Bobcat Football Quotes from MSU Weekly Media Lunch

TUESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
September 24, 2013

BOBCAT HEAD COACH ROB ASH
What did you learn from the North Dakota-Montana game?
"I watched all the North Dakota games so far and I'm trying to learn from the aggregate of all three of those games because you can't put a total game plan together by just looking at one of their games. So I watched Valparaiso, I watched South Dakota State, I watched Montana, I watched offense, defense, the kicking game, and now I'm compiling all those thoughts into helping the coordinators of all three of those areas get the game plan put together. It's not just based on one game."

So what have you seen from North Dakota?
"I've seen a team that's a really combative, physically aggressive, tough, hard-nosed team. They just destroyed Valparaiso, they came back and played a great game against a playoff team in South Dakota State, and then they got behind early against Montana and it kind of took them out of their game plan. So I like what I see in terms of their ability to compete, their toughness and physicality. Their receivers are a tremendous group of talented players. They've had a little bit of an issue at quarterback, trying to decide who to play, but I like both those young guys. They're both big, tall, strong-armed good players, and I think they're on the right track."

What concerns you about the rushing game?
"Well, we've looked at that, obviously. The biggest thing from this past game against Stephen F. Austin is that they decided to out-number us in the box, they played us man-to-man on the outside, they pressed up against us and brought that extra guy, either an outside linebacker or a safety, down into the box. It's hard to block seven with six, it's hard to block six with five, so we always had an extra man in there that was tough to deal with. They are very athletic, at times they made us miss when we were trying to block them, they dodge blocks and get off blocks, and I thought their athleticism was a tough matchup for us at times. We just have to be balanced enough. We found some good things in the second half with the motion and misdirection that really helped us in the run game, and maybe we need to utilize some of those things a little more. I thought our adjustments and getting it done in the second half was pretty good. You look at the drives we had to get the lead, and a lot of that (yardage) was made on the ground."

You've said in the past that you can learn good lessons from a loss, what did you learn from Saturday's game?
"I'd rather learn from a close, hard-fought win than a loss, but any time you have high expectations from a group of guys and a season and you have a setback like this it puts some urgency and some reality, I guess, into the fact that maybe automatically these games aren't going to turn out the way we want them to turn out, we're going to have to make it happen. And I think that's the message that our guys have. We've got to start off better, we've got to be on a higher emotional, focused level at the beginning of these games, and we have to finish better."

Is there a heightened sense of urgency heading into Big Sky Conference play?
"I don't know if urgency is the right word, but I think we're definitely focused. It's exciting to start conference play. Everybody has a clean slate, it's zero-zero right now for everyone in the conference race, and that's important for us given the fact that we've dropped a couple. Those don't hurt us in the conference, so now we've got a chance to start over, which is important for us and now we just need to get off to a good start."

Is it better to play a North Dakota team that you're more familiar with?
"We're no better off against North Dakota than we were Stephen F. Austin. We played them both for the first time last year, and both of them at home, now we have to a place we've never been before to play a team for just the second time so to me it's just exactly the same as it was a week ago."

What's that dynamic like, going to a place for the first time?
"I don't know if there's much carryover, but it's sure intriguing. We had UC Davis and Southern Utah (as first-time road opponents) last year, and we have North Dakota this year, so we're travelling around, seeing new places, and we have to get used to new environments. One of the things we didn't get to do for both of our road games this year, because of travel problems, is we didn't get to do our walk-through. Both of them had to be cancelled because we were late getting to the hotel. And to me, maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I like that Friday walk-through. I like going to the facility, getting out on the field, seeing the environment. It gives me a chance to talk to the team about the location where we're going to be, the sidelines, where the fans are located, how the whole thing's going to play out. Hopefully we'll get to do that this year for the first time (this weekend), and hopefully we'll get off to a good start (in the game)."

Watching film on the SFA game, what did you see was the biggest difference in that game?
"It was a close game that could have gone either way. We had a couple opportunities to hit passes in the third quarter when it was even, we had a wide open receiver that we didn't connect with. In the fourth quarter we had an opportunity to extend a drive and we didn't complete that pass. We just missed on a couple of key opportunities, and they hit on them. They broke a third-and-two run for 40-some yards and they hit a deep ball down the sideline, so they connected and made a couple of big plays and we missed on a couple of big plays. That game easily could have been a victory for us when you look at the tape."

How much of a distraction have the travel delays been?
"We're not making any excuses. It is what it is. I'm just hoping that looking forward when we play North Dakota that we're on and we can do all the things we like to do typically, including our walk-through and meetings on schedule, on time. We're kind of creatures of habit in football, we like to do things according to our plan, and hopefully we'll be able to do that for the first time this year."

Does DeNarius McGhee's upgrade to doubtful on the injury report mean that his rehab is going quicker than you thought?
"I don't know if it's going any quicker, but he is making progress. He can run, he can do some exercises now, and it's just a day-to-day-to-day situation. All we're trying to say is that he is making progress."

What was your defense doing well against SFA that maybe it wasn't doing well the rest of the game?
"We tackled a lot better in the second half. I think that's, in sum, the most important factor. They got away from us a few times in the first half. We tackled a lot better, we defended the quick passing game better, we got after the quarterback a couple times, and they turned it over, so there were a couple things that helped us there. But the biggest difference was tackling."

What have you noticed from Jon Ellis in the first four games this year?
"Jon is a senior, and I think he realizes this is his last go-round, and so he's playing with tremendous effort and hustle and playing full-speed, doing things the right way. He practices very intensely, he's always going full speed in practice. I just think that he knows what he's doing, he's confident, and he realizes this is his last season playing college football and he wants to make the most of it."

How has Coach Cramsey's offense facilitated his play this year?
"I think Coach Cramsey's offense is good for a wide receiver with speed, and (former offensive coordinator Kevin) McGiven would have done the same type of thing. Those two are probably better suited for Jon than our offense under Brian Wright a couple years ago, which was more power-oriented. I think it's been a good change for Jon for us to go to more of these spread looks these last few years."

What's the difference you see between North Dakota's two quarterbacks?
"They're both prototypes of each other, and they're both redshirt freshmen, they're both tall, 6-3 type guys, pretty good-sized guys with good arms. That's what they've obviously recruited to is a guy with a big arm who can throw that field out ball on the deep pass and get velocity on it, and throw from the pocket and still see. So they're both prototypes that way. The backup came in against South Dakota State and just was on fire in the fourth quarter, led them on a huge comeback, almost got that game back in their favor. Both of them are talented, they went back and forth in the next game against Montana. It's unsettled, but I think they're both very good. The scheme doesn't change with the two guys when one comes in and the other goes out. We're just going to prepare for the scheme and see who's out there."

Is there a way to slow down a player as explosive as Greg Hardin?
"I'm telling you, he is and outstanding player and he is scary. The first play of the game against South Dakota State and they throw over the top, and there's nobody close. It's a touchdown. He's got fantastic ability to make big plays. We just have to know where he is, play with great leverage against him, and we have to hope we can get to the quarterback before he can get it away, get it out to him."

How much longer can you sustain this rash of injuries?
"We go with the next guy. Hopefully we're deep enough to withstand it, hopefully we'll get some of these guys back. The good news is Preston Gale is coming back, so we've got one off the IR and he's back in action this week. Hopefully we'll get a few more of these guys back in the next few weeks as well. It's stressing our depth, but it's given some guys a chance to go out there and play. I'm anxious to see JP Flynn play. He'll be a starter for the first time in his career this weekend, a redshirt freshman and he's worked really hard, and he's excited about his opportunity to go out there and play, and I bet he'll play pretty well."

What can we expect to see from Preston Gale?
"If practice goes well he'll start and play."

Assess your level of confidence in the defense against another pass-heavy attack?
"I'm not down on our defense at all. Our offense put our defense in some very difficult situations in this game. We had some short drives that put (the defense) right back on the field, we gave them some short fields with turnovers. I've been trying to say this the last two or three days coming out of this game – when we lose a game here we never end up blaming it on one facet of the game. All the plays impact all the other plays. Offense impacts defense, defense impacts offense, special teams impact both of those. So we have to assess the whole situation, and typically it's not one area or another, it's some issues that permeate all phases of the game."

Can you say what's going on with Brian Flotkoetter's injury?
"It's a shoulder injury, we'll have more tests done today, but we won't know until Thursday for sure what his diagnosis is. He's just doubtful for Saturday."

Tanner Bleskin breaking the receiving record and catching the passes from his brother, what is that like looking back on it now?
"Records are awesome down the road. I think if you ask Tanner Bleskin or Jake, either one, what they'd like to have this past Saturday would be a win. I'm happy for Tanner, he's earned it. He's been a fabulous competitor and receiver for us, now captain, so if anybody deserves it it's Tanner. And it's cool that it came from Jake, but I don't think either one of them's thinking about that right now."

Are you happy with Jake's progression from his first start to his second?
"Yeah. I mean, obviously the defense was much different, quicker, more difficult to attack, and the stakes were higher, but I thought he handled himself well. We got 400 yards of offense, 38 points, that's a pretty good day for any quarterback, so we'll build on that."

Your team is 21-3 in the conference in the last three years, is there an aura of confidence when you enter Big Sky Play?
"I hope so, I think our team feels that way, but these two losses lurk in the back of our minds right now, so we've got to go out, win a game in the conference, on the road, and kind of get that swagger back, and I think our guys are pretty dedicated to get that done. That's all we're thinking about. The past records won't help us one bit, but the past losses won't hurt us one bit, either. We just have to focus and play our game Saturday and get off to the right start."

BOBCAT LINEBACKER COLE MOORE
How would you assess the defense's play this season?
"So far this season for the first three games I feel like we were pretty consistent, and the last game, you guys all know, it kind of got away from us. We didn't execute our game plan as well as we should have. But as a whole we all still confident in our ability to go out and execute our game plan week to week."

What have you seen from North Dakota?
"I was in watching some tape yesterday. They're a high-powered offense just like Stephen F. Austin, they like to throw the ball around, too, but they also mix in some 21 and 12 personnel in the fu game, so we have to be prepared for everything they throw at us."

What has made the linebackers so successful this year after losing Na'a in the preseason?
"I think a lot of it can be attested to Coach (Kane) Ioane, obviously. Coach Ioane does a great job of teaching us every day in practice and also in the film room, of getting us ready for our opponent, too, for that aspect. And also it comes down to each individual having that will to want to be the best player they can be and help this team any way he can."

Is that what's happening with the linebackers, every player working to be the best they can be?
"That's what you have to do as a player on this team. It's not just at the linebacker position, it's at every position, everyone on this team has to find a way to make themselves better every day and contribute to this team to get wins."

What did you learn this past weekend that you can apply going forward?
"Any time after coming off a loss you kind of appreciate the season more. There's a sense of urgency to correct your mistakes, and there's a sense of urgency knowing that you're not as bad as you (looked) in the loss."

What does it mean to get Preston Gale back?
"Getting Preston back, a fifth-year senior, it always helps with the morale of the team, especially him going down the way he did in fall camp. Getting another body back on the defensive line will help build depth on our team and Preston has some really great ability to get after the passer and he has a relentless motor, so getting him back on the field will be helpful."

Is there a greater sense of urgency heading into Big Sky Conference play?
"Definitely. Now that we're done with our four out-of-conference games, going into the Big Sky, that's what you prepare for all summer, knowing that you're going to go against the teams you go against every year, and you want to succeed against those teams. So going against Big Sky opponents definitely creates a sense of urgency."

How does North Dakota go about its passing attack different than SFA?
"I think North Dakota does a lot more levels (of) routes, so a lot more high-low route concepts, so that's something we're going to have to be ready for, especially at my position, Sam linebacker, I have to be pretty involved in stopping the pass. So I'll definitely be trying to pick up on those concepts throughout the week."

What do you remember about their receivers, Hardin and Townsend and Jackson?
"Hardin, I remember playing against him last year, he had a great year last year and he's off to another good start this year. He's kind of a smaller guy, quick, agile, can really do some good things with the ball in his hands. The other guys are pretty big guys, pretty physical, have good size, and can catch the ball well, too. I'm going to have to be ready, the whole defense, the whole secondary, all the linebackers are going to have to be ready for the different types of personnel they're going to throw at us."

You played North Dakota fresh off the loss to Eastern last year, is it nice to play them coming off a loss again this year?
"It's kind of funny how it works, last year we were coming off a bye and getting ready to play us, now they're coming off a bye getting ready to play us. So I know they're going to be ready, they've had two weeks to prepare for us, so that just adds more urgency that this week's going to be huge in our preparation to go to North Dakota and play a good game."

What did you do well in the third quarter Saturday that you didn't do well the rest of the game?
"Like I keep talking about, that sense of urgency. In the first half, obviously, we're not playing our game and coming into the third quarter we made a little bit of a halftime adjustment and also the coaches just kept encouraging us to do better. In the third quarter we came out and executed our game plan and did what we needed to do."

The team is 0-2 on the road this season and heading back on the road, is there some extra motivation the team has to find?
"The only motivation is we don't want to have that feeling of another loss. I don't care who the opponent is, if it's North Dakota, Eastern, the Griz, whenever you come off a loss there's that much more of a sense of urgency to get that win. So we're going to do everything in our power this week in practice and hopefully go out Saturday and execute a great game plan."

Have the travel problems been a distraction on the road?
"I don't think it's been a distraction. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses for that being why we played poorly on the road. That should have no bearing on our play on the field come Saturday. It will be nice get to a stadium and get to the environment and see it, look at it from that perspective, but that's not an excuse for our play."

Can you pin why it was hard to execute last week?
"I don't think it was a lack of preparation. Everybody comes out during the week in practice and watching film, trying to learn from the film, trying to execute our game plan. I think last Saturday we ran into a good team. You've got to give them credit. They have good players, their running back was big, he was thick, he was physical, their quarterback has been a great player in that conference for quite a while, and their receivers are highly talented, as we all know. They came out and flat-out beat us. There's no excuse for why it happened. They did a better job than we did."

That being said, assess your level of confidence going up against another pass-happy offense this weekend?
"As an athlete, as a competitor, you always have that confidence in yourself that you can go out and perform to the best of your ability. But at the same time, coming off a loss like that, there's that much more a sense of urgency that you want to prove to yourself, to your team, that we're still who we are."

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