Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell met with the media on Tuesday as he recaps the game against Western Kentucky as well as look ahead to the upcoming contest against Sam Houston. Check out the full video and transcript from his press conference below.
“I was very pleased, our whole staff was, with the way we played for four quarters. Obviously wasn’t perfect, but just the joy, the energy, the focus that we played with in all three phases, we contributed in all three phases. Thought our defense was outstanding, getting four turnovers. Special teams gave us some big boosts when we needed it, and then when we needed to finish drives, that was the challenge offensively, to finish drives in the red zone, guys did a great job. Our backs were against the wall. They’re back against the wall again this week. Being an underdog, going on the road, but I loved how our guys competed. Now, the challenge that we have is, can we, can we play with that same standard consistently? That’s been our biggest challenge all season, and we got to do it again.”
Has there been a renewed sense of energy or an extra spark in terms of the preparation to this point?
“I think anytime you win a big game, and you’re back in a race that you thought you’re out of. I do believe that there is I don’t want to use the word excitement, you should be excited every week. Obviously, we haven’t been, that’s why we’ve been up and down, but you should. I think the guys understand what’s at stake. And so there’s been a great focus the first couple of days. It’s obviously a quick turnaround. Normally they get a day off in between. They didn’t get that this time. So you playing on Saturday, come back in Sunday, and we had to treat Sunday almost like a Monday, so they didn’t get maybe time to decompress as much. So we’re working through that a little bit. And then being Thanksgiving, school’s out, our guys went and did a community service project on Monday. We’ve practiced in the afternoon, which we’re normally in the mornings. So there’s a little bit of change to that, so we’re adjusting to that, but the attitudes at practice and the focus at practice has been good.”
Sam Houston has a god run defense, does it benefit you to see them play a team like Jacksonville State the week before, are there things on film you can pick up from a game like to maybe help you?
“Jacksonville State is really good at what they do. They do some great stuff. So you can see how they try to defend them. Also, you see how good Sam Houston is. I mean, they’re really good on defense. There’s a reason why they lead the league. They are physical. They play hard, they’re going to come and tackle you, and they don’t miss a lot of tackles. I think you try to take something from every game that that, hey, does this fit what we do offensively, and how can we take advantage of it? But they don’t give you a lot of opportunities. I mean, they’re going to be where they’re supposed to be. They don’t mess up. They’re really consistent. I think that’s why they’ve been able to really have a tremendous year. They run the ball offensively. They do a good job there, but their defense is stout, and they deserve all those rankings. They’re really good. We’ll hopefully have some good ideas and fresh ideas for them, but we’re going to have to play really well to be able to move the ball and have scoring opportunities.”
How has Kaidon Salter looked in practice, health wise?
“He will be fine. I think anytime you get banged up a little bit, you take it gingerly, but he’ll be fine.”
Sam Houston’s defense has turned it around in the second half of the season.
“I didn’t realize that, but I appreciate you bringing that up. So that makes me feel better about it. What they’ve done a fantastic job of is, is they don’t let people sustain drives on them. You might be able to move the ball a little bit, but they don’t give up a lot of big plays. They make you keep snapping it, keep snapping, keep snapping it. Typically, when that happens, offenses mess up. They’ve done a really good job of that, of keeping people out of the end zone and make them earn everything. Even last week, I mean, that’s a 14-11, game in the third, fourth quarter. They’re very stout, and I think typically, on most defenses, they might be really good in the box, might be really good in the secondary. They’re pretty good all the way through. I mean, there’s not necessarily a weak spot for them, and I think that’s what separates them, maybe from other defenses, is that they’re good at every area, and they play really well off of each other. It’s gonna be a challenge for our guys up front. Our guys up front, our tight ends and everybody blocking. We’re gonna have to do probably the best blocking job for us to have a chance to control the line of scrimmage like we hope to.”
Their offense seems to be much improved from last year, what have you seen from them on that side of the ball?
“I think where they’re so much better, is they went more to the quarterback run. So their quarterback, who throws the ball well also, but they got a really nice running back, and then they compliment with the quarterback running quite a bit. What that means, from a technical standpoint, they out number you. They might be spread out, and you have six in the box where they’re going to block with six, and the quarterback is free, so you have to change some schemes. He’s a very tough, physical guy. Our challenge on defense, in my opinion, is we’ve gotta, hopefully, try to make them one dimensional and force them to throw it more than they want to, and that’s hard to do, but that, to me, is the challenge of it. So, we gotta make sure that we do that, not give up any big plays. Similar to how they play us, we need to make them earn that, and make them snap it, snap it, snap it. That’ll be the challenge to me. That’s gonna be the difference in the game, is who eliminates those mistakes and big plays.”
The season has been up and down, but I’m sure it’s kind of great to know that you are in a position to where you are now, being able to control your own fate, how big is that?
“Well, I think it’s a huge shot of vitamin C, for sure, because you’re 8-2, but depending on who you talk to, who you’re around, that makes you feel like you’re 2-8. No offense to anybody in this room, but sometimes there’s that sense or that feeling. For our guys, even though we’ve been just like a wave in the ocean, up and down a lot, we’re in a position where that if we can win Friday, we’re heading for a Conference USA Championship for the second year in a row, which was the goal at the beginning of the season. No matter how you get there, you get there. I know it’s gonna be hard to do that Friday. It’s hard to win on the road, especially against a good team. But I think our team, I don’t think I know our team, is focused on knowing that, hey, if we can handle our business, we’re back to what we thought we could be the whole time.”
How much does a healthy Juju gray change what you can do offensively?
“It’s been huge. He obviously got hurt very early in the first game, and so you miss him up until game what was that seven? I think maybe game seven. And even then, you’re trying to figure out, he hadn’t practiced at all, so what’s his role? What can he do? What canhe not do? And we’ve slowly, over the last few weeks, figured out how we want to use him and where he’s good at it. And I think that’s where you’ve seen him impact the game in quite a bit, from Middle Tennessee on. We didn’t get him the ball versus UMass the way we should have. That’s coach’s fault, and we made a concerted effort to make sure he gets it in different ways when he does. He gives us a different dimension that we hadn’t had all year, and I think obviously makes us more explosive. So when he’s out there, he can take it to the house, and he’s shown that. So that’s been big for us.”
How pleased are you with how the team has responded to the two losses?
“Very. I think that’s been part of this journey. I mean, we went through some challenging times, and we were winning, but a lot of times winning covers up your scars, so to speak. We’ve had a lot of scars, and then the wins just sort of covered it up and until you’re on your knees, sometimes you don’t realize the things you need to change. Part of that, our guys have gone through the journey of losing that and figuring out why and how and the things we needed to fix that was part of that. If we had to go through those, even though nobody wants to lose, you hate it, if you had to go through that to understand who you are and to get to the point where you’re at, it’s got to be worthwhile. It’s just like anything. I wish it was the other way. I wish we were just naturally like, hey, this who we want to be, but it wasn’t. But I’m very pleased with the…really, all year long, even in the games that we didn’t play well, we found a way to win. I mean, easily, we could be in here 2-8 or whatever it may be, that’s true, everybody that’s followed us knows that. The resiliency of the team, I’m proud of that, proud of the character, but if we’ll learn the lessons, not only on the field that we learned, but if they’ll carry it with them. Who you are has gotta show up no matter what the circumstances are. In life, as a husband, as a father, no matter what circumstances you face, you gotta be consistent. That’s what people crave and want, consistency. If that’s what we figure out through this, then it’s gonna be beneficial.”
What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions growing up and then what are some of those you have developed with your team as a coach?
“You don’t have a lot as a team. In Division II, unless you’re in the playoffs, you’re typically done. FCS, you’re typically done unless you’re in the playoffs. Playoff wise, depending if it’s a home game or an away game, you get together with your team, have Thanksgiving, and then they take off. Growing up, you always had a football game. You always ate, like, three times. You had leftover turkey sandwiches. You always watched the Cowboys back then, they were winning a decent amount. No offense, Jerry Jones. You watch games, and then you come back and eat the leftover turkey sandwiches all day long. And then it would carry over into Friday. Black Friday meant nothing. It meant, let’s eat again. You just really went on a bender about four days, and a good bender, not a bad bender. Family and being around that. And then you’d always go, in high school, if you weren’t in the playoffs, you go watch one of the local high school games, because it’s a third round or the fourth round of the playoffs in Tennessee at that time frame. One time I got the experience of practicing on Thanksgiving, as a senior in high school. You thought you were walking on cloud nine at that so, but just being around family and grandparents all being there and vegetables from the garden, and reminiscing on just, you know, at that point, when you’re young, you don’t think about the things. You’re just living livfe and you love it. Sometimes you wish you could go back to those times. It’s hard in college football nowadays because it’s usually the last week of the season. Last two weeks we’ve been on the road, so most families, they go home, they go visit their own family. We’re here a lot of the time by ourself, a lot of the coaches. Their families might go back to where they were raised and all that. We’re up here grinding through. So, you miss out on some of those traditions. We’ll have a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow with a group there as much as we can and then tomorrow night, coaches will have different player groups over, just spend some time there, which is good. But that’s sort of the downside of the college football pieces. You don’t have that traditional Thanksgiving that you might have been used to, especially if it’s an away game. You don’t have family coming up and driving back, because it’s an away game. Maybe one of these years we’ll have a home game, and that’d be nice. One year, our open date was on Thanksgiving in college. That was the best one ever, you know, and so you can practice and get back. You miss it sometimes.”
What’s your favorite side dish, favorite dessert?
“Side dish is my mother’s sweet potato casserole, no marshmallows, that runs it. Sweet potato casserole, brown sugar on top. My favorite, you can’t see for about 20 minutes after you eat it, but it’s worthwhile. Love that one and fried okra would be my second one. Favorite dessert, probably a pumpkin roll. I won’t pass up any apple pie or pumpkin pie, coconut pie, won’t pass that up either, not a big chocolate person. I really like the pumpkin. In fact, I could eat a lot of it. Pecan, is pretty good too.”
