Head Coach Bill Curry
Opening Statement:
This is a very exciting time of the year for the obvious reasons. It has been a year of deep reflection for all of us and especially for yours truly. I think more than ever those of us that have been in this business for a while and those that are sincere, regardless of the stage, have found it clear what an amazing and remarkable responsibility we have when we put this whistle on. It is not just a game; you are dealing with young lives. It hit me that what we have here is a chance to make a huge difference in this culture and we're going to one way or another. Whether it is a brand new program like Georgia State or one that has been around for 120 years we have a responsibility the likes of which our culture has never given us before. At the conclusion of last season I questioned everything, searched myself, questioned myself and determined to step up and improve every aspect of our program. We did that this summer.
On the seniors...
We welcome our first class of fourth-year men this year. Those of you that have been with us through the whole process remember the muddy field [at NFL YET], then we went over to Lakewood and rode buses back and forth to practice, didn't play any games and dressed in a locker room that some of the athletics staff wouldn't even go in and I wouldn't blame them for it. Now, you couldn't have convinced me that we would have pulled this off [building the new practice facility]. The guys who went through all of that from 2009 will be fourth-year guys. Those guys deserve an award and I want the award to be what we earn as a team this season in the classroom and on the field.
On the 2012 season...
We have the most demanding schedule in our history. FBS is around the corner, which was a surprise to me because I thought down the road that would be in the cards for us but I thought it would have been maybe five or six years away, once we became established as an FCS power. We haven't established anything like what we want to establish on the field. Hopefully we take the next step while playing in the very tough CAA this year and then on to the Sun Belt next year. Our theme for the season is to, "Man Up and Finish." Football is the ultimate team game, but it comes down to if I'm going to knock you off the ball in the fourth quarter. We will work on that tomorrow, we look forward to it and are excited about the season. We have miles to go before we play.
On improving play in the fourth quarter this season...
The fourth quarter is where you make your living in our business and you either get embarrassed or you excel, our first year we did reasonably well and last year we did not. Here is the main thing we did: I require the assistant coaches to give me a report on every single player after every single practice. 15 times last year I walked into this room and recorded everybody that gave 100 percent on every single play. If you didn't do that, that grade was recorded too. Nobody can say that we didn't teach them about finishing. We are going to finish every play this season or you don't play. I want our guys to keep playing the next play and not worrying about checking the score. If we worry about performance and not the score we have a chance to improve. That was part of what happened last year; we didn't focus on what we needed to do. You have to finish the play, that's our sport. If you're thinking about something else then you can't do it. We focus on the now, finish the play 100 percent. If you do it every single time, you will play to your max.
On the team's changes on the offensive and defensive lines...
One of the things that happened that I did not anticipate was the number of transfers that came to us. They were good guys, some of them walked-on and some were scholarship graduate students. We ended up with a large senior class and a lot of them were guys that played up front. It would appear that we are going with a lot of young guys this season, but most of those positions are being filled with somebody that has been here, been in our program and been in our system. In many cases the position is being filled by someone who is a better athlete than the guy who just left. The guy just didn't play because of the inexperience. I don't see any excuses for any drop-offs, especially on the offensive side.
On the expectations for the quarterback position...
Coming out of the spring, the guy that performed the best was Ben McLane. Kelton Hill has as much talent as any quarterback I've ever coached. His challenge is accuracy, and coming out of the spring, he's been very conscientious of his work. We have those two as well as a transfer in Ronnie Bell who is an outstanding talent. Because of the change to FBS we have to certify his eligibility before he becomes a full candidate for the job. We have promising freshmen in Mark Weidenaar, Garrett Schrepfer and Nathan Schuster, who may move to defense. It will be a good battle between Ben and Kelton [for the starting quarterback job].
On the importance of having continuity at the quarterback position...
It is critically important. One of the great quarterback gurus is Marc Trestman, the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. He spent time with our staff this summer and we studied his methods. He said in today's football, if you don't have a quarterback that is as solid as a rock, you are not going to win. I said it wasn't that simple and he said it is. I still am unsure if Marc is 100 percent right but I am much closer to his view now than I was. You have to be able to throw the ball with accuracy. The strongest unit on our team is our wide receivers; we have eight wide receivers that can play and three in particular that are outstanding in Danny Williams, Albert Wilson and Jordan Giles. We have good players in other positions, but our quarterback has to be able to do that.
On if Ben McLane brings stability to the quarterback position...
Because Ben has won a state championship, in the Georgia Dome, at the highest level of high school football in the state of Georgia and because he came out in the spring and threw the ball well, we think he has a chance. But now he has to come to training camp, get into two-a-days, get tired, go through some rough stuff and show us that he can do that and win the job again. Then he has to go into the game and do it again. We believe he can do it, but he has to show it.
QB Ben McLane
On being the #1 QB heading into camp...
It motivates me, but I know our team has plenty of talented quarterbacks who can do the job. We will all compete this summer and see who earns the starting spot on August 30th. Because I am slated to be #1 at the first practice doesn't mean I will be at the first game. I have to re-affirm this summer what I had done in the spring.
On the team chemistry among the QB's and offense
Last year I was the one being helped. Now, I can be a helper. I don't pretend to know all the things I need to know. Kelton (Hill) is my roommate, and we like each other and get along great. We both expect the other to compete as hard as he can and help each other when we might need help.
On the other skill players on the team...
It is comforting to know we have so many playmakers on this team. A simple 5-yard pass can be an 80-yard play to the house with the group that we have. Albert (Wilson) is probably the fastest guy I have ever met so far in my life. All of us have to know that when we get a chance to make a big play, to take advantage, because we might not get that opportunity again. You see how the great ones like Peyton Manning throw thousands of passes and work with the receivers and we have to take that same approach and repetitive mindset to make ourselves better. Coach Bond has a great offensive mind and is an awesome teacher. All of us have to pick up and go with what he wants us to do, whether that is a no-huddle offense or anything else.
On the sense of urgency and need for improvement...
That was how we did things through the off-season and how we have worked to prepare ourselves. Coach Pollard stressed that every time in the weight and conditioning workouts. We all know what we are working towards and have been paying the price. Now, we have to keep our nose to the grindstone and make this a great summer camp. Our goal right now is to simply beat South Carolina State. That's the focus and urgency.
RB Donald Russell
On transitioning to the Sun Belt -
It's hard not playing for a championship this season, but we use it as motivation for next season. We're going to use this season to prepare for the move to the Sun Belt conference, but we have to be ready to win the games on the schedule this season and not look too far ahead.
On the upcoming season
We're playing as a family this year. Coach (Ben) Pollard in strength and conditioning has been leading us through some really good workouts...The fans can look for a high-tempo offense this season. We have a different attitude and a go-getter mentality. This season we'll definitely be a team that plays all four quarters."
On the importance of GSU fans
It is very important to get fan support. We really feed off their energy and hopefully this season, we'll be giving them a good reason to come out and support us.
CB Demarius Matthews
On the team's attitude
We came together as a team over the spring. In the offseason we overcame a lot of our issues. We're not individuals this season, we're a family.
On his preparation for the season
I've been watching a lot of film and I've been getting on the field to get in extra work. I've also been watching film of our opponents so I know what we're up against this season.
On this season's schedule
We have a really hard schedule this year and I can't wait to get on the field because I'm ready for the challenge. We've been working harder than I've ever seen us work this offseason because we're ready to play. We don't want a repeat of last year.
WR Jordan Giles
On this being the third season and the team's third year of games...
We are more of a team and not a bunch of individuals. We have bonded and are closer. I know for sure that we are stronger and faster. We know how hard we are going to have to work with a tough schedule. Now, we have to make all that translate into wins.
On team's offseason and what had to be done...
We are more mature and know we can't ever use the excuse of being a young team and learning. We must make fewer mental mistakes. As an offense, we have to work on our tempo. We have to get more plays out of our offense. We have worked all offseason with one-on-one drills, seven-on-seven passing, and done a lot on our own to get better. I think that should help us a lot and lead to more consistency and wins. And, our running game, led by Donald (Russell) and a hard-working offensive line should be better this year. The guys took the conditioning work seriously and everyone benefitted.
On the important things taken from camp...
Probably the most important things are not the passing, the catching the tackling, which are overall very important things being a football player, but the unity that we are going to have. This is our third year at Georgia State as a program and a football team, and I think that the excuses that we are young team - we aren't going to have those any more. We are a much more mature team and we are not going to make a lot of the mistakes we made in the past.
Offensive Lineman Grant King
On the difference between this season and last
The overall attitude is different. We have a lot more guys who are pushing harder and who are pushing us forward. Our strength and conditioning coaches are working us harder than we've ever worked before.
On his preparation for the upcoming season
Personally I've been making sure that I've been at every workout and that I've been pushing as hard as I can in every workout. Giving effort is the basis of growing in this program so that's something that I've been doing."
LB Mark Hogan
On the eventual move to the Sun Belt
It is exciting to see how much the landscape of college football has changed and what it means to Georgia State.
On the upcoming season
I'm just excited to play football. I'm ready for the start of camp and that's what August is all about, getting prepared to play football.
On playing in the program three years after the startup ...
This building we are standing in today wasn't even built yet and a bit off into the future. I think we've made a lot of changes and we've progressed, just not as much as we'd like and that's the whole point of what we are doing right now in preseason camp. This year is a new year. Whatever happened last year or the year before that doesn't matter. We come in here ready to compete and try to win games."
