Opening statement:
"First of all, very proud of our team. We had two as tough of losses I've seen back to back. Our guys, they didn't flinch. They practiced extremely well. They practiced hard. They were determined. They willed us to win. Our crowd was outstanding. Our crowd willed us to win. It was just a really good night. It's a big win for us. That's a good football team. They've been playing really good. Offensively, they're really scary. For our defense to play like they did, I thought Coach Williams and his staff had a great plan for our guys. I thought our guys executed it. We were worried about stopping the run and the guy who averages 10 yards every time he touches it. We did that. Holding those guys to field goals I thought was huge.
"Offensively, we sputtered back and forth all night. But when the game was on the line, they went 60-something yards in 11 plays and had a big fourth down pickup. Mark-Antony was fresh. He drug a couple people and broke some tackles. We gave them the ball back with 20 seconds. I'm real proud of the guys. Big win for us. Much needed."
What did you say to Mikey Keene before the final drive to keep him settled?
"We've got plenty of time. We don't need to be in a hurry. That was our big thing. We were able to run the footbal a little bit, mix it in. He was real calm in his demeanor. Probably more than anything, the Sam Jacksons, the leaders. They really stood up. 'We're gonna win this game.' We talked about our guys. Sometimes you get to the point you refuse to lose. We had two tough close losses and now we found a way to win. That will help us going forward."
Was this the defense's best performance of the season?
"Probably so. They've been scoring 40, 45. Three game winning streak. Their quarterback has been playing forever. They have good skill. You watch their other games and it was a track meet running up and down. I thought our defense played really well."
Johnny Richardson rushed for over 100 yards tonight. What did you like about your running backs?
"They were playing odd. Kind of mixing in some drop eight, drop seven. Probably the play of the game was the screen. It was second down and 10. Hit the screen and went for 50. Gave us some momentum. Got the crowd back into it. Johnny is one of our impact players."
Was there a game plan to get Ryan O'Keefe the ball?
"100 percent. We've got to get the ball to Ryan O'Keefe. He's electric. Even the short one down there, he broke a tackle. He's hard. He's like a running back when he has the ball. They did a good job with him. They weren't going to let him get behind them. Yeah, we definitely wanted to get him the ball."
Four sacks for the defense tonight. Showed no quit.
"They got after him. Some big sacks. I knew it was coming. Going against these guys every day in practice, I knew it was coming. That was a big factor in the game, making that quarterback uncomfortable."
Tatum Bethune led the team in tackles. What did you see from him stepping in for Eriq Gilyard?
"Tatum started. He's been our starter. He's one of our best players. We didn't have him last week. He had a concussion from the game before. Him and Bryson were filling holes now. It looked like a real run defense. I'm real proud of our linebackers. It says a lot about defensive front setting point so they can play downhill."
Kalia Davis went down. Do you have an update on him?
"I don't know. It was his knee. I've never seen anything like this with impact players. But it's next man up. The guys didn't flinch. Second half, the guys played good defense. We're hoping for the best. Pretty unfortunate."
The offense struggled until the fourth quarter. What made you want to stick with Mikey?
"We were definitely struggling. No doubt. Third downs, once again, 5 of 15? We've got to do a better job. That was the key. He's earned that. We've got to be real. He's young. He was in high school last year. That was his first home start. He's still learning. There's going to be some growing pains, but he's a really good quarterback. I think sometimes you've got to stick with people and let them grow. He's going to be a big-time quarterback before it's said and done. A lot of quarterbacks, they wouldn't have had what it took to lead them down to win the game. A lot of old quarterbacks couldn't do that. Real proud of him. There's going to be some growing pains. He's tougher on himself than the coaches. He'sa great competitor."
What can that game-winning touchdown drive do for a young quarterback's confidence?
"You just said it. He's still young, and learning and growing, the ups and downs of everything. Playing college quarterback is a lot harder off the field than on the field. That'll give him confidence, but probably more than anything his teammates will have even more confidence in him. It all kind of works together."
Is there frustration from the team about the injuries?
"I'm feeling frustration. That's just the coach part. Hey, it's college football. Next man up. We found a way to win regardless against a good team. I think they won their last three. That says a lot about our team."
Bounce back week for the special teams unit.
"Yeah. there's no doubt. We had a couple penalties we have to clean up. We did a good job. The field goal, that was one of those tough situations. Did you kick a field goal or do you go for it? But I really felt like our defense was playing well. Sometimes you make calls going with your instincts. We made the field goal. He made two of them. Right down the middle. We did a good job protecting. We cleaned up some things. I was a little worried about their punt returner. He's electric. We handled him real well. The last time on the sideline, do you kick it deep or squib it, those are the things that go through your mind. In the guys' eyes, kick it deep, we're gonna knock a hole in them. That was their mentality and that's what they did."
ECU RB Keaton Mitchell ran for over 200 yards last week, only rushed for 67 yards tonight.
"Our defensive front, our linebackers. A lot of those runs, he's so electric and gets to the second level. We harped all week on keeping it simple, play downhill, fit the run. He bounced a couple out. We didn't set the edge one time. He's electric He's a real running back."
We saw only two linebackers on the prior field. What prompted that change from prior weeks when we saw three?
"I think we did play three. Baptiste played. Bryson Armstrong. Those three games rotated."
A top five team next week. How do you get ready for Cincinnati?
"We've got a lot of respect for them. We've got to find a way. That's the fun part of coaching. As soon as we get done with this. I'm gonna take a shower and start getting on it. Going there will be a big challenge, but we're looking forward to it."
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