Chattanooga Football Postgame Quotes
Chattanooga at No. 17/18 Jacksonville State
Burgess-Snow Field – Jacksonville, Ala.
Saturday – Sept. 7, 2019

Head Coach Rusty Wright
Thoughts on the game:
"There was a four-minute series there is the second quarter where we didn't handle things very well and that is when the game turned.  It is always hard when you get behind.  That is a good football team (JSU), and when you get behind them … we didn't give ourselves an opportunity.  We kept doing some stupid stuff and that is on me"

On cutting the lead to 27-20 in the third quarter:
"Felt great.  I told them in the locker room, here is what is going to happen. We are going to go back out there and get it close and figure out a way to win it in the fourth quarter.  That is what you have to do down here during these games.  We were not strong-willed enough or disciplined enough to take care of things in the end."

On what he learned about his team tonight:
"They will play hard.  There is no question.  Those cats, we may not play smart all of the time, but they will play hard.  They put it out there and gave themselves a chance.  We have to make some plays when there is a chance to make some plays and turn momentum our way. 

"They will play hard.  I give them credit for that.  They will do that." 

On the play of Ailym Ford:
"No shock.  We felt like we could run the football at them.  They lined up exactly like we thought they were going to line up. 

"It is how the kid practices and how he does everything.  That is no surprise.  It wasn't a surprise.  It would have been different if he would not have gained any yards.  Honestly, that would have been the shocker.  That is the way he does things.  He shows up every day and practices like the practices.  He goes to study hall, goes to tutoring, goes to class and that is why he is a good player. 

On the play of the offensive line:
"The offensive line did a good job too.  Don't get me wrong, those guys battled in there.  But that is a good defense.  Those guys are going to win 8, 9, 10 ball games this year.  That (JSU) is a good football team.

"For the most part, Nick was standing up most of the night.  We will have a chance, offensively.  We will get better if they keep working at it.  We will get better and have a chance to win a bunch of football games because we can run the football.  We figured it out.  Whether it is Ailym, Jeff Wood, TP, we will be able to run the football."

Nick Tiano – Sr.-QB
Thoughts on the game:
"They are a great team, obviously.  It is a great environment. We were ready for a fight and we knew that all week.  Unfortunately, we did not make enough plays." 

On running the ball:
"After last week, we wanted to establish the run early.  We came out and made a statement with that first drive.  Really would have loved to finish in the endzone.  We started the game great, unfortunately we couldn't carry that momentum on." 

On trying to come back: 
"I am proud of the way we fought.  We never quit and went all of the way to the end and made it a game.  Unfortunately, we couldn't make the plays down the stretch.  We will learn from it and grow from it."

Ailym Ford – Fr.-RB
Where does his mentality come from:
"It comes from hard work and my team.  I could not have done it without my team.  I am just proud of them." 

On the play of the offensive line:
"We are communicating a lot more.  That has been a big difference.  Even though we lost we learned a lot and it has made us a better team. 

Brandon Dowdell – Jr.-DB
On the play of the defense:
"We didn't play to our expectation.  We had a great plan going in but, those kind of plays where we had miscues on or we didn't execute a call cost us.  As a whole, we have to get better at what we do."