WR Malachi Corley (WATCH)
DB Kahlef Hailassie (WATCH)
DE Juwuan Jones (WATCH)
RB Noah Whittington (WATCH)
Head Coach Tyson Helton (WATCH)
On his expectations heading into the C-USA Championship game against UTSA:
"Well, it's an exciting game. It should be a great environment. They've got a great fan base there, I expect a huge crowd. It's inside, so I'm sure it's going to be really loud and it'll be an electric environment. That's what you want for a championship game, you want to have that big-time environment. I know our guys will be really excited to play in that environment. They're a really good football team, well-coached football team, Coach Traylor's done a great job. Obviously, we've played each other so we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I think it's great we get to match up again. They're an excellent football team, it's going to take everything we've got to go win it, but we're excited for the opportunity and hopefully we can go get it done."
On how he'd compare this WKU team to the 2015 C-USA Championship team:
"I'm very proud of what we accomplished in the past, but the past is the past, and this is a special football team. The team that won it in 2015 that I was a part of had special men on it. Very comparable football teams, I'll just say that. We have great people, very special men, very talented players. I'd like to have the opportunity to look back and be able to compare those two teams after the fact with a championship. But, at the end of the day no matter what happens, I love these men. I love our coaches and players. They're what you want as a head football coach to have the opportunity to coach. No matter what happens, I'm going to look back on this season and be really proud of these men and these women that were a part of this season with us."
Offensive Coordinator Zach Kittley (WATCH)
On what the acclimation process has been like in his first season at WKU:
"It's been an awesome process, clearly, since I got here. It's what you always want to be in is the conference championship game. Our staff, our players, have prepared so hard – all spring, all summer, all fall camp, 12 games this season – to get here. Once again, this is what you come for. This is what you work for, is to go to a conference championship game. Once again, our guys have done a phenomenal job all year. It's just exciting to have our players have this opportunity to try to go get a championship Friday night."
On why he believes QB Bailey Zappe should win the Heisman Trophy:
"The stats don't lie. To me, what I've seen the last 10 years or so with the Heisman Trophy – first and foremost you have to be a winner and you do have to have the stats to back that up. I don't think there's any better person out there than Bailey Zappe. I mean, you look at a guy that came in here and he led his team to the conference championship game. Statistically, it's not even close, no ones in the same ballpark as he is. The Heisman Trophy also goes to who's the most important player to the team. I'm biased clearly, but I don't think there's a more important football player in the whole country than Bailey Zappe is to this football program and this team. I think if you ask our players they'll say the same thing. He deserves to be there, we'll see what happens. Like I said, he's the best quarterback in the country and he deserves to be there. His team's in the conference championship game. He led the team to the conference championship game and the stats are there to back it up. So, I don't think there's much more to be said about it and we'll see how it goes."
Defensive Coordinator Maurice Crum (WATCH)
On what he attributes the defensive turnaround to following WKU's game against UTSA earlier this season:
"I think that was just the last straw for everything, we just kind of had to have our last moment with our back against the wall. I just think through every game that we've gone through there's been bright spots and moments for us defensively, we just hadn't had the chance to put it all together. I think kind of after the UTSA game the guys really started to see that if we fix just a little bit then we can be really successful. I thought the players really bought into that. It just started to flow for us throughout the year and our confidence just started to skyrocket."
On what being able to compete for a C-USA Championship means to him:
"I'm really excited. I mean I've been excited all year long, obviously, as a first-year coordinator. Just fired up to be with this group of guys. It didn't start the way we wanted it to, but to finish this way is phenomenal and speaks to our character and who we are. It's just been really good to come to work every day with the staff and the players. Sticking it out throughout the season and just to see us finish this way and have this opportunity, particularly in a rematch, I think we're really excited about it."
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