Quotes/Notes/Video from FIU Press Conference

Opening statement:
Before we get going, I just want to congratulate Chris Grassie and our men's soccer program for what they've accomplished. What a great feat that is. Good luck to those guys (this weekend). Obviously, FIU had a great win over Miami last week and we're getting ready to play an excellent team. This game means a lot of things for 18 reasons … 17 of those are the guys who will be honored here on Senior Day. Those guys have given a lot of blood, sweat and tears to this program. It's important that we work really hard to send those guys out the right way. The 18th reason is that we still have a lot of football to play for. We have the opportunity to still win the East and we have to go win this game. We have to have a great week of preparation. Our captains that will help get that done are Brenden Knox and Levi Brown on offense and Channing Hames, Omari Cobb and Marquis Couch on defense. (FIU head coach) Butch (Davis) has done an excellent job with that program. Anytime you go play an FIU team … they have players. Obviously, they have really good players because they beat a Miami team that is bowl-eligible. They're coming off a big win and will come in here with a lot of momentum. We have to make sure that we're ready to go.

On preparation for Saturday's game:
They all want to be professional football players so, this week, they are. They have nothing but getting ready to go play, taking care of their bodies and getting ready to go. This is a good week for them. We had a big Thanksgiving dinner provided by Chris Temple Church. We've done that every year. It's such a huge deal and our kids enjoy that.

On Marshall's seniors:
A lot of them have grown. They're just all great kids. They've overcome a lot of adversity. I'm just proud about the way they've gone about their work. They are really good players who are getting the opportunity to play here on Saturday.

On Kereon Merrell:
Kereon's played really well for us. The thing about junior college kids, after their second year, you find yourself saying, "Gosh, I wish we could've redshirted him because he would be a really great player next year". Because they are junior college kids, a lot of times, you have to play them the first year they are here because of need. He was a guy who got that third year and he has really improved as a player.

On FIU:
The two running backs are both seniors (Quarterback James) Morgan is a senior. Going into the season, he and Mason Fine from North Texas were probably rated the top two quarterbacks in our league. This time last year, FIU was playing for a championship. If they had beaten us, they would've gone to the title game. (Morgan) has had an excellent career there and he's a good quarterback. I thought, a year ago, we got some pressure on him. If he's able to sit back there with his protection, he's very accurate and can get the ball to the right people.

On rebounding from the loss at Charlotte:
It's important to get everything back. As you all know, we did not play well enough offensively (on Saturday at Charlotte). It's important that we get back to work there. It's hard to be one-dimensional and we were a little bit. We have to get back to being able to do both (run and pass) and I'm sure our kids will work really hard to get that done. Number one, you have to take care of the ball. You can't turn it over. At some point, you have to be able to throw and catch it.

On FIU's win over Miami/relationship between Marshall's and FIU's players:
That's a huge win for FIU, especially in the city of Miami. It's a great win for them. A lot of our players are from down there. There is no question that it got their attention. FIU is bowl-eligible and is a good football team … it's the third straight year they've gone to a bowl. Butch (Davis) has done a nice job with that team. Our players know a lot of theirs, so they understand that they are very capable. Couch and those guys, they're from down there. They know a lot of those guys and grew up playing against them in high school. They know who they are and what kind of players they are. We recruit that area heavily. Our kids enjoy playing against those guys. If you can have success against those teams, there's no doubt that it will help you with recruiting.

On whether or not he pays attention to scores from other games during Marshall's game:
Our game is the only thing I worry about (during the game Marshall is playing). During the game, I have a (heck) of a lot more on my mind than watching someone else's score, I can assure you of that. Are we Southern Miss fans this week? (Heck) yeah, we are. (Southern Miss head coach) Jay's (Hopson) my best friend right now. There is no question that we're Southern Miss fans right now.

On what he's thankful for:
I'm thankful for the opportunity to coach this great game and to surround myself with those 17 (seniors) that are walking out of here. Just being around these kids and watching them mature, grow, graduate and have success, not only on that football field, but also in life is so important. There is so much out there for kids today … they go through so much. To have the opportunity to take these kids and mold them, have them walk out of here with a college degree and be successful … that's what this is really all about. I'm just thankful to have that opportunity and be at a place like Marshall, where football is really, really important.

Marshall University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Levi Brown

Omari Cobb

Marquis Couch

Channing Hames

Brenden Knox

Kereon Merrell

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