Postgame Quotes vs. Navy

Jeff Monken Army West Point Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening statement)
"First off, congratulations to the Naval Academy. They certainly earned the victory today and the Commander in Chief's Trophy. Their win over Air Force was a hard-fought battle. They came from behind and earned it that day too. They are an extremely well coached football team. I think Kenny Niumatalolo is one of the great football coaches in our game and I couldn't be happier to see Malcolm Perry graduate. He is a terrific player. He ran through us today. There wasn't much we could do about it. He wasn't the only one – they did a good job running the football and blocking us. We didn't do that effectively except for one drive in the first half and that was about the extent of it. I am really disappointed. I am disappointed in today's loss. I am disappointed in this season. There are really not many words to say."

(Ref.: On the factors that played into the quarterback decision)
"I don't reveal injuries because I think that just helps the opponent prepare, but Kelvin pulled his hamstring against Hawai'i and didn't practice until two days ago. He took a lot of mental reps and sat in all the meetings, but it's really difficult to be ready if you have one day of practice in for a big game like this. He could run, but he wasn't going to be able to turn it loose and open up and so to give us the best chance to win it was to go with Christian."

(Ref.: On the senior class)
"The senior class has been a part of a lot of victories here. They committed to our program before there were any of the bowl games or the Commander-in-Chiefs trophies. They made the commitment to us after we had gone 4-8, some of them that were to the prep school and some of them made the commitment after we went 2-10 and came direct. They believed enough in the program and the players that they met, coaching staff and in West Point, that they wanted to come and be a part of it. So, I am grateful for the commitment they made, and they've been a part of some really great victories here and I'm proud of those guys.

"I am proud more of what they're about to do than what they've done. They made a pledge to our nation to serve as Army officers, to lead soldiers, to live a life of duty, honor and country and put aside their own desires and wants and truly be servant-minded and all of what that means to be. They're taking a lot of different jobs in the Army, but there's a lot of those guys that in a very short order are going to be leading soldiers in some of the most dangerous of situations. I love those guys and I care about them very much and I am really proud that they're compelled to do that and that they believe in the honor of serving, so I'm happy that they have that opportunity. A lot of people are called, not everybody answers the call and they did."

(Ref.: on how he will start his evaluation process on next year)
"We've already started that. As we go throughout the year there are things we evaluate and recognize that we've got to do better. Unfortunately, there are just some things that you can't fix right away and sometimes it takes the offseason to get those things corrected and fixed. So, obviously I don't know everything that needs to done, but we'll evaluate this game, the previous 12 games and all the preparation leading up to them. We've recognized some things that we need to do and we'll get to work on those on Monday."

Elijah Riley, Senior Cornerback
(Ref.: on the postgame locker room)
"We were very emotional. You never want to end the season with a loss. Especially with the season we had this year, not getting the opportunity to play in a bowl game. This was our Super Bowl and we didn't win it so emotions were high. This was the last time this 2019 team is going to be together. Seniors, for many of us, this is the last time playing college football, so it's very heartbreaking."

Christian Anderson, Junior Quarterback
(Ref.: on the development of the quarterbacks this year and the leadership of Kelvin)
"Kelvin has been a rock star with all of us by helping us develop. When coach told him that I was going to start the game, he was nothing but supportive to me. On the sidelines, he was helping me out the whole time, telling me to relax and that I was going to have a good game. I just love him so much, and I'm proud of the way that he's been able to lead this team. I think just him being there has helped us all develop as players."

Cole Christiansen, Senior Linebacker
(Ref.: on the accomplishments of the senior class)
"I'm so proud of our class. It's been a really awesome four-year experience for us. This definitely hasn't been the season we wanted to end on, but I think Elijah can attest to this as well, we've probably learned more as leaders this year than we have in all the past three. We're both grateful for that. I'm proud of all my brothers and the class of 2020. We're really looking forward to next year. I know the younger guys below us are exceptional leaders and equally as capable of being a captain like either of us, and they're going to get this thing going in the right direction."

Army West Point Athletics

Players Mentioned

Christian Anderson

Cole Christiansen

Elijah Riley

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