Charlotte 49ers College Football Pregame Quote, 09/24/2019

I want to thank our fans. We had about 2,500 fans travel to Clemson this weekend and we felt it. It was amazing to run through that tunnel and see all of our amazing fans taking up two sections and the support that we have. Obviously, we would’ve liked to have given them a little bit more to cheer about but I really appreciated how they showed up and cheered us on the whole game. Expect that to happen again this week. Our guys are really excited about being at home and they understand the test that is at-hand. We know we are playing a great football team and we want to pack this place out on homecoming against a great football team. Proud of our guys, proud of the way we have challenged them this week, no doubt about it. I would’ve liked to not have given them (Clemson) as many gifts as we gave them but we played an excellent football team who took advantage of everything we gave them and then made plays on their own. We didn’t start fast enough. We never really got into a groove. I thought we ran the football really well. Alex Highsmith, Benny LeMay, Cameron Clark — all looked like Sunday players and I am proud of their effort. I thought we fought for 60 minutes, even though we were getting humbled on national television. But our guys have a lot of fight and they showed that again this week by coming out to practice ready to prepare for a great FAU team.

You are 2-2. Are you happy with where you are going into conference play?

No, I am not happy where we are. I wanted to be 4-0. Whether you lose to Clemson, Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb or UMass, you still never want to get to the point where losing is acceptable. Your goal every year, when you strap it up, is to go undefeated. And I think we have matured and progressed a lot as a football team but we are not where we want to be. The great part about it is, our goals besides going undefeated are still out in front of us. We want to protect the home turf. Our goal is to win a conference championship and that will continue to be my goal for as long as they allow me to be here. We are still the team that was picked to finish dead last in this conference and we know this is week one. We still have a long way to go but we want to continue to play well and protect home turf.

You talked to the team about being 0-0 going into conference play. How did you say it? What did you tell the guys?

Well, you want to set the precedent for years and years to come here, but yes, you are starting conference play still 2-2. So your conference championship goals and bowl goals are still there but it’s not like you want to act like the other four games we played just didn’t happen. I haven’t talked a whole lot about being 0-0. I’ve just talked about this is the first conference game and it’s at home against a really good football team. The record is what it is.‚Äù

You talk about how you were picked to finish last in the conference. Do you dwell on that at all? Does it put a chip on your shoulder?

I think this team knows they are so much different than they were in the past that I don’t know if you have to dwell on that anymore. They have a different confidence and they are playing really hard. Obviously, the execution has to continue to improve, but honestly, this group doesn’t feel like they are the same group they were in the past. They work as a group; different set of coaches. They do have that chip on their shoulders. They know where they were picked to finish. They understand it and we have to continue to make a name for ourselves and they are doing that daily.

Have you had any prior relationship with coach Lane Kiffin in the past?

When I think about Coach Kiffin, obviously the similarities, being 30 years old and becoming a first-time head coach. Obviously, his being with the Oakland Raiders and mine being at Austin Peay, so very similar situations (laughs). I really have enjoyed being around Coach Kiffin. When you look at his experience — Oakland Raiders, Southern California, Tennessee, Alabama, and now at FAU, he’s an exceptional football coach. I’ve really enjoyed being around him because he is so confident and he may be my favorite person to follow on Twitter because he has no filter and he’s doing a great job. He’s an offensive genius. He’s always been able to do great things on offense. He’s been on a lot of great staffs and has been through a lot but he’s a great person and I enjoy being around him.

On FAU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer:

Well, I want to talk about Glenn Spencer really quick. So impressed with what Glenn Spencer did here last year. I really enjoyed being around him from the time I took the job here. I think he is an exceptional football coach and an even better person. And he is known throughout college football for what he does defensively. He does a great job on defense and is tough to scheme against. He’s got those guys playing really hard. When I talked to Lane (Kiffin) at the conference meetings before the season he told me, ‘I hired Glenn Spencer because of the job he did against me last year when he was with Charlotte, and the adjustments that he made.’ He is very well respected and I know our players love him. Alex Highsmith credits him a lot for where he is today. I think the world of him and he’s a great football coach.