Post Game Quotes: Army vs. VMI

Jeff Monken, Head Coach
(Opening Statement)
"I'm proud of the team and the effort they put forth today, particularly our seniors in their last game at Michie Stadium. I've said all week, I don't get overly nostalgic about senior day, but I know it means a lot to those guys to play their last game at Michie Stadium. I guess when you know there's still games left to be played out there, which there are, we just needed to focus on the task at hand and I thought the guys handled it well.

"I was really proud of the way we finished the second half. There were a couple scoring opportunities in the first half that we didn't get anything out of. There was the missed field goal and then at the very end of the half, I thought we just did a great job of driving that ball down the field. We put ourselves in position to at least get a field goal, but we turned the ball over and some things happened on that play that we didn't execute like we needed to.

"Again, in the second half we got a stop to start, went down and scored, did it again and kind of got some breathing room. Some guys made some individual plays that I thought were tremendous. I was proud of Hopkins for going in there after Jabari got hurt and rushing for over 200 yards. He did a nice job of taking care of the ball, made some people miss, and ran hard and strong. Then defensively, we bent some on the pass, but I was really pleased with the way that our guys played the run. That running back for VMI is outstanding. He's had several 100-yard games and we held him below 50 yards rushing. The philosophy of our team is to be able to run the ball and stop the run. I feel like it starts there. Overall, it was a good day and we're excited that we've still got some football left to play with this team."

(Ref.: On the development of the senior class in their time with the program)
"I remember all of these guys when they were freshmen, sitting in some of their living rooms or visiting some of them at their high schools, or just the recruiting process in general. It's hard to believe that those guys are already getting ready to graduate and be commissioned as officers in the United States Army. But, they are a class that's really developed. A lot of these guys have played a ton of football for us and that led to a lot of the success we've had here over the last few years."

(Ref.: On what he said to the team at halftime)
"We really just needed to make some adjustments offensively and defensively with some things that they were doing against us that we thought we could alter a little bit. We didn't run any new plays on offense. We just tried to tweak a few things in terms of picking up linebackers or misdirection plays where we had people pulling where they would fit. And defensively, they have a good quarterback. That kid is a really good player. And that number 14, gosh, he catches everything that comes his way. He's a big, tall guy and they do a good job with him. It was really just some adjustments to help us get some more pressure, to get the guy to throw the thing on time and we got to him a few times. We had some sacks, which were big plays for us. They tossed some balls in between us in the first half, but we did a better job of that in the second half. Matter of fact, we made some adjustments and got them cranked back up to go out and play a great second half."

Cole Christiansen, Senior Linebacker
(Ref.: On the game plan and stopping VMI's running game)

"They have a really good quarterback. He can really throw the ball around. He has receivers that can come with the ball in some pretty acrobatic situations and they did that, they're a really good offense. We knew we had to stop the run to win the game, so I'm proud of our defense for doing that. Our defensive backs played one of the best games they've played all season. They ripped balls out and I'm overall just proud of the way we played defense."

Kelvin Hopkins, Senior Quarterback
(Ref.: On getting the offense back on track)

"It definitely starts up front with the O-Line. We got a look today from a defense that we don't see often; I think it was the first time I played against it in my two years. The offense did a great job of accepting the challenge that whatever Coach Davis called they would execute. It is our job to make plays for them. So it definitely started up front, but being able to get the ball in guys' hands and move the sticks and get first downs to control the clock was probably the best part of the game for us."

Kell Walker, Senior Running Back
(Ref.: On what senior day means)

"The overall experience was great. To have our families here and celebrate our achievements and how we got to this point… ultimately, it's for the families because we wouldn't be here alone. They drive to see us and do everything they can to support us. All we had to do was play football."

Scott Wachenheim, VMI Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)

"We got the opening kick and didn't take it down there. Army did a great job on that opening drive and then they had a good drive down the field. As the half wore on, we had some key players get hurt and they took advantage of that. We were a step slow playing the option and when you have a guy a step slow against the option, you won't have another guy there to back him up. They had some big plays in the second half, and we tried to be aggressive with the fake punt. We saw something that was open, and they did a great job with the coverage on that one and got the ball back. I thought Army executed well all day and had a great game plan against us. They wore us down."

(Ref: on opening the game with an onside kick)
"You have to steal a possession against Army. We're an FCS team and they're an FBS team. I thought we had a pretty good chance of getting that one back. We executed that one a year ago against Old Dominion late in the game when it was out of reach, so I wanted to try it while the game was meaningful. No time like the first one and they lined up like they line up every week and we hid a great kick. Grant Clemons hit it well and our players executed."

(Ref: on playing against the triple option)
"I'm an old triple option offensive lineman. I played offensive tackle at Air Force and we play Citadel here every year and then Furman in our conference has triple option parts in their offense. We work on triple option football all year round. We have our way of playing it and generally we execute pretty well. We held Citadel to 78 yards rushing. Army is just a really good football team. They have physical fullbacks. And again, we had a couple guys get hurt and some runs that could have been shorter runs turned into longer runs when our backups got in the game. I don't want to say that and take away from the way Army executed on offense. They executed very well."

Army West Point Athletics

Post Game Quotes: Army vs. VMI

Players Mentioned

Cole Christiansen

Kell Walker

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