Chattanooga Football Postgame Quotes
Chattanooga at South Carolina
Williams-Brice Stadium - Columbia, S.C.
Saturday - Nov. 17, 2018
Head Coach Tom Arth
On the environment
"It was a great environment. I think it was everything we anticipated it to be. Great crowd, great place to play, great energy throughout the stadium throughout the game. I think our players handled it well and I think they fed off a lot of that energy."
On the main difference in the game
"I thought early on, they were putting some drives together but really, defensively, we were making them earn it. They were having to convert third downs, we weren't giving up big plays, but really with the exception of the slant route, the play down on the sideline where we missed a couple of tackles, and there was another play later in the game where we missed some tackles. I thought we really forced South Carolina to execute offensively to move the ball down the field.
"We came up with a huge fourth down stop after a turnover, so I thought there were a lot of positive things. Unfortunately, we let them get loose on some big plays that we should have tackled for a minimal gain, 12 or so yards, but unfortunately some of those turned into 50 or 60 yards. Offensively, I thought early on we had some opportunities that we didn't capitalize on.
Obviously, South Carolina is a great football team. Very talented, big, strong, fast. I thought we left some plays out there unfortunately, but that's the hard part, trying to challenge our guys. We need to challenge ourselves and tell ourselves that for the last 20 minutes, we have to leave everything out there."
On what the program needs to do to take the next step forward
"We have a long way to go. It's so interesting, I talked with some of the coaches about this last week. In some regards, we feel like we're right there and we're a possession away or a touchdown away on offense from coming into this one 10-0 or 8-2, whatever the case may be. That margin for error, as small as it looks, is really big and it's difficult to close that.
"We have a lot of work to do to get where we want to be, but I'm very proud of our team and of our resiliency throughout the season. [I'm also proud of] our players, the fight that they have in them. It shows at the end of the game, to be able to get a stop on fourth and one against a team that's probably three inches taller and 40 pounds heavier across the board up front. To be able to stop them on fourth and one tells you a lot about that group. The fight is there, and the will is there. It's going to be my responsibility to get us to that point where we can close that gap."
On Bryce Nunnelly's play this year
"Bryce has been great all season long. He got off to an incredible start to the season and has been very consistent throughout the year. He had a big game tonight and had some opportunities where he was able to get some balls down the field and he converted them. I've been really pleased with Bryce and his work ethic, just the way that he prepares week in and week out."
Nick Tiano – Jr.-QB
On the environment of tonight's game…
"For me, it was great and I enjoyed it. My mindset and what I was trying to tell the guys let's just enjoy it and have some fun, make the most of it, we don't get to do this every week. I don't think it affected our play, I think we had fun with it and enjoyed the environment."
On his play tonight…
"Obviously there's things that I look back on, throws I wish I could have had back, for sure. The O-Line played a great game, the receivers got open tonight, and I thought we moved the ball pretty well. I was able to end up with some decent numbers, and that's what you work for."
Tavon Lawson – Sr.-QB
On takeaways from tonight's game…
"Understanding the tempo better. That would be the only thing. Coach Feeney did a good job executing the plays and scheming up defensive plays, so I feel like it's just their style and tempo. We have never played a team that plays with the tempo they do."
On his play in the final game of his college career…
"It was very important, because after fighting injury and fighting to get back in the rotation, playing fast, playing without thinking about the knee. It felt good, and I feel like I needed it to secure myself and go out on a high road. I feel like as a senior, leaving with the play that I did, no head is hung. I'm proud of my defense and myself for the way I finished out the season."
