Louisiana Tech Bulldogs College Football Pregame Quote, 11/16/2021

On the Charlotte game:

It’s certainly nice to win. It seems like it’s been forever since we’ve had the opportunity to sing that fight song and to have that winning feeling in the locker room after a game. So, it was certainly nice to win and to see the smiles on the faces of the players. I couldn’t be more proud of the way they showed up and played. I know there were a lot of people on the outside who were questioning what incentive or motivation does this team have to play for with no bowl or conference championship on the line. We talk about the program and the pillars we build it on with brotherhood, trust, family and commitment. Just having the opportunity to play for each other. I’m really proud of the effort, the way they went out there and the way they played.

On the offense against Charlotte:

Offensively, there are certainly an awful lot of accolades to go around when you have 500 yards. You score 42 points. We rushed for 180 which was our second highest of the season. Aaron (Allen) was 21-of-27 throwing the ball for 324 yards. He did a really nice job with that. We were 7 out of 10 on third down which is 70 percent which is the highest we’ve had all year. We were 1-for-1 on fourth down. Offensively, we were in the red zone six times and we scored five touchdowns. The only time we didn’t score a touchdown was the two-minute drive when we threw the ball into the 18-yard line and had to lineup and kick a field goal on the very next play. We started the game with a 16-play, 98-yard drive for a touchdown. There were eight explosive plays for 222 yards and 21 points. There was an awful to build on. We had four drives that went over 70 yards for touchdowns. I’m very proud of how the offense was able to go out and perform.

On the defense against Charlotte:

Defensively, the front seven played really well. We had some guys up front on the defensive line that are playing extremely well. Deshon [Hall]played really well. The linebackers played well. I was really proud of our front seven. We were not very secure on the backend when you look at the pass defense and some of the yards we gave up. Some of that is a testament to [Chris]Reynolds, the quarterback at Charlotte, who played very well, competed, ran the ball a little bit, but really threw some balls on time. They were placed perfectly. He did a really nice job, but we have to get our back end shored up a little bit more as we continue to go forward with this.

The defense had one of the more exciting plays in college football with a four down, goal line stand from the three yard line to get that stop there. They had the turnover to prevent a score on the one-yard line. Khalil Ladler made just a great play there. They had a couple key stops which gave us an opportunity to take a lead that the offense wasn’t willing to give up.

On the special teams and individual performances against Charlotte:

Special teams was really solid. I really appreciate the effort and the attitude that these guys played with. A lot of guys were in the victors club. All five offensive linemen played really well. Marcus Williams Jr.’s four-touchdown day was impressive with what he did and the way that he ran the ball. Keyon Henry-Brooks and Greg Garner ran extremely hard. The receivers all got in on the mix when you look at Smoke (Harris) who had 98 yards. Guys like Bub Means had a good day. Isaiah Graham had a good day. Tre Harris had a good day. They caught the ball really well and did some good things. I can’t say enough positive things about Aaron Allen and how happy I am for him. I know the last month has been very difficult for him to sit and watch somebody else step in and run with the ones, but he was very patient. We always talk about being prepared for your opportunity. When his opportunity came, he was prepared for it. He was poised. He did a really nice job of protecting the football outside of one read, but for the most part he did a nice job of running the offense. He made some really good decisions and showed an awful lot of poise on third down having to sit in the pocket.

We talked about, defensively, the guys up front. Keivie Rose continues to play well. Deshon Hall was our pit bull, our defensive MVP. Mykol Clark. Willie Baker. We talked about the linebackers and the job that they’re doing right now.

On moving forward:

There’s an awful lot of positive things to build on for sure moving forward. I’m really proud of the effort from this team last week and what they were able to accomplish. I’m excited to get into another one this week. We know there’s nothing ‘tangible’ to play for as far as prizes and awards. There is an awful lot of pride and it’s important to us to make sure we can send these seniors out on a positive note with everything they’ve contributed to this program over the last four and five years. I’m excited for the win and am really proud of the players. I’m really proud of the way they competed and their toughness.