all right you ready in the back y all right coach you want to start us off with a quick statement then we'll go right to questions yeah welcome to L FBS football huh it's a pretty freaking good football team we just played um in all three phases coaching the whole nine yards um I am very impressed we thought they were good on tape but they were better in person um so I'm going to give them a lot of credit coach does a really good job they're disciplined they're well coached um give a lot of credit um we didn't have quite that um that chip on our shoulder Edge about us we had in the first game um which we got to have um you know and you know listen there's a lot of young guys in that locker room that are you know want to win and sometimes when things don't go their way it's challenging for them to kind of navigate that and that's what we're doing right now we're trying to navigate that and uh there's challenges and I've all off season we've talked about adversity and how we're going to deal with it how we're going to manage it because I knew what was coming they don't I do and so I think that's kind of where we are right now and and I didn't think we were as quite ready to play as we were maybe a week ago um and then in then some times I thought some things unraveled on us and that's a little bit of our immaturity and things we got to work on and get better at and and they know that it's like they they want to and then you know just sometimes some things happen but um good football team we just played I mean like um good good team but you know and what I want our kids to do and this is what I told them because listen we we we got to go get ready to play every week like it's a Super Bowl we gotta play extremely hard extremely tough and and we can't beat oursel there's no guarantees when we do all that that it's going to come out like we want that's tough to to grasp and so you know this is the season right these are some things we're going to deal with um you know and I I told them too I said just if we'll keep fighting and we'll keep working something there's going to be some good things come our way I don't know when don't know how when what I don't know any of that but um you know because we've played up you know to start the season and and we're getting beat up and there's the other challenge right like we're we're getting beat up and uh so but we can't there's nothing we can do about that what we can control is us getting ready to go play us navigating adversity us doing some things better out there you know right before half getting a punt Block it's unacceptable that's I mean that's on us like that's that can't happen you know we kind of put oursel in a position where we could get get out of halftime and go regroup a little bit and you know we just we didn't block our guy like and and you know these are things that not not just our players but but me as well as our coaches it's as I told them after the game we we we all got to do it um we got our challenges ahead ahead of us now like I mean that that's a part of it that's that's part of this process you know and uh so we just gota we we go to the kids got to stick together and keep fighting and and uh we we control the controllables you know and do the things better that we can control um had a good first drive a lot of momentum converted some third Downs that we weren't able to do after that we can't get off schedule second and 10 aren't good we got to at least go two or three yards um you know uh against a good football team um but but we did that on that first drive and we were able to keep that drive alive and you know had a little momentum early then we just really we couldn't get anything going consistently after that we just couldn't uh missed you know missed a few things um you know and then you know we just everybody's just got to keep doing their job and try to not worry about making plays just go do their job um we unravel a little bit on defense didn't tackle well didn't didn't have a little bit of that that edge about us that we had in the first game um and they're again well coach did a good job I thought their special teams were exceptional um so anyways open up for questions John start coach after that first drive it seemed like in Rapid succession started losing more guys I think benyard went out Kent and Q Billingsley you when you say beat up how beat up are you guys right now because it seems like there's a lot of guys seeing yeah um today was one of those like you look up and every other play you're like you know someone else is down um you know we were beat up coming into the game a little bit um but the things that happened in game um was tough cuz you know you're they're starters right and uh it's not like we're just you know three deep across the board right with all this so I mean it's a challenge you know DB went down during the game he did come back which was which was good um and those are the ones you rattled off John there might be some others by the time we get to tomorrow um and again this is the like this is the challenge right these are the things that you're going to deal with um I've talked to coaches that have gone through this and sometimes the front end of that schedule makes it very challenging to get to the back end you know what I mean like it's just it's just it's part of it and uh I'm not going to act like I you know I don't have the crystal ball but some of this stuff I've talked enough and listened enough to other people that have gone through this that it's you know so I don't know who we're going to get back um we do have some guys beat up the things that happened today uh I don't know we had a few guys out that did not play today from the last game um so I I you know you you mentioned all those I I I don't know the status of any of that right now um obviously they did not come back in the game um so that's tough but somebody else got to step up somebody's got to go because like I told our guys got two choices right now we can mle around and whine and complain and we can come back to work tomorrow go get better and fix the things we can fix uh after it's seven to three they get the ball back it seemed like at about that point you know Kennesaw State football's been built on you know running the ball hard noosed attitude it seemed like they played Kennesaw State football for a while get down you know third and short fourth and short they're not even thinking about it they're going for it would does that off any kind of you know I don't want to say deja vu but it's like this is what we're supposed to be about is that something that you can show the guys going forward yeah I mean I talked about it after the game a little bit I don't think we had that about as much about us in this game as we did the previous game um you know and that's stuff we got to have um you know um you know to their credit they're a a veteran football team that uh plays with a lot of confidence and they do a good job you know and uh I don't know if our reference as much as as them as I will us because really it's about doing what we can do you know what I mean like we got to go be the best version of oursel we can be and as I told our kids that don't guarantee you anything but an opportunity you know what I mean like that ain't going to mean you're going to win everything you want you're you're involved in it just is giving you the best opportunity right and uh so um but but I mean I have to go watch the tape John I mean you know like I said they they did a good job and uh you know they they were kind of able to run the ball when they wanted to you know what I mean and that's something that obviously we got to work on because that makes it challenging you mentioned that guys effort wise there was um I thought at times we got frustrated you know what I mean like we get frustrated because I think our kids put all their eggs in a basket so they put all their eggs in this basket to say hey we're going to go win this and things don't go their way and sometimes we're not responding to that in the right manner that's the best way I can I could communicate that because this is what's kind of been some things we've got to go work at um you know it did it look the same as the week before no it didn't um you know it's uh you know it's it's uh again it's you got a group of young men that are dealing with a lot of stuff that's not going their way how do they handle it and that's really the story of all of it honestly coach you had an announced attendance of over 11,000 night you can just kind of speak on how impressive the atmosphere was turn yeah it's awesome I mean it's great to see that um to me that should be the standard every home game here um that you know we can set attendance records uh for every home game I think it'd be awesome I thought it was great um you know it's it's uh yeah it's awesome it's good stuff and uh we're going to need it every week we need all we need everybody on board to help you know I mean to for us to find a way to go be successful so I thought it was awesome coach can you say what was wrong with Davis uh I don't know I think he landed he landed funny um you know and then and then uh he was down but then he did come back in I think he should be okay um you mentioned a lot this week that Preston was a guy that you need to get involved frequently on offense you did that a lot tonight he was in there scored that opening touchdown how impressed are you with the resiliency of him as a player just him his ability to get things going on yeah he he's definitely a leader and a guy that shows up every day and goes to work um you know and he did that and he did some good things today um he's been consistent at practice every day you know what you're GNA get I mean it's um you know I think he's trying to do his part for sure so I I you know um I'd have to go watch it but I I didn't notice him out of you know doing anything different than what he normally does truthfully which he's pretty consistent coach um it's challenges as a team as the young player as a coaching step as well what are you guys feeling you have to do as a staff to keep this young team into games like this that may not go their way you know they start off on fire with you know 17 7 zero run or whatever as a coach St being able to handle that coming to this Conference USA I haven't had a chance to talk to you all summer but what about well I think a stff I think I think you know we we we I think we as a staff knew the challenges that were before us you know what I mean and we knew there was going to be some tough things that that we got to deal with and we've really worked on just trying to keep our kids together you know what I mean hey encourage one another these are the things we got to go do um and I think as a staff we got to continue to do that and we also got to do our part to do everything we can to put our kids in in a situation to be successful right um You Know listen it's our second year of transitioning we're we're gonna go through some stuff if anybody in here thinks this is going to be hunky door right now it it's we're gonna have to go through some stuff like I mean it ain't gonna be Rosie right now we just got to keep fighting we gotta keep working we got to stick together as a staff and a team and we got to keep fighting and there'll be some good things to happen for us but I mean it it is what it is a little bit you know um I was disappointed that we didn't fight like we did the week before and and that we let some of the adversity get us today that's the thing that I was disappointed in right and and we didn't the week before um and I don't really like referencing the week before because we try to move on from it but um but we got to learn from this stuff you know I mean we got to learn from it and and and learn how to deal with it because I told him the other day but it's coming again it's coming again there's going to be some tough stuff around the corner you know and uh you know we got to go deal with it and we got to learn how to manage it you know and keep fighting now flipp coach on the other side is what gives you cage encouragement these what makes you say okay I see some things we are well I mean there's some there's some good things going on you know what I mean it's just um our margin for error is like zero you know what I mean like especially the front end right now with thing like I mean you know you're playing really really good teams and unfortunately for us we play two veteran teams that are that are senior Laden and so I ain't making no excuses it is what it is we got to go play but but there is some reality you got to deal with a little bit too but um I was disappointed that we didn't fight quite like we did a week ago you know what I mean that was the part that we could have done a better job of um I know what happened they got they got frustrated because they they wanted something to be a certain way and it wasn't that way and they didn't really respond to it in the right way and that's what we got to go work on and they did a good job in there they're they're this is they're they're's they're on the struggle bus right now I mean I'm just being honest guys y'all want to ask me questions I'll be honest with you like them kids in there they want to win it's hard you know what I mean and so um but they're going to Rally they're going to get they're going to go do it they're going to rally and uh we'll go fight and uh you know that's the thing we got to make sure we do and I I I got after him halftime I said guys I don't care we got to go fight gota go fight and I thought at times we tried but I don't it wasn't quite like but it's like this is where they got to grow up so you go try but it doesn't go your way but you got to keep going like that's the hard part right like there's no guarantee just because you go do what you need to it just gives you the best opportunity to be successful but there ain't no guarantee and I think that's the that's a little bit of the struggle right now right like coach I wi did it but it they they're doing it too they got good players right they're coaching they're doing all that stuff so I think it's that that's the stuff we we're just it's got to work our way through you know and they'll come back to work tomorrow um they don't have a choice I told them you got two choices you can throw the towel in you come back to work tomorrow and I told I'm I I ain't going nowhere we're going to go back out tomorrow there's things as coaches we got to do better to help oursel help our kids um but we all got it the most important thing is all stay together and and and and continue to fight go do those things so anything else for Coach you want to wrap this up I'm good whatever coach who are some of those leaders that are stepping up to try to keep everybody together well I mean I think you know you mentioned Preston Daniels uh you know I heard DB DB talked to the team after I got done talking to them um there's guys in there there's guys in there you know they're doing it they got to encourage one another um we got we got a lot of young kids in some different areas that are you know navigating this world as well as I spoke on the last week about you know there's a lot of new guys and a lot of new spots um but uh but there's guys doing it there's guys and it's it's not the things you always hear it's going to be those conversations outside of our our View and and and what we hear that that's gonna do that so um but man we're on a journey man I knew this but you can't go say it got keepy fight we got a great group of kids I believe we got a good football team we just got to go put it all together that may not always get we want out of it but we got to go do that you know and you take pieces of things from different places that you see and you're like hey if you could ever put that together it'd be interesting just to see what it looked like you know what I mean and uh that's what we got to go do and we can we can't get discouraged when it doesn't always go our way and uh you know at times we've struggled with that for sure thanks all right appreciate y'all for being here