|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL: NAVY v MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATEDecember 30, 2013T.T. BarberLogan KilgoreRick StockstillFORT WORTH, TEXAS Navy: 24 THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Middle Tennessee head coach, Rick Stockstill, and linebacker T.T. Barber and quarterback Logan Kilgore. Coach, we'll take an opening statement from you and then questions from the floor. COACH STOCKSTILL: I'd just like to start out by congratulating Ken and his staff and the Navy team. Congratulations to them. I thought this game was a heck of a game. I thought it was a very physical‑‑ I love the way we played. We were physical. Just the passion and the toughness and how we played. Really proud of my team. It hurts to lose this game, but I was really proud of how we played and how we competed out there. Q. Coach, once you gave up that early touchdown there it seemed like your defense kind of settled in. Was it tough to be in comeback mode after that? COACH STOCKSTILL: Well, I thought our defense just really played well. I loved how they competed. How physical that game was, the toughness that they played with. And I think there after the first couple drives there and possessions that we kind of settled in. We got acclimated to the speed of the game. It's hard to simulate on the scout team what Navy does, and I think we adjusted to the speed. After that I thought the defense played fast; they played physical. Really a heck of a football game. Q. You talked about playing physical and the passion, but did you guys feel like you crossed the line with all the un‑Sportsmanlike penalties and things like that? COACH STOCKSTILL: No, sir. I thought the one on the interception when we got the one out there on Darius, you know, the late hit out of bounds, it looked like to me he tripped. That stuff happens. The one late there when they stuck the ball out there and we knocked that out of the hand, we shouldn't have done it. But I'm not going to back down one bit. We came out there and we had something to prove. I thought our defense was very, very physical and tough, and I loved how they played. Q. Another bowl game coming up in a couple of days, is there a sense of satisfaction knowing that the upcoming game coming up on New Year's Day you gave the last defeat to UNLV? COACH STOCKSTILL: I don't know. We never played UNLV. Q. Or North Texas. COACH STOCKSTILL: We got beat by North Texas. Q. In that case, disregard that. The first three quarters you kept it 10‑6, and at what point did things start to slip away for you? COACH STOCKSTILL: We knew going in there were going to be a limited amount of possessions. Navy only averages 9.9 per game this year. So we knew they were going to be limited. Once it got to a two‑score game, we knew it was going to be hard. Like I said, we weren't going to beat them kicking field goals. That's why we went down there on fourth down on the first drive in the third quarter. This team gives you everything it's got. It just plays so hard. Give Navy credit. They got it done there in the fourth quarter. Q. T.T., can you talk about the physical nature of the defense, and if you thought the game got chippy out there? T.T. BARBER: Well, Coach Nix talked to us about playing physical and giving it your all. If you're not leaving it out there on the field, then you haven't played your best game, and playing physical is who we are and that's what we do. We won't have it any other way. Q. Logan, it looked like you were trying to make something happen there towards the end. Did you feel like you had to force something or maybe score a little quicker there? LOGAN KILGORE: You know, we said it all week, can't turn the ball over against these guys. We knew, like Coach said, possessions were going to be limited. After the turnover you saw they scored quick. Obviously, we were there in crunch mode and we're trying to make a play on that second one. But regardless, I'm so proud of the way that our team fought, especially offensively. You've got a 300‑pound left‑end chasing down an interception with the game pretty much out of reach at that point, flying from one hash to the other. I couldn't be more proud to have been the quarterback. I'm extremely happy with the effort and toughness that the offense played with. Q. Obviously, from different perspectives because you're a senior, T.T. you've got some years left, and also, Coach, all three of you, could you talk about what you think the season and getting back to a bowl after three years, how that builds on to the program? COACH STOCKSTILL: A tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for this team, not only just the seniors. It's hard; it's difficult to win games. This team went back‑to‑back eight‑win seasons for the first time since '91‑'92. So it hadn't been done a whole bunch around here. To do it, I'm proud of this football team. Logan, the other seniors are part of a great legacy and a foundation that they've helped. T.T. is an underclassman coming back. He'll be a great leader for us as he already is, and we'll continue to move this program forward. We'll continue to move it forward in the right way and in a first‑class manner like we've done. T.T. BARBER: Well, last season we didn't get a bowl game. We had something to prove. Coming out here this season we knew what we had to do to get it done. Having another eight‑win season this year was a great accomplishment. As Coach said, wins are hard to come by. Every win we just feed off that win. We just feed off each other and keep grinding. LOGAN KILGORE: Looking back I couldn't be more proud to be the quarterback the past four years at this university. We've been through a lot. The reason why I think this senior class is so special is because we came in, we were at the top going to the bowl games, we had a tough season, and nobody pointed fingers. We've come back these last two seasons, back‑to‑back eight‑win seasons, and I just think that we're making this a habit. I think that it's huge for the University, huge for everybody. All the support we had coming down here, getting back to the bowl game was our goal. I don't think that will change. I think that the team coming back next year will be excited. They're a great group of guys. There is a lot of talent out there, and I'm proud to wear my MT. Q. Coach, I would think you would want to answer this. I know you guys don't know, but the ESPN broadcast had painted Rod as a dirty player, took cheap shots and that went throughout a lot of the game. Could you talk about your perspective of Rod and if that's his character? COACH STOCKSTILL: Well, no, it's not his character. I don't know how they portrayed him. We've got two personal fouls on defense the entire year‑‑ three, and two of them were today. So for someone to say he's a dirty player doesn't know him, doesn't know this program, doesn't know this defense. There were a couple personal fouls out there today on both sides, but, no. They can portray him however they want. I've known him for five years. I know his dad. I coached his dad at Clemson. I know what kind of family he has. I know what kind of character he has, and he's not. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|