Jacksonville State Football
Weekly Press Conference
October 13, 2023 – Western Kentucky Week
Head Coach Rich Rodriguez
Opening Statement
"I won't say it's a normal week, but it's the first time we've had seven days (between games). So it's different, I guess we go back to a normal practice schedule with today being our Tuesday. So we'll have a good full padded Tuesday practice and then a very talented, very good Western Kentucky team, I think, I don't know if they were picked first or second, should have been if they weren't. I think they were."
"So they have an open date and the extra time to get ready. So, we've got to be ready for sure. They'll do a lot. They do a lot of stuff, we've got to be ready for some stuff that maybe they hadn't shown because they had a few extra days to put in. So work hard, try to get, better fix the stuff that we didn't do well the other day and go from there.
On how WKU compares to Liberty
"Really very similar. I mean, the quarterback is, you know, Liberty had a great quarterback, I think we're going to play one of the best ones here. This guy is a great thrower, doesn't get sacked very often because he gets rid of the ball, is accurate. They're very intelligent, their skill guys, at wide out might have the best group that we've seen or we'll see all year and we've got some good groups coming up. They have pretty good experience, athletic on defense. A couple of big interior defense linemen, three-hundred some pounders that really move and are athletic. So I think they're very comparable to Liberty and their athleticism, they probably have more experience on the skill level - offensive skill level.
On the performance of R-Fr. Quarterback Ashton Frye
"I thought for his first time in there, I thought he's pretty composed. He's a very conscientious guy anyway. I mean, he's always coming by and asking questions and from where he got when he first came here, he was literally 140 pounds, it could be rain and thunderstorm and he wouldn't get wet if he moved a lot. He's that thin, but he's getting better, he's getting stronger, he's gaining more weight, you know, football is important to him and he has a good kind of sense about him as far as learning. So I thought he did pretty well. There's a couple of things we like to have back, but he's, you know, you lose one quarterback early and then you lose another one and then next thing, you know, Ashton is in there. So, I don't know where we're at right now. We'll see if Zion (Webb) and Logan (Smothers), they're both banged up, but we'll give Ashton a lot of reps. We'll get Smoot a lot of reps and we'll see what happens."
On the home atmosphere last game
"It was set up for a really neat atmosphere. I thought we had a good turnout with the students, a good turnout with the crowd. Because it's a midweek so you never know, people are working, they have to drive to get here, the games later so you're going to get home later. So I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but I thought our crowd was pretty good. From what I've seen in other midweek games and other teams, I think our crowd was one of the better ones."
Jamarye Joined, R-Sr., WR
Opening Statement
"This week is another big week for us, just preparing and trying to capitalize on the good things we did last week and, uh, and the things we didn't do so well on last week. So, um really excited for this week and excited to get after,
Why he likes playing for Coach Rodriguez (originally a quarterback)
"I liked what he was doing at Arizona at the time. He had Khalil Tate who was a very similar quarterback as I was coming out of high school. So I saw a lot of similarities in myself with him. So I just thought if he can do that with Khalil, he can do that with me. He and coach (Rod) Smith, I trusted them, coming out of high school. That was the biggest thing. I trusted them outside of football that they're going to help me get through college and motivate me to be the best player I can be."
On his transition to receiver
"So, it wasn't too difficult, my freshman year in high school, I was the top 25 receiver in the nation when I played at South Point. So I was a receiver at first. We had a quarterback issue my freshman year of high school, so I started playing quarterback and never looked back. When I went to receiver in college, it was more, like, we lost four receivers in the same position group. So I was like, 'I know I can do this, I can help the team.' Move to receiver, it was just like riding a bike for me. Just more getting my body in condition and running routes again rather than dropping back and scrambling.
On being part of a large wide receive core
"It's really motivating because at any point somebody can go in there and make a play and they could be the next hot hand. So when you're in there, you just have to focus on your job, you're one of 11 and make the play when the ball is thrown to you because obviously at the end of the day, it is a competition. Just make your play when the ball is to you is the biggest thing I could say for that big group of receivers we have."
On being able to arrive at Jax State in the spring versus the fall
"Yeah. being a transfer coming in the spring is a big step. Same thing out of high school if you were coming out of high school or a transfer coming in the spring, it's probably the biggest step you can make for your college career because that's a point where you can get your body in shape. If you're at high school, coming to college, get your body in shape, get more in college shape. And if you're a transfer, get in the playbook and be able to bond with your teammates and mold into the offense or defense, whichever position you come to choose to play."
On QB Ashton Frye
"Ashton, he's a, a very, very smart football player. I remember going in there, just running plays and coming to the side, I'll probably break a route short or, um, probably supposed to come flat. I kind of drift a little bit but he's not, he's taking drops behind the starting quarterback or the second string quarterback and I come back and he'll tell me, 'hey, try not to drift on your route, try to come back more downhill.' He's more like big on the details and he focuses on everything, every little thing. So he's a really good player that can make a big impact for us no matter if he's a young kid or a senior or not, but he's a good player."
Looking at Western Kentucky
"They're a really good defense, they're athletic, they make plays. Their DBs are very athletic, their quarterback is very good, they throw the ball a lot. That's just Western Kentucky's culture. But, they're a very athletic team and we've got to come out and play this week."
Jeremiah Harris, R-Sr., Saf
Opening Statement
"They're a good team, they got a great quarterback and they got a good receiver, so it's on us this week in the back end to come out this week and just do what we have to do here to take care of business."
On facing WKU's talented offense
"It's exciting, you know, you always want to play against the best. Playing against the best to bring the best out of you. So it's a good feeling to go out to play one of the best quarterbacks in the nation for real because he's a great quarterback and also the receiver, he's a great wild out, and they have chances to play on the next level in the NFL. So it's a great feeling to go out to play against those guys."
On the young guys improving on defense
"They proved a lot, you know, like since they came in. I had to do a lot of players that are on defense and they learned pretty well, they came up here to watch film and stayed after practice a little, ask me questions. I tried my best to teach them things that I knew and they took it very well and I'm proud of them."
On playing midweek games
"It's a great feeling. It's kind of crazy but it's a great feeling, you get the chance to play on national TV, and the reason why I say it's crazy is because you have a quick turnaround. You really don't have much of a break and your days are confusing, like right now, I don't even know what day it is right now to be honest. It's a crazy feeling but also great at the same time. Every day somebody hits me up talking about something. They see me on TV, Tuesday or Wednesday. So it's a good feeling though to have your friends back home to watch you play on TV."
