Ball State University Athletics
Ball State Football Weekly News Conference Quotes, October 19: Game 8 vs Sacramento State
Mike Uremovich
Opening Statement: "Coach [Alonzo] Carter’s got a physical football team. Like everybody else in the MAC, they played a really hard non-conference schedule and then obviously played some of the better teams in our league so far. They’re really, really physical defensively. They’re really athletic in the back end. [Dionte Thornton] is a corner, six-four. He’s probably the best corner in the conference. Their safeties tackle really well. Offensively, you know, it’s three weeks in a row we’ve seen really big, physical backs: Northwestern and Toledo, and then Sac State is very similar. [Carson Conklin] is tough, and they have a group of wide receivers that are as talented as anybody in the league. They don’t have the one guy that they just try to throw the ball to all the time. They got really good skill players, and special teams, they’re extremely well coached. They blocked three punts this year, which are game-changing plays. So we have to be ready on punt protection and all of our other special teams units as well.”
Q: "How have you felt the win on Saturday has re-energized the locker room?"
A: “It’s exciting to get a win, you know. But you won’t like my answer. But this is the same. We come in on Sunday whether you win or lose. You know, you have to remove the emotions from the game, and there’s plenty of things that we did really well on Saturday, and we talked about those, but there’s a lot of things that we need to fix too. You know, I personally don’t think that the game should have got to overtime, and if we’d have been more disciplined, we had an assignment missed on that long screen pass that went for a long touchdown for them. That kind of changed the game. Obviously, Keldric put the ball on the ground, which we don’t ever want to fumble the football. We were better in the penalty area, but we had a costly personal foul that led to a field goal. So there’s a lot that we have to fix, and when you win a game, you just can’t put all that to the side. Whether you win or lose, we have to try to get better every week. So there’s plenty of stuff we got to work on this week and fix to get ready for Sac State.”
Q: "Does putting a win behind you kind of present a different set of challenges compared to a loss?"
A: “It’s human nature when you win that you just think everything’s okay. You know what I mean? It’s why businesses that become really successful ultimately fail, because they forgot what got them there and stopped looking at all the little details. You know, so we have to. And we approached Sunday the exact same way as the however many games we lost in a row before that. We had our staff meeting. I went through a teaching tape with the staff and told them the things that we had to fix. They’ll meet with the players and go over those things, obviously. And then we have to have a great week of practice. But yeah, when you win a game, it’s human nature to not look at the negatives, and you have to.”
Q: "How exciting is it for you guys to be able to, you know, come home?"
A: “We’re really excited to be at home. We played good football at home since we’ve been here, and I know our guys love playing in front of the home crowd, and it’s homecoming. Somebody told me so. That’s awesome. I’m sure we’ll get a good bunch of fans out. And you look at the support. I mean, Bowling Green is a great example Saturday. I mean, they were two and four going into the game or whatever they were, and they had a great crowd there. That was a great environment to play in. So hopefully, we get the same thing this Saturday.”
Q: "How is the team going to handle entering this game as heavy favorites?"
A: “That’s not something we ever even talk about as a football team. And all you got to do is look at the MAC games that have been played to this point this year. And I’m sure a lot of those teams that were supposedly favorites lost. You got to show up every Saturday or Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever you get to play in the MAC. And the MAC every week—I was talking to one of the other head coaches in the conference this week, and he just said it’s survival of the fittest every Saturday, and that’s really what it is. Doesn’t matter what your records are, doesn’t matter what you’ve done before that. It’s how well you prepare that week and then who plays the best on Saturday. And we have to have a good week of practice.”
Q: "What are some things that Sac State presents defensively that you're really trying to target?
A: “Well, they are very multiple. You’re going to see Saturday, you’re going to see a three-man front, a four-man front, the old Chicago Bear defense. You’re going to see Cover 1, Cover 3, quarters. They do a ton on defense, and it will create problems for you because you got to know your rules, and you got to be careful about, you know, what plays you have on the game plan. Because it’s not like a team that, hey, they’re going to play four down and then mix up this on third down. You’re going to get Cover 0 pressure on first down, maybe the first play of the game. So it’s very challenging what they do defensively because of how much they have in their package, and they’re able to do it because their corners are talented and can play man-to-man and can press and jam. And their safeties—their safeties can cover you, but they’ll also fit in the run game a bunch. So you’ll see a bunch of different things from them defensively.”
Q: "What do you want to see the defense continue to build upon?"
A: “We need to be assignment-sound. I mean, we were assignment-sound most of the game, and you’re never going to be perfect. We’re trying to be perfect. It just so happens that the one time we didn’t get lined up right was a great call by them to screen. You know what I mean? But defensive football is about getting lined up, getting your cleats in the ground, getting your eyes right every play. Then after that, they got to go play, and we did a really good job of that Saturday against a good running football team with a talented quarterback. So we need to build on what we did Saturday from an assignment standpoint.”
Q: "With so many injuries this year, what does it speak to the depth of this team that guys like Eli [Hohlt] and Alex [Scherle] were the the ones to make those big plays?"
A: “It’s great. That’s why we practice, and that’s why—I’ve said it in here before—but when we break up at the very beginning of training camp and we send some guys to scout team, I always tell that group every single year there’s somebody that’s on the scout team that’s going to play when it counts for us in the fourth quarter. And we have a lot of guys right now that are playing that started off on scout team or didn’t think they were going to play much this fall because of injuries. But that’s why you recruit and develop, and nobody cares when your guys get hurt. People get hurt all the time. You got to be able to get the next guy ready to play.”
Q: "Eli [Hohlt] was put on scholarship ahead of this season. What was it like to see him have that moment?"
A: “It was great, obviously, for our football team that he caught that ball. But, you know, and I said it in the team meeting, you know, we don’t ever do public stuff with that. But since you know about it, one of the best things I get to do as a head coach is to give a walk-on a scholarship. Because when we give a high school kid a scholarship, that’s all based on potential. That’s all based on what we think they can do. That’s all us projecting what they might do. When you give a walk-on a scholarship, they earned it. They came in and not just earned the opportunity, they had to outwork a bunch of other people because they got to get to the point where you say, ‘That guy’s done so well that he deserves the scholarship,’ as opposed to getting another player. So when you give a walk-on a scholarship, that’s one of the funnest things I get to do as a head coach because that kid came in here and, hey, he loves Ball State, man, and he worked his tail off to get that opportunity. And then for him to be able to be in the game and make that play is great. And he’s made a million other good plays on special teams this year. They just go unnoticed.”
Gavin Forsha
Q: "What do you feel like was the the main thing that allowed you guys to get that first road win?
A : “It was a good team win. Both sides played well, and really just a real good team win. And all of us played, did our jobs, and it was a good, good job.”
Q: "How would you describe the energy in the locker room now after a one in five start, finally getting that MAC win?"
A: “Yeah, it’s exciting for sure. A lot of us went out and had a good time after the game, and I mean, it’s really good to have that chemistry there and building on it now. And we’re just looking for them this week.”
Q: "How do you, as a player, go about making sure you don't get too comfortable after a win like Saturday?
A: “This week is all about Sacramento State. Last week was good, but it’s 1-0 each week for us, and we’re trying to get it done this week.”
Q: "Why do you think the defense was able to go out there and have one of their most complete performances of the year?"
A: “I feel like every week we’ve gotten better. I feel like we’ve improved each week, and I feel like Toledo really helped. And then Northwestern was a challenge, but I feel like we did pretty well in some areas. And then last week, I felt like we put it all together for the first time in a full game, and I hope to do it every game now.”
Q: "How energetic is that locker room after Saturday?
A:“Oh yeah, it was electric for sure. I mean, we were so excited. I mean, I couldn’t see a dude on the field that wasn’t jumping up and down. So it was really awesome to win that way, and yeah, it was really electrifying for sure.”
Q: "What kind of challenges does Sacramento State present for you guys defensively?"
A: “They run a lot of 11 personnel, and their O-line has a lot of wide splits. So really, we’re just going to see what coach Knowles thinks, and whatever he says, we’re keying on those keys and attacking.”
Chris Hood
Q: "What are the the challenges as far as as putting a win behind you as opposed to to putting a loss behind you?"
A: “Huge, especially with, you know, the start we had being one-five. It’s not the best start you want to have, but I think there’s a lot of momentum, and it’s easy to, you know, kind of take that momentum and, all right, we’ve done enough. You know, there’s not much more we can do. You know, it’s a huge win, not just for us this year, but for our program for the five years I’ve been here. And so it’s easy for us as a team and, you know, for me as someone who’s been here for so long, to kind of take that, ‘Wow, you know, that’s insane. That was enough.’ But it’s just another game at the end of the day. You know, it’s a great win, great road win, but, you know, we got another week where I think, you know, we should be able to pull off a good win, and then we got to use that momentum for the rest of the year. And I think it’s a good opportunity for us to win, you know, five straight and, honestly, come on with the bowl game. And even with how the whole MAC’s shaping up, I mean, it could look like we could have a real, you know, running for the [conference] championship.”
Q: "After the fumble, as a leader on this offense, what was your and Keldric [Luster]'s message to the team to get everything back on track and be able to have that drive down the field?"
A: “The biggest thing I noticed, there was never a sense of doubt. I mean, I’ve been around here long enough to see multiple times if something like that’s happened at the end of the game, and you look around, heads down. There’s pouting. There’s, like, there’s crying. There’s people starting to cuss out. There was never a sense of doubt, not from us, not from the defense, but especially not from Keldric. I mean, I looked at him. He fumbled it. He made a mistake. He got back up. We all got back up. We’re all excited to go back in. I mean, we knew we had to go and score anyways, and so that mindset didn’t change. But he never once had a sense of doubt, and I think that transitioned into where, as an offensive lineman, you know, senior quarterback makes that mistake and then the next drive physically runs over someone to get a first down. I mean, at that point, I knew myself we were going to win the game. I knew if you have a quarterback that has that mentality and that sense of, ‘Hey, I’m going to give everything I can to win the game,’ we’re unstoppable. And I think we all saw that. The five of us, all the wide receivers, tight end, we’re all keyed in. ‘Hey, we’re going to go down there and win this.’ And it was 75 yards, I think 80 yards, in 57 seconds, which is insane. But, you know, I had full confidence in us, and I knew Keldric was already balling out, and he was, you know, continuing to show that. And it was just, you know, it was it from there.”
Q: "What do you feel is is the big thing that is allowing the offense to take a step up from the start of the season?"
A: “I think confidence and vibes. I think that’s a big thing. And whenever, you know, we get confidence in ourselves that we can play against each other. I mean, Ohio State, Northwestern—we had drives where, hey, we can push these guys. You know, especially us up front. You know, it’s a little intimidating sometimes when you see those Big Ten defensive linemen, but when you have confidence in yourself, hey, we can move the ball against them. Then that confidence changes to everyone else. The running backs, hey, I can get through these holes. They’re giving some good holes, and I think the confidence has kind of been a big key part for us. And we use that momentum, and then also the vibes. You know, I think like I just explained, with Keldric and QB1, we just fumbled, and, you know, you would expect everyone to be, like, heads down, pouting, and that was not the case. And so I think everyone knew it was possible. Everyone had trust in each other, had trust in QB1, had trust in the five offensive linemen, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs. We all are trusting each other, and the vibes are high. There’s not one moment where we said, ‘Hey, this game’s over.’ There’s not one thought that came to mind that said we can’t do this. And so I think having just the vibes high and just continuing to play for each other, you know, really helped us win the game.”
Q: "As you look at Sacramento State, what challenges do they present?"
A: “I briefly looked at them a little bit, and from talking to coaches, they run a lot of funky stuff. There’s a lot of weird stuff that they’d be doing. I know sometimes they have defensive linemen just moving all over the place, you know, the ends moving all over the place. And so I think it leaves opportunities that they could make some plays, and they will. But also on the flip side, with all that movement and everything, it’s going to give a lot of opportunities for us to gash them in the pass game, run game. And I think especially us up front, we’ve handled a lot of exotic fronts this year and a lot of crazy stuff. So I think we’re extremely confident to go into that and pick up those blitzes and pick up, you know, the guys that are coming in. I think it’s going to give opportunities for Keldric to, you know, make some great passes and also give opportunities for our running backs to, you know, make those holes.”
Q: "How exciting is it to be able to be able to come home for a conference game?"
A: “It’s, you know, extremely exciting. Obviously, we have a great record at home, and, you know, what happened, Toledo happened, but I think the vibes are automatically higher. You know, you don’t have to travel so far. You can sleep in a little bit, and you can kind of, you know, get an opportunity to have more of your family there, so the vibes are higher. And I think that gives us a little more confidence. Obviously, you don’t want to lose in front of your home crowd, and I think that gives us a little bit of a chip on our shoulder that, hey, you know, a bunch of people came out—family, friends, the community came out to watch and support us. So I think that opportunity that, hey, we don’t want to lose and we want to look good in front of them, I think it gives us a lot of confidence.”
Q: "To see Eli Hohlt earn his scholarship this off season and then come in and make such a clutch play at the end of that game, what was that moment like from from your perspective?"
A: “You know, Eli Hohlt, he’s a great guy, and I think there’s no one that was more deserving of that scholarship than him. You know, all the work that he’s put in and all that, and finally seeing, you know, him come through and get that touchdown, which was really clutch for us, you know, it’s awesome. Awesome for him, his family. Awesome for us as a football team. And there’s no one—and, like, everyone can tell you—Eli Hohlt, hardest-working guy, you know, special teams guy. And as someone in that role, in his position, you know, scholarship or not, walk-on, being a special teams guy, sometimes it comes with, you know, maybe you’re not getting as many reps at your specific position, but he kind of never let that get to him, you know. And obviously, he kept grinding and putting his head down, and it finally came into play. And I think he’s still got the mindset that, you know, it’s cool, it’s really cool, but it’s just a catch at the end of the day. You know, it’s just a touchdown. And I think he’s that type of guy that he’s going to keep working no matter what. He’s not going to let that change his mindset of what happened. And yeah, it was really cool, but he’s going to keep working. He’s going to keep giving you everything he’s got. He’s going to keep giving special teams, you know, wide receiver reps, everything he’s got. And then I think that mindset is going to, you know, help us win more games down the road.”
Mike Uremovich
Opening Statement: "Coach [Alonzo] Carter’s got a physical football team. Like everybody else in the MAC, they played a really hard non-conference schedule and then obviously played some of the better teams in our league so far. They’re really, really physical defensively. They’re really athletic in the back end. [Dionte Thornton] is a corner, six-four. He’s probably the best corner in the conference. Their safeties tackle really well. Offensively, you know, it’s three weeks in a row we’ve seen really big, physical backs: Northwestern and Toledo, and then Sac State is very similar. [Carson Conklin] is tough, and they have a group of wide receivers that are as talented as anybody in the league. They don’t have the one guy that they just try to throw the ball to all the time. They got really good skill players, and special teams, they’re extremely well coached. They blocked three punts this year, which are game-changing plays. So we have to be ready on punt protection and all of our other special teams units as well.”
Q: "How have you felt the win on Saturday has re-energized the locker room?"
A: “It’s exciting to get a win, you know. But you won’t like my answer. But this is the same. We come in on Sunday whether you win or lose. You know, you have to remove the emotions from the game, and there’s plenty of things that we did really well on Saturday, and we talked about those, but there’s a lot of things that we need to fix too. You know, I personally don’t think that the game should have got to overtime, and if we’d have been more disciplined, we had an assignment missed on that long screen pass that went for a long touchdown for them. That kind of changed the game. Obviously, Keldric put the ball on the ground, which we don’t ever want to fumble the football. We were better in the penalty area, but we had a costly personal foul that led to a field goal. So there’s a lot that we have to fix, and when you win a game, you just can’t put all that to the side. Whether you win or lose, we have to try to get better every week. So there’s plenty of stuff we got to work on this week and fix to get ready for Sac State.”
Q: "Does putting a win behind you kind of present a different set of challenges compared to a loss?"
A: “It’s human nature when you win that you just think everything’s okay. You know what I mean? It’s why businesses that become really successful ultimately fail, because they forgot what got them there and stopped looking at all the little details. You know, so we have to. And we approached Sunday the exact same way as the however many games we lost in a row before that. We had our staff meeting. I went through a teaching tape with the staff and told them the things that we had to fix. They’ll meet with the players and go over those things, obviously. And then we have to have a great week of practice. But yeah, when you win a game, it’s human nature to not look at the negatives, and you have to.”
Q: "How exciting is it for you guys to be able to, you know, come home?"
A: “We’re really excited to be at home. We played good football at home since we’ve been here, and I know our guys love playing in front of the home crowd, and it’s homecoming. Somebody told me so. That’s awesome. I’m sure we’ll get a good bunch of fans out. And you look at the support. I mean, Bowling Green is a great example Saturday. I mean, they were two and four going into the game or whatever they were, and they had a great crowd there. That was a great environment to play in. So hopefully, we get the same thing this Saturday.”
Q: "How is the team going to handle entering this game as heavy favorites?"
A: “That’s not something we ever even talk about as a football team. And all you got to do is look at the MAC games that have been played to this point this year. And I’m sure a lot of those teams that were supposedly favorites lost. You got to show up every Saturday or Tuesday or Wednesday, whenever you get to play in the MAC. And the MAC every week—I was talking to one of the other head coaches in the conference this week, and he just said it’s survival of the fittest every Saturday, and that’s really what it is. Doesn’t matter what your records are, doesn’t matter what you’ve done before that. It’s how well you prepare that week and then who plays the best on Saturday. And we have to have a good week of practice.”
Q: "What are some things that Sac State presents defensively that you're really trying to target?
A: “Well, they are very multiple. You’re going to see Saturday, you’re going to see a three-man front, a four-man front, the old Chicago Bear defense. You’re going to see Cover 1, Cover 3, quarters. They do a ton on defense, and it will create problems for you because you got to know your rules, and you got to be careful about, you know, what plays you have on the game plan. Because it’s not like a team that, hey, they’re going to play four down and then mix up this on third down. You’re going to get Cover 0 pressure on first down, maybe the first play of the game. So it’s very challenging what they do defensively because of how much they have in their package, and they’re able to do it because their corners are talented and can play man-to-man and can press and jam. And their safeties—their safeties can cover you, but they’ll also fit in the run game a bunch. So you’ll see a bunch of different things from them defensively.”
Q: "What do you want to see the defense continue to build upon?"
A: “We need to be assignment-sound. I mean, we were assignment-sound most of the game, and you’re never going to be perfect. We’re trying to be perfect. It just so happens that the one time we didn’t get lined up right was a great call by them to screen. You know what I mean? But defensive football is about getting lined up, getting your cleats in the ground, getting your eyes right every play. Then after that, they got to go play, and we did a really good job of that Saturday against a good running football team with a talented quarterback. So we need to build on what we did Saturday from an assignment standpoint.”
Q: "With so many injuries this year, what does it speak to the depth of this team that guys like Eli [Hohlt] and Alex [Scherle] were the the ones to make those big plays?"
A: “It’s great. That’s why we practice, and that’s why—I’ve said it in here before—but when we break up at the very beginning of training camp and we send some guys to scout team, I always tell that group every single year there’s somebody that’s on the scout team that’s going to play when it counts for us in the fourth quarter. And we have a lot of guys right now that are playing that started off on scout team or didn’t think they were going to play much this fall because of injuries. But that’s why you recruit and develop, and nobody cares when your guys get hurt. People get hurt all the time. You got to be able to get the next guy ready to play.”
Q: "Eli [Hohlt] was put on scholarship ahead of this season. What was it like to see him have that moment?"
A: “It was great, obviously, for our football team that he caught that ball. But, you know, and I said it in the team meeting, you know, we don’t ever do public stuff with that. But since you know about it, one of the best things I get to do as a head coach is to give a walk-on a scholarship. Because when we give a high school kid a scholarship, that’s all based on potential. That’s all based on what we think they can do. That’s all us projecting what they might do. When you give a walk-on a scholarship, they earned it. They came in and not just earned the opportunity, they had to outwork a bunch of other people because they got to get to the point where you say, ‘That guy’s done so well that he deserves the scholarship,’ as opposed to getting another player. So when you give a walk-on a scholarship, that’s one of the funnest things I get to do as a head coach because that kid came in here and, hey, he loves Ball State, man, and he worked his tail off to get that opportunity. And then for him to be able to be in the game and make that play is great. And he’s made a million other good plays on special teams this year. They just go unnoticed.”
Gavin Forsha
Q: "What do you feel like was the the main thing that allowed you guys to get that first road win?
A : “It was a good team win. Both sides played well, and really just a real good team win. And all of us played, did our jobs, and it was a good, good job.”
Q: "How would you describe the energy in the locker room now after a one in five start, finally getting that MAC win?"
A: “Yeah, it’s exciting for sure. A lot of us went out and had a good time after the game, and I mean, it’s really good to have that chemistry there and building on it now. And we’re just looking for them this week.”
Q: "How do you, as a player, go about making sure you don't get too comfortable after a win like Saturday?
A: “This week is all about Sacramento State. Last week was good, but it’s 1-0 each week for us, and we’re trying to get it done this week.”
Q: "Why do you think the defense was able to go out there and have one of their most complete performances of the year?"
A: “I feel like every week we’ve gotten better. I feel like we’ve improved each week, and I feel like Toledo really helped. And then Northwestern was a challenge, but I feel like we did pretty well in some areas. And then last week, I felt like we put it all together for the first time in a full game, and I hope to do it every game now.”
Q: "How energetic is that locker room after Saturday?
A:“Oh yeah, it was electric for sure. I mean, we were so excited. I mean, I couldn’t see a dude on the field that wasn’t jumping up and down. So it was really awesome to win that way, and yeah, it was really electrifying for sure.”
Q: "What kind of challenges does Sacramento State present for you guys defensively?"
A: “They run a lot of 11 personnel, and their O-line has a lot of wide splits. So really, we’re just going to see what coach Knowles thinks, and whatever he says, we’re keying on those keys and attacking.”
Chris Hood
Q: "What are the the challenges as far as as putting a win behind you as opposed to to putting a loss behind you?"
A: “Huge, especially with, you know, the start we had being one-five. It’s not the best start you want to have, but I think there’s a lot of momentum, and it’s easy to, you know, kind of take that momentum and, all right, we’ve done enough. You know, there’s not much more we can do. You know, it’s a huge win, not just for us this year, but for our program for the five years I’ve been here. And so it’s easy for us as a team and, you know, for me as someone who’s been here for so long, to kind of take that, ‘Wow, you know, that’s insane. That was enough.’ But it’s just another game at the end of the day. You know, it’s a great win, great road win, but, you know, we got another week where I think, you know, we should be able to pull off a good win, and then we got to use that momentum for the rest of the year. And I think it’s a good opportunity for us to win, you know, five straight and, honestly, come on with the bowl game. And even with how the whole MAC’s shaping up, I mean, it could look like we could have a real, you know, running for the [conference] championship.”
Q: "After the fumble, as a leader on this offense, what was your and Keldric [Luster]'s message to the team to get everything back on track and be able to have that drive down the field?"
A: “The biggest thing I noticed, there was never a sense of doubt. I mean, I’ve been around here long enough to see multiple times if something like that’s happened at the end of the game, and you look around, heads down. There’s pouting. There’s, like, there’s crying. There’s people starting to cuss out. There was never a sense of doubt, not from us, not from the defense, but especially not from Keldric. I mean, I looked at him. He fumbled it. He made a mistake. He got back up. We all got back up. We’re all excited to go back in. I mean, we knew we had to go and score anyways, and so that mindset didn’t change. But he never once had a sense of doubt, and I think that transitioned into where, as an offensive lineman, you know, senior quarterback makes that mistake and then the next drive physically runs over someone to get a first down. I mean, at that point, I knew myself we were going to win the game. I knew if you have a quarterback that has that mentality and that sense of, ‘Hey, I’m going to give everything I can to win the game,’ we’re unstoppable. And I think we all saw that. The five of us, all the wide receivers, tight end, we’re all keyed in. ‘Hey, we’re going to go down there and win this.’ And it was 75 yards, I think 80 yards, in 57 seconds, which is insane. But, you know, I had full confidence in us, and I knew Keldric was already balling out, and he was, you know, continuing to show that. And it was just, you know, it was it from there.”
Q: "What do you feel is is the big thing that is allowing the offense to take a step up from the start of the season?"
A: “I think confidence and vibes. I think that’s a big thing. And whenever, you know, we get confidence in ourselves that we can play against each other. I mean, Ohio State, Northwestern—we had drives where, hey, we can push these guys. You know, especially us up front. You know, it’s a little intimidating sometimes when you see those Big Ten defensive linemen, but when you have confidence in yourself, hey, we can move the ball against them. Then that confidence changes to everyone else. The running backs, hey, I can get through these holes. They’re giving some good holes, and I think the confidence has kind of been a big key part for us. And we use that momentum, and then also the vibes. You know, I think like I just explained, with Keldric and QB1, we just fumbled, and, you know, you would expect everyone to be, like, heads down, pouting, and that was not the case. And so I think everyone knew it was possible. Everyone had trust in each other, had trust in QB1, had trust in the five offensive linemen, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs. We all are trusting each other, and the vibes are high. There’s not one moment where we said, ‘Hey, this game’s over.’ There’s not one thought that came to mind that said we can’t do this. And so I think having just the vibes high and just continuing to play for each other, you know, really helped us win the game.”
Q: "As you look at Sacramento State, what challenges do they present?"
A: “I briefly looked at them a little bit, and from talking to coaches, they run a lot of funky stuff. There’s a lot of weird stuff that they’d be doing. I know sometimes they have defensive linemen just moving all over the place, you know, the ends moving all over the place. And so I think it leaves opportunities that they could make some plays, and they will. But also on the flip side, with all that movement and everything, it’s going to give a lot of opportunities for us to gash them in the pass game, run game. And I think especially us up front, we’ve handled a lot of exotic fronts this year and a lot of crazy stuff. So I think we’re extremely confident to go into that and pick up those blitzes and pick up, you know, the guys that are coming in. I think it’s going to give opportunities for Keldric to, you know, make some great passes and also give opportunities for our running backs to, you know, make those holes.”
Q: "How exciting is it to be able to be able to come home for a conference game?"
A: “It’s, you know, extremely exciting. Obviously, we have a great record at home, and, you know, what happened, Toledo happened, but I think the vibes are automatically higher. You know, you don’t have to travel so far. You can sleep in a little bit, and you can kind of, you know, get an opportunity to have more of your family there, so the vibes are higher. And I think that gives us a little more confidence. Obviously, you don’t want to lose in front of your home crowd, and I think that gives us a little bit of a chip on our shoulder that, hey, you know, a bunch of people came out—family, friends, the community came out to watch and support us. So I think that opportunity that, hey, we don’t want to lose and we want to look good in front of them, I think it gives us a lot of confidence.”
Q: "To see Eli Hohlt earn his scholarship this off season and then come in and make such a clutch play at the end of that game, what was that moment like from from your perspective?"
A: “You know, Eli Hohlt, he’s a great guy, and I think there’s no one that was more deserving of that scholarship than him. You know, all the work that he’s put in and all that, and finally seeing, you know, him come through and get that touchdown, which was really clutch for us, you know, it’s awesome. Awesome for him, his family. Awesome for us as a football team. And there’s no one—and, like, everyone can tell you—Eli Hohlt, hardest-working guy, you know, special teams guy. And as someone in that role, in his position, you know, scholarship or not, walk-on, being a special teams guy, sometimes it comes with, you know, maybe you’re not getting as many reps at your specific position, but he kind of never let that get to him, you know. And obviously, he kept grinding and putting his head down, and it finally came into play. And I think he’s still got the mindset that, you know, it’s cool, it’s really cool, but it’s just a catch at the end of the day. You know, it’s just a touchdown. And I think he’s that type of guy that he’s going to keep working no matter what. He’s not going to let that change his mindset of what happened. And yeah, it was really cool, but he’s going to keep working. He’s going to keep giving you everything he’s got. He’s going to keep giving special teams, you know, wide receiver reps, everything he’s got. And then I think that mindset is going to, you know, help us win more games down the road.”