Florida A&M: 2024 MEAC/SWAC Challenge postgame press conference

all right we're going to begin with our second press conference with Florida and M coach Coy if you could open with the opening statement and then we'll take questions for the student athletes um first first and foremost uh like to uh kind of congratulate coach odams and his staff uh they did a heck of a job uh preparing for us and giving us some uh things we would necessarily ready for uh you know you go all summer uh looking at them and some of the things that they did and then the come out and don't do any of it but uh you know we I think we persevered um I thought the offense did a really really good job of answering you know once we got down 14 to zero and let us get our wits about ourselves and uh and ultimately great football game um I told uh I told Rattler Nation uh that I was hoping for a little adversity well well damn I don't think you wanted it to be that much but uh congratulations uh to our team uh heck of a job uh persevering and and and working through the and uh extremely excited to head home uh one to0 okay we'll now take questions for the student athletes we're going to start over here to the right green shirt and then blue shirt thank you what's up coach D Rich Mari um Gerald Thomas T Democrat um this was Mari and Daniel um tell me about you know coach said he wanted y'all to go through some adversity and y'all boys went through some adversity today um talk about what y'all learned about the team here I know Daniel this was your first game here Mar you not been for a year what what what did y'all learn about this team it's like okay well being down 14-0 that's when it that's when it hit certain guys like oh man like you know this this University hit the fan coach said it's going to be some times where they going to punch you in the mouth it's about responding how you how you going to punch them right back and at the end of the day I I felt like you know uh we were calm we were very calm you know a lot of guys we had a veteran line a lot of guys been there before and they said last on the sideline and we have been his position last year in Atlanta you know I wasn't on a team but they were down 14-0 as well in the championship G so you know I felt like we we we came out you know we started off slow but we were we pick back up yeah for the most part exactly what he said like I was on that last year Team National Championship we down 140 but we look at each other like y know we got to go do we got to go fight we got to go grind we got to work a little harder so that's all it was though we don't we don't really like take you won't really take too much pressure take the pressure and ride with it you feel me K yeah I'm K Mar Sports um this for um um Daniel um you started out the game one for three 10 yards you finished the game 286 yards three touchdowns games MVP um was it a matter for you just settling down after those first couple drives to really get yourself in in Rhythm and and kind of get comfortable out there yeah it was just you know just getting in Rhythm getting getting to The Playmakers that's what it was I wasn't really trying to rush everything just getting the Kings out and you know Old Line said they got me so you know cars make plays T night question right here in the front const and DNA Sports Talk you got the ball back with a little over six minutes to go you been passing the ball most of the the game what was the mindset and the the Huddle light knowing that you had to play ball control well coach cozy came over there and was like we going to pound him and you know that's what we did and we just you know manage the game you know when we was second second and long we had to throw a little thr out route to him and you know we made it happen after that and know we just kept going question right are you good Ma you heard Crush Sports Talk uh this a question for Daniel talk about having a playmaker like two uh in just any kind of situation knowing that you can give him the ball he's going to make a play for you I feel like he's special I mean you know especially in practice he be like man give me the ball be open you know just little stuff like that but I feel like all our guys can make plays you know he may plays T night but all our guys you know can make plays it's all love though I be screaming like hey I'm open that's all it is don't screaming that's my dog yeah uh Mr Richardson Troy white fat moue Sports there was a key play you stared down the Blitz and through the wide receiver screen was that something that you were seeing that was a possibility throughout the game or did you game plan for it what came about what made you be able to make that particular play um I mean we was just on the sideline we drew up cuz they were they brought a different bunch of pressure tonight that we you know didn't go I mean we went over him we seen it before but you know they they play came out play different fronts odd front that we haven't seen on film and you know when they coach made adjustment on sideline know they bring that pressure just be ready to dump it down and that's what we did Jake McDonald call 360 Sports Daniel uh did you think you would have to throw the ball 30 times the game and Jamari uh were you happy that he had to throw the ball 30 times I mean you know at the end of the day uh you play complimentary football um you know you got to be able to run the ball open up and got to be able to throw the ball so I feel like we did that hey I feel like the game plan was great throw the ball throw the ball throw the ball you know that's what I do I go block sometimes but they pay me to throw the ball you feel me catch the ball so yeah I feel like the game plan was great we got to go over here until you right in the black shirt uh Justin fav tomorrow Le the sports network right in front of you uh this question for Jamari uh was there any match up that you seen on film that was favorable considering you got to the end zone twice with over 100 receiver yards uh every matchups um not being cocky but I just go out there and play my game I don't really look at who in front of me I just go be me and hey if you I'm a dog so you got to come with it you feel me every a whole game like you said this we've got four quarters last name gas is for a reason I come with gas I don't get tired you feel me so yeah that's just what it is right here J Jared Offman sports.com Daniel and Jamari you know you guys are this is your first game together and you look pretty good I'd say you know so Tarter how good do you guys think your connection is right now and how much better can it get as the season progresses we going to be great l y know I played him my freshman year when we was at Buffalo he was at Central Michigan and he ran for 200 yards against us so I already knew like who he was and what potential he had I already knew he was was a gamer and I know I'm a gamer so like you know what I'm saying we dogs we just going to go out there and play and do what's best for the team so I think it just pay off from the summer workouts you know just you know after I mean before practice getting get some routes in and just just building that chemistry that's all it is okay blue shirt right here in the middle yes my name is Rocky Miller with HBCU Coaches Corner you guys coach Coy I want to congratulate you on the victory you Daniel and you as well Mark um coming into the game you guys had a new new head coach new new offensive coordinator new defensive coordinator it seems like at the beginning of the game you guys were searching to find what your true identity is as a team and anyone who wants to answer can answer this question going into the game what what did you think your identity was going to be and then coming out of this game what do you think your identity actually is just the players just the players oh identity going to the game and identity to finish the game is like we just always going finish we always was going to work you know what I'm saying uh ain't really too much to it we got a game plan like you said they came out something different but we stick to our game plan we made a little tweaks but we stick to our game plan he said the best appreciate it Alissa Cooper with the fam Yuan this is for Richardson and cassette with you guys being down early in the game having to go on the road in a neutral sight game and having to face adversity early and being being able to adapt how do you feel like that's going to help your confidence throughout the season and especially being able to come home next weekend and play at home at Brag well first thing we don't lose at Brag that's number one but I I will say you know watching film we have to start faster on both sides of the ball and special teams and you know when you start fast we get in the Rhythm I don't think nobody can stop us final two questions in the back first with didn't let fun with hcu game they CIT out look Daniel you said last year December 16th you had already decided you going in the portal and you watched the celebration bowl and you said wow that school's got a winning culture was it everything you expected leading the team today definitely definitely felt it especially being down and uh guys just like man we've been here before we got this and you know guys stepped up to the plate and we made it happen and just saying like he knew coming in like we got to Target on our back we just wanton a championship everybody going if they zero and 10 or no one a game they going to play us like like we Alabama or something like you feel me like they gonna come hard so he already know what he's stepping into Sydney wicker wctb Sports Jamari um coming into this game Rattler Nation had no idea who Daniel was you said you knew him from your last school but you guys obviously got to know him a lot better throughout practice what do you think Rattler nation and the whole world honestly learned about Daniel tonight that he ain't going to never quit he going to find a way to make it happen Mr make it happen that's what I'm going call him especially especially when it was a play down when I found him in the end zone uh you were trying to get the defense jump off sides and I seen the the CL time was running out and I was just like man I'm going to check it so I just checked the different play and know it was kind of a little screw up but I just made something happen and found him in the back of the end zone yeah that second touchdown was on the Fly called it right before the right before the uh clock went out just check check check and I was like okay bet you know so Andy R do he going to make it happen like I said that Daniel was our MVP of the game congratulations and thank you fellas good Lu send me some Chick-fil-A waffle fries that's all that'll be left WAFF okay we're going to open it up for coaches uh questions for um coach in the back uh coach obiously being Atlanta is nothing new to uh fam you guys were just here won the title here um what what is it about Atlanta that's so special when it comes to HBCU Athletics you guys get a chance to have this platform and just this experience with these guys as well what does it all mean being here I think we call it second Tallahasse is what I'm is what I think we call it ain't that we call it obviously a lot of I'm not here um and Atlanta is the place you have to come to win the championship so I mean it just happens to be that uh you know getting a chance to start here um and hopefully end here and that's kind of been the MTO since since taking the job in late January so you know exciting place it was great atmosphere uh you know a little bit closer than I wanted it to be but uh obviously being on the right side of it is is always a blessing uh coach you're right coach uh Earl kitchings quari back Awards could you speak to the uh your thoughts about the leadership of Daniel today uh coming in as a new quarterback although he had experience but could you speak to his leadership for leading FAMU uh starting today well you know to me tonight you know I think he just did his job you know we uh you know it wasn't a whole ra speech it wasn't any of that it was just a man uh you know we had a game planed obvious had to make some tweaks when you got down 14-0 and he was doing was was asked of him by our offensive coordinator on our quarterback coach right we you know that that on that line last Drive um you know we we actually weren't going to even run a play when it was a third down you know we weren't even going to run a play we wanted to try to draw them off sides and uh we got in the Huddle we talked about it you know he was he was pretty adamant about you know what we were doing he went to every lineman to say we're not running a play you know what I mean so but you know he was he a young man that he when he decided to come here you know he wanted to win he wanted to be a part of the culture and uh you know today was his first tonight was his first step coach we got to stay to you right what's up Gerald Thomas T Democrat um first off congratulations on your first win thank you here fam you um coach like you said like I asked the players about the adversity you wanted the adversity and I feel like of course you've known more about this team that the world may know seeing your team rally together and make that comeback effort on the national stage once again as they did last year what does the world now know about family Football under James Coy the third well first of all let's let's that's talk about that picture that you found of me in the article yesterday when you had you guys did an article about me yesterday and you found a picture of me when I was 8 years old now you got to understand I have no idea where that picture came from okay so I'm going to start with that but now ask that question again cuz while I while you were talking all I could think about was that picture that you had me when I was eight so re ask that question please if you don't mind yeah coach would y'all making another comeback on the national stage as y'all did in the celebration bowl and now doing it here at the Mi SW challenge what does the world now know about family Football under the James thir well well first of all I don't want I mean we didn't ask to get down 14-0 uh that wasn't something that was planned nor what we wanted um you know what this team what it did show with this team was you know we we we spoke about adversity you know last night and and and throughout the week right just being able to understand that things might not happen the way you want them and you know as they mentioned there wasn't a lot of you know you know ra R it was just guys understanding what they needed to do we had to take care of some details defensively offensively you know we we we had to take care of some details as well cuz defensively they were doing some things that were a little different so hats off to our coordinators for making the proper changes and obviously at the end you know we we it was extremely similar to the last year's game against Jackson State where they you know they held the ball the entire fourth quarter uh you know we were we were we had the game we were winning the offense got the ball with 8 minutes left and Jackson State never got the ball back tonight had the ball 6 minutes left you know North Folk State never got the ball back so these are situations that we talked about you know we talk about the end of the game situations four minute situations and uh you know hats off again to what Coach Henry and the offensive staff did you know that you know they they they got us that victory victory tonight and uh again extremely excited just to be happy to be want to know but you know when you you got another me school that you're going to be playing next week so uh South Carolina state you know they have on film what was successful against us so now we got to make sure we're ready to get get ready for them next weekend we're going to go with v in the back and then Mac Wilson cap L HBCU game day coach with about four minutes left the offense got a first down and you had a big smile on your face because the offensive lineman had just blocked and had done what you felt the team was going to be able to rely on this year you had a big smile like okay was that smile okay the guys that we knew we could depend on are coming through well a little bit of a relief cuz I time you know we needed that first down um you ultimately when we started the game that's what we thought we'd be able to do uh you know be able to pound him out and you know and eat the clock and you know get our running game going you know I we it was 2417 you know and and we were doing that and then we have the fumble obviously changed a little bit of the momentum but uh at that time and at that stage of the game we needed a first down we needed the clock to run uh North Folk state was running out of timeout so that first down allowed us to kind of you know rethink about what we needed to do for the remainder of that drive so off offensive line of all is going to be our strength they've been our strength you know three three preseason all cops players couple other guys that obviously play really really well but uh for us to be successful our offensive line has to be great and uh I think they showed that in the second half coach maio heard the crush Sports Talk talk about resetting a championship culture guys can kind of get complacent but you come in and you have to redirect these guys just talk about that process this summer in can get to this point right here well believe it or not it started in the spring you know obviously when everything was going on and and you know we I was named interim uh but you know at the beginning of January you know I was attacking this as the head coach right we you know we had just won the championship first week of January everybody was back in school you know we were lifting and training getting ready to go again uh then then you go through spring practice you finally get your staff together and uh we knew that we still have some work to do and uh and and as they mentioned in the summer you know we had 85 guys there in the summer you know training and working and uh you know doing everything imaginable to to to possibly be in this type of situation but being able to overcoming so you I want to say say it's a reset you know we believe it or not we are a much much different team than we were last year got some new guys new guys in different spots new guy new faces you know obviously you know you lose a play of the year on both sides of the football some other guys are going to have to are going to have to play better um and and at times we did and at times we didn't so what it did say about our football team is is that you know what we we we do understand that it's we got to play the full game and uh they did that tonight we didn't get down we didn't get down when we got down and uh I'm extremely excited that it's something to build on we know that we can come back uh and but but I'm not trying to make the plan to be down every game 14 to zero that you can't believe we're going to go second row on your left Jared Hoffman xbc sports coach first of all congratulations on your first win as head coach of Florida A&M thank you uh just talk about the mentality of this team and training camp and what went into the decisions you made about the Personnel that you wanted to go with going into this game well that's a great question actually the mentality for us was for me was to try to make this try to make training camp as hard as we could you know we we were trying to get a gauge on on some of the guys that we had you know you you I didn't need to test Jamar GID I I didn't need to test uh TJ Lee I didn't really need to test Jaylen cost you know but with the amount of transfers that we did have coming in we knew that they were talented but uh we we needed to find out how much fight they had in them so you asked them and we we we we had some tough afternoons we had some tough mornings and and that was that was by you know for a reason I I wanted to see where we were who we could trust at this time who's going to be accountable who's going to take care of the details so mentality wise I thought we got over a hurdle you know a lot of people thought we were going to come in and and this is going to be an easy football game for us but you know we had to readjust our mindset we had to re adjust some of the things that we did offensively defensively and even special teams so I appreciate our guys getting to the sidelines getting on the iPads making making the corrections and then showing on the field but you know we're one and0 uh we got a long way to go if if we're trying to get back trying to get back here you know in December but excited about what we did but we still got a lot of work to do young man over here on the left on your right Justin favor tomorrow Le Sports Network um your players talked about how being down 14 nothing it um it you know allowed them to wake up or whatever so you guys scored off the first drive coming out in the second half what was the message to the team coming out well we we talked about the uh the middle eight and uh when we we discussed the middle eight we talked about the last four minutes of the second quarter and then the first four minutes of the third and uh you know we had a chance at the end of the second quarter to get some points you know we didn't you know we we failed in our two-minute attempt but we got when we got to lock room at half you know we talked about you know being able to go down the field we had some things that we thought could do offensively and and again it was important for us to you know grab the lead and uh just just to show you know that you guys come in half time work on our Corrections and it's it's always great to talk about it in the locker room and then get it you know then to transfer into the field so it builds confidence in the coaches it builds confidence in the players you know we had different guys at different moments make some really really good plays and uh so you know again it's it's week one we got we still got work to do and uh and I'm hoping I can't wait to get get back to work tomorrow so we can get ready for next week right here in the front Don Stinson DNA Sports St coach odms uh praise your team for having a lot of discipline in this particular game maybe a little bit more so than last year what areas did you see the discipline have an effect in this game well I think he's being very very generous uh you know we had a couple situations where it gave them some first downs um and you know those those are things that can't happen and I guess you know maybe in the past some things you know might have maybe got out of hand but you know we had a had a big third down stop and you know we had we had a hand you know we had hands to the the face and then then we had a face mask uh you know in the first half so those are things we we have to ultimately negate because they extend drives and normally when you extend drives that gives up points but uh you know we we strive to be better I don't necessarily know how many penalties we may have had but uh you know we we had two comes to mind and and that's three too many right so uh you know we we we continue to work on that we we'll do some running and do some disciplines for some of those things that happened tonight but uh you know it's things we can learn from it didn't cost us tonight but ultimately it could cost us later so ultimately we I I I'm always going to feel that we need to be better with our discipline we're going to go to your right over here coach yeah I'm K Mar Sports um coach you walked out of tunnels to football fields an unknown number of times how was this walk out to the from the tunnel to the field tonight different how was that walk from the field after wi different say that one more time said how was it how was it different walking out on the field tonight being the first year head coach considering the journey you took to get here and how was it different off the field tonight you had your first win this head coach for well I I'll tell you this you know my first two years I was I was in charge of the captains so we I would walk the captains to the 50 you know what I mean tonight I had to run very different right I I'm not used to running from the from one side to the other and I do that sometimes just you know not as a head coach that's probably the first part for me um secondly you know it was uh you know little butterflies some some butterflies in there and uh and obviously excited to see our fan base you know my family was was in the stands and uh you know but but the best part was walking off one to0 uh you know that that's something that you know you strive for uh and I and again I you know I won't be able to relive that moment ever again and and uh but but it was exciting for me exciting for the team excited for the staff excited for the you know president everyone affiliated with our program rer Nation you know we got a lot of people come watch this football game we had a lot of people watching this football game on TV so I think uh you know the mxw challenge was the number one ticket tonight and and that's great to see and great to hear okay we got our final two questions we're going to go with Coach Johnny and then we're going to go with Jake hey coach how you doing doing well HBCU Coaches Corner we'll get you next week yes but of course the victory was great and sweet and that's what it's all about at the end of the day but giving up 257 yards rushing you can't do that each game and talk about National Championship of course and I know you got to get back and watch film what was really happening because you guys were getting caught up in the mixed direction right and once they po through the first line then you know the secondary had to catch them and they had to make one miss do you know now what was the issue or or of course you know that that's a whole bunch of yards to give up rushing well I mean the the standard of our of our defense you got to stop the run you know we we can't have the success that we need to have if we going to stop the run and over the last you know two or three years we've we've been one of the best in the country um you know North Folk was giving us some unbalance they were they were they were moving the line around on us we we call it an ox front uh and and uh when you do that people can get out of gaps and that that first long run you know they put us in ox and then then they they counted with the with the guard and the center and we didn't have enough you know and uh then and then the running back made a made a great move you know to get the spring and it went about 82 yards so you know for us I thought thought we might have been moving a little bit too much you know we normally line up and just you know and we just take gaps and and uh you know I think we were moving around a little bit too much especially with the ox and the unbalanced stuff that they were doing you now have to slide D line you got to change your gaps and we weren't recognizing that so you know things things to grow things to work on um you know we I'm I'm not going to tell you that we worked on Ox a heck of a lot because that's not what they did right and then obviously you know looking at a guy that was at another program before so hats off to them but they thought they did a really really good job and ultimately what happens when you do things when you do things poorly now I will you wonder what South Carolina State's going to do to us next weekend you already know they're going to they're going to they're going to see if we have that fixed or not so but I thought we moved around too well too much at the on the defensive line where normally we we play gaps right and and obviously they did a good job green planning and uh but we got some things we got to work on we know that and uh and you're right if we're going to continue to give up 200 yards game rushing I don't think we we're going to be lucky enough to be winning the game that we like we did tonight find a coach question right here in front coach Jake McDonald cor 360 Sports uh usually in the last quarters you start gaming out scenarios what would happen if your scenario for the point after try and then the two two-point conversion did you welcome that two-point conversion what what was going through your mind when you saw that well I mean we we knew that since we were off SIDS that the likelihood of them going for two was going to happen um you know he show him call timeout you know I thought that was a good move you know we we we called the defense that we thought they were going to run a QB something with the QB and we got lucky on that one you know we we got a chance to get we our guy won the one-on-one battle with an amazing tackle uh you know but you know we don't want to be off Sid on the extra point you know but but I mean again other scenario is what it was defensively we did a good job and and and we didn't we didn't give up the two points uh and you know I guess obviously that's that was the uh difference of the game coach thank you and good luck the rest of the season thank you everyone and save Trav back please everyone