Opening statement:
"Okay, obviously disappointing loss. You look at the game and it really came down to third down. We had trouble getting off the field. I think they were 4-of-4 on fourth down, that really led to them controlling the line or really controlling the clock and time of possession.
"We got behind early, that was tough. We had a three and out, we took the ball, they went down and scored. I think they scored again, but then we had a chance to get the ball in the red zone. We fumbled, that was tough, and it was uphill after that.
"Bottom line is we didn't do what it took to win and give those guys credit."
RJ Harvey, every week continues to put up just great numbers. How disappointing are you for him to not be able to go to a bowl game in his final season?
"Yeah, I'm disappointed for him and the rest of the guys too. Obviously, when you don't go to a bowl, that's a really tough deal to swallow. And there's a lot of disappointed guys in the locker room right now. We got one game left, and we gotta send the seniors out, and RJ and the guys have been around a long time, in a positive way.
"That's what we talked about in the locker room, and it is what it is. It's disappointing, there's no doubt."
Coach, you just mentioned that you wanna send the seniors out on a high note. Are you concerned with keeping these guys focused this week? I mean, if there's no goal outside of just playing for the seniors, are you worried that they may lose a little focus?
"I think we have a locker room that loves their seniors and they'll do everything they can for senior day. And the RJ Harveys, and the rest of the guys have been around, they'll do everything they can to fight and try to win the game."
With the bowl appearance streak snapped and the back-to-back losing seasons clenched, what's your message to the fan base that's discouraged by the results?
"Yeah, there's no doubt, and we're discouraged, they should be discouraged. We didn't get it done this year, and obviously, tonight was disappointing that we weren't able to win this one. So we've gotta do better."
Where do you go from here?
"Well, you try to win this last game for your seniors like we talked about, and then recruit, do what it takes to get this thing turned around."
The first two drives, they had kind of resembled a lot like last year, where they were controlling the line of scrimmage. Did they do anything differently schematically?
"No, they had the quarterback read game. I think they got us on the third and 11. I think they ran outside zone, and ended up getting about 30 yards right there. And they just, especially early in the first half, third down, they were gonna run the ball, and they did a good job. We've done a decent job against the run all year, but we didn't get it done tonight.
"And I think the third down, the fourth down, extends drives. Our guys get worn down, that had something to do with it too."
What did you see with Dylan RIzk's fumble early in the game?
"Yeah, yeah, they brought Corner Cat, and he was pretty focused on the defensive end. And we had the hot call, and he just didn't see it. I think in fairness, Dylan did some really good things, and he's still learning too. Obviously, that was a tough moment in the game, but he came back and did some good things after that."
You look at RJ Harvey, and what he's gonna accomplish from here, he's tough. What do you think of his journey of getting to this point, and how great would it be to send him off with a win next week?
"Yeah, I mean, RJ Harvey's one of the better football players, not just running backs, but one of the better football players in college football. And he answers the bell every single week, and he did again tonight.
"Like the answer to your question, I think our locker room is gonna fight for him. They're gonna fight for the rest of the guys to go out on a high note."
They scored with about 15 seconds left to go on the first half. There's been a bugaboo, especially over the last several weeks. What do you think is the reason that that happened?
"There's a lot of different reasons, but you're not gonna win games when that happens consistently. And it has happened too many times. So that was a tough deal right there, I think they go up 28-7. And our guys fought back.
"I mean, we got within ten, what was it, fourth down and eight, and have a decent chance to get the ball back. I think the ball was at 35, 36-yard line.
And of course, we had a little momentum there, and the guy scrambles, what, 15 yards? I mean, we had a spy on him, and he got caught up in the trash. And the quarterback can really run, and that was a tough one."
You guys walked out of the tunnel with interlocking arms. What was the message you guys were trying to send?
"Yeah, that we're together. We're together, and we need to play for each other. Obviously, our guys think we played hard, but we just didn't get it done."
Earlier this week, CBS Sports and Football Scoop wrote or suggested the possibility of your retirement. Is that something that's-
"Yeah, I don't know where that came from. I'm not retiring."
How tough has this season been for you? I know going into last season, you never had a losing season in your career, and now it'll be back-to-back losing seasons. Has this been trying for you?
"Yeah, it's a tough pill to swallow, there's no doubt. Really disappointed. This has been a tough season. I think everybody knows that. We had high expectations, and we lost some really close games we felt like we should have won, but it's been tough.
"But we got a lot of really, really fine young men in that locker room that we're disappointed for, and like I said, we got one game, and that's what we're gonna focus on, trying to finish the right way."
In the offseason, if you decide to make some changes to the staff or whatever you're gonna do, maybe after the season, how challenging is it to do that with an early signing period that's like a week after the regular season, and you got the portal opening up? How challenging would that be if you wanted to make changes to the staff?
"Yeah, we'll cross that bridge when it gets here. I'm gonna focus these next six days on winning the game, and that's what my focus will be on."
You talked a lot in the offseason about self-reflection. As you look back on that, what is most disappointing about the course of events this season?
"Yeah, I think you gotta look at it as a whole, we had high expectations. And we've had a lot of different things happen, and we've played four different quarterbacks. And we've had a lot of adversity, and like I said, we lost close games.
"That's what really sticks out to me. And then you don't go to a bowl game. I mean, that's really disappointing. And we gotta work on winning next week and turn this thing around."
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