Army West Point Athletics
Jeff Monken Press Conference: Georgia Southern
November 17, 2020 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point football head coach Jeff Monken met virtually with members of the local media on Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference inside Nowak Auditorium.
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Army will look to get back in the win column as they host Georgia Southern at Michie Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for noon.
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Army West Point Football Head Coach Jeff Monken
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"We're sure disappointed about the way we played on Saturday. Credit to Tulane, they did a nice job of just keeping us off-balance on offense. They had those two early scoring drives and then again in the second half in the third quarter. The game was really odd. They had complete control of it in the first quarter and it seemed like we took control in the second quarter and had ourselves positioned at halftime and unfortunately couldn't come through in the second half. They outplayed us. They have a good team, a well-coached team, a really talented team. It made it difficult for us to match up with them in a lot of situations.
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"So, we'll come off that one and try to regroup and get ready for Georgia Southern, who also is a very well-coached team and a very talented team. In the grand scheme of things I know them very well, but this will be our first time facing them and it will be a real test. They are doing some great things on offense running the football. They are one of the best rushing teams in the country. Scot Sloan, the defensive coordinator, and that staff know our offense very well. In fact, Brent Davis, our offensive coordinator, and Scot worked together at Georgia Southern on the same staff under Mike Sewak. So, they know our offense and it will be a challenge to go up against them. Scot and Nate Woody are good friends. In fact, they spent a lot of time this offseason talking about defense and option defense and low and behold we end up playing them which we didn't expect. There will be a lot emotion for me and a lot of us here on the staff that coached at Georgia Southern just because we love that school and we love that program. I certainly cheer for them every time they play. I hate that we have to play them because I don't want to cheer against them but I'm going to have to make an exception for one day.
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"Our guys are excited for the opportunity to come back home and play in front of the Corps of Cadets. Hopefully, we'll do a good job of preparing them this week."
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(Ref.: On what the Georgia Southern program means to him)
"That began when I was an assistant under Paul Johnson. Paul is just a terrific football coach and I'm very fortunate to have been mentored by him and I am very fortunate to have worked at Georgia Southern. I think it's one of the great football programs in the country. Though, for many years – for the first 30 years or so I guess – they played in the FCS or I-AA. We were a I-AA powerhouse and won six national championships at that level and were in the playoffs regularly. It just became an expectation for the people of Statesboro and of Georgia Southern to have a championship-level football team. It's rooted in championship-type seasons. It's a great fanbase. I just love that town and the people there. We've got great friends there. As you know, I didn't attend Georgia Southern, I'm a Millikin grad, but I considered Georgia Southern my school. It's almost like my alma mater. I spent nine years there – five as an assistant and four as the head coach. I just have a great fondness for that institution, that program and the people there. What Erik Russell built there, legendary coach, was a long-time defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia and then took over the program at Georgia Southern. They hadn't had football for 40 years when he took the program over and in a matter of four years he was playing for a national championship, which is remarkable. So, he just did a great job and all of us that have coached there have benefitted from that. I had a great experience. The opportunity that I got at Georgia Southern to be their head coach there I'm forever grateful to the folks there – to Brooks Keel who was our president, to Sam Baker, who was the AD that hired me, -- I wouldn't be here at Army had I not had the opportunity to go to Georgia Southern. Certainly, there's an emotional connection, but again it's a football game and we're trying to get our team here prepared to play."  Â
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(Ref.: On if there's an emotional distinction between playing Navy and Georgia Southern)
"Well there's nothing like the rivalry with Navy, that's a game all by itself. I don't know that as a competitor that I have ever felt a sense of competitive fire like I do the Army-Navy game. There's nothing like it and that doesn't discredit any other game. Just the competitive spirit in general -- I consider myself a pretty competitive person and probably most coaches would. Certainly there's a competitive fire in this one because it's an important game for us and it's certainly got some emotional ties for me. But the Army-Navy game, I'm not sure if there's anything that I can compare to that one."
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(Ref.: On Georgia Southern's offense)
"Shai Werts is the key to that offense -- he just makes everything go. He's such a threat to run himself and so dynamic as a runner that it forces defenses to play everybody on the field as a running back. They're very talented, they've got a lot of guys that run really fast and are very athletic, it reminds me of the teams we coached when I was there. I thought we had very good talent and guys that were fast and you felt very good in one-on-one matchups against other athletes and they have the same. Werts is the key. He's a great runner and is really good in the open field. He's a physical runner, he isn't one of those guys who does a hook slide every time someone gets close – he squares his shoulders and runs down the field. A really good player – I really admire what they're doing on offense. They're doing a really nice job. They've just found their way to victory and that's impressive. They've lost only two games and both were to top 25 teams and they lost them both pretty close. It's a really good football team we're playing."
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(Ref.: On Georgia Southern's defense)
"They're very physical and very talented. Their defensive line is a really strong group. The defensive coordinator Scot Sloan and I know each other very well. I have a lot of respect for Scot and I know that he'll have a good plan for us. They've not faced an option offense recently at Georgia Southern but Scot's got a lot of experience against this offense having coached at Appalachian State against Georgia Southern and having been an assistant at Georgia Southern previously where they've faced it in spring ball and preseason camp and those sorts of things. He's well-versed in it and I know they'll have a good plan."
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Army will look to get back in the win column as they host Georgia Southern at Michie Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for noon.
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Army West Point Football Head Coach Jeff Monken
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"We're sure disappointed about the way we played on Saturday. Credit to Tulane, they did a nice job of just keeping us off-balance on offense. They had those two early scoring drives and then again in the second half in the third quarter. The game was really odd. They had complete control of it in the first quarter and it seemed like we took control in the second quarter and had ourselves positioned at halftime and unfortunately couldn't come through in the second half. They outplayed us. They have a good team, a well-coached team, a really talented team. It made it difficult for us to match up with them in a lot of situations.
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"So, we'll come off that one and try to regroup and get ready for Georgia Southern, who also is a very well-coached team and a very talented team. In the grand scheme of things I know them very well, but this will be our first time facing them and it will be a real test. They are doing some great things on offense running the football. They are one of the best rushing teams in the country. Scot Sloan, the defensive coordinator, and that staff know our offense very well. In fact, Brent Davis, our offensive coordinator, and Scot worked together at Georgia Southern on the same staff under Mike Sewak. So, they know our offense and it will be a challenge to go up against them. Scot and Nate Woody are good friends. In fact, they spent a lot of time this offseason talking about defense and option defense and low and behold we end up playing them which we didn't expect. There will be a lot emotion for me and a lot of us here on the staff that coached at Georgia Southern just because we love that school and we love that program. I certainly cheer for them every time they play. I hate that we have to play them because I don't want to cheer against them but I'm going to have to make an exception for one day.
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"Our guys are excited for the opportunity to come back home and play in front of the Corps of Cadets. Hopefully, we'll do a good job of preparing them this week."
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(Ref.: On what the Georgia Southern program means to him)
"That began when I was an assistant under Paul Johnson. Paul is just a terrific football coach and I'm very fortunate to have been mentored by him and I am very fortunate to have worked at Georgia Southern. I think it's one of the great football programs in the country. Though, for many years – for the first 30 years or so I guess – they played in the FCS or I-AA. We were a I-AA powerhouse and won six national championships at that level and were in the playoffs regularly. It just became an expectation for the people of Statesboro and of Georgia Southern to have a championship-level football team. It's rooted in championship-type seasons. It's a great fanbase. I just love that town and the people there. We've got great friends there. As you know, I didn't attend Georgia Southern, I'm a Millikin grad, but I considered Georgia Southern my school. It's almost like my alma mater. I spent nine years there – five as an assistant and four as the head coach. I just have a great fondness for that institution, that program and the people there. What Erik Russell built there, legendary coach, was a long-time defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia and then took over the program at Georgia Southern. They hadn't had football for 40 years when he took the program over and in a matter of four years he was playing for a national championship, which is remarkable. So, he just did a great job and all of us that have coached there have benefitted from that. I had a great experience. The opportunity that I got at Georgia Southern to be their head coach there I'm forever grateful to the folks there – to Brooks Keel who was our president, to Sam Baker, who was the AD that hired me, -- I wouldn't be here at Army had I not had the opportunity to go to Georgia Southern. Certainly, there's an emotional connection, but again it's a football game and we're trying to get our team here prepared to play."  Â
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(Ref.: On if there's an emotional distinction between playing Navy and Georgia Southern)
"Well there's nothing like the rivalry with Navy, that's a game all by itself. I don't know that as a competitor that I have ever felt a sense of competitive fire like I do the Army-Navy game. There's nothing like it and that doesn't discredit any other game. Just the competitive spirit in general -- I consider myself a pretty competitive person and probably most coaches would. Certainly there's a competitive fire in this one because it's an important game for us and it's certainly got some emotional ties for me. But the Army-Navy game, I'm not sure if there's anything that I can compare to that one."
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(Ref.: On Georgia Southern's offense)
"Shai Werts is the key to that offense -- he just makes everything go. He's such a threat to run himself and so dynamic as a runner that it forces defenses to play everybody on the field as a running back. They're very talented, they've got a lot of guys that run really fast and are very athletic, it reminds me of the teams we coached when I was there. I thought we had very good talent and guys that were fast and you felt very good in one-on-one matchups against other athletes and they have the same. Werts is the key. He's a great runner and is really good in the open field. He's a physical runner, he isn't one of those guys who does a hook slide every time someone gets close – he squares his shoulders and runs down the field. A really good player – I really admire what they're doing on offense. They're doing a really nice job. They've just found their way to victory and that's impressive. They've lost only two games and both were to top 25 teams and they lost them both pretty close. It's a really good football team we're playing."
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(Ref.: On Georgia Southern's defense)
"They're very physical and very talented. Their defensive line is a really strong group. The defensive coordinator Scot Sloan and I know each other very well. I have a lot of respect for Scot and I know that he'll have a good plan for us. They've not faced an option offense recently at Georgia Southern but Scot's got a lot of experience against this offense having coached at Appalachian State against Georgia Southern and having been an assistant at Georgia Southern previously where they've faced it in spring ball and preseason camp and those sorts of things. He's well-versed in it and I know they'll have a good plan."
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