Mike Clowney Opening Statement: I say it's exciting, but it's also kind of a sad time for us. You've got a group of guys that have been in the program, worked their tails off, and have now come to the end of their eligibility. It's always mixed emotions. It's sad to see them leave, but I'm excited to see them go out into this world and see what they are able to do.
Q1: There are 20 of them. It's a pretty substantial senior class, especially between special teams and your defensive line. What has this group meant to you as a head coach, especially in bridging the gap between your time as associate head coach and running back coach to now head coach?
It's wild because you are starting to see the back end of that one group where I started out as an assistant. Some of these guys are leaving the front end of me being a head coach. It's a day that you meet with mixed emotions. You enjoy having them and building those relationships with them. It's hard to watch them walk out, but at the same time, that's what we've been training them to do.
Q2: Unfortunately, Carl Torbush passed away on Sunday night/Monday morning. He was a two-sport All-American, in the Hall of Fame, an assistant coach, and one of the best linebackers to ever suit up here at Carson-Newman. What has he meant to you and the program?
As a player here, when I came through, Torbush was at the University of North Carolina then, which was a really big deal. Then, on the back end of me playing and deciding to get into coaching, he had become a head coach at North Carolina. Just to be able to see a guy from this institution achieve that level of success, he naturally became somebody that you kept up with and followed. My first time really meeting him was at the AFCA Coaches Convention, and I didn't really talk to him because I was kind of shy and didn't want to really say anything to him. He was like the superstar at that point in time in my career. It was cool just going and watching him do chalk-talks and knowing he's a guy who's been through here. You saw him get a little bit more involved in the program after he left North Carolina, and then he eventually came back here to be an assistant coach. I always joked with him that he saved my spot. I left here, and Torbush came in. Then, when he left, I came back. I'm just grateful for him. I was talking to one of our players, a kid that we shared as coaches, a couple weeks ago. We were both talking about how he was kind of just always here. He'd be watching baseball in the Spring and then come over here and watch a spring practice. At fall camp, he's here and just being encouraging. Even going through the football, especially that first season, he'd always send a text message that would resonate big in a lot of those situations. Not having him around, I think, is going to be tough for all of us. We pray for his family moving forward. We are grateful for the testament and the things that he stood for. I think he spent his time here on this earth very well.
Q3: Catawba, much improved from last year. Tyler Haines has done a nice job in his first year as head coach. Preston Brown is one of the top-three passers in the league. How do you slow down what Catawba does?
I think the thing that we've got to do is be sound in our approach. We have to continue to do a good job of getting pressure up front. Forcing and winning first-downs is still going to be a big deal. We have to keep them in those second or third and long's to where we can force them to be predictable. We've got to know where reciever #6 is. We've got to know exactly where he's at. They do a good job of putting him in different spots and places. He's a solid football player, and he compliments the rest of their roster very well.
Q4: You bring up Bo Pryor. What makes him such a dynamic player?
He's got really good top-end speed which is scary when you look at his lateral quickness. He does a good job, and he can make people miss. We've watched him, and you look at two guys that have got him out-leveraged, but I think his speed is deceptive because he wound up beating both of them to the corner. He's an electrifying player.
Q5: A winning season is still potentially in the cards for you all, with a win on Saturday. How do you continue the strong, complimentary football that you've played the past two weeks to close out the year?
It's going to be us continuing to pull together. Like you said, we've played complimentary football. Those guys have to continue doing that offensively and defensively. The big key is doing it with great energy and enthusiam. That's been the difference the past couple weeks. Guys have showed up and been excited about the time we spent together, not just on Saturday, but throughout the week. Some of that carried over, and it showed in some of the yesterday. Hopefully, it will continue to show in them today and moving into Saturday.
Q6: Last year, it felt like the last few weeks of the season were baby steps. This year, it feels like giant leaps. Is that just the natural progression from this team that has carried over from last year to this year, finding success late in the year?
I think it is. I think we've played solid defensively for the majority of the year, so the biggest things have been some growing pains offensively. Now that we are a little later in and guys have a better concept of what is going on, we've got a little bit better of a flow offensively. We're starting to get to where we minimize some of the mistakes we made earlier in the season from a kicking standpoint. A lot of that comes from the guys and having a little bit more buy-in and a little bit more enthusiasm about doing it.
Q7: What does that say, not just about the players, but the coaching staff as well, to maintain that growth?
I think it says a lot from a player standpoint. Any time you are going through hard times, the kids have a chance to make a decision. Our guys decided that they are going to pull toghether. You always want to start strong and finish strong. We probably didn't start exactly the way that we wanted to, but we have an opportunity this week to finish strong, and that's what we are going to try to do.
