Postgame Quotes from No. 24 App State's Win vs. ULM

POSTGAME QUOTES
 
App State head coach Eliah Drinkwitz
 
Opening Statement:
"This was a good, quality win versus a good, quality opponent. I'm proud of the way our guys played, competed for four quarters. I thought our defense did a nice job after that first opening drive of settling down. Our offense did a really good job of answering that score and settling the game back down. They went three-and-out, and we went back down and scored. Then the onslaught continued. That's a really good football team with some really good players, so I'm proud of our guys for that."

On App State's first win as a ranked FBS team:
"We were well aware that no Sun Belt football team has ever been ranked for two straight weeks in the history of the conference, so we were motivated to write our own history and to always compete to do it better than it's been done before."
 
On the defense's performances in the past two games:
"They played a good game, and they're continuing to get better. They're continuing to trust their calls, and they feel more comfortable playing in the structure of the defense. Our defensive staff has done a really nice job of game planning the last two opponents and taking away their strengths and making them play left-handed a little bit. That's what we're trying to do, so each week presents a new challenge. So, nobody has arrived, but it was a good performance."
 
On defensive adjustments after the first possession on defense:
"We stopped the run. We were getting bled down the field in the run game, and our D-line wasn't very physical, nor our linebackers. We were out of some positions, and those guys just settled down and got used to the game speed. Being out 10 days probably had a little bit of adjustment to that. They just settled down."
 
On the offense's third-down conversion efficiency:
"Anytime you're 13-for-18 then you know some players had some big-time plays. Zac had some scrambles that got us first downs. Corey had a big catch. There were just multiple things that occurred that helped us do that. Third down is playmaker down, so our players had to come out and make plays, and that's what they did."
 
On the defense's ability to get off the field on third down:
"Yeah, that was awesome. They had a great defensive package. Coach Roof does a nice job with his blitz package, getting our best 11 on the field to rush the quarterback. Akeem, I mean good luck blocking Akeem Davis off the edge. That's an all-day task. He is an incredible player. We've got a solid football team with some very special talent on there, and I hope our fans are really enjoying watching some of these guys play because they're special."


App State center Noah Hannon
 
On establishing the running game:
"Well, it's the same thing every week. You just have to do your job. The coaches put a scheme together, so that if we do our job, the plays will hit. We left a lot of running yards out there, but the best part is, we have great backs like Darrynton. If you just give them a little hole, they'll be able to run through it. So, big props to them, but I think just the scheme."
 
On the blocking for Evans' 59-yard touchdown run: 
"That's the way the play is blocked. Henry (Pearson) made a great block on a linebacker that really sprung the play. We saw how they were going to line up to that formation and that look, and we got on our scheme. Henry did his job and you know, you see how fast No. 3 is. So, that was the rest from there."
 
On converting 13 of 18 third downs today:
"We work on it a lot. We put a lot of emphasis on it each and every week. Third down, that's a very important down. I think the best part about third down is getting ahead of the chains on first and second down. Darrynton talked about it, we call them dirty runs. We want to get one or two yards, so that we are not in third-and-nine, third-and-10 and third-and-11. I think that contributes to the success."
 

App State quarterback Zac Thomas
 
On winning as a ranked team:
"Obviously, it's an accomplishment to be ranked. I mean, you saw what happened last year when we first got ranked. We got embarrassed at Georgia Southern. I think that it was just good for us to get this win under us and still be ranked. I think that shows a lot about our team that we can put stuff behind us. Nothing is too big for us I think. All week we preach that you just have to keep fighting and don't let the news get too big for your head. I think we did a good job like we do every week trying to be 1-0 every week."
  

App State running back Darrynton Evans
 
On breaking out a favorable 59-yard touchdown run versus the normal grind and pound running:
"Even last year, it was a lot of hard yards getting three to four, three to four. Just what happens in the second and third quarter, you might break one by then, but other than that you might get hard 10 or less yards. As long as we have a positive play, it doesn't really matter."
 
On answering ULM's opening drive touchdown:
"I guess it was real important, but at the same time, as long as we are putting points on the board and doing our job, it's not really too much to worry about the defense. As long as our offense is putting up points, stick to our scheme, rhythm and stuff, we'll put up points. It's not too much to worry about."
 
 
App State safety Josh Thomas
 
On being a vocal leader in playing at home as a ranked team for the first time:
"Like coach Drink said, do it better than it's been done before. That's the main thing that our team always focuses on, especially from last year. Last year, I think we had a really good team, but it was just small things that kept us from like going to the next level. I feel like coach Drink has always pushed this team to do that.
 
"As for being a leader, I am just trying to emulate, not copy, but just portray the message that the coaches are giving in a different way. I feel like the team needed that today in just getting them hype and getting them ready to go. I feel like ULM is a good football team, especially their offense. I felt like they were going to try and make it a shootout. I just wanted to make sure that our players were ready to play from the get go."
 
On the motivating history of being ranked last season and losing:
"Even though we are ranked or whatever, we can still be beat. We can still be had if we don't come and do what we are supposed to do on the field. If we do what we do, we can beat anybody. But, if we go out there not doing our job, not playing physical, not playing hard, anybody can beat us."
 

App State linebacker Jordan Fehr
 
On holding ULM to just 2 of 13 on third downs:
"We emphasize all week that we have to get off the field on third down. Getting stops on first and second down is big for third-and-long, so we just communicated to the best we could and executed well. Coach had a great game plan, and we practiced it all week to force them into those long drive situations. Thankfully we went out there and did what we did."
 
On his first interception of the season:
"I really was not expecting it. I was manned up on someone else and just saw the ball. They brought their backup quarterback in, and he had different tendencies and stuff. So, when I went to man him up, I saw the ball right above me and just jumped up to make a play. It was one of the those split-second plays to just make it happen."
 

ULM head coach Matt Viator
 
Opening Statement:
"We got outplayed in every phase of the game. I'm really disappointed because I really expected us to play better. The first drive was good. We got stopped short of a first down on a quarterback scramble on the second possession. Josh Johnson had a solid run but lost a fumble on another series. We did very little offensively from there. We had some chances offensively in the first half, but we didn't make plays. We just didn't execute when we had opportunities."

On App State:
"App State has a talented football team, and it played a complete game this afternoon."