Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Oct. 15 - Mercer University Athletics

MACON, Ga. (Monday, October 15, 2018) – Mercer head football coach Bobby Lamb, cornerback Harrison Poole and wide receiver David Durden spoke with the media on Monday to discuss the Bears' loss at Yale and a return to Five Star Stadium for SoCon action vs. Western Carolina on Oct. 20.

Head Coach Bobby Lamb
Opening statement:
"We're certainly disappointed in the outcome of the Yale game. You've got to give Yale credit; they played extremely well on their home field. I thought we did some really good things and I was proud of our team for hanging in there with two comebacks – one at the end of the first half and one at the end of the game – after being down 21-0. All the credit goes to Yale, though, and how well they played.

"We knew Yale's offense was very difficult to defend and they had a really nice scheme. When you look at the stats, it comes down to turnovers. They won the turnover ratio, 2-0, and protected the ball better than we did. On third-down conversions, [Yale] was 14-for-20, and with the time of possession, we actually only had the ball for six and a half minutes on offense in the second half. The [time of possession] comes down to two things: [Yale] holding the ball and us having too many three-and-out [offensive drives].

"It's on to the next one. Before I get into the Western Carolina game, I'd like to say that David Durden was our offensive player of the game and Michael Freeman was our defensive player of the game. Michael is starting in place of [injured linebacker Sidney Otiwu]. Then, Matt Shiel [was our special teams player of the game] and had a really good day of punting on a very sloppy field.

"From an injury standpoint, we are still missing six starters: [quarterback Robert] Riddle, [offensive lineman David] May, [offensive lineman Andrew] Robinson, [linebacker Sidney] Otiwu, [defensive end Isaiah] Buehler and [defensive back Eric] Jackson. We're hoping to get all of them back at some point. I can't tell you if we're going to get them back this week or not, but hopefully it's before long, because we certainly need them.

"Looking back at some other aspects and stats of the [Yale] game, there were some big plays by Marquise Irvin and Kaelan [Riley] threw the ball really well. We had 14 completions go for 333 yards, so he threw the deep ball exceptionally well to try and keep us in the game. But at the end of the day, we just couldn't get one more stop to get over the hump to try to force overtime. It was a long road trip and a pretty cool experience to play at the Yale Bowl…probably one of the worst fields that I've ever played on because of the rain and mud. It was just a tough field to stand up on and do things that we needed to do…but that's no excuse; both teams played on the field and [Yale] did better than us."

On David Durden's individual performance and growth…
"David has lacked production because the ball has been going to the other side of the field to Marquise [Irvin], but [Yale] left [Durden] one-on-one several times and we took some opportunities to get him the ball. He's been a really good player since the first day he stepped onto the field this year. The thing you don't realize [about Durden] is he not only plays receiver every time, but he's also the first one down the field on the punt [return defensive] team and he's the first one down [the field] on the kickoff [return defensive] team.

"At the end of the game, when we had to try and block a field goal to keep the game at bay, we put [Durden] in there to come off the edge. He didn't block [the kick], but he certainly scared the guy and the kick was missed to the right. He's just got a lot of talent, ability and confidence, so you'll be hearing his name a lot from here on out."

On his takeaways from the Yale game…
"The tough thing is we weren't able to run the ball the way we thought we'd be able to. Yale did a lot of different stunts and angles up front. They played a little bit of man coverage…looking back we should've thrown the ball more. I thought Kaelan [Riley] threw the ball exceptionally well when he had time, especially on deep balls. We threw a lot of deep balls and he hit [the receivers] in stride.

"Defensively, we played well in spurts, but when it came down to third-down situations, Yale converted 14 times. We were right there, but right there is not good enough. We need to try to do a better job of getting [our opponents] off the field. We've got to continue to press forward on the defensive side, and then of course we can't turn the ball over. We gave them a cheap touchdown early when Kaelan Riley fumbled the ball."

On moving on toward the remainder of SoCon play…
"We had a meeting [Sunday], as we always do, just trying to put that game to bed and now prepare for five straight weeks of SoCon play. The good thing is, that stretch begins here at home. The good news for us is that we still control our own destiny and have three of the remaining five games at Five Star Stadium; I'm excited about that. It all starts this week with Western Carolina.

"Western Carolina is similar to us…both are 3-3. Mark Speir is their head coach and is a good friend, we talk a lot and he's a good guy. Their team starts with quarterback Tyrie Adams. They're averaging 213 rushing yards and 250 passing yards, they're very explosive on offense.

"Defensively, they play a similar defense to ours, which is good for our offense. But they're playing a lot of young guys on defense, so it's going to be a really good football game. I'm looking forward to a big crowd at Five Star Stadium at 4 p.m. this Saturday."

On the 35-33 win over Western Carolina last season…
"Well, last year's game was a big win because if Western Carolina would have won that game, they would have made it to the playoffs for the first time in 34 years. They were sitting there ready to celebrate. Our team went in there and we had a mindset and game plan to win that game. I think we threw the ball maybe 14 times that day, because we had such a good running game with Alex Lakes and Tee Mitchell. Our offensive line did a really good job of controlling the ball and that's what you need to do against a team with a powerful quarterback like Tyrie Adams, who can run and throw the ball. [Adams] can control the game with his legs just as well as his arms. I know [Adams] has been a little banged up lately, but he's still a threat any time he's on the field."

On Kaelan Riley's performance since returning to the starting role…
"Kaelan has done a really nice job filling in [for injured Robert Riddle]. Like I said earlier in preseason camp, Kaelan and Robert got every rep…they were the only two quarterbacks to get all of the reps. So [Kaelan] got enough reps that should carry over to the game. But, you know, you're out during those couple games and you're not in a rhythm. Once he stepped in there and finally got going, [Riley] has done a good job for us.

"The only mistake he made was fumbling the ball in a pressure situation, but I really think he stood in the pocket well. He had a lot of people in his face and like I said about the deep balls…whether an inside or an outside fade, he was making those throws. He kept us in the game with his arm."

On the challenges of facing a dual-threat quarterback…
"Yale's quarterback was very similar [to Western Carolina's Tyrie Adams], probably not quite as good of an athlete, but he extended plays and hurt us down the stretch. Tyrie is a guy who can extend plays and take it to the house. He's that kind of guy; slippery, hard to take down, hard to tackle. He's a year-three guy, but it seems like he's been there about five or six years.

"This will be about our defense playing well again and about our offense controlling the ball."

Defensive Back Harrison Poole
On the chartered flight to Yale…
"It was nerve-wracking at first, but it was good once we got in the air. I got used to it."

On giving linebacker Michael Freeman a hard time about the flight…
"Yes, we definitely did. I could tell by the look on his face that he was nervous, but on the way back he seemed like he was much better."

On how the defense plans to bounce back from the loss at Yale…
"We're just going to learn from our mistakes and get better. Hopefully we'll get the win this weekend."

On how to plan for Western Carolina's quarterback…
"In the [defensive back field] we'll have to stick tight to their receivers and make sure they're not getting huge open looks, but keeping their quarterback contained is a big key too."

On conference play the rest of the season…
"We just try to take it one game at a time. We'll look forward to ETSU when the time is right, but our main focus right now is toward Western Carolina. We're really just trying to get right and come out with a win."

On if Saturday is a game the defense needs to make a statement with…
"It's definitely a statement game. We're just going to keep playing and doing what we do best, which is get after the quarterback and make plays. We need to come together as a whole team."

Freshman Wide Receiver David Durden
On how long he's waited to throw his touchdown pass in the Yale game…
"It was exciting. We put the play in this past week and I didn't know if we'd get the chance to run it, but whenever they made the call and I got to throw it, I was excited for sure. It was pretty cool."

On whether he is technically the fourth-string quarterback at this point…
"I think I would have to be [laughs]. I mean, Robert got hurt, so if everyone else went down by chance, I guess I'd have to step up and sling it."

On Mercer's offensive successes…
"We've got a very dynamic offense and we can do a lot of different things with a lot of different people. The only problem we have is that there is only one ball; we have so many playmakers that it's just hard to give everyone the touches they need. It's a good problem."

On what he has learned from senior receiver Marquise Irvin…
"Marquise has been a very big influence. The way he plays has made me want to play the game harder. Other things he does, like the way he talks, the way he carries and leads the team…it makes you want to play for a guy like him who gives his best every day."

On him playing with the special teams unit…
"Special teams is probably the most fun part of the game. It's when all of the best players from both teams are out there wrecking havoc on everything they come in contact with. I had a big hit on a couple plays, but the one that stood out to me the most was probably Tyray Devezin's hit on a kickoff…he clobbered a guy."

On transitioning between quarterbacks…
"When Robert [Riddle] got hurt, some people might've thought it was going to affect the offense pretty substantially. But Kaelan [Riley] has come in there and his performance at Yale was one of the best jobs I've seen a quarterback do. Sure, he fumbled the ball in the first quarter that led to a touchdown, but after that, he settled down and looked miraculous. He was throwing it everywhere and had great confidence in the pocket."

On staying focused on the conference title run…
"We have a really great group of leaders; our leaders are out of this world and they help keep us focused. We know we can make some noise. We're 2-1 in conference right now, so basically it's open for anyone. Knowing that we can go in there and win [a conference title] has us hungrier than when we started the season."

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Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Oct. 15

Players Mentioned

Tyray Devezin

David Durden

Michael Freeman

Marquise Irvin

Alex Lakes

Tee Mitchell

Sidney Otiwu

Harrison Poole

Robert Riddle

Kaelan Riley

Matt Shiel

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