GEORGIA STATE HEAD COACH TRENT MILES
Opening Statement:
“I’m very disappointed. I thought we gave them the game. Obviously, with special teams giving up a safety, catching the punt in the end zone and not doing very well on offense in the first half. We weren’t able to run the football. The defense played well in the first half. The offense came out second half and got some points on the board. They opened it up a little bit and got us some quick strikes. I didn’t expect our defense to give up over 200 rushing yards.”
Question on opening the second half with successful touchdown plays:
“They didn’t change their coverage, we just executed. That’s really what happened.”
Question on how crucial the first kick return was:
“Every play is crucial when you’re struggling as a football team. When you give up a big return, that just puts your defense on a short field. Every play is crucial. That was just one.”
On the safety:
“I told him [Brandon Wright] that he did a good job trying to get the ball out of the end zone. The ball was rolled back to him. It wasn’t Brandon Wright. It was a bad snap from a linebacker, not a long snapper. It was a very difficult situation for all of us. I thought Brandon did a good job trying to get the ball out of the end zone. That’s what you teach them. Get that ball out of the end zone, so instead of giving up seven points, you give up two points.”
On why Brandon Wright was taken out:
“We wanted to give the other guy a chance. He’s a rugby style punter. Brandon is going to be a really good punter. He punts some well now and some he doesn’t. We just wanted to give the other guy and opportunity to get in and see what he can do.”
Thoughts on Conner Manning’s performance:
“I thought he was rusty early. He threw some balls behind guys, but once he got settled in he made some really good throws. We had three receivers over 100 yards. He threw for 422 yards. I’d like a higher completion percentage, but I thought once he started going in the game he settled in and threw the ball well.
Question on main issues:
“I’m disappointed in special teams and offense in the first half. I’m disappointed on some special teams in the second half. We were much better on offense, but disappointing on defense.”
ULM HEAD COACH MATT VIATOR
Overall thoughts on the game
“It was a great win for us, especially considering the fact that we haven’t won a road game in a couple of years. I thought we made contributions everywhere. Defensively, we had some great stops in the first half and came up with some critical stops in the second half. The big kick-off return changed the momentum; the blocked field goal changed the momentum. The offense played really well and ran the football 264 yards against a great defensive football team. And of course, congrats to Thomas Koufie (#28)”
Thoughts on his offensive line
“We worked hard to run the football, and they did great tonight. But again, it was a team victory, and the plays were made in all three phases of the game; offensive line definitely did their part. We thought it would be tough to run the football against their defense, but our physical plays really paid off.”
“We made some plays and converted some third downs that I thought were crucial. The big thing is that we didn’t turn it over. Caleb Tucker (#8) came in and did some really great things, which gave our guys the confidence.”
GEORGIA STATE QUARTERBACK CONNER MANNING
On recovering from his arm injury…
“It’s been good getting back onto the field. My arm is still not where I want it to be. I felt it has been the best today since the injury. I thought offensively we did some good things, especially in the second half. First off it was disappointing because I had a couple of opportunities, especially on third down to throw but I am proud of the way we fought in the second half because we came out strong. We have to execute like that for four quarters. It’s one thing to struggle as an offense, playing a whole four-quarter game.”
On the second half...
“When we came out in the second half, that’s what we expect offensively. We expect our guys to have a lot of confidence on the outside. This team has good playmakers. My job is to get them the ball because good things happen when I do. It felt good, but just reiterating, it is a four-quarter game. We were going back and forth with scoring for a little bit, but we just have to keep going back out there and putting up points. We ended up not scoring much on defense, but offensively they scored more points than us and that’s on us offensively.”
On getting three players over 100 receiving yards…
“It’s definitely a plus for us offensively but we have to keep finding the ways to get those players the ball. I am proud of the way Jawan Nobles played. It’s his first time getting real action and as a true freshman, he showed a bright glimpse of what he can do. Robert Davis, and Glenn Smith, they are our guys and my job is to get them the ball because I know good things happen when I do.”
On pressure to score again after blocked field goal…
“The three and out was disappointing and the momentum switched a little bit. It is our job offensively to answer when we face adversity. That drive was disappointing and it placed us in a big hole.”
