Jacksonville State Football
Weekly Press Conference
November 12, 2024 –FIU Week
 
Head Coach Rich Rodriguez

On Moving On After an Exciting Win
Certainly you want to move on, but then everybody else is talking about it because of the Hail Mary play, which is unique. It doesn't happen very often. You're lucky to have one every five years, right? I think our guys are mature enough to handle and as coaches, we'll make sure they're focused in practice today, and if they're not well, we'll get it corrected. I think we got, a pretty mature group so they know how important this next one is.
 
On Facing FIU Coach Mike MacIntyre
His kids always play hard everywhere he's been. He's an experienced guy. He's got a good staff. I know some of their coaches, he's in a great area to recruit. They've gotten good players. I think they've gotten better every year he's been there. They've had, which is really unique, 16 days, I mean more than two weeks to get ready for this one. We got to be prepared for a little bit everything and know that they're going to be fresh and ready to go.
 
On Preparing for and Executing the Hail Mary
We work it once every week, usually on Thursday at the end of practice. There's different philosophies on how to protect it. First off, you got to have the protection so the quarterback can launch it, and then the location where he throws it. We always want it to be five yards deep in the end zone, which is almost exactly five yards deep in the end zone with some height, which it was, so it was a great throw. And then we usually have three guys, one in one in front of goal line, one in the middle, and then one in the back. And then the jumpers, where Cam (Vaughn) was at. He was the jumper when they were so congested in there that he winds up being right behind them, and they must misjudged the ball. So we'll work on it once a week, and every week we'll keep working on it. And who knows. You know, like I said, you can go years without using it. I think I had it one other time. It was 10 years ago. I was at Arizona.  So normally you won't get one in a lifetime. I've gotten two. So maybe I've been coaching too long.
 
On the Challenges FIU Presents
They're going to be fresh and healthy. I think they're, they're better in all phases in their program. I have a lot of respect for Mike (MacIntyre) and his staff. The quarterback is playing well. They got one of the best wide outs in the country. It's a challenge. As I told our team, the more you win, the more is at stake. So, every week now we're playing for a conference championship, really, and every week, so we have a lot at stake.
 
On The Importance of the Experienced Players on the Team
I've said this before, I don't worry about leadership during practice or when the coaches are around, because that's our job. We're supposed to provide that kind of leadership. It's when we're not around, when they're in the locker room, or they're around campus, where they got to make sure the players are focused. I'm talking about, they're getting their rest. Are they eating right? Are they doing all the right things? And so that, that that part of is when you need to have that leadership. And, you know, I've been fortunate in all three years here, it's been the senior classes have really taken a hold of that.
 
On the Play of the Secondary
Geimere Lattimer has been consistent all year, and he made a couple plays. He's made some plays when you're playing man coverage, just hard to play the ball and you got to wait till the wide receiver turns and looks and puts his hands up, and he did all that. And it was was really neat. And we have some athletic guys in the secondary when they've gotten challenged, and we sometimes put them under pressure. We put them in some man situations where they have to guard and they're playing against some good quarterbacks, so you know, this is going to be a big test for them. And we play a lot of DBs. We've rolled a lot of guys in there. So they're going to get a chance this weekend.

 
Michael Pettway, Sr., WR
 
On Keeping the Team Focused
Just taking it one day at a time. It's exciting to be able to play these big games,, but we just have to take it one game at a time, one day at a time, one practice at a time. We can't really get too high in the moment, and we can't really get too low. We just have to be even.
 
On Re-Focusing
Just like what Coach says, that 24-hour rule. We enjoyed the moment. We enjoyed it Sunday, but pretty much yesterday, we get our minds on FIU. And really, today, last week is over, we're on FIU now.
 
On the Selflessness of the Position Group
Every wide receiver, every tight end, every running back as well. I mean, we just kind of understand this is a team sport team game. There's going be some weeks where maybe this wide out has a great game, and maybe this wide out doesn't. There's a game where Huff may run for 300 and Trey may run for 300. But at the end of the day, if we're getting the win, and everybody's doing their job, I mean, that's the end goal.