Interim Head Coach Colin Johnson
Opening Statement: “This past weekend, it was a tough game, tough game. Bowling Green, as I mentioned after the game, is a great football team, but we're moving forward. We're looking forward to the opportunity that we have this weekend, the day after Thanksgiving, to get a chance to take the field one last time with this team 100 in a showdown against Ohio — also a really phenomenal football team. Coach Tim Albin has done a phenomenal job over his tenure there in Ohio. He's been there such a long time, since I think 2005 if I'm not mistaken, but his leadership and his knowledge has done wonders for that program, and they're playing at a high level because of it. So looking forward to take the field with these men one last time against one of the classiest programs in the Mid-American Conference.”
Q: “Are you kind of viewing this game as you have nothing to lose, and they have everything to lose?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “No, I don't view things like that. We have a lot to lose, too. Our kid put in a lot of work, a lot of effort and a lot of energy into achieving wins. We have a lot to lose, right? We have a lot to lose. The heartache in the locker room after you lose, it sticks with you. Especially when you're a senior, you never want to remember your last football game as a loss. So by all means, we're going to this thing with the mindset that we want to play a spoiler, but we still have a lot to lose when we step on the field as competitors. So no, we're not going to take that mindset. Our mindset is going to always be about us.”
Q: “ Do you feel like there are things that you learned as a player throughout that time that are still applicable to today's players in this program?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Absolutely, there's no substitution for hard work, but there's also no substitution to your preparation, and that's also one of the big messages for these guys. We've got to make sure when we step on the field, we can maximize all that hard work we put into this program by being prepared with the game plan. And that shows up, right?”
Q: “What do you think is the biggest thing when it comes to preparation before Friday that this team needs to really hone in on?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “Our technique and our execution of the plan. We’ve got to show up. We’ve got to show up when the ball — whether it's handed off or not — we’ve got to fit our gaps on defense. We’ve got to show up and get the ball down. On offense, we’ve got to execute schemes. We’ve got to cover people up. We’ve got to finish blocks right and certainly the backs have to finish runs. When the ball is in the air on defense, we’ve got to make a play on the ball, but in order to make that play, we’ve got to trust our eyes, and we’ve got to trust our technique. That's football. Everyone in the country has to execute the same things.”
Q: “What is the biggest thing that you took away or learned from your first game as head coach?” — Kyle Smedley, Ball State Daily News
A: “To enjoy it. And that’s what everyone told me. It's different when you're not just watching the offensive line, and you're not just on the offensive side of the ball. You're not just encouraging the O-line to play at their best. Now I have to branch out and be everybody's coach. I'm also not going to step on any of my coaches’ toes. I believe in what they're doing, so it's not my job to go in and coach these kids in terms of what they're doing on the field. It's my job to provide support, encouragement and a whole lot of love to make sure they know that I'm behind them.”
Q: “With this week being Thanksgiving, I'm kind of curious how the planning looks for the players. Are they going home?” — Elijah Poe, Ball State Daily News
A: “Not only is it Thanksgiving, but it's a short week, and our biggest mission was to get these guys ready to play in six days instead of seven. Whereas normally today would be their off day, we had to take the field today, and their off day will be Saturday. We wanted to make sure we got practice in, and it couldn't be a physical practice because they just played a game 48 hours ago. So, we had to make sure that our preparation was going to be mental. We got on the field, ran through the game plan, the initial game plan, and made sure we got everything out of it from a mental standpoint. But as we progress forward, we’ve got to start to ramp it up a little bit, not physically. I still don't want to tax these guys physically from contact, but certainly we’ve got to get the legs going right and get them running a little bit — get ready for Friday. We will have a meal together here on Wednesday because a lot of these guys won't get to see their families on Thanksgiving, unfortunately. It's not ideal, but they have a family here.”