Ken Sparks Press Conference 

The following is a written trascipt from Ken Sparks' weekly press conference. 

Sparks Press Conference

Mars Hill Week

9-22-15

SPARKS: Mars Hill. Probably as far as the overall team will be the best team we played as far as all of the things they do really well. They give you a lot of things offensively every year. We have to practice against double passes and reverse passes and triple reverses and all kinds of stuff. When you are trying to block and tackle and play technique and then all of a sudden have to use some of your practice time for that, it really takes a lot away from it. The quarterback is doing an unbelievable job and they have speed. That's what's scary about them is they have speed. They have a running back back that they lost last year, from two years ago, that sure gives them a dimension they haven't had. The one who started last year isn't bad at all. They have two backs that can go. They have three wide receivers that can go and two of them are extremely fast. One of them is 6"6'. They got a quarterback has thrown for an unbelievable percentage in two of the games that they have played against Division I. One of them was a playoff team and the other will probably be a playoff team, so we got to get ready.

Q1: You talked about Shaikel Davis, I think it was a broken leg last year. How have they integrated him back into the offense and used it as a two back system? For a long time, Mars Hill has relied on just one work horse back there.

SPARKS: They're actually not using them in the same backfield. They are putting in a big tight end/H-back to block when they're in two-back, but they are keeping them rested and giving both of them the ball 25-30 times a game. They are making things happen.

Q2: You've talked about the wide receivers. Keshaun Taylor had four touchdowns catches against UTC, including some spectacular catches against the Mocs. What makes him so exceptional, especially as he is just a sophomore?

SPARKS: Well, he is a playmaker. He's a guy that expects to make plays and he can run like crazy. He's everything you are looking for in a receiver. He has size, speed, jumping ability, and he has hands. He's just a good football player.  

Q3: The past few years you have had success running the football against them. You have rushed for 420 yards against them since 2012. Why have you been able to have success on the ground against Mars Hill?

SPARKS: You can't predict how they are going to line up. Coach Barnette, I have a lot of respect for him, he'll try to get a lot of variety and give you some changeups to stop what probably our percentages show of what we are doing. They do a good job and are probably a lot less concerned than past years because we have laid an egg offensively. They are probably not as concerned with our execution as they would be in the past. If we execute like we have done, then we will get beat in this ball game. We have to go play.    

Q4: Does last week's offensive effort all boil down to execution or is there something else?

SPARKS: Well execution and effort and consistency by doing it every time the way you are supposed to do it. It was one of those deals where we had nine people doing a capable job and two not. And usually the two that weren't doing the job right was at a time where we couldn't afford not to get the job done. Great thing about football is that even though we have more people on the field than any other sport, with 11 at a time, those 11 have all got to do their job or you're in trouble. It only takes one to tear the other ten up.

Q5: You take your first loss last week, now you are on the road for the first time this week. Where is the team's minds at right now?

SPARKS: I don't know. I know what the coaches are seeing and I know what our hearts about the situation. I think we have kids with character and I think we have guys that are going to respond. Pictures don't lie when you are watching video, it's very obvious what we didn't do on offense and in the kicking game in places. The great thing about football is it's a team sport and if you don't have this (Joins hands together for famous togetherness gesture) then you are probably in trouble. It's more than any other sport; its 11 guys pulling for 11 guys. It's probably the best sport there is where it's not the sum of the individuals, it's the sum of the team, and it's a big difference in that.

Q6: You mentioned that in the kicking game you had two field goals that were blocked. I know after you gave up the touchdowns to the Cumberlands, you made some changes personal wise. Are you going to do some of the same in terms of the field goal unit this week?  

SPARKS: Yes.  

Q7: Defensively, Sha'Heem Stupart has obviously made great strides. Has he been a motivating factor for some of the younger kids in seeing what he did last year coming on as a young player and the impact that he has had? Is this something that you can show to some of the young linebackers, some of the young front-four, to say this is how far he has come and you can do the same with hard work? 

SPARKS: I think he has been a great inspiration to all of us because he has worked hard and he is seeing some fruit for his labor. You don't have to worry about him being on or off—if he is on the field he is going to be on. He is still making some youth mistakes and still doing some things that experience will teach him, but he is developing into a pretty good linebacker.

Q8: At the cornerback position they're has been some changes there throughout the first few games. You have some depth at the corner spot and you mentioned some of the talent at receiver for Mars Hill. What do you do to the defensive back four to try and slow those receivers down?

SPARKS: We have to cover them. The main thing to me is that Mars Hill is going to test you deep. We can't do what we did Saturday and give yup a post pattern for 70-yards. We just can't let that happen, which means that a lot of times our corners will be matched up man-to-man on the corners. I don't care if you are playing a zone, most of the time it comes down to man-to-man in defending the post pattern. We got to have some people that will try to keep up with them.

Q9: The offense has been the focal point of the team for some many years. To see them struggle the past two weeks…what has been the issue there and what are you going to do to correct it going forward?

SPARKS: First of all, let me make a general statement. Isn't it exciting? It is for me, I've been dreaming for years now that we would hold a team to two touchdowns and one touchdown in consecutive weeks, and now we can't score. I don't know what the answer to that is—I really don't. We got some guys who need to start execute. It's the quarterback, it's the running back, it's the offensive line, and it's the wide receivers. We just have some people not getting the job done. I don't know. It's a question mark. Same coaching staff. A lot of the same people—at least six of them that started every game last year. What's the deal? I don't know.  

Q10: You should just go shotgun and five wide and that could probably take care of it.

SPARKS: That would be okay if we could protect him long enough to throw it. Right now, we can't protect him long enough to get it out of his hands and when he does get it out of his hand we aren't shifting our weight. We aren't throwing it to the right place a lot of the time. Receivers aren't running the right patterns. The only time they are in a hurry is when they are running a pattern and what's that tell everybody? You coming out of there like you are going to catch the ball.  So we are back to our philosophy—no blocky, no catchy. Okay.  

Q11: Injuries have ravaged your defense this season. Do you get anyone back this week?

SPARKS: I'm not sure. We will know a lot more after today's practice. Some of the people that are getting the majority of the snaps right now is amazing.     

Q12: How about a Justin Long who comes in and has six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack?

SPARKS: Isn't that incredible? He's an unbelievable story. Been here for four years and he is a story that needs to be told. He's been here for four years and hasn't been on the field much and he gets a chance to play because of injuries. He plays his heart out. Does he make some plays that he should have? No, but he plays his heart out. Did he get blocked some? Yes, but he played his heart out. I love Justin Long.  

Q13: How do you get the defense to continue this upward moving trend in spite of all the injuries that have occurred?

SPARKS:  They have a little confidence and I think the coaches do an unbelievable job coaching them confidently. I think it's a group of kids that is determined to get it done. They are playing inspired and playing their hearts out right now and that's the way we are getting it done.

Q14: Is it based in the freshman or the upperclassmen? Where is this inspiration coming from?

SPARKS: Well, a lot of the freshman aren't playing—the ones we thought would be playing because they are hurt or ineligible. When you get to thinking about it, I would have five handpicked players that would be on the travel quad that aren't even playing right now. That's pretty tough. When you ain't got many that's tough.    

-CN-