MTSU Football Weekly Press Conference 8/26/24

all right ladies and gentlemen good morning uh welcome to uh the start of our weekly football press conferences that are here each Monday uh this week this Saturday uh the the Derek Mason era and the blue Raiders will will take on Tennessee Tech the games that will kick off at actually 602 to be exact on ESPN plus um so for those uh unfamiliar what we'll do we'll start with Coach Mason um there are people uh in person here and also on Zoom so the ones on Zoom just raise your hand for any questions uh so we'll get it all started and after coach Mason I'll come up and introduce our our student athletes that are here today so to get things started I'd like to bring up the head coach Derek Mason hello how you doing um man we're right back at it uh it's football season excited uh for this football team the opportunities that are in front of us and we know uh like everybody else you know when this time of year comes around you know everybody gets excited about what is right so um our football team is no different uh we got a lot of new pieces uh we we've got some uh brick and mortar pieces um like Nick vato when I look at Devin Curtis uh Zeke Rankin these guys been around so I think it's important for us uh as a program to realize that this isn't a rebuild it's a reboot and I think for us us uh we we we've had to look at ourselves and know and understand that you know all things are possible uh we work hard every day the work is free uh we understand with with uh it being Tennessee Tech week man it provides a different uh flare the totem bowl is back um and we actually get an opportunity to um rekindle an old rivalry and um I I think as these games go um mean there's a lot of history I mean going back to like 1960s so I think the important piece of who we are and what we do has to be on display uh we worried about us throughout camp and then uh as of the middle of last week we've turned our attention towards a Tennessee Tech uh and Coach Wilder um their football teams are good football team we understand that um he's been in this conference before at ODU and he understands what this conference is uh he's won at this level um he's going to prepare his football team to come in here and play good football and our football team's got to worry about us uh it's not who we play it's how we play so for us I tell our guys all the time respect our opponents make sure uh that we practice the way we need to practice uh be process driven so that the outcomes that we want come about so with that being said I'll go ahead and turn over the questions coach I know obviously the first game is a huge excitement factor for the players a little bit of nervousness and talk about yourself this leading up to this week you know I know this isn't your first first rodeo but talk about just your feelings and your nervousness your excitement coming into this first game well I for me I'm excited uh of course you get a chance to be back on the sideline I I believe that's the fun part of this game uh I'm hard on guys in practice so um these guys are probably getting the brunt of of what it looks like as we've even transitioned from from uh Camp uh to gameweek but I'm pretty I'm pretty uh quiet on game day um it's more about the analytics and and the um strategies that go along with endgame adjustments and that's that's where my mind will be uh I make practices hard for these guys right and so I'm on them every day so that so that we practice at a level that allows our in-game performance to be exactly what we needed to be okay and uh I don't care who we play again it goes back to how we play but the excitement piece for me uh right now is probably at a fever pitch right because it's going to get a little higher and stronger as we get closer to game right now I'm just having my morning cup of Joe and sitting back and looking at tape like everybody else speaking of looking at tape when you have a new staff and you know particularly in the portal area when these teams can changeed so much year to year how do you go about scouting a team like Tennessee Tech that that has changed so much from last season and what's standing out to you about them on tape right now you know I look at this football uh Team this Tennessee Tech football team and um coach Wilder's gone with a familiar you know face offensively uh you know you get a chance to look at coach Scott and you know what he's done and where he's been you know New Hampshire and they've been pretty good they put up numbers uh offensively uh and they had a Walter Peyton uh or or they have two players uh former running back and a quarterback are up uh you know for the Walter pyton award um that offense put up prolific numbers uh top 10 uh in passing and rushing so um I think and what he sees with his offensive coordinator is somebody that he knows well was with him at ODU uh they know how to put together game plans they know how to develop players and that's really what this conference uh and this level of Ball's about can you develop players on the other side of the ball when I look at you know Glen I mean Greg Jones I think like Greg um is smart right uh his defenses have been able to pressure uh and they were one of the tops in FCS a year ago um with with tackle for losses I think they averaged you know close to eight tack for loss a game uh they know how to pressure um they're they're going to get you in difficult situations they want to stop the run and make sure that they can uh find ways and opportunities man to to to create bad situations for us so I think we're going to have our hands for right first games are always at it's about the team that makes the least amount of mistakes and the team that can go out and and uh operate and function the way they're supposed to going into the opening game and after a tough fall camp like you mentioned how do how do you feel healthwise going in uh with this group we've had to toughen our leather a little bit so it's looked a little different for these guys they probably hit a little more um but I thought I thought we came out of it uh the way we went into it right I mean a couple of bumps and bruises but you know nothing nothing really uh significant and uh that's that's that's a testament to uh our athletic training staff but it's also um the importance that we put on uh uh recovery we tell our guys all the time your body's your job I don't live in your body I don't know your body uh like you do but I think these guys took all that to heart our practices have been different uh with our practice schedule being in the morning it's been like a a a total 180 in terms of everything that they had to adjust to but our guys uh have taken the challenge we talk about being trained and untrained uh you know trained guys find a way to make sure that they're regimented train guys find a way to make all types of mistakes and so for us when you don't take care of your body that's the biggest mistake you can have because the best abil ability is is availability coach going this first how do you kind of we talked about managing right process right the work is free we come out every day every day is a job interview and really it's as simple as just doing your job tell guys all the time you you know uh the the uniform itself uh is like a superhero outfit right you get in the uniform but the thing you can't let it do is change your personality the biggest thing that you got to do is just go out and do your job everybody's got a one 11th right offense defense and special teams and um these guys have to rely on each other that's the one thing about football man you got to rely on the guy next to you you know one play may be yours the next play like maybe not man but you can affect every play by just doing your job and if we can keep it that simple and make it the team game that it is that's when you see good things happen you know um man I I'm sure we've all watched football like this past weekend when you saw with Georgia Tech uh in the Florida State game I think man that was a great example of just being who you are and understanding at the end of the day that football is a four quarter game and which you have to do is be able to stand up do your job uh be counted on and if you do that again like good things will happen coach you've recruited players how are you going to recruit the fans to come out to these games against Tennessee Tech I appreciate the question um you know like recruiting these fans is is one of these things where um it's not it's not a one-day deal this is this has been a a seventh month 8mon process right like from day one what we wanted want to do is serve this Community Serve the Middle Tennessee Community as best we could and we hope that in the end that they would uh you know man want to come join us right because they've gotten the chance to know our players they've gotten a chance to know this football team and this football team is fully representative of this community so uh now um let's let's put the let's make sure the rubber meet the road right um this place should be one of the loudest stadiums in uh college football to play especially group of five they're they're they're be a reason from our fans to where we sit uh the pregame experience that's going to be in the Grove okay three hours before kickoff to what happens at kickoff it should be uh man a great family experience a great opportunity and if you can find an environment you know that that that gives you more bang for the buck I tell you to go get it but but but come try this first uh you know see what it's like and if you don't like it come see me all right uh everyone got a couple questions on Zoom uh on Zoom we'll start with Noah Maddox tenness tocs yeah that's right Noah thank you for the question when you look at having a veteran quarterback um he's been in ball games uh he understands uh what that means when you have an allconference front coming at you but here's the deal he he also knows that he's got to lean on his front to make sure that he can stay upright uh he's going to have to make sure that he gets us in the right place uh he's going to have to make sure at the end of the day that um he can lead okay with with a with with a level of confidence that allows our guys uh to to to be exactly who they need to be on any given play um I think the experience of Nick vato uh in this space allows us uh to to to feel somewhat comfortable uh in what we can accomplish in terms of series to series playto play but it's like anything else you got to go out um they're going to swing for the fences uh we're going to swing for the fences and that's what it's going to be it's going to be a good oldfashioned football game uh that's that's the way game start and we'll see how it ends all right next on Zoom Mr Chris Harris um I'm really just looking to see how this team collectively feeds off each other I I I think this is a football team that's not about uh you know like the tentacles I think it's about the sum of the parts I think collectively I mean I mean this we are a team I know people are going to talk about Nick I know people going to talk about DC but I think we got a lot of players that people don't know right and I think these players are have have worked hard uh to to sort of find their way um you know climbing up the roster uh like to me uh I could look at special teams and say I'm interested to see how this uh Luke Pascal lead special teams is going to uh perform obviously uh we we want to make a dent in special teams we want to be uh a crem Dela creme uh when it comes to like this idea of how we play uh what it looks like so I'm really excited for all facets and everybody um we've got we've created depth I like to see how this depth uh performs right you want to see it offensively and defensively um and we've just asked guys to embrace their role um no matter what the Reps are Embrace Your Role let's look at the opportunity to get better and the common goal is to win so let's make sure that we keep our eye on the prize play a 60- minute four quarter ball game and let's see where it takes us got another question from Noah madx yeah coach tees but experienc offensive line returning right I I think for our group I believe for our group we don't have to get outside ourselves I think you know like the game is going to uh give us things that that sort of challenge uh you know me parts of who we are and what we do right we say simple things on the defensive side of the ball right build a wall set an asge track a hip play top down well that's that that's the way the game needs to be played we need to be physical up front we need to change the line of scrimmage we talk about knockback you know the these These are common things you're going to deploy schemes but at the end of the day it's still a man whoop a man game you still got to move the line of scrimmage um and that that's where their experience is going to meet our inexperience a little bit but it's not about we we may not have a ton of guys who have played together up front but here's what we do have we have older guys okay we have veteran guys and I think guys who have waited their turn they're strong I mean when you start to look at uh Damonte when you start to look at Alex when you start to see where shakai Woods has gone you know when you look at uh uh I look at Jay Stu I get a chance to look at like Buck I get a chance to look at BAM I I I think we have functional depth okay like within our defensive line to say uh we've got places to go I'm excited to see what Felix Hixon does you know transfer from know South Carolina I I I truly believe this group has been challenged they're going to continue to be challenged and you know what what nobody's talking about this group nobody even knows their name you know and so like for them it's it's a no-name sort of uh you know group of guys man that hopefully uh like people start to recognize exactly who they are but right now they're just a bunch of nobodies there a couple of operational rule changes this year with uh the uh inh helmet communication and also the new two-minute timeout uh how has the the head the helmet communication works so far in scrimmages and practice and how does the two-minute timeout affect how you handle what you keep in your pocket thanks chip uh I look at you know where we are uh now with a you know a player to coach communication that's gone well um it it it was a part of the game that was going to come okay we saw this thing coming a couple of years ago uh and now it's it's it's made its way into college football I think it allows the quarterback and the offense coordinator you know to to seamlessly deal with you know man play calling and not always having to go to wristbands and trying to you know me figure out crowd noise this that and the other so it's made that that facet of the game that much easier right um because now you know with a coach to player it's it's it's seamless so that part is good I think defensively it's it's probably a bigger adjustment for the defensive guys than it is the offensive guys um you know because you know getting it uh one guy gets it but everybody's got to communicate it right uh they do that offensively defensively you know communication is not a oneman job so you got to make sure that you get it echoed across uh when you look to the flip side of what's happened uh with rule changes and you understand what's happening with the two-minute piece uh now you have to know like going in uh there's a possible third timeout there's a possible you know second timeout at the two-minute warning so you have to be aware of when you use your timeouts how that allows you uh to to gather yourself and what that can do uh you know been for you in a two-minute situation or or like a situation where a team is is is really trying to close you out okay in a four-minute Drive situation and they have the football you know you really have to make sure man man that you uh Reserve time on the clock you know for your offense if you're looking to get the ball back so I think those changes and it being more like the NFL um adds a little bit of uh drama or melodrama to to to what you're going to see in college football I think it's going to be a fun time anything else for Coach thanks coach appreciate everybody go blue look forward to seeing you at six o'clock on Saturday all right everyone uh now it's time for our student athletes uh with us today's quarterback Nick vato and then safety Bryan Harris we'll get started with Nick morning morning Nick three all OBC Defenders one at each level back for Tennessee Tech this year obviously with the transition bit different film study right now but what are you seeing from them and your scout uh that you know you're preparing for right now yeah they have um top to bottom on their defense as a talented group and I mean I know they have a new defensive staff defense coordinator coming from Gardner web um and you know that's that's interesting when you're trying to break down film and study for an opponent um you're not necessarily watching so much Tennesse Tech um so it's hard to get a idea of personnel but at the same time like I you know we as understands an offense like that's a good group over there they have uh returning all conference players they have um added added support from the portal and um they're going to be ready to play and they're going to come ready to play and their defensive coaches are going to have them ready to play and so um you know at the end of the day like I mean that's a good group and we we cannot look past that and we're and we're not you know we have to take it serious like that's a really good group and they're going to play Fast they're going to play physical um they're going to play for their coach and listen like I said it's a talented group top to bottom and um we got to do what we we got to do what we can this week to prepare for him looking internally to what y'all are doing you know one thing coach reader said in Camp was the passing game needed trust and timing to be built sort of over August how did that process go so far as far as building trust with so many new guys that you're throwing the ball to this year expected when you have um so many like you know fortunate enough we have a lot of new playmakers that we were fortunate enough to get out of the portal between Amari gion miles Hayes um even in the tight end room with additions like Ryan and uh you know even with our backs out of the back field just getting used to what we're doing um you know obviously like everything when it's new it started out a little rocky but I mean we we we put it we put it to work throughout Camp throughout the Su really in the summer throughout the summer and throughout Camp um just working hard at it each day and you know when you work hard at it you're obviously going to get better at it and I think we did a really good job of just chipping away each day and getting better and building that chemistry with each other I'm really excited with where we're at and I'm really excited to like just you know show show everyone else like kind of where we're going and what kind of chemistry have we have with each other and I think it's going to be really special Nick you said you were given a history lesson on the tech rivalry uh tell me the best or or funniest story you heard about the totem pole during this history lesson uh well chip was fortunate enough to tell me and Brendan some stories before we got started here and he was just talking about some Aerospace guys that back in the day would you know they would take their planes they would fly over their uh they would fly over Tennessee Tech's uh campus or football field and drop things all over the place and I mean you gotta be brave to do some of that stuff I'm not flying any planes but if any of the Aerospace guys want to want to take their planes over to Cookville this week I mean that's on them but uh no I it's a there's a lot of history behind this game it's a it's a rival game and uh our strength and conditioning coach coach badnik was fortunate enough he uh before we lift it yesterday he got each GPH group together and he actually showed us the the totem pole that's in our Hall of Fame that we used to play for uh and I know we call it Harvey and uh you know he was just trying to stress the importance of like what this game's about and um you know there's a lot of history behind it and you know you can't you know nothing should be taken lightly and I think that was his message is that like you know listen like we're going in and this is this is a game that we're taking serious and that's that's all it is Nick how's it been preparing with Coach reader for this game against Tennessee Tech yeah I think um you know throughout my time I've had you know it's my third different offense coordinator and I think each one has been a little different but I think just getting to know coach reader and getting comfortable with him like we have a really really good understanding of each other and I think we work really well together um I think between just just whether it's film breakdown trying to trying to get the the defensive scheme or just trying to figure out what we want to do on on you know a weekly basis going into a game um you know it's been really fun it's been really fun he's a he's a great off offensive mind a great football mind and I think just getting to getting to watch him do what he does best in terms of game planning and and pick his brain and ask him questions about what's going on and why he thinks this is going to work and it's been really it's been really fun to do and I think um you know this is our our our first game going going into our first game together and um I'm super excited about it I mean like I said we uh you know he's a very detail oriented kind of person and I like that I'm very detail oriented and I like to be organized so um you know I'm really excited about we what we have you know obviously like when you you have like a little more time preparing for that first game just because it's the first game and so um you know like he's been hard at work and he's he's had the quarterbacks on point with everything so I'm super excited going in this first week Nick going into this week um you know first time with a new head coach what have kind of the feelings or The Vibes around the team been this week is there any kind of a different feeling than years past surrounding the team um I mean I want I I'd say that we've done a great job coach Mason's had us do you know just locked in I mean like I know he just said it like you know he's hard on us during practice I mean it's it's good thing you know he yeah after practice yesterday speaking to the team he was just like you know no one's good enough to to just flip a switch on game day like it's it's every day that you got to be locked in and I mean even on off days like you know we're not practicing today but guys got to be mature enough and understand like you got to come up on your own you got to watch film you got to take care of your body and do the things that you need to do um throughout the week Monday through Friday in order to play your best on Saturday and I just think that you know that's something that you know he preaches and it's something that us as a team has to understand is like you know we're working Monday through Sunday through Friday to get prepared for Saturday and I think as a team like we're excited we're ready to go um first game of the season super excited for what's to come and I think uh the guys the locker room a lot of positive energy I think we're all ready we're you know excited to get out there and show everyone what we can do and I think it's going to be really special got a couple questions on Zoom uh first up Jeremy Kellum this taking that what mind prove yeah thank thank thank for the question um I wouldn't say that my mindset changed a lot I mean I think you know going in the off season my my my mindset was to just improve myself as a player and um you know coming in with a new offensive staff and a new head coach I think just wanted to do my best like get to know them you know get get start building good relationships with them and um you know we hit the ground running with football and you know I think just especially with Coach reader getting to know him and making sure that we were going to be on the same page about what his vision was for this offense um I just wanted to attack this offseason and you know learning a brand new offense it it it's not easy it's not easy at all and I think um there was just some learning Curves in the beginning and we uh you know but we worked through them the spring was super important just kind of getting down the offense with uh the ins and outs of everything whether it's the Run game or the pass game and um you know I think something that's super big is just like that we were on the same page about everything and he's he's been a great a bre a great coach a great teacher um you know and I and I think just on a personal level just trying to better myself whether it was in the weight room whether it had to do with my footwork um you know just overall kind of uh bettering myself as a quarterback and and bettering myself as a leader for this team um you know just attacked it as the the only way I know how and I you know I'm I'm I didn't I didn't leave anything that I I didn't I didn't leave the off season saying I wish I would have done this or I wish I would have done that um you know I I put a lot of work into it just as the the rest of this team did and we worked hard together and you know there was days that sucked but at the end of the day like that's the those are the days that going to make you better and so um you know really just really excited like you know the first first game's coming up and we get to see all that hard work that we've put put into the offseason come to come to life so I'm excited for it all right next on Zoom Noah Maddox hey Nick no times was that um last year you guys went on the road at Alabama um a you know playoff team and everything that that comes with that this year getting open up at home what is the difference in that and what did you learn from last year season opener excuse me sorry and how excited are you for for Saturday opening up at home instead on the road yeah I think it it brings uh it brings a different kind of energy it brings a different kind of life to the start of the season um you know especially with with you know our our new you know as we we caught our new era starting with Coach Mason and our new you know I mean how many new players we have like to be I think it's really special to be able to open up at home in front of our fans and um you know I I hope that I I know for a fact that a lot of people are going to show out and I'm and show up and I'm super excited for that um and you know it's something that you know we've been looking forward to for a long time now I mean we the schedule's been set for a while I think opening up at home opening up your season at home and and Kicking It Off the right way is super important it's going to set the tone for the rest of your season so um you know last year's last year and you know that's that just is what it is I'm super excited to be able to open up at home with with these players with these coaches and you know kind of show these fans like what we've been working towards and what we're all about uh another question from Jeremy Kellum uh yeah I mean I think you know every every offensive scheme's a little different everything I think every offensive coordinator has a has a vision and I think that coach reader and I have have done a great job of just kind of understanding each other and um um you know he he's always said he's like you know and not just to me but to our offense in general he's like we're going to run what you guys are good at you know he's not he's not trying to force us to do things that you know he he wants to do because it's it's his way of the highway like he wants us to be successful in what we're doing and he wants to run things that he knows we're good at and I think that we've kind of found that we found our flow in terms of what we do really well we have talented guys on the outside we have really talented running backs tight ends that can do a lot of different things and an o line who's going to come ready to play so um you know in terms of what I do I think I'm just GNA go out there and I'm gonna give us the best chance to win and that's and that's doing whatever I need to do whether it's you know whether it it comes in the Run game and I'm making my run checks or whether you know we're going to air it out throughout the course of a game um you know you you it's not really about what I'm doing and what what I what I can bring it's just about you know what can I do for this offensive unit as a whole and how is that going to help us to win because in the end I think um that that is mle and that's the win and however that comes is how we're going to do it all right thanks Nate thank you next up Brendan Harris good morning Brendan obviously new coordinator for Tennessee Tech this year on the offensive side coach Mason talked a little about how prolific they were at their previous stop what are you seeing in the film study right now that that you guys are prepping for on the defensive side so um as we watching film um there're a new team new offensive players new coaching staff so really when we watching film we're just trying to get some tips um some Tendencies just so we can get an advantage um when we see him in the game but going into this game more so it's about what we do and how we do it you know we can run cover three the entire game it's just the way we do it and how we play so we're just more so focused on our mentality coming to this game and our style of play I talked to Coach Stewart and Camp a little bit about you being the guy with the radio in the helmet how is that sort of communications between two of y'all gone so far and how have you gotten used to that sort of part of uh college football in 2024 um because you know the defensive coordinator the guys in the Box they can kind of see things that we can't see so it's just another added layer of protection and another Advantage we may get um they may see something that gives us a tip and he can let me know and I can communicate to the rest of the guys on the field how much extra do you see sort of at the back of the defense in the safety position that you're able to communicate when you get those sort of things in like you're in the back of the defense at safety so you're seeing stuff that maybe the linebackers in the D line aren't seeing as well how do you sort of how quickly can can communicate that uh in those situations just helps with again going back to film study and being able like and anticipating plays anticipating formation so as I see him I'm being able to communicate with the other DBS on the field and pass it down just later layers from the linebackers to the D line Brendan how is kind of a refresh secondary I mean really a refresh team uh to be honest but like how has the secondary jilled throughout Camp uh and started playing together uh as they they kind of came from all different colleges and just transferred in and how is that how have you guys jelled together um it's really just been time um and effort put in um you know practice has been hard Camp was really hard um and we have a good defensive staff here um we've bought in and we've trusted what they put down and the game plan they put in so as guys have just molded into their positions and um accepted their roles you know we just become together as one and we're able to play really fast out there Brendan uh you're in a unique Club one of only 34 seventh year Guys across the country you trying to milk every last memory out of what playing college football has been for you this year is is more so what I can do for others you know I've been playing college football for six years and honestly have the mindset of trying to get everything I can out of all the coaching staff all the players all the knowledge can but this time around I would like to just be able to give back to the younger guys give back to coach Mason give back to this team so it's more so for me to stamp I can leave on MTSU and what I can do for others uh we have Noah Maddox on [Music] Zoom no show kind of back off question a little bit that experience that you have how can you use that and help out this defense as a whole moving forward in this season and um and you guys as a unit playing together appreciate the question um so throughout my time being able to play um as you get more experience and as you get more time on the field there is things you see um schematically there's kind of things you pick up on and you kind of learn the game in a different way um to a younger guy who who are may be coming more slow to and they may be less Adept to see things that I see it's more so just trying to get in the film room with them or we on the field kind of just get them to see the football the game the way that I see it Through My Lens and maybe just pick up on a tendency there a trick here to help them and I'll be able to help them make more plays on the field else for Bron thanks Bron appreciate it all right everyone uh that concludes today's press conference just a reminder next week yes it's Labor day but we will still be back here on Monday preparing for our first road game so thank you for joining us