Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Sept. 10

MACON, Ga. (Monday, September 10, 2018) – Mercer head football coach Bobby Lamb, linebacker Will Coneway and offensive lineman Austin Sanders spoke with the media Monday and discussed last week's win vs. Jacksonville and the upcoming Southern Conference opener at No. 9 Samford.

Head Coach Bobby Lamb
Opening statement…
"I'm proud of our football team for bouncing back after a tough defeat in week one. We came out and played exceptionally well versus Jacksonville. We worked all week on our tempo, both offensively and defensively, and I really felt like we did a good job of coming out and dominating the first half. Our players played extremely well and made some big time plays. On a negative side, I think we had the ball hit the ground three times and lost one of those, so we need to do a better job of securing the ball.

"Our players of the week included Tyray Devezin (offense)…everyone can see what [our coaching staff] saw last year [in Devezin], a powerful running back who breaks a lot of tackles. Defensively, Will Coneway [was our defensive player of the week]. Will has struggled in the past against some triple option teams and really played well [against Jacksonville]. He stuck to his assignments. Our special teams player of the week was Cole Fisher. Cole kicked off where we needed to be and made all of his extra points as well as a field goal.

"I'd like to congratulate Tee Mitchell for going over 2,000 [career rushing] yards. It's certainly a big milestone and I'm looking forward to seeing what he and Tyray can do in the backfield this year. We have a thunder-lightning deal with those guys."

On the importance of reestablishing the running game against Jacksonville:
"[It was] very important after not having a whole lot of yards the week before [at Memphis]. We came out against Jacksonville with the goal of rushing the ball. Anytime you're rushing the ball, it makes your quarterbacks more comfortable. We were very efficient in the passing game and the reason is became we're very efficient in the run game. I thought our offensive line did a good job of identifying adjustments this week. We made those changes and rushed the ball well."

On effectively stopping Jacksonville's running game:
"It's tough to get a lot of looks versus the triple option. We're going to see some more teams down the road, but Jacksonville knows what they're doing. Coach [Ian] Shields has done it for many years, they're very good at scheming and doing things up front. I really felt like we did a good job. We didn't give up any explosion plays, which was big, because normally when you play in that offense, you're going to give up a pass or two or maybe a run or two that go for a long yardage. I thought we did a really good job of stopping them."

On the crowd at Five Star Stadium against Jacksonville:
"I thought it was great. When you look at all that we do here at Mercer – I mentioned it in one of my tweets yesterday – you have the cheerleaders, the band, the Mercer Maniacs, the dance team, our fans. Our athletic department does such a great job. We come running out of the tunnel and there's smoke. When we score, there's fireworks. It really is a great setting, especially at night time, and I think our players feed off of that. I was extremely pleased with our crowd and them getting here early and ready to go."

On preparing for Samford and its high-powered passing offense:
"Coach [Chris] Hatcher and his staff do an outstanding job. They made the playoffs last year and had a really good run. There's a reason they were the unanimous SoCon Preseason selection to win the conference. They're a veteran team. You look at their offense…they have 10 starters back including six seniors. And then on defense, they start five seniors, five juniors and one sophomore. When you look at the tape, you recognize numbers and when you recognize numbers, that means these guys have been playing a while.

"They have a really good football team and it all starts with a guy named Devlin Hodges. We all saw what [Green Bay Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers did last night [Sunday]; [Hodges] is the Aaron Rodgers of FCS football, just by the way he can extend plays. He can throw with different arm angles. The guy is a phenomenal player and I'm glad he's a senior. Kevin McKnight is an explosive receive for Samford. He's probably one of the best in our league and one of the best in the country.

"On defense, it all starts with Ahmad Gooden…number 99, a defensive end who can create havoc in the pass and run game. Don't sleep on Samford's defense; they get a lot of notoriety on offense, but their defense is really good. The way they played at Florida State the other night was impressive."

On what was learned from Mercer's first road trip that will help in a trip to Samford:
"I hope we didn't learn anything [at Memphis] because we didn't play very well. We've prepared for Samford and we know what we're going to see, we know what we're going to get. They've had basically the same staff in place for the last six years, so we know scheme-wise what we're going to get, but it's difficult to stop it.

"They spread you out so much, they attack it in different areas. It's a short passing game…the quarterback gets it out quick, so if you leave the box wide open, they're going to run the ball. I think our defense is really going to have to play well [at Samford]. I thought our defense played well last year [vs. Samford] and we're going to have to have that same type of effort again.

"Offensively, we're going to have to do some things we did two years ago when we kept the ball away from them a little bit and ended up with about 90 plays. It'll be a great Southern Conference battle. It's the first one of the year and to get to the championship you have to get through Birmingham this year."

On remaining level-headed after a big win vs. Jacksonville:
"If you look at the progression of our season so far…we played the first game and then put that behind us and then we played really well against Jacksonville. You've got to build off the things you do well. We built off some things in that second half at Memphis and we did a good job Saturday against Jacksonville. Now we're off to the Southern Conference, to a different opponent, a different offensive scheme and a different defensive scheme.

"It all goes back to our training. We tell our players all the time, 'There are going to be things that you see during a game that you haven't seen before.' But it all goes back to training, technique, fundamentals and the things our staff has taught them. I think our guys will be ready to go and they're excited about playing football. They're excited about playing a Southern Conference game, so we're looking forward to a great road trip."

On what he saw from Robert Riddle and Kaelan Riley and the plan moving forward:
"The plan going into our first two games was to let both men play and whoever had the hot hand, we'd let that quarterback play. If you saw the Memphis game, Robert [Riddle] had the hot hand, so we went with him [to start] the second game. Both [quarterbacks] played extremely well [vs. Jacksonville] and made good decisions.

"The thing I was most proud of was when receiving options weren't there, they tucked the ball, ran, and got some good yardage out of the quarterback position. We're going to evaluate [the quarterbacks] this week in practice and probably make a decision at the end of the week concerning what route we'll go at the position. The way I look at it is that we have two very good quarterbacks with two games of experience. Kaelan [Riley] had a lot of experience last year. Robert is gaining valuable experience every time he plays."

On whether he will name a starting quarterback at any point:
"I'd like to name a starter, but at this point in time, we're not ready to do that. We evaluate every snap of practice and games and we decided to put Robert in for the start vs. Jacksonville. This week we will do the same thing by making a decision based on our evaluations. I feel comfortable that both quarterbacks know our system and how to run it. So, it is just a matter of how we want to go…we'll probably know by the end of the week."

On Samford's size:
"[Samford's] defensive line is probable the best in the SoCon. It starts with Ahmad Gooden, but they have some other good players up front. Any time you're playing a big-time Power Five school [referencing Florida State] it is hard to match up in the trenches on both sides of the ball because those schools are bigger, stronger and faster, but I thought Samford really did a great job of that until the fourth quarter. They were hanging in there and driving until [Florida State] jumped a hitch route and ran it back for a touchdown. The way they played Florida State was impressive and our guys have been studying that tape all week."

On the progress Mercer's freshmen have made:
"Both David [Durden] and Tony [Jones II] have stepped up [at wide receiver] since the first day they got here. The way they walk, the way they practice…you can tell they're ready to go and are not your typical freshmen. I was really pleased with their effort [vs. Jacksonville]. David got a couple catches and Tony is very reliable. Both are smart and can pick up the offense…that's number one. Number two, they're both competitive, which makes it a difference as a freshman."

On his 100th career win:
"I still feel the same [as Saturday night]; I'm still getting old. You always remember your first loss and mine was against Vanderbilt. Bobby Johnson had just taken the Vanderbilt job and we [Lamb coached at Furman] had to play them and lost. Then, we won against Elon, which was my first win in 2002. It's been a great ride, but it takes a great staff, a bunch of great players, a great support staff and a great supporting administration to get to this point.

"It was a fun night after the game. We had a little party in the field house, but that's all out of the way and now we can move forward to work on [Samford] and being 1-0."

Junior linebacker Will Coneway
On the importance of bouncing back from the loss at Memphis with a win Saturday:
"It was very important…as everyone knows, we had a poor performance against Memphis. All week we were focusing on doing our jobs, making plays and trusting our coaches and trusting what we do. It was very important to come out and get that win and show really what the L.O.C. [Legion of Chaos] is about."

On the atmosphere of the first home game:
"It's always great playing at Five Star Stadium. Like we've always said, we're Middle Georgia's team and our fans always come to support. It's good to give the town a win and show the fans love for them supporting us."

On switching defensively from preparing for Jacksonville to Samford:
"We just have to come out and do our jobs. We can't try to make plays outside of our scheme. If we do what we're coached to do, we'll be all right. We just have to trust our coaches, play fast and be the L.O.C."

On facing Samford after the Bulldogs' strong performance at Florida State:
"It's always good to come off of a win. Like we always say, 1-0 is our mantra. We can't focus on last week…we just have to focus on getting a win this week. Samford had a good game against Florida State, so there is going to be a lot of momentum coming into the game. We also have a lot of momentum, so it's going to be a great battle on Saturday."

On if playing Samford in a SoCon game changes the team's mentality:
"It really doesn't change our mindset, because we always go into each week thinking about being 1-0. It's definitely going to be a big game…every SoCon game is like a championship game or a must-win game. So we have to go in, do our jobs, and we'll be all right."

On if he learned anything from the Memphis loss:
"We learned a lot about ourselves at Memphis. We learned that we have some weaknesses that we have to work on. We learned that we have to play fast from the start. We can't think about Memphis anymore though. We have to put that in the back of our minds and focus on coming out fast this week and being ready for the challenge that Samford will present."

On what he remembers from playing Samford in the past:
"[Samford] moves fast and they have a good quarterback. They have a lot of skill guys on the outside, a lot of talent. We just have to come out and try to contain their offense and get stops. If we play our brand of ball, we'll be OK."

On his individual performance at Jacksonville and what he learned from it:
"I had a chip on my shoulder coming into that game, because my eyes weren't really good against the triple option last year. I was trying to make plays outside of the scheme, so it was good to come back and redeem myself against Jacksonville with a game like that. I learned that just doing my job inside of the scheme will make it happen.

"I want to thank our defensive line and all of the guys around me in the L.O.C. because without them, I wouldn't have had the kind of performance that I had."

Junior offensive lineman Austin Sanders
On Mercer's rushing performance for 274 yards against Jacksonville:
"We can't do anything without running the ball first, so that is definitely the first priority. I think we achieved that mission [against Jacksonville]."

On what that rushing performance does for the team's confidence moving forward:
"Momentum is one of the strongest things in football, so we're going to try to ride this wave."

On how the trip to Memphis will help prepare Mercer for the Samford game:
"There is a lot of emphasis on execution. We made those mistakes [at Memphis] and while we flushed that game, we didn't forget the lessons learned."

On facing the SoCon favorite in Samford:
"Our mindset doesn't change. My job is to get in front of somebody and block them. Football is football."

On the importance of a conference game:
"Our coaches have a funny saying that they usually remind us of every Tuesday or Wednesday. They say, 'We've got the biggest game we've ever played coming up.' Basically, every game counts for one win or one loss, so that's how we look at it; 1-0."

On whether facing the SoCon Preseason Defensive Player of the Year has him motivated:
"Of course. You have to rise to every occasion."

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Bobby Lamb Weekly Press Conference - Sept. 10

Players Mentioned

Will Coneway

Tyray Devezin

Cole Fisher

Tee Mitchell

Robert Riddle

Kaelan Riley

Austin Sanders

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