told me about that. This is our Iron Bowl, it doesn't get much bigger for us and it is all that we are worried about. I think it is pretty neat and we are giving you a chance to watch that game and then be there for our game.
Caleb Lawrence, Jr., DL
On getting in to the playoffs:
"It feels natural to be in, and its another game for us. We have been playing the last five games like a playoff game anyway. This time around, we have a 0-0 record and if we win, we keep playing and if you lose - you are done. It is about time that Jacksonville State be back in the playoffs again."
"I went over to Kyle West's house since he has ESPNU, so we got to watch it unfold. It finally got to the lower two brackets and the suspense was killing us, but when we saw JSU on the screen, we went crazy. It was very similar to watching the basketball tournament selections."
Max Holcomb, Jr. OL
On getting in to the playoffs:
"I woke up early and didn't have the channel to watch it, so I was on the FCS Playoffs twitter page and refreshing it every five seconds. When I finally saw that we got in, I was pumped. I haven't been to the playoffs since my first year here in 2010. This will be the first playoff game that I have been able to play in, so it is a big deal to me. It is a big game with us playing Samford."
Kyle Pope, So. LB
On getting in to the playoffs:
"I woke up early and turned it on with some other teammates. It was awesome to see Jacksonville State go up on the screen. We just have another day to fight."
On playing against his brother Kelsey Pope:
"He called me after the selections and said it was going to be a big game and I have never played against him."
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