Marshall University Athletics
Quotes/Notes/Video from South Carolina Press Conference
9/12/2018 12:31:00 AM | Football
Information below
Opening Statement
Our captains this week: offensively will by Tyre Brady and Obi Obialo and on defense, we'll have Malik Gant and Chase Hancock. As you know, anytime you go on the road, and we've played pretty well on the road lately, you have to take your leadership and toughness. Going into that environment … I've been in it a couple of times … it's a great and fun environment but you have to make sure you take that leadership and toughness when you walk into a place like that. It's going to be a great challenge for us. Anytime you face an SEC team that won nine games and their bowl game, you'll see a team that has great players. This team is no different. (Jake) Bentley, the quarterback, is a three-year starter now and he's tremendous. (Deebo) Samuel, some people think he's one of the top receivers in the league. They have a good player at about every position, so we're excited about it. The kids are looking forward to it … we just need to have a great week.
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On eliminating distractions prior to gameday:
As far as we're concerned, we're playing. Today will be a normal Tuesday and, until they tell us otherwise, we'll go full speed ahead. Right now, we're going ahead as though we're playing (Saturday).
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On South Carolina's offense:
You watch that Georgia team, there's nobody that runs the ball against Georgia. South Carolina did some different things against them, with some empty (backfield) stuff and tried to throw it around a little bit. They're an excellent team, with good backs, good offensive line. The quarterback's a veteran and they can do a lot of things.
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On Marshall's defense:
When (you allow an average of) three yards or under (rushing average), you're playing pretty good run defense. In the Eastern Kentucky game, we had practiced some against what they did in the second half but they hadn't shown that prior to our game. They did a lot of option stuff with the quarterback and I think they probably felt that was the only way they could move the ball. I thought our defense lined up and responded pretty well to it with the tough situations that we put them in.
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More on Marshall's defense:
Malik Thompson's played pretty well in there. I talk all of the time about how seniors play their best football here … there's a senior that hadn't played a whole lot of football. Now he's been our (defensive) champion two weeks in a row. That's a great tribute to him for going to work every day and he's become a really good player in there. Of course, (Channing) Hames has grown up some. Our linebackers are all veteran guys. It starts with players, and they've done a good job of stopping the run.
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On practicing for (likely) wet conditions on Saturday:
We do that every Wednesday with wet ball drills regardless (of what we might see on Saturday). We did that last week and had somewhat of those types of conditions Saturday night. That may help a little bit and we'll do that again Wednesday.
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On how excited his student-athletes are to play in Saturday's atmosphere:
I remember going into that venue when they weren't winning very many games for a period of time down there and they were still selling out every game. It doesn't matter what their record is, when you show up down there, it's a loud and fun venue. Our kids enjoy that and they should. From the time they were little kids, they dream about playing in a place like that, on a national stage, with national TV. They're excited about it.
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On Sam Burton:
He played a play or two, as well, against Miami (Ohio). We like him a lot. He's a guy that we got on, after that early signing period … a guy that hadn't signed. We're glad he's here. He's going to be a good player.
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On Steven Gilmore:
He went to camp down there (at South Carolina) and they offered him early on during that process. Anytime you're a kid from South Carolina and you're playing (South Carolina), you're going to be excited.
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On the recruiting value of playing a game in South Carolina:
Anytime you can play a Power Five opponent … and South Carolina has a lot of tradition and they've been very successful … a good opponent on a national stage, on national TV, it helps your recruiting. Whether it's South Carolina or NC State coming up next week … anytime you can get your program out there against those kinds of schools, it's going to help you. Those kids want to play in those types of venues and that's what is critical in recruiting.
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On South Carolina's personnel:
When you're in the SEC and you have the kind of money they have, with the players they have around them, and the schedules they play, with their facilities and all they have available to them … they're able to recruit really good players. When I was at Florida during those years, guys like Carlos Dunlap came out of South Carolina. Clemson and South Carolina are keeping those guys at home right now, for the most part. If you're in the SEC and you're playing the Alabamas and Auburns and all of those people in that league, you better have a good player at every position or you'll get exposed and they (South Carolina) do. Will's (Muschamp) done a great job there. He's probably already ahead of schedule of where he thought he'd be, winning nine games a year ago. He has good players and they're well-coached.
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On Isaiah Green:
I mentioned prior to the Miami (Ohio) game that he has a little (Rakeem) Cato in him. He's overcome a lot of adversity in his life. Walking into areas like that doesn't really bother him a whole lot and that's a good thing. He doesn't seem like he gets rattled a lot. He's just had the one turnover in his first two games and that one wasn't really on him. He's taken care of the ball and it'll be exciting to watch him walk in there. I guarantee you he'll have a smile on his face. Hopefully, he has one after the game.
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On Alex Thomson:
He's ready to play. If we get a situation when we can get him in, he's going to go in and play. He is our backup quarterback and he's taken all of his reps in practice. If we get that situation where he needs to play or will play, he'll go in there.
