Photo by: Laura O'Dell
11/14/2026 4:57:00 PM | Football
2026 Chattanooga Football
Postgame Quotes
Nov. 14 | at Furman
Paladin Stadium | Greenville, S.C.
Rusty Wright, Head Coach
Opening thoughts.
"Playing well enough defensively, I knew if we didn't absolutely screw it up, we were going to be fine. I knew it was going to be hard on them to come all the way back from that. We were playing well enough defensively for that. You saw at the end of the first half they switched quarterbacks. It became a field possession game and a defensive football game."
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On today's difference.
"I thought special teams were huge for us today. I thought we won the kicking game battle all day long. You know, it's just bad luck when that ball bounced off our guy down there. He was punting into the wind, and the ball didn't go anywhere. So, you know, if it wasn't for bad luck, I'm not sure I'd have any. But it was what it is."
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On the guys bouncing back.
"They were ready to play today. I'm not sure we played well on one side of the ball, but they were ready to play. Now, give those kids credit for that, and knock on wood. They played their tails off all year. I give them credit. I mean, I told them that last night, and this morning, at the team meeting, that it would be a disappointment for me, and them as individuals, if they didn't play their tails off. And they went out and did that, both sides of the ball."
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On finishing 6-2 in SoCon play.
"It's pretty good, isn't it? It's good for these kids. It's awesome. It's awesome that we were able to do that with this bunch, with the limitations we had in some position groups, with some of the injuries we had. Doing that, and I told them in the locker room after the game, they're a tough bunch of kids. I have a tough football team. They're a tough bunch, tough bunch of guys, you know, and I'm proud of them. I'm proud of those coaches for digging in and finding a way, and that's a big deal for us to finish six and two in the league."
Zion Rutledge, LB-Sr.
On the defensive unit.
"I told the guys before the season, a lot of things just start with believing, you know? And so, trust me, we heard all about those guys and these guys, and these defensive players of the year, and all the history that's been here. And, you know, we looked at each other and said that we wanted everybody to look back at this defense as one of the best. So, those guys made that choice, and they made a choice to believe in themselves. They made a choice to be the best. Those guys, they put in the work. At the end of the day, like I said, they just believed in the vision they had in their head."
Matthew Clemmer, QB-Sr.
On preparation to play this week.
"Not a lot changes. Every week, I prepare to play. The biggest thing is probably more reps in practice. Other than that, I watch game film the same, I prepare every game like I'm going to play. Not a lot changes."
D.J. Adams, DB-Sr.
On the defensive unit's mindset.
"If you give us an inch, we'll defend it. As a group, we really take that mindset. If you give us an inch, we're going to do our best to defend it. We take pride in the opportunities we get to make plays and impact moments to help our offense out."
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Postgame Quotes
Nov. 14 | at Furman
Paladin Stadium | Greenville, S.C.
Rusty Wright, Head Coach
Opening thoughts.
"Playing well enough defensively, I knew if we didn't absolutely screw it up, we were going to be fine. I knew it was going to be hard on them to come all the way back from that. We were playing well enough defensively for that. You saw at the end of the first half they switched quarterbacks. It became a field possession game and a defensive football game."
Â
On today's difference.
"I thought special teams were huge for us today. I thought we won the kicking game battle all day long. You know, it's just bad luck when that ball bounced off our guy down there. He was punting into the wind, and the ball didn't go anywhere. So, you know, if it wasn't for bad luck, I'm not sure I'd have any. But it was what it is."
Â
On the guys bouncing back.
"They were ready to play today. I'm not sure we played well on one side of the ball, but they were ready to play. Now, give those kids credit for that, and knock on wood. They played their tails off all year. I give them credit. I mean, I told them that last night, and this morning, at the team meeting, that it would be a disappointment for me, and them as individuals, if they didn't play their tails off. And they went out and did that, both sides of the ball."
Â
On finishing 6-2 in SoCon play.
"It's pretty good, isn't it? It's good for these kids. It's awesome. It's awesome that we were able to do that with this bunch, with the limitations we had in some position groups, with some of the injuries we had. Doing that, and I told them in the locker room after the game, they're a tough bunch of kids. I have a tough football team. They're a tough bunch, tough bunch of guys, you know, and I'm proud of them. I'm proud of those coaches for digging in and finding a way, and that's a big deal for us to finish six and two in the league."
Zion Rutledge, LB-Sr.
On the defensive unit.
"I told the guys before the season, a lot of things just start with believing, you know? And so, trust me, we heard all about those guys and these guys, and these defensive players of the year, and all the history that's been here. And, you know, we looked at each other and said that we wanted everybody to look back at this defense as one of the best. So, those guys made that choice, and they made a choice to believe in themselves. They made a choice to be the best. Those guys, they put in the work. At the end of the day, like I said, they just believed in the vision they had in their head."
Matthew Clemmer, QB-Sr.
On preparation to play this week.
"Not a lot changes. Every week, I prepare to play. The biggest thing is probably more reps in practice. Other than that, I watch game film the same, I prepare every game like I'm going to play. Not a lot changes."
D.J. Adams, DB-Sr.
On the defensive unit's mindset.
"If you give us an inch, we'll defend it. As a group, we really take that mindset. If you give us an inch, we're going to do our best to defend it. We take pride in the opportunities we get to make plays and impact moments to help our offense out."
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, November 03
Tuesday, October 27
Tuesday, October 27
