FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: KENT STATE VS WYOMING

December 21, 2021

Sean Lewis

Dante Cephas

Montre Miller

Albertsons Stadium

Kent State Golden Flashes

Press Conference

Wyoming 52, Kent State 38

THE MODERATOR: First up will be Kent State, Coach Sean Lewis, receiver Dante Cephas, and Montre Miller.

We'll start with an opening statement from Coach Lewis.

SEAN LEWIS: Not the outcome that we were looking for. Obviously a really tough locker room when it ends that way, the finality of it all. You send out a great group of seniors that gave everything to Kent State. Obviously we came up short today.

Areas that have hampered us and hurt us all year long we need to clean up. We need to grow as we get better, moving forward into next year. Extremely proud of the seniors and the guys that gave everything to Kent State, extremely proud of the guys that are sitting next to me and the leadership they're going to provide going forward.

It's great for Kent State University for us to continually be playing in bowl game, we're going to continue to do that in the future by us getting better. Living our core beliefs we'll come out on the right side of things as we continue to go forward.

Q. Coach, a pretty huge day by Wyoming's Levi Williams. What did you see out there from him? What allowed him to have so much success on the ground?

SEAN LEWIS: He did a really good job making decisions in their Q run game. He did a nice job breaking tackles downfield.

Q. Despite it all, Dante, another hundred-yard game. What were you and Crum doing well out there to connect?

DANTE CEPHAS: Just executing, me and Crum, every other quarterback. Just practicing, keep practicing, getting reps at it. If you get more reps at it, the easier it gets, so...

Q. Montre, from a defensive standpoint, what were you seeing from Levi in the run game?

MONTRE MILLER: They kind of threw a mixed bag of things at us today. We kind of prepared all week getting ready for the game, tried to do the best we could, trying to limit him as much as possible.

I mean, we didn't get the outcome we wanted today, but it's back to the drawing board, figuring out what we need to do going forward.

Q. What are you building here? Four seasons, going on your fifth. You'll have most of your recruits in next year. Trending a good direction. But you how do you feel where you are with your plan and what you're looking to do?

SEAN LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, I know you meant nothing by it with 'my recruits'. Every single one of those guys in that locker room is my guys. The guys we inherited when I took the job, they didn't ask me to take that job.

When I walked in, those guys decided to stay and believe. Because of that, because of their believe and the trust that's been built over time, we've built a sustainable program that we know is going to be a consistent winner.

I'm very proud of the work our kids put in. I told them we asked them to do a lot of crazy, hard things. That's what life requires. This outcome is not what we wanted. But I know our young men, because of the time spent in our program, they're going to be better for society going forward.

I'm eager and excited to get back to work as we continue to build a great program that Northeast Ohio, Kent State, Kent State community can be very, very proud of, that our kids can be proud of. There's no reason for anyone that's a Golden Flash fan or wearing Flash gear today to hang their head whatsoever.

This is going to be a constant like you mentioned, two of the three years we've been playing in bowl games. This is going to be the norm. Our Flash family is going to continue to have to make their holiday plans around our bowl schedules.

Q. Dustin looked really good out there. What did you see from him in his last game?

SEAN LEWIS: The same thing we've seen from him consistently throughout, right? He's a warrior. He got a little bit banged up halfway through the season. He's continued to push through that. He's always done what he needs to do to get ready for game day.

When he steps in a arena, there's not a better competitor I think in all of college football. To the very end he's going to continue to fight, he's going to continue to compete.

He's an elite decision maker, an elite leader. When one of your best players is your hardest worker, goes about the process of winning and holds it in really high regard, that spills off on everyone else, right?

For him to go out and have another day like how he did speaks to who he is, the way he prepares, and more importantly the character that he has.

Luckily he's going to get another opportunity to go compete here in a little bit with the east/west game. The team that decides to bring him in their camp is going to make the best decision for their organization and they're never going to regret it.

Q. A big thing you talked about this is controlling the controllables. What did you think of the penalties, self-inflicted wounds?

SEAN LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, self-inflicted wounds we've got to be better with, right? There's a fine line we want to have our guys, they're going to be extremely physical and toe the line, but we have to have great discipline about us and make sure we don't step over that line. There's other things we have to do to be so good that those zebras don't matter and I'll leave it at that.

Q. What is your message to a locker room after this, two tough losses, otherwise really good season?

SEAN LEWIS: I love 'em. Without 'em we wouldn't be here. I'm really, really proud of them. The guys that are leaving, they got my number. It's never going to change. I'll do anything for them. The guys that are coming back, obviously there's some work to do. Luckily the guys that are coming back know our culture, know that work works. We are going to roll up our sleeves, have a little bit of time off here. We will hit phase one her of winter conditioning, refine the plan, get back at it, we'll be better than ever.

Q. With this being Crum's last game, his last pass being a touchdown, is that a fitting ending, so to speak?

SEAN LEWIS: Yeah, I think again, it's who he is, it's the way that he prepares. If I'm not mistaken, he's going to go out the second all time leading passer in Kent State history. He went over three thousand yards. I mean, he's meant everything. He's been the cornerstone of this program. Because of him, guys like these guys decided to jump in with us, guys that we just signed decided to jump in because of his work and countless other people's work. He can't make those throws unless there is a receive on the other end of it. None of our skill guys get any of the accolades they get without the big boys up front that are doing things the right way.

Q. You moved the ball really well today. Early on you get down to the three yard line, you're forced to settle for a field goal, missed two field goals. On this stage how tough is it to overcome those things?

SEAN LEWIS: I think each moment is its own entity. I don't know if the stage really matters if you're trained and prepared in the right way, in all honesty, right? To where doesn't matter if you're on the blue turf here in a bowl game with millions of people watching on ESPN, or if you're back in our facility in Northeast Ohio.

If you are of the right mindset, you train the right way, and you treat each rep with the same intensity and focus that a game rep requires, then you're training for the moment and you're training for that opportunity to go capitalize on it.

I got to be better in the low red situations with the amount of total yards that we have, for us to not have a higher output of points, that's on me as a play-caller. That's part of process we have to refine, I got to get in the lab, put our guys in better positions to be successful.

Q. Could you talk about the impact of the two missed field goals?

SEAN LEWIS: Yeah, anytime you get an opportunity to get points, you love to capitalize on that.

Again, I think it comes back to my play calling, put our kids in better positions so those are PATs and not field goals.

Q. Talk about the third quarter, similar challenges earlier in the season.

SEAN LEWIS: There's some consistency. We have to go back and really do the uncomfortable task of leaning into those uncomfortable truths, those honest truths. That's all part of it. That's part of where you grow, right?

That's going to be uncomfortable for our staff and for our kids to lean into that work, but that's where we're going to grow, that's where we're going to get better. Ain't going to be hanging out in the comfort zone, where we all tell each other what we want to hear. That ain't going to be the case.

Our kids know that and they embrace that. We are going to do the work required to improve those shortcomings that we've had this year. I'm eager to do that work.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks to Coach Lewis and the student-athletes.

SEAN LEWIS: Thank you. Go Flashes.