Army West Point Athletics
Jeff Monken Press Conference Quotes: Tulane
October 01, 2019 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point football head coach Jeff Monken met with members of the local media on Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference inside Nowak Auditorium.
The Black Knights will take on Tulane at historic Michie Stadium on Saturday at noon. That contest will be carried live on CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden, Ross Tucker and Tina Cervasio on the call.
Jeff Monken Army West Point Football Head Coach
(Ref: Opening Statement)
"It felt nice to get a win. A little bit frustrating with the way we kind of found ourselves getting to that victory. We had some things that I felt that we could have done in the last game better than we did and hopefully we've corrected some of those errors and improved as a team. We certainly are going to have to play our very best football this week against Tulane. They've got an outstanding team that is very athletic, fast and extremely well coached. The relationship that our staff has with coach Fritz's staff is very interesting. He was the coach at Georgia Southern for two years following my tenure there and he did a remarkable job. They won the league. They went undefeated in the first year he was there. It was an incredible first year as an FBS program. Jack Curtis, who is their defensive coordinator, was the defensive coordinator at Georgia Southern for the last three years I was there. We've got two coaches on our staff that played for Willie (Fritz) in college. It's an interesting dynamic with having that history with the staff. We know that they are going to be very well prepared. I've got an incredible amount of respect for Willie and the job that he's done at Tulane and for his defensive coordinator Jack Curtis, who I think is a tremendous defensive football coach. He's one of the best in the business. It's going to be a challenge.
"Last game out, give credit to Morgan state. They came in here prepared to play and I don't think we looked as well prepared, and that's my job. Hopefully I'm going to do a better job this week preparing our team to take the field and be ready. The last time we played Tulane, they scored on the first play of the game on a 75-yard touchdown run. That's a tough way to start a game so we're going to need to start better than the way we did last time."
(Ref: on what's been working so well for Tulane)
"Well I don't know if anyone else is surprised. I watched them play the last three years and watched them prove they were a bowl team last year. They won their bowl game. They've had a lot of talented players come through their program and with a coach like Willie Fritz, he's got a track record of success everywhere he's been. It's not a surprise at all. They've got a talented football team and a good bunch of athletes. They're big and long and I'm really impressed with the roster they put together. They're doing a really good job. They're doing a good job defending people and they're doing an outstanding job on offense. Their quarterback is super talented. He's got a rifle arm and a good group of receivers.
"We've seen a bunch of those guys make plays and if you look at their stats, they have a lot of guys that have shared the ball. Their running backs are good and very diverse. They have a great big guy that will pound you and they've got a guy that could probably go win the Olympics in a track meet right now. They're a tough group to defend."
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(Ref: On what he's looking for from a team standpoint to give his team the edge)
"I hope we can keep it close. They're super talented and electric on offense. The second half when they played against Houston was impressive. I mean to be down 28-7 and rally back like they did against a talented team, which I know Houston is, it's impressive. So, people that look at the game and are supposed to be experts think it's going to be a close game. Like I said, I hope we can keep it close. I think they're a good football team.
"What we've got to do is be able to run the football effectively, which is the way that we've been able to have success here. Sustain drives, score touchdowns and to try to keep them from doing the same, to try to keep them from running the football effectively and controlling the ball against us. And it's something that they've been really good at. Willie and his team – all of them that he's coached and you just go back year after year all the way to Blinn College. They are really good at running the football, so we've got to do our best to stop them there. The two touchdowns that they had last year in the first half were both big plays and we can't allow big plays. Those will kill us."
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(Ref: On going up against Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan)
"He is a really good thrower, but he's also an outstanding runner. He's a tough guy. He makes all the throws and cam pull it down and scramble. They've got some called run plays for him or some read plays. When he reads the end and can pull it and he's out in space, he'll give you fits just watching him play in space. He's slippery, he's long and has made some really good plays on his feet. So, [he's a] very talented player and coach and all of their offensive coordinators have done a really good job with him. They have given him things that he does really well and just help that kid take their team up and down the field and win football games. So, he's a tough kid to defend.
"When they won that game the other night against Houston, I sent Willie a text message to say congratulations and I said 'I wish you guys stunk. I wish you weren't so talented and so good.' And it's true. They've got a really good football team that's going to be a tremendous challenge for us. Certainly, the quarterback McMillan makes it tough on everybody. Hopefully we'll be able to handle it."
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The Black Knights will take on Tulane at historic Michie Stadium on Saturday at noon. That contest will be carried live on CBS Sports Network with Ben Holden, Ross Tucker and Tina Cervasio on the call.
Jeff Monken Army West Point Football Head Coach
(Ref: Opening Statement)
"It felt nice to get a win. A little bit frustrating with the way we kind of found ourselves getting to that victory. We had some things that I felt that we could have done in the last game better than we did and hopefully we've corrected some of those errors and improved as a team. We certainly are going to have to play our very best football this week against Tulane. They've got an outstanding team that is very athletic, fast and extremely well coached. The relationship that our staff has with coach Fritz's staff is very interesting. He was the coach at Georgia Southern for two years following my tenure there and he did a remarkable job. They won the league. They went undefeated in the first year he was there. It was an incredible first year as an FBS program. Jack Curtis, who is their defensive coordinator, was the defensive coordinator at Georgia Southern for the last three years I was there. We've got two coaches on our staff that played for Willie (Fritz) in college. It's an interesting dynamic with having that history with the staff. We know that they are going to be very well prepared. I've got an incredible amount of respect for Willie and the job that he's done at Tulane and for his defensive coordinator Jack Curtis, who I think is a tremendous defensive football coach. He's one of the best in the business. It's going to be a challenge.
"Last game out, give credit to Morgan state. They came in here prepared to play and I don't think we looked as well prepared, and that's my job. Hopefully I'm going to do a better job this week preparing our team to take the field and be ready. The last time we played Tulane, they scored on the first play of the game on a 75-yard touchdown run. That's a tough way to start a game so we're going to need to start better than the way we did last time."
(Ref: on what's been working so well for Tulane)
"Well I don't know if anyone else is surprised. I watched them play the last three years and watched them prove they were a bowl team last year. They won their bowl game. They've had a lot of talented players come through their program and with a coach like Willie Fritz, he's got a track record of success everywhere he's been. It's not a surprise at all. They've got a talented football team and a good bunch of athletes. They're big and long and I'm really impressed with the roster they put together. They're doing a really good job. They're doing a good job defending people and they're doing an outstanding job on offense. Their quarterback is super talented. He's got a rifle arm and a good group of receivers.
"We've seen a bunch of those guys make plays and if you look at their stats, they have a lot of guys that have shared the ball. Their running backs are good and very diverse. They have a great big guy that will pound you and they've got a guy that could probably go win the Olympics in a track meet right now. They're a tough group to defend."
Â
(Ref: On what he's looking for from a team standpoint to give his team the edge)
"I hope we can keep it close. They're super talented and electric on offense. The second half when they played against Houston was impressive. I mean to be down 28-7 and rally back like they did against a talented team, which I know Houston is, it's impressive. So, people that look at the game and are supposed to be experts think it's going to be a close game. Like I said, I hope we can keep it close. I think they're a good football team.
"What we've got to do is be able to run the football effectively, which is the way that we've been able to have success here. Sustain drives, score touchdowns and to try to keep them from doing the same, to try to keep them from running the football effectively and controlling the ball against us. And it's something that they've been really good at. Willie and his team – all of them that he's coached and you just go back year after year all the way to Blinn College. They are really good at running the football, so we've got to do our best to stop them there. The two touchdowns that they had last year in the first half were both big plays and we can't allow big plays. Those will kill us."
Â
(Ref: On going up against Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan)
"He is a really good thrower, but he's also an outstanding runner. He's a tough guy. He makes all the throws and cam pull it down and scramble. They've got some called run plays for him or some read plays. When he reads the end and can pull it and he's out in space, he'll give you fits just watching him play in space. He's slippery, he's long and has made some really good plays on his feet. So, [he's a] very talented player and coach and all of their offensive coordinators have done a really good job with him. They have given him things that he does really well and just help that kid take their team up and down the field and win football games. So, he's a tough kid to defend.
"When they won that game the other night against Houston, I sent Willie a text message to say congratulations and I said 'I wish you guys stunk. I wish you weren't so talented and so good.' And it's true. They've got a really good football team that's going to be a tremendous challenge for us. Certainly, the quarterback McMillan makes it tough on everybody. Hopefully we'll be able to handle it."
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