2024 Chattanooga Football
Postgame Quotes
September 7, 2024 – at Georgia State – Center Parc Stadium
Rusty Wright, Head Coach
On tonight's result against Georgia State.
"Bottom line, we didn't play well enough to win. I didn't do a very good job with them. We didn't learn enough from last week to this week on some basic football things. We gave ourselves a chance to win, but you have to make the plays and overall, we just didn't get it done."
On Sam Phillips' performance.
"That does not surprise me. We just can't wait two-and-a-half quarters to find him."
On how the team responded this week after last week's result.
"It's how we should play football. That's the thing, I didn't have any doubt about what was going to happen tonight. We just didn't learn enough from last week to this week on the basic football things. Getting out in and out of the huddle, false starts, jumping offsides. I mean, we can't do those things against anybody, and we've had more penalties in two weeks than I remember in a whole season almost, and it comes right back to me. I know nobody means to do it, but these kids battled their tails off tonight."
On more depth stepping up and not putting it all on the starters.
"That's what you want them to do. That's what you want to see. That's growing. We got to continue to grow those guys, and they've got to continue to do that for us. It's a long year, it's a long season, and they've got to go play. When we're locked in, we're pretty good. We still have a chance to have a good football team, there's no doubts in my mind. We gotta go do it."
Sam Phillips, WR-Jr.
On the offensive turnovers and penalties today.
"That's just self-inflicted stuff that we have to work on in practice. That includes me. I had a turnover, so I can't say anything. It takes all 11 of us to make a football play work. Everybody has to do their job. If somebody doesn't do their job, like me when I fumbled, that changes the momentum of the game."
On Georgia State limiting the deep ball tonight.
"We really didn't know how they were going to play us since they'd only played one game. We just went out there and played, and I fell like we adjusted to them really good."
On his 84-yard touchdown reception.
"My team was down and we needed a big play. Once I touched that ball all I thought about was getting to the plane. Nothing else."
On hosting Mercer next week.
"It definitely feels good to come back to family. We've been waiting on that for so long. It feels like we haven't played at home in forever, but we're definitely excited. We're going to watch film and prepare all the little things that we need to in order for us to have a better football team."
On the team's last five games (going into last season) being three FBS teams and two FCS playoff teams.
"It's very exciting and offers up a lot of competition for us. Alabama is exactly who they were; they went to the Rose Bowl last year. Austin Peay won their conference. Tennessee and Georgia State, both obviously great football teams. Hats off to all of those teams because they offered us so much to be able to get better. That's why we play college football. We want to play the best of the best, not somebody you can just drag around."
Reggie Davis, RB-Jr.
On if the game plan was to pound the rock early.
"We base our offense off our run game. Our run game opens everything else up. Every week we want to run the ball like that."
On getting points off the early forced turnover in the second half.
"When we get a short field like that, it's mandatory for us to get points like that."
On this year's running back room.
"We're versatile. We just have so much versatility no matter who's in the backfield."
On the offensive miscues tonight.
"We're most definitely going to work on that this week at practice because that's the stuff that really does come back to bite you."
Jordan Walker, DB-Jr.
On what the team's mentality was going from one FBS team (Tennessee) last week to another (Georgia State) this week.
"We took that week one loss to Tennessee very personal. It felt like we had a great week of preparation coming into this game, and we came out here and laid it all on the line. At the end of the day we beat ourselves with costly penalties and stupid mistakes. We've got 10 more games in front of us and we look to go into this week with our heads down ready to work so we're prepared for Mercer next week."
On being able to limit GSU's passing attack today.
"Yeah but we've just got to be more gap sound and more disciplined. We did do a great job on the deep ball and just not letting anybody get behind us, but there's still room for improvement for us and that's going to be our focus this week as we get ready for Mercer."
On next week's home-opener and SoCon-opener against Mercer.
"After starting off 0-2, it's very important to us. This isn't a good feeling at all so we want to shake this feeling and get back into the win column. Plus it's a SoCon game. We want to just go out there, play hard, lay it all out on the line and come out with better results."
