2023 Chattanooga Mocs Football
at #13 Austin Peay – Nov. 25
FCS Playoffs – First Round
Fortera Stadium – Clarksville, Tenn.
Postgame Quotes
 
Rusty Wright, Head Coach
Opening statement after 24-21 win at Austin Peay.
"You get to this time of year, it's a four-quarter game and you have to play the whole way. Austin Peay is a good football team. I think we played our best half of football this year in that first half, especially with the situation and circumstances. I have a football team. I don't have guys playing, I have a football team. It doesn't matter who it is, who gets the credit. We're down players. I have a football team that plays their tails off. We have guys who step up and make plays and we had an opportunity to go win at the end and that's what we did. How much fun was that? Couldn't be prouder of this group of coaches and players."
 
On the game's end.
"I would have liked it to be a little less stressful. But we talked about it before we came over here this morning. We knew we had to play all four quarters as hard as we could. It doesn't matter what happens during the course of the game, and I think that's where we are continuing to grow. It doesn't matter who is in there, we expect them to go play well, play hard and do the things they're supposed to. But it was pretty cool walking it off and going home after. Not going to lie."
 
On the brand of this football team.
"I trust all these guys. This football team has been through a lot in a short amount of time. It feels like a long amount of time, but it really hasn't been. That's the thing. I trust all these guys to do the things they're supposed to do and as well as they can do it. It didn't hurt anyone worse than that kid who missed two kicks. I knew he wanted to redeem himself and he did."
 
Luke Schomburg, QB-R-Fr.
On what has been the key to comfort.
"Preparation. Your confidence comes from your preparation, that's my belief. Just preparing each week, even before I knew I was going to get a start. Always preparing if I was going to play. Coach [Joe] Pizzo and Chase [Artopoeus] helped me out with that a lot, to make sure I'm prepared to go in. I've been doing it all year and I just treated it like I did any other game this
year."
 
On the difference between last week and this week.
"I think last week at Alabama, I thought I had to come in there and play faster than I have been in practice. I got the first couple plays out of the way, get the jitters out, and I have been able to play my own speed ever since. I know I'm fine playing my own speed."
 
Marlon Taylor, DL-Jr.
On picking each other up.
"We all trust each other. You just have to go, whoever is next, you have to go. We all know each other and know how each other plays. It all goes back to trusting each other and we're not worried when someone goes out. We all trust each other. We're going to keep playing and control the things we can control."
 
Alex Mitchell, LB-So.
On tonight's game plan.
"We were prepared. Every day in practice we came prepared and we knew what we had to do. We did that tonight. We're in the playoffs, it's been a long season already, the next guys up, we have to make sure they're all ready."
 
Jamoi Mayes, WR-Jr.
On Luke Schomburg's performance.
"With him being young, we still knew he could get the job done when Chase went down. We put all our trust in him and tried to put him in position to make all the right plays."