Head Coach MIKE SANFORD (Full Video)
Opening statement:
"It's a big one for us, a big one for these seniors. Taking that the game that we played, to address that, I thought the fight was there, I do. At the end of the game we let up in a gap, that's what it was, we didn't fit the gap properly because we were selling out in the inside run and trying to get a stop in that situation to try and get the ball back for our offense. It was a 14-point game, potentially [trying to] make it a one-possession game, selling out and we got out of our run fit and that led to a touchdown. But the fight was there, I think the determination of the team to win the game was there. I think the team was excited to play, ready to play. It comes down to us just making the plays and finishing when we have the opportunities to do so, just be opportunistic as a team, in the red zone, scoring offensively. Defensively wrapping up and getting ballcarriers down at the point of collision and not being quick to go for the strip attempt, but to fully wrap up and get the second guy there to wrap up, the third guy there to wrap up ... Special teams-wise we can't lose the hidden yardage as we did in that game, that's big going forward in this game against Middle Tennessee. But we look forward to having a spirited week, there's no doubt that we're playing for these seniors, we're playing for their legacy, we're playing for the opportunity for them to play against and compete against and work everything that they can work to get a win against a hated rival. I'm not gonna play it up any more or less than it should be, but it is a rivalry game that's separated by only 100 miles and one border. There are a lot of recruiting battles going on against these teams, so we're playing this game and the next four games for this senior class and their legacy here. We're not worried about the future today, we're worried about today itself and preparing for what lies ahead, and that starts with practice today on Monday."
On running back D'Andre Ferby:
"The one thing that's awesome about where we're at, with him coming back and getting a touchdown and getting his confidence back, that's senior-veteran presence that we need to have out on the field. You can look out there on any given snap and there's really one player who's out there on the field who has been here for more than three years on offense. That's something he brings to the table when he's out there on the field. He ran decisively and we're going to see more of him this week, especially him being back home in Middle Tennessee, playing potentially his last game in the Nashville area. We'll see how that goes with his decision to potentially have another year. But we want him to have a great last four games, and he has proven that he's healthy and up for it."
On preparing for Middle Tennessee:
"It goes without saying that they've been able to keep Brent Stockstill upright and healthy with the exception of the FIU game. I think he makes them go, he does, they have a capable backup quarterback, but they go as he goes. He's a warrior, he has been playing for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him. When you watch them defensively, Scott Schafer's the defensive coordinator, experienced coach, I worked with him in 2007 and 2008. I think he's one of the best in the business, one of the best coaches, one of the best people. He's a great motivator of men and what you see right now, what you see on defense, is they're flying around. They're playing confidently in that scheme, it's year two in that scheme. They're flying around and they have a lot of veteran players on that side of the football. Their safety position is one of the best in our conference, probably the best top to bottom. But one thing I'll say as we prepare for this defense, there's a lot to prepare for. They play fast, they play violent. They have such a mixture of fronts and blitzes and they do so playing full speed; that creates problems for offenses. We have to prepare for that, we have to prepare for more looks, more front, more blitzes, more coverage that we've seen all year in one particular game, and that's going to be important for us to make sure that we identify where the issues are with their defense because it's so much. You watch through the film and it's a lot, especially for the formations that we run. It's a lot to prepare for."
Defensive Coordinator CLAYTON WHITE (Full Video)
On Ben Holt's 19 tackles vs. FIU:
"It was very impressive. It was funny because I had no idea, as the game is going, I had no idea he had 11 tackles at the half and 19 in the game. After watching it, he did a great job. He practiced very hard this week and he stayed after practice working on tackling because we talked about that from the previous week, to improve our tackling. You know, he made some space tackles, some inner box tackles and I thought he did a really good job. 19 is a high number. I still got on him though, I had a 20 and a 23 in college, so he has a little bit more to go. I'm just messing with him. He had a great week though."
"The thing about being an athlete, not just a college football player, it is about every single day, trying to improve your craft and that's where Ben's mind is at right now. Every time we watch Tiger Woods go out and play golf, he goes to interview on Sunday after a win and he still seems upset. That's kind of the mindset of these young players. Over their career, they will definitely maximize their potential, and that's what you're really trying to do and that's what Ben's trying to do. Maximize the gift that's given to him."
On preparing for Middle Tennessee:
"It starts with their system. I mean the system that Coach Tony Franklin, he's the legend of that system they have and they have a quarterback who's perfect for that system, Brent Stockstill. They have a slew of receivers, slot receivers, they have a transfer kid from Lehigh who's pretty good, caught a 70-yarder last week. I think their running backs are big. Their O-line is surprisingly big, which I don't remember them being that big last year but they've got some guys up there, 330-plus pound guys so I think it's the system to start with and obviously goes back to Brent to try to contain them."
"Our guys understand that most Saturday's you take the field, the quarterback is going to be decent. These past couple of guys we played with are probably top guys in the conference and our DB's know. But this guy is a little different because he actually runs the ball, he's not afraid. He has been injured the past couple of years but his courage and toughness is something that definitely gets our attention."
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