Chattanooga Football Postgame Quotes
Wofford at No. 11 Chattanooga
Finley Stadium (20,668) – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Saturday – Nov. 8, 2014
Chattanooga Head Coach Russ Huesman
Opening statement
“Obviously a tremendous win and a tremendous team effort on both sides of the ball. It's the first time we've been in the playoffs in such a long time. It's unbelievable.”
Thoughts on today's performance
“It was a ball game in the first half. Our guys played, came out for 30 more minutes and knew what was on the line. Thirty minutes - that's all we asked. They came out and played 30 more minutes to get the win. To look at those guys with happiness and joy is just phenomenal.”
Thoughts on the contributions of Jacob Huesman and Keon Williams
“Keon runs the ball hard. I think Wofford was first in the league in rushing defense. Keon had some hard yards today, and I guarantee they were some hard yards. He ran hard. That was a tough 91 yards. The contribution we get from Jacob is tremendous. He is an excellent football player, takes care of the ball and gets it to where he's supposed to. He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. He makes his share of mistakes out there, but he's a ball player. Every coach that comes up to play us, the first thing they say is, 'Wow, what a great ball player your son is. You have a great quarterback.' I was glad I got to hug him in the locker room because he's part of us. He struggled with us the first two years when he was at Baylor. He struggled right with us. He fell in love with Chattanooga and Chattanooga football. What a tremendous part he's played in where we are today.”
Thoughts on Jacob Huesman becoming the all-time total offensive leader
“It's unbelievable. He should be proud. He's got a whole lot of people around him. I mean, look at some of the catches we had today. How about Faysal's catch? Tommy's catch? I mean, some of the most unbelievable catches you'll ever see. Jacob is going to be put there because he's a quarterback and because he's had a lot of help form a lot of different people. But that catch Tommy made was huge. Clutch catch on the sideline. But those guys do that. Xavier Borishade, C.J. Board - Will Healy has got those guys coached up well. They're playing well and having fun. I'm proud of those guys, no question about it.”
Wofford Head Coach Mike Ayers
Thoughts on the game
“We were pretty even in the first half. The game was decided in the second half. They executed better than we did. We were not as good as we needed to be offensively. Defensively, we had probably too many snaps against a good offense. They worked some things out, made some plays, and great football teams do that. We had them with a third and long, and they made a play to the tight end. I don't know if anybody in the pros can stop that route. He snatched it with one hand and goes out. They have playmakers, and their quarterback is a special guy. I thought they did a great job against us defensively with a lot of snaps against them. I don't think we created a flow in the first half like we normally do. You'd like to say every play has an opportunity to be a big play, but they tightened up in the second half and beat us. They are a quality football team, and they have been ever since I've played against them.”
Muhasibi Wakeel, linebacker, senior
On preparing for Wofford
“Coming into the practice week we knew the stakes were high. They were coming in playing for a SoCon championship, too. We were just tuned in, played with intensity and ran toward the ball on every play. We knew what to expect coming into the game. They changed it up on us in the first half. They had two weeks to prepare so they were able to do something new with their scheme, but a good overall defensive and offensive showing got it done.”
On what this win, championship and playoff berth means for the seniors
“Coach Huesman gave us something to work toward. We didn't get it the first two years, but to finally get it now is very special.”
Thoughts on moving forward
“Even if we have the Southern Conference title and a playoff position, you still have something to play for each week. You still want to go out and win.”
Jacob Huesman, quarterback, junior
Thoughts on the game
“It was a tough game. Wofford is a really good football team in all phases of the game. They had some extra time to prepare for us, so we knew they were going to have us schemed up well. They have a really good coaching staff, so we had to come out and play with better intensity. Defensively, I am proud of our guys. They played really well. Holding Wofford to 311 yards on offense is great for us against a triple option team like that.”
On the play of Faysal Shafaat
“How about that? A great senior day for him. It just kind of happened. He had a bunch of really good catches. There were a couple of times I had him matched up one-on-one on the back side, and I wanted to give him a shot. He came down with it every time. He played a phenomenal game.”
Faysal Shafaat, tight end, senior
Thoughts on the win
“We just came out and executed. I told they guys before game time this was the biggest game of the season. We wanted to come out and play our offense. The offensive line protected well. Keon Williams ran like he knows how, Jacob Huesman made some fantastic throws and it was a great overall team effort.”
On what this win, championship and playoff berth means for the seniors
“It means a lot. We came in our freshman year, and we had a lot of talented players, but we just never could put it all together. It just feels great that we're able to get this done, and we are really excited about this win. That said, we have two more games and we want to get the highest seed.”
