Army West Point Athletics
Morgan State Postgame Quotes
August 30, 2013 | Football
Aug 30, 2013
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ARMY QUOTES
Army Head Coach Rich Ellerson
(Ref.: opening statement)
“It’s hard to win a football game. That’s one of the axioms, if you’re going to have a season, you’ve got to win the opener, and we fulfilled that first condition of success. That first condition of success, we were enjoying that. We have an awful lot of respect for our opponents. They battled their tails off. It’s remarkable to have the one punt blocked and to play 60 minutes of football like that in the opener and have no turnovers on either side of the ball. And if I’m not mistaken, I don’t think we were penalized. Some of those things, we were trying to pick a fight about. We were going to make a difference with our preseason and our approach through the spring and summer, and we did something. If you’re not penalized and you don’t turn the ball over, you’re hard to beat, that’s a good sign.”
(Ref.: Angel Santiago’s performance, especially in the first half)
“Angel did some great stuff. The best thing about Angel’s performance was, the ball’s not on the ground. We took some chances for the ball to be on the ground, he took some shots, and the ball goes through his hands on every snap. That kind of play at quarterback will give you a great chance. There will be all kinds of things he’ll do better. He’s got quick feet and he can make some people miss, and he made some nice throws. Now there are some throws he’d like back, especially on third and short. That’s a great first outing for him to win the opener. He can feel great about a lot of the things he did out there, and it’s a chance to get better on some of things the next time up.”
(Ref.: what could have been done better in the second half)
“We can be a more consistent offensive football team in the second half. We can be a better defensive team up front. We got pushed around a little bit, but to the guys’ credit we battled back. There are some great instances in there when you can teach: when we’re on our end of the field and we go three and out. That’s one of those things where 80-plus percent of the time, the team will score on the next possession. We get a great punt, then we get a three and out. You have some things that you do as a football team where you work together. When we were struggling a little bit on defense, the offense stepped up. When the offense started to struggle, the defense got some stops. Both sides complimented one another. Obviously, we’re going to have to be a lot better to have a chance, it’s got to be the worst outing of the year, but we got our ‘W.’”
(Ref.: if Santiago’s passing was going to be a secret)
“That’s never been our impression of Angel. Angel has been a very productive thrower throughout his time here. And I said we validated some of the things we were doing, and we validated some people, and Angel can deliver the ball. There’s not a lot of difference between him and A.J. (Schurr) as throwers either.”
(Ref.: being well disciplined)
“That’s one of the things about Angel, he started his first year a little bit and he started some games before. He has all that pressure and all that attention, and that’s the pressure on that side of the ball. The quarterback competition was a conversation for a little while, and that’s not lost on him. He really thrives out there between the white lines when he gets away from myself. He really likes it when the officials keep telling me to get back on the sideline. He thinks that’s a good idea.”
(Ref.: the running backs play)
“That was part of Angel’s formula for success. He had some veteran players around him with the football that have all been there before. As I said, we still need to play an awful lot better in the second half. We did what we like we think we can do at the end. We take the ball and we just hold on to it and we’re productive. We needed that kind of play a little bit earlier. It’s a veteran backfield and that’s going to give Angel a chance to work out the kinks of his game.”
(Ref.: the defense’s pressure on their quarterback)
“Yes and no. We got him out of their throwing game, but he got out there with his legs. That was problematic for our defense. They’re playing with all 11 guys and you have to defend the quarterback’s legs. And then he threw a couple of nice balls, and that’s not fair. When you can be that dangerous with the football and the power running type offense, and are able to throw the ball that well, it really stresses a defense. We played a lot of guys. It was a tough night to be playing defense and to be chasing that quarterback. We had a couple of guys cramp up, but I think as a unit, we feel good about where we are from a conditioning standpoint.”
(Ref.: what the team learned from tonight’s game)
“If they didn’t already, they found out how hard a football game is. They found out how the scoreboard can lie. It’ll tell you it’s going to be an easy game, and there’s nothing easy about it. I don’t know if they learned that, but they certainly validated that. You respect your opponent and it’s a tough fight every snap. You play the next play and if you do that, you’ll like the scoreboard at the end.”
(Ref.: plebes Xavier Moss and Josh Jenkin)
“Both of them show up in a positive light and both of get exposed a little bit as being freshmen. That’s business out there, especially Jenkins on defense. You’re a field corner in our defense, you get some business. Obviously we’ll see what we see on the tape, but I like what we saw out there. We’ve been talking about Xavier from the get go, that’s another dimension for our offense.”
Junior Free Safety Geoffery Bacon
(Ref.: getting the first win)
“It feels great to get the first win. You always want to start the season on a good note, and we did that. On defense, we were a little sloppy. They threw some formations at us that we had to adjust to on the go, but nonetheless it was good to get that first win out of the way.”
(Ref.: the defense’s corrections for next week)
“We need to work on getting the ball out. We didn’t get any turnovers, and that’s not good. We just need to be on point with what teams throw at us formation wise. We need to work on that, adjusting to different motions and different formations as a defense. We want to play on their side of the line of scrimmage. We did okay tonight, but as the season progresses we need to do a better job of that.”
(Ref.: playing safety for the first time in a game)
“I felt good. I wish they would have passed a little more so I could have made some plays in the passing game. They ran it so much I almost felt like a linebacker again. The transition is going well. My teammates are helping me out quite a bit. The guys that have played safety before are giving me tips. Coach Smeland is one of the best coaches in the country at safety. I’m lucky.”
Senior Offensive Tackle Michael Kime
(Ref.: no turnovers and no penalties)
“The turnovers start with these guys right here (referring to Angel Santiago). They were holding onto the ball and keeping it safe. They kept their five points of pressure on the ball. With the penalties, I think everyone was focused on one play at a time. No one was looking too far ahead. Everyone was just precise in the moment.”
(Ref.: the offense’s line performance in pass protection)
“We felt great. We’ve done a lot of pass blocking in camp, a lot more than we did before. We were really comfortable. Morgan State gave us a lot of different looks, but everyone knew their assignments very well. If we gave Angel plenty of time, he’s going to connect like he did tonight.”
(Ref.: what the offensive line has to improve on)
“We definitely have a lot to work on. There are things we have to clean up against different looks, and that starts with the firsties and our leadership up there. We need to make sure everyone knows their assignments. We were subbing guys in and out, and that kept guys fresh, but we need to stay more present.”
(Ref.: the energy provided by the Corps of Cadets)
“They’re fantastic. They don’t realize how much the energy they give us helps. When we make big plays and the stadium erupts, that really fires us up. If they continue to do that, we’re going to win a lot of games here.”
Junior Quarterback Angel Santiago
(Ref.: his evaluation of his performance)
“I think for the first game, I thought I performed well. There are a lot of things I need to improve on. A lot of the success came from the receivers making big plays and the offensive line really doing their thing up front. It really made my job a lot easier.”
(Ref.: his first pas getting things going)
“When we connected on that pass, it boosted the entire offense’s energy. I think it showed on that drive. We were able to drive down and score.”
(Ref.: if they can play with anyone if they don’t turn it over or commit penalties)
“I think we’re one of the most disciplined offenses in the country. We know how to hang onto the football. We know what’s right. It’s just a matter of going out there and executing it.”
(Ref.: the second half offense)
“I think we came out a little complacent. That’s something we cannot do. We have to come out just like the scoreboard is 0-0. That’s one thing we definitely need to change.”
(Ref.: the pressure he felt leading up to the game)
“Trent Steelman did amazing things here so there are definitely big shoes to fill. I just want to go out there and do my best each play in order to put my team in the best situation to win. There is no one guy on this team. All eleven of us on the field are a team. When we’re all in sync and in tune, we’re definitely a force.”
MORGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Donald Hill-Eley
(Ref.: opening statement)
"We had nine penalties in the first half. We knew that they were the most disciplined team coming into the game. We got a little caught up in the emotions of the game. There were some offsides on the offensive side, so we had about seven offensive penalties. Then we had a breakdown in the kicking game. That whole section of guys, from the snapper to the holder to the kicker, were freshmen, so we played a lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen this game. This was a very big game and when you're playing freshmen, you tend to have one or two miscues."
(Ref.: holding out Army to one touchdown in the second half)
"We knew there were situations when we could get the football back and keep it away from them. We got them to punt in the second half, and we looked like we came together as a team. We just needed to finish on offense a little bit more on those drives, but we'll take the whole game and learn from it."
(Ref.: on the effects of having two quarterbacks in the offense)
"Not really, because when Seth (Higgins) is in, we do the things that Seth can do, and when Robert's (Council) in, we do the things that Robert can do. It gives us an advantage, the defenses have to get ready for both guys and I don't think it kills the rhythm at all."
(Ref.: on how this game reflects next week's game vs. Robert Morris)
"We'll move on to Robert Morris first thing in the morning. We've watched them on film and played them before; we know that they play a good brand of football. We just have to learn from this game. We always say, as coaches, the biggest improvement always comes between the first and the second game, so we'll take the pluses and correct the minuses."
Junior, Quarterback, Robert Council
(Ref.: penalties against Morgan State)
"We have to improve that. Penalties help the other team, so when we get those penalties it gives them momentum. We have to clean up on the penalties to improve our game."
Junior, Running Back, Lamont Brown III
(Ref.: on Morgan State game performance)
"We came out slow and didn't play our game. We were playing to their speed and we let them control us. They got out early, and we came out in the second half and tried to fight. We stopped them, but we couldn't put points on the board as an offense. "
(Ref. on this game compared to Robert Morris next week)
"The way we fought against Army in the second half is the way we're going to fight for the rest of the season. We limited them to one touchdown in the second half, and that's the way we have to play. I guarantee you that's the way we are going to come out for the rest of the season."
