Ball State Football Weekly News Conference Quotes, September 8: Game 3 versus New Hampshire
Coach Uremovich
Opening Statement: "Excited to play at home this week. This is the first home game for our new staff, and we've got a bunch of new players that will have a chance to play at home. Muncie has been great to us since we got here, so we're excited to go out and play in front of the home fans. We've got a really good opponent. Coach Santos has done a great job [at New Hampshire]. They know how to win football games. They're 2-0, and they're a national playoff team. [Santos] has built a program where those kids are going to come in here expecting to win. So, it's going to be a challenge. They've got a quarterback that's a Chicago kid who can throw the ball, and he's really good with his feet. They've got eight sacks on the year on defense and they've blocked multiple kicks. They're a very, very talented football team. It'll be a good challenge for us on Saturday."
Q: "What was the first thing you addressed with the team following the loss when you got home?"
A: "First thing we talked about was the same thing we talk about every Sunday. We went through teachable moments and showed them seven or eight things we've got to fix, and then seven or eight things that we did really well. We need to build on the positives that took place in the game and fix the negatives. Our routine will be the same every Sunday, whether we win or lose. It's about getting better for the next week."
Q: "After reviewing the film, what were some of the biggest areas of improvement that you saw?
A: "I was happy with the way our defense stopped the run and played up front. That front seven got five sacks and held their own, and I thought our coverage in the back end was improved from the previous week."
Q: "What is the biggest area of improvement going forward?"
A: "Offensively, it's still the issues we had the first two weeks on first and second down. Everybody makes a big deal about third down, and yeah, it's important, but we've got to get more production on first and second down so we're not in the third-and-long situations that we've been in."
Q: "What do you think has been the biggest factor in the struggles on those early downs?"
A: "There's been multiple times there's been a guy who either gets beat out of block, which is going to happen, or we've got a couple missed assignments. We've got a couple penalties that have set us back. We've had a guy run a wrong route. We've had a bad throw. I mean, you name it, we probably got it on first and second down. So we've got to clean that up this week."
Q: "How have you seen Jeff Knowles attack and help this defense?"
A: "He's done a great job with our guys, and honestly, our whole defensive staff's done a great job. There's a lot of guys out there that weren't playing football here last year, so in the eight months that we've been here, they've been developing our guys, teaching our guys schemes and getting them all on the same page."
Eric WeatherlyÂ
Q: "What do you think is holding this offense back from breaking through and really succeeding?"
A: "Â I feel like we just need all 11 guys to do their assignment. Sometimes people make mistakes, so we just have to clean that up."
Q: "What's kind of the primary area of improvement that you would like to see from this offense going forward?"
A: "Us all coming together, and doing our 11 assignments so it all comes together and clicks."
Q: "After going back and looking at the film, how would you say [the offense's] communication was on Saturday?"
A: "I would say it was good. We had a couple mistakes here and there, but each week, I feel like we're getting better and better, and eventually we're going to break the
wall."
Q: "What do you think this offense could look like if each player is able to get their assignments down?"
A: "I would say 40-50 points a game. I feel like our run game is strong, our past game is strong. We've got Kiael [Kelly], who can run the ball. I just feel like we'll be unstoppable."
Q: "What's it been like forming that relationship with [Kiael Kelly]?"
A: "It's amazing. I actually played with his cousin at my old school, so before I even thought about coming here, made him texting. And I just like the way how we bonded, and since being here, we've gotten closer on and off the field."
Q: "How did it feel to go out there and just get a couple of catches against a really tough defense?"
A: "It felt good, but at the end of the day, we're on to the next weekend each week. My goal is to get better and ultimately win the game."
Q: "What have you seen that stuck out from [New Hampshire's] offense?"
A: "They play really hard. They run the ball heavy. They have good, skilled players. Even though they're in the FCS level, they go deep in the playoffs every year. They're a very good opponent, and we respect them."
Nathan Voorhis
Q: "What were you focused on throughout the week that led to that great defensive line showing against Auburn?"
A: "Just playing our own game. We know we're talented enough up front. It could be anyone in the country. So that's pretty much just what we told ourselves. We prepared all week. I think this past week was our best week of preparation so far and it showed on the field."
Q: "What do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned about this team through the first two weeks?"
A: "How we overcome adversity. We went into Auburn, who had a big crowd, good environment, and some teams going into that type of environment would be scared, but we attacked Auburn. We played our hardest. We executed well. So, that really shows that we know we can play with anybody."
Q: "How much confidence do you have in the offensive line going into the rest of the schedule?"
A: "AÂ lot of confidence. like I said before, we can play with anybody. We're going to attack the rest of the season. We all want to have a great offensive line. We performed well against [Auburn], so we know we can do it week in, week out."
Q: "How do you feel the communication so far between the defense has gone the first two games?"
A: "We're communicating pretty well. Maybe somebody doesn't get it right, but everybody is on the same page for the most part."
Q: "What charges you to lead?"
A: "I think it's just in my nature, actually. I want to perform well this year, but more importantly, I want to help the team to succeed. I want my teammates to succeed."
Coach Uremovich
Opening Statement: "Excited to play at home this week. This is the first home game for our new staff, and we've got a bunch of new players that will have a chance to play at home. Muncie has been great to us since we got here, so we're excited to go out and play in front of the home fans. We've got a really good opponent. Coach Santos has done a great job [at New Hampshire]. They know how to win football games. They're 2-0, and they're a national playoff team. [Santos] has built a program where those kids are going to come in here expecting to win. So, it's going to be a challenge. They've got a quarterback that's a Chicago kid who can throw the ball, and he's really good with his feet. They've got eight sacks on the year on defense and they've blocked multiple kicks. They're a very, very talented football team. It'll be a good challenge for us on Saturday."
Q: "What was the first thing you addressed with the team following the loss when you got home?"
A: "First thing we talked about was the same thing we talk about every Sunday. We went through teachable moments and showed them seven or eight things we've got to fix, and then seven or eight things that we did really well. We need to build on the positives that took place in the game and fix the negatives. Our routine will be the same every Sunday, whether we win or lose. It's about getting better for the next week."
Q: "After reviewing the film, what were some of the biggest areas of improvement that you saw?
A: "I was happy with the way our defense stopped the run and played up front. That front seven got five sacks and held their own, and I thought our coverage in the back end was improved from the previous week."
Q: "What is the biggest area of improvement going forward?"
A: "Offensively, it's still the issues we had the first two weeks on first and second down. Everybody makes a big deal about third down, and yeah, it's important, but we've got to get more production on first and second down so we're not in the third-and-long situations that we've been in."
Q: "What do you think has been the biggest factor in the struggles on those early downs?"
A: "There's been multiple times there's been a guy who either gets beat out of block, which is going to happen, or we've got a couple missed assignments. We've got a couple penalties that have set us back. We've had a guy run a wrong route. We've had a bad throw. I mean, you name it, we probably got it on first and second down. So we've got to clean that up this week."
Q: "How have you seen Jeff Knowles attack and help this defense?"
A: "He's done a great job with our guys, and honestly, our whole defensive staff's done a great job. There's a lot of guys out there that weren't playing football here last year, so in the eight months that we've been here, they've been developing our guys, teaching our guys schemes and getting them all on the same page."
Eric WeatherlyÂ
Q: "What do you think is holding this offense back from breaking through and really succeeding?"
A: "Â I feel like we just need all 11 guys to do their assignment. Sometimes people make mistakes, so we just have to clean that up."
Q: "What's kind of the primary area of improvement that you would like to see from this offense going forward?"
A: "Us all coming together, and doing our 11 assignments so it all comes together and clicks."
Q: "After going back and looking at the film, how would you say [the offense's] communication was on Saturday?"
A: "I would say it was good. We had a couple mistakes here and there, but each week, I feel like we're getting better and better, and eventually we're going to break the
wall."
Q: "What do you think this offense could look like if each player is able to get their assignments down?"
A: "I would say 40-50 points a game. I feel like our run game is strong, our past game is strong. We've got Kiael [Kelly], who can run the ball. I just feel like we'll be unstoppable."
Q: "What's it been like forming that relationship with [Kiael Kelly]?"
A: "It's amazing. I actually played with his cousin at my old school, so before I even thought about coming here, made him texting. And I just like the way how we bonded, and since being here, we've gotten closer on and off the field."
Q: "How did it feel to go out there and just get a couple of catches against a really tough defense?"
A: "It felt good, but at the end of the day, we're on to the next weekend each week. My goal is to get better and ultimately win the game."
Q: "What have you seen that stuck out from [New Hampshire's] offense?"
A: "They play really hard. They run the ball heavy. They have good, skilled players. Even though they're in the FCS level, they go deep in the playoffs every year. They're a very good opponent, and we respect them."
Nathan Voorhis
Q: "What were you focused on throughout the week that led to that great defensive line showing against Auburn?"
A: "Just playing our own game. We know we're talented enough up front. It could be anyone in the country. So that's pretty much just what we told ourselves. We prepared all week. I think this past week was our best week of preparation so far and it showed on the field."
Q: "What do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned about this team through the first two weeks?"
A: "How we overcome adversity. We went into Auburn, who had a big crowd, good environment, and some teams going into that type of environment would be scared, but we attacked Auburn. We played our hardest. We executed well. So, that really shows that we know we can play with anybody."
Q: "How much confidence do you have in the offensive line going into the rest of the schedule?"
A: "AÂ lot of confidence. like I said before, we can play with anybody. We're going to attack the rest of the season. We all want to have a great offensive line. We performed well against [Auburn], so we know we can do it week in, week out."
Q: "How do you feel the communication so far between the defense has gone the first two games?"
A: "We're communicating pretty well. Maybe somebody doesn't get it right, but everybody is on the same page for the most part."
Q: "What charges you to lead?"
A: "I think it's just in my nature, actually. I want to perform well this year, but more importantly, I want to help the team to succeed. I want my teammates to succeed."