Marshall Thundering Herd College Football Pregame Quote, 11/23/2021

Happy Thanksgiving to ‘Herd Nation’ out there and everyone that will be celebrating this week. Obviously, a great time to spend with your family. I think it’s a good opportunity for me and our team to be thankful for the opportunities we’ve had this season and also the opportunity to be with each other. I know we put a lot of focus on winning and playing well, which is ultra-important, but I think enjoying the time together, being thankful to be able to play this game we all love, coaching this game we all love, report on this game we all love, supporting this game we all love is a tremendous opportunity and[I’m]ultra-thankful to be in this position as well. Obviously last week’s game, really proud of how the guys and the coaches performed, really proud of their competitive character, competitive spirt throughout the game, really proud of our improvement all season actually. We hadn’t gone how someone would exactly write the script ‚Äì if I was writing it probably wouldn’t have gone this way. But last week, [we] did a really good job. The offensive line did a phenomenal job coming out and actually helping us run the ball with efficiency. Our quarterback played well, another week without turning the ball over which is something we harp on consistently in our building. Defensively, I thought we did a really good job as the game going ‚Äì settling down. We have to figure out a way defensively to kind of settle down in those first couple of series. It’s been something that consistently throughout the season, we’ve struggled or been on our heels the first couple of series of the game then we’ve settled in and played really good football for 48 minutes. Then obviously as we start to rotate guys in the consistency level has to continue to improve on both sides. So, really proud.

Obviously, the game this weekend ‚Äì the next game, right? Is it a big game? Yes. Is it a big game because of who we’re playing? Yes. But ultimately, it’s a big game because it’s the next game in our journey and our journey is coming to an end. We fully understand the ramifications of the game, we get that. But no different than any other game. Regardless of what happened this season ‚Äì I told the team yesterday, ‘If we would’ve won every game by 300 points, this game would see have the same implications. We still would have to go out and play really well against a really good opponent in order to continue our season.’ I know the season hasn’t gone the way some of the fans on the chat boards would have written it or how Tom Bragg and his articles would’ve written it but we are still in the exact same position we would’ve been in if everything had went perfect, right? We still would have to play a really good opponent at home on Thanksgiving weekend, ‘Senior Day’. So, we have to take advantage of the opportunity. Obviously with ‘Senior Day’ being this weekend, I can’t tell these seniors and their families and the fans how appreciative I am of this senior class. A lot of them had the opportunity to walk away from this university and this game, they chose to come back. If you guys remember the timing of the coaching change, a lot of these guys made decisions to come back before a coach was hired. So it’s not like they made the decision to come back because ‘Oh, we’re hiring Coach Huff’ or ‘We’re hiring this guy.’ They made the decision to come back because of their love for Marshall. I think Saturday is a good opportunity for not only our team but our community to show our appreciation for everything they’ve done. This senior class has carried a huge load over the last six years, for these guys really of what Marshall is and what we stand on now. We’re in this position because of their hard work, their sweat, their tears, their victories, their defeats, their growth, their maturity both on and off the field. I think this community fully understands and probably has a great grasp on what these seniors and what the rest of the guys on this team have done and how entrenched in this community they have been ‚Äì to me that’s important. Yes, we’d like to say it’s ‘Senior Day’, let’s go win one for the gipper, but I think it’s ultimately it’s appreciation, show of support for what they’ve done. The X’s and O’s and the execution will take of the victory. But our appreciation should be shown and our attendance should be shown, how we play should be recognized in how we recognize or we acknowledge their time their time here. I can truly say that I love those guys. When you get to your sixth year of college, your fifth year of college, senior year of college, you have a different maturity. So coming in with a different set of rules, coming in with a different set of culture, it can be hard. Some guys left, some guys stayed and the guys that stayed ultimately allowed us to be in the position that we’re in.

Great challenge this weekend. Most difficulty, no disrespect, probably the most difficult game we’ll have all year. Not because the team is better or disrespect to another team but because of the journey that we’re in and where we are as far where we are in the season, the amount of reps that guys have played with the maturity and with the growth. And obviously with the opponent coming in, I think, Coach [Tyson] Helton does a phenomenal job with his program. I know this is a huge rivalry for Marshall and WKU, but its two different teams now. It’s not the same. They’re a different team than they were last year. They’re a different team than they were four games into the season. To me, there one of the most prolific offensive systems this year that I’ve seen in a long time and I don’t watch every football game in the country. Bailey [Zappe] and his receiver [Jerreth] Sterns and the rest of those guys are putting on an offensive performance that I haven’t seen in a long while similar to when I was in Alabama and saw Joe Burrow was putting on a show with that offense when they ended up winning the National Championship. I say similar because obviously different competition from different players, but the level of consistency, the level of execution, the level of dominance that they’ve had ‚Äì the stats speak for themselves. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. Ultimately, it comes down to who executes the best. They have a really good offense, we have a really good offense, their defense is playing really well, our defense is playing really well. So, it comes down to who executes the best, who’s the most consistent, who can eliminate self-inflicted wounds, the turnovers, the missed assignments, missed tackles is ultimately what it comes down to. Tremendous challenge, we’re excited and with that we’ll open it up to questions.

On QB Bailey Zappe and the WKU offense:

Well, I think he’s a good quarterback. I think, he’s really good, he has the skillset, and he has the tools to be a good quarterback. Obviously, I don’t know him on a personal level, so I don’t know his football aptitude, I don’t know if he’s a leader ‚Äì I don’t know those things. But from a skills perspective, really good accuracy is one thing a quarterback has got to do and has an unbelievable knowledge of the system. Obviously, he’s been in the system for a long time. [He] throws a catchable ball. You guys say, ‘well, that doesn’t make sense,’ but the balls he puts in there as far as accuracy and where the balls are allows his receivers to make plays for him. He gets rid of the ball quickly, so that means he can process where the ball should be going based on their system. I think when you look at the history of this system and the quarterbacks that have played in this system, I think that you have to be a special quarterback to play in this system. Take Navy and the triple option, I don’t know if Dan Marino would be a phenomenal triple option quarterback. So, I don’t know if Bailey switched schools and played for Army, if he would have the same effect. But, I do know this system and this culture that Coach Helton’s put together ‚Äì he’s really maximizing his opportunities and the numbers speak for themselves. I don’t know where he ranks in the country or whatever it maybe but I think the numbers speak for themselves. I think the consistency speaks for itself. Week in and week out you see consistency in production from him. You know, it’s not one week he goes for 450 and next week he throws for a 100. I think throughout the season, I think consistency has been really good and to me that’s what determines if you’re a good quarterback, good running back, good offensive linemen is your consistency overtime and he’s done that.

On what needs to be done defensively to get the win:

Well, I think it’s going to be a combination of complimentary football. I think defensively, it’s the same old adage, right? The team that blocks and tackles the best will win, right? First of all defensively, we have to get lined up. They play with tempo, you know, so we have to get lined up so we don’t give any ‘gimmes’ away ‚Äì that’s the first thing. Get lined up, get where you’re supposed to be. The second thing is, we need to have unbelievable gap control because it starts up front. He does a really good job at moving in the pocket. They run the ball probably a little more than you think they do and when they run the ball, typically, its positive yards or very efficient yardage plays because everybody’s playing the pass. It starts upfront, our defensive line is going to have to play good gap control, keep him in the pocket, not allow him on the perimeter and make some of the throws he’s made. Then it’s going to come down to contesting catches on the perimeter. They’ve got really good receivers and they’ve got multiple really good receivers. Our defensive backs, our 
linebackers are going to have to do a good job of attacking the ball in the air. First of all, you have to be in position to do that and then it’s ultimately going to come down to how consistently can we tackle. A lot of their plays are quick throws that they’ve been able to catch and stretch, which they do a really good job of that. We can’t allow the bubble screen or the tunnel screen that’s thrown for two yard gain to end up a 32 yard gain because we can’t tackle the guy. Do I think this is going to be three to nothing type game, no face masks, everybody with their hand in the dirt? No, I don’t think that but if we can consistently tackle, get the ball, attack the ball in the air, play good sound gap control up front, we’ll have a chance to be successful.