2023 Chattanooga Mocs Football
vs. #2 Furman – Nov. 4
Finley Stadium – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Postgame Quotes
Rusty Wright, Head Coach
On how you get the team refocused emotionally for whatever may happen next to close out the year.
"I mean we just have to get away for a bit. We have not been away from this game for 14 straight weeks. We've been at it 14 straight weeks. We've been around each other, with each other. It's a tough locker room in there right now because everybody's upset, and I get it, but we still have a lot to play for. I believe in my heart that we're going to play again (after Alabama). I don't have any ideas or clues, but in my heart I know what this team's been through for 14 weeks and we should still be ready to play. We go beat up again today and lost some guys, so we just have to figure things out and see what we got going into Alabama and then see if we're playing after then."
On Chase Artopoeus missing some throws.
"We had a chance to make some plays and we just didn't make them. Give them credit, those guys played great. We had a chance to make plays and we didn't make them."
On Chattanooga's case to the Playoff Committee.
"My group's battled for as long as they can, so we'll see if somebody gives us an opportunity. Look here, I'm not taking anything away from these kids this year. We've been through a lot in 10 weeks. They've played their tails off, they played their tails off today, and they've got nothing to hang their heads about. I know they're all disappointed; I'm disappointed for them. there's probably things I could do better, but at the end of the day it is what it is. That's a good football team over there, there's no doubt about it. We went toe to toe with them and we had our opportunities to take care of it and we just didn't do it."
Chase Artopoeus, QB, Jr.
On getting hit throughout the game.
"Their rush is pretty good, and I thought the guys played hard up front. Maybe I held onto the ball too long a couple of times, but overall, I'm still proud of how the guys played; they gave their hearts."
On the character of the team.
"I think we have a lot of good character, a lot of perseverance going on. This one stings, [there's] no other way to put it. This is when we have to bounce back and keep playing."
Alex Mitchell, LB, So.
On the team's grind through the season.
"It's been a long season and we've [played] 10 in a row; it's been rough on our bodies. This week was the most important and we really stuck together in practice, and we all came together. We really showed out there on defense how we can come together as a team. We just kind of let up towards the end of it, but that's a good ball club over there. It was a tough, hard-fought game, we just didn't do enough to win."
Kam Brown, DB, Sr.
On the defense's performance.
"That was our game plan all week, to make them throw it. We're a physical defense, we came up and stopped the run and tried to take advantage."
On keeping the team together the rest of the season.
"We see what we have ahead of us. [With] what we've accomplished already, it's not going to be hard to keep guys locked in. It's going to take us juniors and seniors to keep everybody motivated. It's not over yet."
