Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Oct. 22 - Mercer University Athletics

MACON, Ga. (Monday, October 22, 2018) – Mercer head football coach Bobby Lamb, kicker Cole Fisher and running back Tee Mitchell spoke with the media on Monday to discuss the Bears' win over Western Carolina last Saturday and their upcoming road trip to face Wofford.

Head Coach Bobby Lamb
Opening statement:
We are pleased with our win over Western Carolina, which put us at 3-1 in the Southern Conference. It was a crazy football game. [Western Carolina quarterback] Tyrie Adams hasn't played a full game in nearly three weeks, and of course, he played against us and was at full speed and very difficult to handle. [Adams] had a tremendous game, because he is obviously a tremendous player.

"If you look back at the game, we protected the ball and won the turnover ratio 2-0. We were down 14-0 and then 21-7, and I want to commend our football team for hanging in there, being resilient and not panicking. Once we got things going on offense, it worked out for us.

"Our offensive player of the game was [tight end] Sam Walker…it was great to have Sam back looking like his old self, especially on the big touchdown reception he had. Our defensive player of the game was [linebacker] Bradley Earnest, who did a really good job of coming off the edge and rushing the passer. Our specialist of the game was David Durden, who is usually our off-returner on the kickoff team, but he decided to take one to the house for 95 yards with great speed and blocking the whole way.

"I would like to commend Tee Mitchell on the all-time rushing record at Mercer; he broke Alex Lakes' old record. Records are made to be broken, but what a great year Tee has had…we're looking for more of the same from him. Our all-time scoring record was broken by Cole Fisher, too. Cole kicked the ball extremely well on Saturday. We needed him for the one field goal and he gave our team a chance on kickoffs all game."

On the defense trying to find an answer for Western Carolina's Tyrie Adams…
"They had us reeling there in the first half. The big turnaround of the game was in the third quarter when our offense took the ball down the field and scored immediately on our first drive. On Western Carolina's second possession [of the second half], we had a big stop as [Earnest] tackled Adams in open space, which is very difficult to do. That turned the tide in our favor and was a big moment.

"Defensively, we played a lot of younger guys in the secondary and that showed problems at times, so we'll have to get that straightened out. At the end of the day, it was the Tyrie Adams show; he ran quarterback draw, quarterback lead and threw the ball very well. [Western Carolina] runs a RPO-style system where [Adams] has to make decisions, and he almost made every decision correctly."

On the confidence in Mercer's offensive unit…
"Kaelan [Riley] played very well for us; he protected the ball and had some really solid throws. You also have to talk about the dimension that Sam Walker added. Sam has had a high ankle sprain all year long and missed the first couple games while battling the injury. He played a lot in the Yale game, but he really looked like himself for the first time last weekend. When you combine [Walker], [David] Durden, [Stephen] Houzah and Marquise Irvin, you have some weapons. We're excited to see what this offense can continue to do."

On the run game being effective…
"It helped to get [center] David May back into the mix. He played about half of the game at center. Our staff did a really good job of scheming for the run game and helping our offensive linemen. With [Mitchell], a five-yard run turned into a 60-yard run and you can't have enough of those. I thought [Mitchell] ran the ball extremely well and, of course, when you add Tyray Devezin, who ran the ball well, you know it was a good day. We see it at practice every day, but I'm happy that fans could see exactly what kind of backs these guys are."

On facing Wofford this week…
"Just like last week, we are still in the [SoCon] race and we still control our own destiny. If you look at Wofford, [head coach] Josh Conklin took over and Wade Lane is their offensive coordinator…he's been there for like 30 years. I refer to [Lane] as the mad scientist; he knows exactly what he wants to do on the offensive side of the ball.

"Wofford is nationally ranked and is among the nation's best in total defense, rushing defense and offensively, they are excellent at rushing the ball with around 365 yards per game. We could go on and on with where Wofford ranks…they were SoCon champions last year and are off to a great start at 5-2. We've got to go on the road to beat them and we're hoping we can continue to get healthier this week."

On Mercer's defensive struggles…
"We're struggling right now. We're giving up a lot of yards and a lot of points. Traditionally over the years, we've played Wofford pretty soundly. Wofford is one of those teams that is going to run it, then run it again and run it again until they find your weakness and expose it. They're very patient in what they do and have tremendous speed as a unit. It'll be a great challenge for our defense.

"Hopefully we can get [defensive end Isaiah] Buehler back…he's banged up and day-to-day. [Nose guard] Dorian Kithcart is banged up and day-to-day. If you get those two guys on the inside, you have a better chance of stopping anyone. [Defensive back] Eric Jackson was back and played about half the game against Western Carolina, as did [linebacker] Sidney Otiwu. Nonetheless, we need to do a better job on defense to have the opportunity to win this game at Wofford."

Kicker Cole Fisher
On breaking Mercer's career scoring record…
"It's pretty cool. I honestly didn't even think about it until two weeks ago when my dad mentioned I was getting close [to the record]. I've been fortunate to take the record from [quarterback] John Russ and [running back] Alex Lakes, who were a couple of the greatest players this program has ever seen. They are both day-one guys that did a lot for this program and set the foundation for what we have now. I'm proud to be up on the list with names like those."

On having pressure on his shoulders as a kicker who is often relied upon…
"I wouldn't even say that it's pressure; it's more confidence-instilling than anything, really. Extra points are often afterthoughts for fans, but they're not "gimmes" all the time. It is confidence-instilling to be put out there just about every chance we have. There's not many times that we're going to go for it on fourth down inside the 30 or 35-yard line, which definitely makes me feel good."

On playing a role in Mercer's high-powered scoring offense this season…
"It's fun. It's awesome to watch how the offense has been playing lately. They've kept me plenty busy. I think I had 20 plays or so on Saturday with nine extra-point attempts, one field goal attempt and 10 kickoffs…I was pretty sore on Sunday morning. It's a lot of fun [on this offense]…it's always great to have a good offense and be the kicker to back them up."

On the mindset going to face Wofford…
"The rest of our schedule is going to be tough. There is no [team] that can be overlooked…everyone is going to be really good. It's all about us. It's all about execution. The coaches are going to come up with a great scheme on offense and defense for us, special teams too. It's going to be up to us to put in the work this week, watch some film and then execute on Saturday."

On multiple senior class members breaking school records…
"It's important. Like I said, the two guys that I overtook for [the scoring record] were day-one players that started this program. It's an honor to take over those records and I'm sure Marquise [Irvin] and Tee [Mitchell] would say the exact same thing. It is great to have your name on top of a list with names of guys who came before you and who taught you the ropes for how to play and be a college teammate.

"It's awesome to leave your mark on a program like that and I'm happy to see all of us do that. We all know how good Marquise [Irvin] is since he got here and it's not like he hasn't got the ball a lot in the past, but this year has been incredible."

On how kicking off from the 35-yard line affects him…
"It doesn't affect me too much. Every kick is still the same mentality…I'm trying to smash [the ball] as hard as I can, under control of course. But the rule is not only good for player safety, but I think it's been a plus for teams with kickoff defense units like ours. We've had a lot of good players running down the field to make tackles for me. The rule adds a twist but the mentality is still the same for us."

On his reaction to David Durden's 95-yard kickoff return…
"[Our returners] have been really close the last two weeks at Yale and then against Western Carolina. I think the first two [returns of the game] were one or two blocks away and then David [Durden] was able to spring one. It's the most exciting play in football when you return a kickoff for a touchdown."

On last year's loss at Wofford being on anyone's minds…
"This year's game is sure to be a close one just like last year's loss to Wofford and just like every SoCon game this year. It'll come down to the fourth quarter and I'm just going to do my best to be ready and go out there. My goal every week is to be 100 percent on kickoffs, PATs and field goals. We have to be ready to fight until the end."

Running Back Tee Mitchell
On being pleased with running the ball effectively against Western Carolina…
"I was pretty pleased…any time we get the chance to establish our running game, our offense really gets into a rhythm. We've got guys on the outside who can make plays, so when we get the box stacked against us when we're running well, it creates favorable matchups on the outside. It helps the team as a whole when Tyray [Devezin] and I get rolling."

On any other statistical goals he wants to reach after setting career rushing record…
"Rick [Cameron, Mercer radio play-by-play announcer] pointed out some records in the preseason that include a couple all-purpose records, rushing records and maybe even the scoring record…I might try to steal Cole [Fisher's] record on that one.

"It's nice to have those [records], but realistically, the biggest thing is competing for a SoCon championship, followed by getting into the playoffs with a focus on the National Championship. Those goals come well before the thought of any personal accolades. We've got to keep trucking as a team…I think a SoCon title would be a lot sweeter than my rushing title."

On still being in the hunt for a SoCon title with four games left…
"We've very hungry. You get a sense of frustration when you don't play as well as you want to, week in, week out. So to be in the hunt [for a SoCon title] this late in the season is a good feeling. We feel like we haven't played the best that we can play. We gave up a couple plays here and there against Yale and The Citadel…we feel like our best ball is in front of us. Putting together a complete game can help with our confidence and keep us hungry. As long as we continue to work hard this week, I think we'll prove it against Wofford."

On the offense's confidence to win in a shootout-style game...
"That win gave us a lot of confidence, especially not always finishing those kind of games in previous years. We'd get down or up in games like that in years past and then when the fourth quarter hit, we'd throw it away sometimes.

"So to see us come from behind, build a lead and then hold on for the win at the end was encouraging. Putting all those points up [against Western Carolina] is a credit to [Offensive Coordinator Joe] Pizzo and the offensive staff."

On matching Wofford's impressive rushing attack…
"I don't think the coaches care so much about [matching Wofford run-for-run]…I think they're understandably more focused on finding favorable matchups and exploiting those weaknesses. I'm very competitive as a person, so when I see someone doing well on the other team or even on our own team, like Tyray [Devezin], I want to match that and do better than that.

"Wofford is one of the top rushing offenses in the nation, so that doesn't really change our approach to how our offense will attack this game."

On last year's loss to Wofford adding any extra motivation…
"I think [the 2017 loss to Wofford] was on our minds during the offseason, but we did a good job of wiping those memories away. It is no secret that we haven't closed some of those games well in years past, including the one against Wofford last season. I think we've shaken the stigma that we can't finish close games this year, so hopefully we get on top of Wofford this week and put it away.

"I'm just excited to go out there on Saturday to show them what we're made of. Hopefully we can pick up our first win against Wofford."

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Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Oct. 22

Players Mentioned

Tyray Devezin

David Durden

Bradley Earnest

Cole Fisher

Marquise Irvin

Eric Jackson

Dorian Kithcart

Alex Lakes

David May

Tee Mitchell

Sidney Otiwu

Sam Walker

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