Appalachian State

Head Coach Jerry Moore

"The main thing is that it feels great to be back on the winning track. You go all the way back to Richmond and losing three straight games is something that's not much fun to live with."

"It's always important to take advantage of the open date; we've had two good weeks of practice and I felt like I saw improvement  in every phase of our game this week."

"Field position was a key part of what we did today. We stalled out a bit offensively and had several three-and-outs but every time we had to punt, Sam (Martin) did a great job of pinning those guys back inside the 15 yard line. That was crucial when the offense wasn't clicking."

"Samford is a well coached football team, I'm sure they'll win their fair share of football games this season so I'm pleased that we were able to come out and get a win today."

"We're gonna enjoy this one today and tomorrow we'll push it aside and start getting ready for The Citadel."

On the defense's improved play:
"I think the monkey has been on their back a little bit this season whether we want to admit it or not but that group takes a lot of pride in what they do. When you're in a situation like that there's only one way to get that monkey off your back and that's by shaking it off and they did that today.

"We hit well, we tackled well, we're not forcing as many turnovers as I would like for a veteran team but that's something we'll continue to improve upon."

Cornerback Ed Gainey

On the defense's progression:
"It feels pretty good, we worked hard during the two weeks off and we knew what we had to do today in order to get back on track and I felt like we did a good job of that."

"We came out as a unit today with everybody on the same page, we were communicating and guys knew where we needed to be."

On his first half interception:
"We were in a zone coverage and I had to split the two receivers, I was watching the quarterback the whole time and I didn't think he was going to throw it but he did and I jumped the route and tried to take it back the other way."

Defensive Tackle Anthony Williams

On the defense's progress:
"We were totally focused across the board." We took it as a challenge this week to come out and show what we're capable of. After giving up 30-plus points the first two games we knew we had to come out today and make a statement."

Defensive End Jabari Fletcher

"We all fed off of what happened the first two games and used it as motivation to come out here and make plays and do what we have to do to win games."

"We're not disappointed that we didn't get the shutout because a win is a win. It would have been nice to get the shutout but that gives us something to shoot for next time because we still have a lot to improve upon."

Samford

Head Coach Pat Sullivan

"Right now I'm disappointed that we didn't win, but you've got to take your hat off to Appalachian and Jerry (Moore). He's done a tremendous job here and they've got a lot of great players."

On Armanti Edwards' touchdown pass to Jordan Gary in the second quarter:
"I thought the one play that Armanti made there in the second quarter was huge." We were still in the ballgame and struggling on offense and couldn't get much going and he makes a big play and they go up 14."

On the difference in the game:
"They had a few big plays that hurt us a lot, but it was a hard fought game and I thought both sides played awfully hard but in the end they just executed better than we did."

On where Samford stands in the SoCon:
"Every time you tee it up in this conference it's a hard fought game and it starts right here at Appalachian, they've got a great setting for football and you give them all the credit in the world because they are where we're trying to get."

"We had our chances, our kids enjoyed coming up here because you can use ASU as a measuring stick of where you're at as a program."

Samford QB Dustin Taliaferro  

"I think that App State played a great game. Obviously they're a great team and we made a lot of mistakes. I know I made a lot of mistakes and we just have to get better."

"You have to give them credit. They're the best team in the conference and they have been for several years now."

"I think we had our chances in this game, but we made too many mistakes and you're not going to beat a team like Appalachian when you make mistakes like we did."

"Their defense is extremely fast and they showed us some looks that we haven't seen before. They came out and played fast and physical and that's what you've come to expect from ASU."