Army West Point Athletics
Jeff Monken Press Conference Quotes: VMI
November 12, 2019 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. -Â 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.
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The Black Knights will take on VMI on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET Michie Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.Â
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"It was good to get a win on Saturday. We desperately needed one. It had been a while unfortunately. I thought our guys played a good game. We had a couple of times where we maybe fell short of playing our best, certainly giving up the big play there in the first quarter. Jaylon McClinton had gotten hurt and came out of the game. We ran a guy in there and he just kind of got caught. We didn't have everybody on the same page with the call and they had two guys running wide open, but credit to them. They did a good job executing that play. There was one run play that UMass hit for 22 yards against us and again we had a guy out of position and just not communicating on a call. But really other than that, I thought our defense really played a good football game and did a really good job playing the run, which is where we try to build our defense – be good against the run. And then offensively to run the ball, which we ran it pretty effectively all day long. We had a couple of drives where we got stopped and had to punt the ball. One where we had a play action pass and unfortunately didn't hit that one to Zach Saum down the middle.
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"But I thought our guys did a good job. Particularly, some young guys came in and got a chance to play. We played a complete game and it was good to see that. We really had a good temperament all day long. Our guys approached the game well and really with the tight mindset and, as I said we were really glad to get a win, now we get back to work and get prepared for this week against VMI."
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(Ref: On senior class)
"I don't get overly sentimental on Senior Day. It's not the last game of the year. We still have a few more big games left on the schedule, so there is still a lot more football to play together for this group. I think the success that this class has enjoyed at Michie Stadium certainly makes playing here special and I think just to honor these guys and have their families and parents and grandparents and recognize them, as well, for their contributions. That's what Senior Day is nice for, to be able to recognize and honor this class in front of the home crowd and then we get onto business and play the game which is the most important part of the day."
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(Ref.: On how special it is to share the field with another military school)
"Their kids certainly make a commitment different than a typical college as well. It's a unique military school experience there. Probably quite a bit different from the one here. There are similarities and we're probably a lot more similar to each other than we are to a civilian school in regards to that, but I know some of the unique experiences. Coach Davis, our offensive coordinator, coached at VMI, so he knows that program and that school well and just the demands that their kids have in terms of professional standards and academics and those kinds of things. I think it's great any time that military schools can play each other and battle. I know it's a source of pride for both sides to be able to play another military school and to try to win the game."
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The Black Knights will take on VMI on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET Michie Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.Â
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"It was good to get a win on Saturday. We desperately needed one. It had been a while unfortunately. I thought our guys played a good game. We had a couple of times where we maybe fell short of playing our best, certainly giving up the big play there in the first quarter. Jaylon McClinton had gotten hurt and came out of the game. We ran a guy in there and he just kind of got caught. We didn't have everybody on the same page with the call and they had two guys running wide open, but credit to them. They did a good job executing that play. There was one run play that UMass hit for 22 yards against us and again we had a guy out of position and just not communicating on a call. But really other than that, I thought our defense really played a good football game and did a really good job playing the run, which is where we try to build our defense – be good against the run. And then offensively to run the ball, which we ran it pretty effectively all day long. We had a couple of drives where we got stopped and had to punt the ball. One where we had a play action pass and unfortunately didn't hit that one to Zach Saum down the middle.
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"But I thought our guys did a good job. Particularly, some young guys came in and got a chance to play. We played a complete game and it was good to see that. We really had a good temperament all day long. Our guys approached the game well and really with the tight mindset and, as I said we were really glad to get a win, now we get back to work and get prepared for this week against VMI."
Â
(Ref: On senior class)
"I don't get overly sentimental on Senior Day. It's not the last game of the year. We still have a few more big games left on the schedule, so there is still a lot more football to play together for this group. I think the success that this class has enjoyed at Michie Stadium certainly makes playing here special and I think just to honor these guys and have their families and parents and grandparents and recognize them, as well, for their contributions. That's what Senior Day is nice for, to be able to recognize and honor this class in front of the home crowd and then we get onto business and play the game which is the most important part of the day."
Â
(Ref.: On how special it is to share the field with another military school)
"Their kids certainly make a commitment different than a typical college as well. It's a unique military school experience there. Probably quite a bit different from the one here. There are similarities and we're probably a lot more similar to each other than we are to a civilian school in regards to that, but I know some of the unique experiences. Coach Davis, our offensive coordinator, coached at VMI, so he knows that program and that school well and just the demands that their kids have in terms of professional standards and academics and those kinds of things. I think it's great any time that military schools can play each other and battle. I know it's a source of pride for both sides to be able to play another military school and to try to win the game."
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Players Mentioned
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