Postgame Quotes From App State's Win vs. Louisiana

Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19
Dec. 1, 2018 | Boone, N.C. | Kidd Brewer Stadium
 
Appalachian State
 
Head coach Scott Satterfield
 
(Opening Statement)
"First of all, it's an unbelievable day for us and our program. I'm extremely proud of these players and our seniors in particular in the way that they've led our football team this year. We faced adversity just like another good football team does throughout a season, but these guys just continued to rally each and every week. I told them in the locker room that winning is hard. It's hard to win, it's hard to win championships. These guys right here, they fight each and every day to try to make it happen. I told them that all that hard work paid off today with the Sun Belt Championship. They can't say that we shared this one. This one is outright and so we are very excited about that. We were thrilled to be able to play it right here in Boone, North Carolina today in front of our fans. We had incredible fans here today and they did a great job today in some bad weather. They were here, they were loud, they were into it and our guys feed off that. It was not pretty at times today. Hats off to Louisiana and the way they played. They are coached well and have gotten better throughout the season. They are a tough team to play. Our guys kept fighting and we knew that it was going to be a 60-minute game. We pulled it off there in the end. You just can't say enough about these guys and the way they fight and what they have inside of them. We have a great group of guys that fight for each other and that's why that we've been able to have so much success over the last four seasons. It's hard to beat a team that plays for each other like we do."
 
(On the on-field championship stage)
"We've had a lot of firsts here and I've been a part of lot of firsts here over the last 23 years. I've never seen anything like that or had anything like that. They put a stage up on our field and when you look out on top of there and it was just App State all the way around. They way they stayed here (the fans) to the very end help us celebrate hoisting the trophy up. That's what it's all about. I'm so glad that these guys got to experience it right here. These seniors, it's the third time to win championships, three bowls and heading to the fourth. So, it's just really a surreal feeling."
 
(On the difference in the game)
"The first half, it was pretty ugly in the stat category. I think that the difference in the game probably was the fact that we held them to field goals instead of touchdowns. I think that that is the huge difference in the game. Obviously the four turnovers, you have to win the turnover margin if you want to win close games like this and championships. Tae Hayes,' that was big, that was huge, and we end up going down and scoring on that."
 
(On special teams and Evan's opening return)
"Our special teams, we've really leaned on them this season. That's probably one of the big bright spots that we've had this year. We've blocked a bunch of kicks, we've scored touchdowns. That was big, but we scored a touchdown on the next play. In a game where both defenses are playing great, that's a huge play because I don't think we did anything offensively in the first half."
 
(On the Zac's fourth-down touchdown run)
"Right there, if you kick it back to them, who knows what their offense is going to do? So, we went for it. I have confidence in our guys to make a play. This time, I just wanted to put the ball in the hands of Zac. Let's let him make a play. So, it was a zone read type of play that we really have been successful on the last half of the season. He can pull it or he can throw it to a receiver. He did a great job turning up and scoring."
 
Running back Darrynton Evans
 
(On his kickoff return)
"I really was waiting for the ball to go out of bounds but then it just took a weird bounce and I decided 'Alright, I got to field it.' The guys up front did a good job blocking, I saw a hole, and I just hit it."
 
(On his great statistical game)
"I was just trying to put our team in a good position to get a victory."
 
Cornerback Tae Hayes
(On his interception)
"I can't even take the credit for it. Coach Brown made a good call. He knew what [Louisiana] was about to do. It was my job to go out and execute it."
 
(On the big win)
"I couldn't be more blessed to go to this University and everybody here just puts their best foot forward. We've always thought that we deserved a championship so I'm just happy for everybody. We have one of the best fan bases in the world."
 
(On the defensive performance)
"We've got a tough defense, we've got some bulls that are always ready to play."
 
Quarterback Zac Thomas
(On his 35-yard rushing TD)
"I thought I could beat the guy that was covering the tight end. So, I pulled it and ran and in my head, I was thinking to myself that I wasn't gonna get tackled. I was gonna get in that end zone."
 
(On opening up the run game)
"I think it was big when we picked up the passing game in the third quarter. That's when they started breaking open the big runs. Darrynton is a phenomenal running back and that helps me in the run game."
 
Louisiana
 
Head coach Billy Napier
 
(Opening Statement)
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate coach Satterfield and his staff on winning the championship. Today was a very competitive game, and you have to give those guys respect for the execution. They found a way to win. But, I'm extremely proud of our football team and our staff for how they competed in the game. This is a football team that showed tremendous growth, not only as a football team but as individual people. We've learned a lot about life, and this game can teach you a lot about life. I hope that our players will learn a lot from this experience. We're exciting about the opportunity to go play one more football game two weeks from today in the AutoNation Cure Bowl. It's certainly a unique bowl for a unique cause, and it'll be a tremendous experience for our players. It's one that they've earned, and our staff has earned through a lot of hard work and discipline. Today was a great experience for our players, and we're pleased with the progress we've made as a football team. Today was a good old fashion football game, and it came down to what most football games come down to – turnovers, explosive plays and execution. There's a lot we can learn from as a staff and as football players individually and collectively."
 
(On how costly the turnovers and penalties were in the game)
"We've got to do a better job of preparing the quarterback. I know that a couple of the decisions there are very correctable. That's my job. I coach the quarterbacks, and those were decisions that Andre would love to have back. He's proved to be a very effective quarterback for our team and a great leader for our team, but today was evidence that owning the football and attacking the football is the key to the game. We also need to coach better and be more prepared and try to prevent those decisions from being made."
 
(On how well the defense preformed in the game)
"There's no question there's been a lot of days where they were getting criticized, but we have a tremendous staff and we've seen great growth in terms of the ownership and work ethic and how to prepare. That's one of the reasons we've made progress. That's a group that's steadily continued to improve. Today, basically, they kept us in the game with some great plays throughout today. We had some great stops and were able to get them off the field quite a bit. They gave the ball back to us numerous times, but ultimately we were not able to take advantage of those opportunities on offense."
 
(On how his team has improved and made it to the championship game)
"The big thing for our football team is that mid-season I was very hopeful we would accomplish something of significance and have success, so that these young men could realize the value of hard work, the value of committing to something bigger than yourself. We saw great character and great ownership. This is group of players and a team that's really grown as people throughout the season, so I think we've accomplished that goal. Even though we didn't win today, our players saw the significance of their work, and they know the value of hard work and it pays off. That's one of the most important things to me as a coach, and I get a lot of gratification from that. This is a great first step as a first-year staff, and now we have the opportunity to play another game in two weeks. We look forward to that opportunity to put the ball down again and compete."
 
Running back Raymond Calais
 
(On success on kickoff returns)
"Our special teams coordinator, coach Powledge, saw some weaknesses in their kickoff unit, so we wanted to take advantage of that, and that's what we did."
 
(On what it meant to play in this game)
"To play in the first Sun Belt Championship game, it's a huge honor not only for our coaches, but also for us. At the beginning of the season, it was kind of rocky for us, but we kept on fighting, kept on hitting and kept on working. We got here today, but we didn't come up with the victory. But, we do have another game for our seniors and have the chance to play in the Cure Bowl in Orlando. That's a huge honor and we have to prepare these next two weeks to take advantage and get the W."
 
Running back Trey Ragas
 
(On penalties and key missed opportunities)
"It came down to the little things. We didn't execute when it was needed. We didn't lock in and focus in on our assignments. We let the noise get to us."
 
(On settling for field goals in the red zone)
"It made it harder for us to come back and gain the lead. We just got to get to the red zone and score points."
 
(On what it meant to play in this game)
"We came a long way from a new coaching staff and putting our trust in them and for them to put their trust in us. We had a lot of setbacks this season, but we overcame them. We still made it to the championship, even though it didn't work out the way we thought. For the seniors, it allows for them to have another game and get another chance to get a ring."