Chattanooga Football Postgame Quotes
Samford at Chattanooga
Finley Stadium – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Saturday – Sept. 22, 2018

Tom Arth, Head Coach
On team environment after 4-0 start.
"It's a great environment. What this game really represents is a lot of guys looking out for each other. It was a complete team win. In so many ways. Offensively, we got out to a great start and put some points on the board. Defensively, we created some key takeaways. We had a hard time running the football towards the end of the game, so we ended up putting our defense in some tough situations but they continued to respond. They certainly responded with great effort at the end. They continued to fight and found a way. In the end, it's a real testament to that group and to that team in what playing for each other means to them. That's the thing I'm most proud of. This group is playing for each other."

On importance of creating turnovers.
"Turnovers are takeaways. It's important for our guys to create those opportunities. You have to play with great technique and great fundamentals. When you do those two things, you put yourself in a position to create turnovers. Tonight, that was something we talked about playing against Samford. Their quarterback is one of the best in the country. He is a guy that cna slice you up. We had to do a good job of keeping him in the pocket and making him throw check downs. We played with great fundamentals and technique and made the most of our opportunities."

On going back and correcting mistakes.
"Our guys are smart. I don't have to tell them anything. They know. They will be able to look at the tape and see the mistakes that we made that have prevented us from taking that next step. You have to keep working at it. That's where I have to give our guys credit. We haven't solved every issue and we haven't played a dominant game for four quarters like our goal is every week. They recognize the mistakes and go back to work on it."

Nick Tiano, Jr.-QB
On win over Samford and importance of not letting up.
"It's great to get a win against a great team. We're jumping out to these big leads, but we have to figure out a way to keep it going for the rest of the game. We need to quit making it so close and putting pressure on our defense."

On the play of the defense.
"I couldn't be more proud of those guys. We kept putting them in some tough spots, but they continued to respond. Those guys are tough and have great leadership. They are play makers and they did what they do every day. They're a great defense and they showed that tonight."

Chris Barnes, So.-OL
On the play from the offensive line unit.
"The whole offensive line comes out to practice every day and works hard. We protect and work hard. That's what we try to do every day. We try to do that coming into every game and try to execute like we do in practice."

On the play from QB Nick Tiano.
"Nick [Tiano] is a great guy. To have him in the backfield as our quarterback, I love him. We're doing great, but we still are making mistakes. We're still going to go out there every day at practice and work hard."

On trying to establish run game.
"One of our goals as an offensive line every game is to pound the ball. That's what our goal is game in and game out. We're doing a great job at that."

Derek Mahaffey, Sr.-DL
On grinding through Samford's 89 offensive plays.
"Coach said we had to have it. No excuses. We're built for it and work so hard every day for this. We told coach we weren't coming out. We were staying in the game because we feel as if we're the best defensive line unit in the nation. We had to have it."

On three-man rush and effectiveness.
"Going into the whole week, that's what our coaches were emphasizing. Staying on the line of scrimmage and pushing. If we could get back there with three and drop eight, we knew we were going to have a good chance to win."