This is courtesy of TI correspondent Gavin Oliver:
“The secondary had real tight coverage. Everybody did a great job communicating and having great eyes and just playing very disciplined, whether it was four wides, three wides, two tights — really did a good job of precision, execution, toughness, attitude, all of that. There were a couple plays there in the first half — those were all on me. Otherwise, it was close to flawless. They really were dialed in. Did a terrific job with some things that they needed to be able to do on the field from a communication and checking (standpoint) based on what the offense was doing, and they did it at the right moments. Turnovers are a huge part of the game and really tilted things our way. Really seized the momentum and capitalized as a team there, complemented each other. App State’s got a good football team — a veteran team, well-coached, they know what they’re doing, they have answers for what you’re doing — so we knew that we needed to have all those intangibles we’re talking about and the precision that goes along with it. So, really pleased.”
Can you talk about the play where Carlos (Watkins) stepped back in coverage to get the interception there?
“He did a great job executing it perfectly, drawing a block. It was just a zone blitz, and we knew the ball was going to come out fast, and we thought they’d throw the slants off of it, and they did, and he got square. I’ve seen a number of guys drop that ball on that same zone blitz through the last 15 years, and Carlos ate it up, man. So, that was awesome, a big play in the game that really allowed us to start to pull away a little bit, have a little bit of breathing room in a tight game. It was a momentum-changer, and our offense and defense really fed off of each other. It can be demoralizing for a team, deflating. We didn’t see that formation again, which is what we said — after we call this, that’ll be the rest of that formation. You won’t see it again. So, anyways, just a nice job on his part.”
How are his hands?
“You saw it. I think he might still have the ball in his belly. He wasn’t letting that one go, so that was good. He looked great.”
What did you think of (Ben) Boulware’s performance today with the pressure he provided and the pick?
“Ben’s always pretty disruptive, and he played well today. I love him and B.J. managing that front seven and just having that straight face the whole time. Neither one of them, through two games, they don’t flinch. They handle the intensity well, and they’re constantly helping younger players around them and all those players on the field, so they really value the management from a defensive quarterback, if you will. They value and respect that position.”
With three straight interceptions, one that might have been overlooked is the one from Jayron (Kearse) when Appalachian State was in plus territory.
“What I loved about that was a preparation thing. They had done it out of different personnel group a year ago, but we knew they would do it. We preached and preached and preached they would probably do it out of a different personnel group, and they did it at all three levels. They ran a wheel route, a post here and a post here, and a jet to the boundary, so there’s four guys that you have to have coverage on them. I just love the discipline part of it. That’s guys that understand what’s going on instead of staring in the backfield at that motion guy. So, that’s a lot of growth for a bunch of those guys there. To me, that’s what shows.”
Interceptions were a big part of the game, but your defense held Appalachian State to 1.8 yards per carry on 16 attempts in the first half. What did you think of the performance of your defensive line today?
“That was the game. Good tight coverage, and good communication back there. The defensive line really set the tempo, being physical, not getting pushed around. That was a huge part of the game, not allowing them to have any balance in what they’re doing, really making it difficult to move the chains by rushing the football.”
You had Ryan Carter playing a lot of nickel today. Talk about what that was.
“I just thought it was a good matchup. He’s a very good cover guy, he’s got good instincts, he’s physical, good tackler and when they change into certain personnel groups, just looking for some matchups.”
“The secondary had real tight coverage. Everybody did a great job communicating and having great eyes and just playing very disciplined, whether it was four wides, three wides, two tights — really did a good job of precision, execution, toughness, attitude, all of that. There were a couple plays there in the first half — those were all on me. Otherwise, it was close to flawless. They really were dialed in. Did a terrific job with some things that they needed to be able to do on the field from a communication and checking (standpoint) based on what the offense was doing, and they did it at the right moments. Turnovers are a huge part of the game and really tilted things our way. Really seized the momentum and capitalized as a team there, complemented each other. App State’s got a good football team — a veteran team, well-coached, they know what they’re doing, they have answers for what you’re doing — so we knew that we needed to have all those intangibles we’re talking about and the precision that goes along with it. So, really pleased.”
Can you talk about the play where Carlos (Watkins) stepped back in coverage to get the interception there?
“He did a great job executing it perfectly, drawing a block. It was just a zone blitz, and we knew the ball was going to come out fast, and we thought they’d throw the slants off of it, and they did, and he got square. I’ve seen a number of guys drop that ball on that same zone blitz through the last 15 years, and Carlos ate it up, man. So, that was awesome, a big play in the game that really allowed us to start to pull away a little bit, have a little bit of breathing room in a tight game. It was a momentum-changer, and our offense and defense really fed off of each other. It can be demoralizing for a team, deflating. We didn’t see that formation again, which is what we said — after we call this, that’ll be the rest of that formation. You won’t see it again. So, anyways, just a nice job on his part.”
How are his hands?
“You saw it. I think he might still have the ball in his belly. He wasn’t letting that one go, so that was good. He looked great.”
What did you think of (Ben) Boulware’s performance today with the pressure he provided and the pick?
“Ben’s always pretty disruptive, and he played well today. I love him and B.J. managing that front seven and just having that straight face the whole time. Neither one of them, through two games, they don’t flinch. They handle the intensity well, and they’re constantly helping younger players around them and all those players on the field, so they really value the management from a defensive quarterback, if you will. They value and respect that position.”
With three straight interceptions, one that might have been overlooked is the one from Jayron (Kearse) when Appalachian State was in plus territory.
“What I loved about that was a preparation thing. They had done it out of different personnel group a year ago, but we knew they would do it. We preached and preached and preached they would probably do it out of a different personnel group, and they did it at all three levels. They ran a wheel route, a post here and a post here, and a jet to the boundary, so there’s four guys that you have to have coverage on them. I just love the discipline part of it. That’s guys that understand what’s going on instead of staring in the backfield at that motion guy. So, that’s a lot of growth for a bunch of those guys there. To me, that’s what shows.”
Interceptions were a big part of the game, but your defense held Appalachian State to 1.8 yards per carry on 16 attempts in the first half. What did you think of the performance of your defensive line today?
“That was the game. Good tight coverage, and good communication back there. The defensive line really set the tempo, being physical, not getting pushed around. That was a huge part of the game, not allowing them to have any balance in what they’re doing, really making it difficult to move the chains by rushing the football.”
You had Ryan Carter playing a lot of nickel today. Talk about what that was.
“I just thought it was a good matchup. He’s a very good cover guy, he’s got good instincts, he’s physical, good tackler and when they change into certain personnel groups, just looking for some matchups.”
