Jeff Monken Press Conference Quotes: Middle Tennessee State

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.

The Black Knights will take on Middle Tennessee State in its season opener Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Michie Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.

Army West Point Football Head Coach Jeff Monken
Ref.: Opening Statement
"Good afternoon everyone. It is great to be here talking about playing football this weekend, just four days from now. Great thanks to our Superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, AD Mike Buddie and Bob Beretta who had such an important role in developing a schedule for us this year and the entire academy for creating a protective bubble. What this academy has created for this team to give us an opportunity to be able to operate, be healthy and a chance to play college football."

Ref.: Preparation for this Season
"I think it feels the same. We are excited about playing like we have in the past. There are a lot of different protocols in place for us in terms of our daily operations. But once we hit the practice field and what we've been doing to prepare our players is very much like a normal season. It's nice to feel that sense of normalcy."

Ref.: Player's Reactions to New Protocol
"Probably like everybody. It is a little bit of a pain in the rear end to have to do all that stuff, but it is what we have to do. It is the world we live in. We can so no and say we aren't going to wear masks or wash our hands and come up with all these reasons why we shouldn't, but the wise thing is to follow the protocols they put in place. Because of the vigilance we've had in creating an environment where our guys can stay healthy and they do those things to give them the best chance to stay healthy that we've made it this far and four days to a game – and we've had a healthy football team."

Ref: On young players that will step up
"Connor (Bishop) was an offensive guard and we just felt like was playing really well in preseason camp early on. He played a little bit with the veteran group last year late in the season and didn't get a lot of playing time, but had practiced with us quite a bit up with the travel squad and impressed us enough that we knew he was going to be a guy that factored in. It just felt like at this point he is one of our five best offensive lineman and we want to get those guys on the field and it really made sense for him to be the center with the guys that we've got. Peyton Reeder played center, but he's obviously had some injury issues and those kinds of things and I think he felt really comfortable playing guard which he had the year before. So we felt just that lineup and teaching Connor to play center was going to be the best for us. He's got obviously some growing to do at that position, he has not played that position before but we are excited about him. Jake Lauer is a veteran player who hasn't had a lot of experience but he's a big, athletic guy and I think gives us a really good chance to be successful at the tight end position. He is built like a long offensive tackle and we like those guys at tight end positions. We're not a traditional offense where the guy has to be our leading receiver or anything like that. He just has to be a really tough, athletic, strong blocker and we think Jake can do that for us. There's some other guys at that position: Shayne Buckingham, Chris Cameron, that I think are going to be guys that we can count on as well. Isaiah Alston is obviously a freshman and he is one of a few freshman on the offensive side that we've been really impressed with and are excited about and intend to use to help the offense go."

Ref: Middle Tennessee State
"I think they're a really good football team. Rick Stockstill's been there, he's going on his 15th season, and in 14 years they've been bowl eligible 10 times. They've got an 1000-yard rushing QB who has the capability of being one of the top passers in the country. He is really a terrific player and a great leader, a very mature kid, I've listened to him on the press conference from earlier this week. He's a very impressive young man and has had a great career already. They are loaded with athletes, guys that can run. We watched them in every one of their games a year ago; they've got guys coming back that we're really impressed with. And Rick, he does a great job each year of taking that team that he's got and he puts a team together that is just a really outstanding football team. He is a terrific football coach, well respected in our profession and Middle Tennessee is a team that has won a lot of football games and knows how to win. So they're going to present a real challenge for us because of their athleticism and the established staff that they have. Coach Franklin their offensive coordinator, Coach Shafer, defensive coordinator, they're not in their first go-around. So they've got established systems that are going to be very efficient and very well-prepared."

Ref.: On Amadeo West
"He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around coming out of a locker room, and we've had some really strong leaders. He's been fortunate to be reared by guys like Andrew King, John Voit and Bryce Holland to see how they led and led the locker room. He is an incredibly positive leader. He has the respect of everyone in this program, as well as at West Point. He is so well respected in the Corps – by his classmates, professors and the officers here on campus. A dynamic kid who has been through a lot. That is probably one of the reasons everybody respects him so much. He has gone through really three season-ending injuries and continued to come back with a great attitude and great effort. He's just committed not only to this team, but to becoming an officer and a leader of character."

Army West Point Athletics

Jeff Monken Press Conference Quotes: Middle Tennessee State

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Alston

Shayne Buckingham

Chris Cameron

Bryce Holland

Jake Lauer

Peyton Reeder

John Voit

Amadeo West

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