GEORGIA STATE HEAD COACH SHAWN ELLIOTT
"First of all it feels really good to come up here, and have played the way we played in all three phases of our football game. It was a ULM team that had some momentum, they are really well coached, they have great skill players, a quarterback in Caleb Evans who is capable of doing something big. I think our defense held them to the third fewest yards in school history in total yards.
"We talk about doing things for the first time around here, it is what's great about this, we can do things for the very first time and be the change. Most rushing yards in school history, longest run from scrimmage in school history, first punt return for a touchdown in school history. This was a very very good day for us. A very very good day. A very rewarding day.
"We have had a rough couple weeks, a pretty good non-conference schedule, sometimes those losses can really dictate how your team grows, and the character building, the success. It was ugly, there was a lot of ugliness in these contests, but to see it come together in one game against ULM- In our stadium, in Georgia State Stadium, in front of our fans- to have as much excitement as we did should really put some people in the seats, because there is an opportunity to do this a few more times.
"Really thrilled to death with the team's performance. We had a meeting last night and I walked out and it was really good, because on Friday nights I get a chance to be alone with our football team. Our coaches are on the road recruiting, it is really just me and them, watching a movie and then I have an opportunity to get with them by myself for about five to ten minutes and really share exactly what I want to share with them. With no interruptions. I walked out of the meeting last night, and I went into the room, locked the door and said to myself, “no way we're getting beat tomorrow.” It was a really good feeling. Great concentration, I told them don't just listen to me, hear what I have to say. I can't say enough about the effort.
[Day of firsts- Seth Paige] “It was very evident from the day that all those backs stepped on campus, that they had the opportunity to break long runs, something we haven't had the opportunity to do here. Certainly not a season ago, we didn't have the speed, the electric spark to get through the line of scrimmage before a safety could pinpoint their target and tackle these guys. But, Seth's got it. He has a one step quickness that he can burst, accelerate and get through the line. When it is blocked correctly he will have the opportunity to do it multiple times. It's the same thing with Coates, the same with Dawson Hill, we got Tra Barnett. Our backs have the opportunity to do that now.”
[Sam Pinckney] “He is a really good young football player. He has the best ball skills of our receiver group. He has great height, competitive spirit. He loves to play the game, he has a smile on his face. He doesn't mind hard work, he doesn't mind hard coaching, but it takes a little longer for these freshmen as you can see to get ready to play. You can't just throw them out there. But Sam is a really good young man and I am thrilled he got out there and had an opportunity to make the plays that he did, and he will continue to do that from here on out.
[Improvements shown today] “Most rushing yards in school history. I don't know how many times I have heard, probably since day one, “Coach, are we going to be able to run the ball this year, Can we block somebody, do we have any backs that can do anything”. Being an offensive line coach, I am more proud to have the ability to line up and run the football, especially when they know you are going to do it. That is really rewarding and to do it with such young backs really puts a smile on your face.
[Time of possession] “If you are a defensive player, you are probably upset you didn't get to play a whole lot, because you practiced a whole lot during the week. Listen it keeps fresh, we don't have a whole lot of depth. We have some young depth, especially on the defensive line that is probably not ready to go in and sustain a number of plays. So when you have the advantage of holding the football and staying on the field, it give those front line guys an opportunity to stay fresh, and really be able to motor. You saw we had pressure on the quarterback today. You saw with that pressure we had turnovers in their passing game, and that paid huge huge dividends for us. And to know you are going to be on the football field really drains a defense. Successful third down after successful third down, those are just, Oh man. I was a defensive guy, and everytime they converted on a third down and I had to get back up and do it all over again and we couldn't' get off the field, it really takes it out of you.
[Fast start] “You always want to get off on a fast start, but it does not always mean the ball game is going to go your way. They returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown last year for a kickoff against us. You want to talk about a fast start? We went back to back with a fast start. When an offense and defense can go back to back and then you get up two scores on them, you feel like you are on to something. A fast score or a 7-0 ball game doesn't really mean a whole lot, but a fast score and a stop, then you put another score on them. The whole mindset changes. It fuels us a little more, and it takes a lot out of them. I do love the fast start, but it continues more after that first drive.
[Young secondary] “Bacon, what a nice interception there at the end of the game. Really good to see. Those guys are really just so young, Bacon is a freshman, Jones is a freshman, Quavian White is a freshman, Remy is a junior out there. I mean these guys are pups out there. They are having fun and I think the play of the secondary has really been pretty good the past few weeks, and I am just excited to see how those young men progress, and knowing that we have three more years left with them.
ULM HEAD COACH MATT VIATOR
“I don't even know where to start—just really bad coaching, just really bad playing. From start to end, we never could get anything going. Offensively, we moved the ball in the first half and had three turnovers and didn't move any in the second half. Defensively, they made every play they needed to move the ball—the quarterback (GSU) played good.”
“They move him (Penny Hart) around so much that everyone knows where he is, but they are doing a lot of different things with him this year.”
“I thought we moved it well in the first half—we just turned it over, but I thought we had some things that we could do in the second half—we just didn't execute. We just had bad field position and didn't execute in any of the three phases, even on special teams.”
“We just got to go back and go to work—that's all I know to do. We'll look at the tape, and we'll meet tomorrow and try to put the pieces together and move on.”
