Chattanooga Football Postgame Quotes
The Citadel at Chattanooga
Finley Stadium – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Saturday – Nov. 16, 2019

Head Coach Rusty Wright
Opening thoughts on the game:
"I was playing with everything I got.  Trying every way we know how to win a football game.  I didn't do anything.  Those kids went and played. We just tried to put them in the best spots we could put them in, and hopefully that is good enough. 

"The one thing I hope they realize is, we keep playing, you never know.  That is one thing we are starting to learn around here a little bit, because it is ugly (the adversity). It is as ugly as you will ever be around, but I can't tell you how proud I am of those guys in that locker room. 

"We lost our starting center early.  Had guys go down...we didn't have one of our wideouts that last drive.  That defense played 40 minutes of football.  They just kept lining up and playing.  I hope it will go a long way for us in the future." 

On the emotion of this win. 
"Anytime you can get to six and we have a game left, that is a big deal.  Personally, as a football program, everything.  That is a big deal.  It is the way it happened.  There were some frustrations on that sideline three minutes into the second half.  I got them at the start of the fourth quarter and I was like, alright boys, two scores and let's just go play and see what happens.

"People have to make plays too.  That is something our kids are having a hard time understanding. They have to go make plays as well.  They got guys on scholarship, I understand that, so do we.  They have to figure out a way to make them. 

"I hope in the grand scheme of things this builds for us some point in time." 

On being involved in a game like this before:
"It has been a while.  It has.  It has been a while, but it sure was sweet to watch.  I knew if we could get the ball back, we would have a shot.  Even pinching that offensive line together.  How many times do you play an option team when you are down seven with four minutes to go and you never get it back. 

"We didn't do anything different than what we did in the first half.  That is what I told them at the timeout.  I told them not to worry about going for the football, just tackle them.  I will use the timeouts, just tackle them.  Stop them short of a first down." 

On the play of Nick Tiano:
"Poor fella, start of the third quarter, first pass he throws hits a guy in the hands and they intercept it.  You are talking about a young man that has had bad luck.  How many interceptions has he had on the season?  10?  I will bet five of them hit somebody in the hands.  Literally in the hands.

"That is what a senior quarterback should do.  They had two weeks off, and they did some things differently.  He just sat in there and kept battling.  He is a good player and he gives you an opportunity.  You didn't see him get rattled, he just kept playing." 

On getting beat on the edge:
"They put more folks out there than you have and it is hard to be the block.  It is.  It is awful hard to be the block.  They got more bodies at the point of attack.  It is a fine line what you do with that.

"We didn't play it well early and mis-fit some things early.  I was really more disappointed we turned them two guys loose and let them get behind us in the throw game.  Two third and 10s in the first half, if we get those taken care of, it is a different ball game.

On Nick Tiano's touchdown run:
"The guys got covered.  Everybody ran that way and it just opened up.  Good players find ways." 

On the time of possession. 
"It is unbelievable against a team like that.  I was sweating it.  I was sweating it at halftime too.  All but five minutes of the first half.  I was hoping we would come out in the second half and take the opening kickoff and do some things.  What do we do, throw an interception.  That concerned me. 

"I don't have many, but the ones I got, they will go play.  They will go play and they will go battle.  It is fun.  IT is fun to be down there.  I can't describe what those looks on those faces are like.  That is why you do what you do.  Them dudes are so excited in that locker room because they did it.  They got it done." 

On the running game:
"They changed what they had been doing on film early and that got us a little bit.  They did a good job scheming us up, but we were able to come back after halftime.  We had to throw it a couple of times just to loosen them up, but we found a way to run it.  That is the thing.  We just have to get creative now."

Nick Tiano, Sr.-QB
On his 12-yard touchdown run completing the comeback:
"Unbelievable. I couldn't dream of a better way for us to finish here (at Finley Stadium). Just a dramatic, emotional win. It physical, we fought all game. That play, I dropped back, didn't really see anybody and felt the middle open. I just ran and thankfully got in there."
 
On the fight of the offense through a tough three quarters:
"The injuries we had all season and then today. I mean, we had guys playing positions they never played before…snaps they've never had before…we just kept playing. Finally, we got to the fourth quarter and we had enough in us to go put points on the board."
 
Marshall Cooper, Sr.-LB
On the crucial three-and-out setting up the offensive heroics:
"We knew what we had to do and just went out there trying to make the best out of it. Everybody played their gaps the right way and saw what they were doing. It worked out. I'm just happy we found a way to get it back in the offense's hands."
 
On what it means for the seniors to walk off the field with such a dramatic win:
"It's a great moment. Taking a loss on senior day would have been emotional and not really the funnest way to finish a career. Just a special moment to get the win and get to go home and enjoy this the right way."