VIDEO: Ashley Ingram Press Conference 

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - No. 25 Carson-Newman hits the road for the second of three cross divisional games against Catawba on Sept. 28. Below are Ashley Ingram's pregame remarks to the media about the Catawba College Catawba Indians. 

OPENING STATEMENT:

INGRAM:  Coach Haines obviously does a great job. He did a great job at Shepherd while he was there. Beat us last year. They always do a great job offensively. Big RPO team, he's got a really good quarterback, and we're just going to have to play really well to have a chance to beat these guys.

Q1:  It's a second straight week where you're facing a Piedmont team with a pretty stout signal caller. It was Brooks Bentley last week. It's Preston Brown this week. What sticks out to you about what he does? How is he similar? How is he different from Bentley?

INGRAM:  Obviously both are very good football players, they just come from a little different systems that they play in. Brown is one of the nation's leaders in completion percentage and he's drastically improved that from last year. So second year in the system, so he's just a good player and we're going to have our hands full.

Q2:  You look at what your team did on Saturday and I think the more time passes, the more incredible and improbable that win becomes. Looking back on it on paper. How do you build off of it instead of letting it be a pinnacle with regression?

INGRAM:  If it's a pinnacle, we're not going to have a great football team this year. There's so many areas that we can improve upon. Offensively, we did not play great. We did not play fast physically. We kind of got whipped at the point of attack quite a bit. We've got to play better there. We've got to get our option game going again, which we're going to work hard on. And then defensively, we played really well at times, but then there's some mental lapses or guys kind of doing their own thing. They had five or six of the big plays that were - not to say that Wingate didn't do a good job with it - but we had guys that were out of position and things like that. We have a lot to improve upon. So that has been the focus this week.

Q3:  In one of your preseason press conferences, you touted Turk Daniels as a stellar potential offensive lineman three games deep into his career. What have you seen from. I mean, it's a rarity for a freshman to start his first three games at Carson-Newman on the offensive line. What have you seen from a guy that's done just that?

INGRAM:  He is a really good football player right now. He's our best offensive lineman. He played the best other day. He played really well against going against fifth year interior defensive lineman from wingate, held his own and got the better of him quite a few times. He is a good player. He's instinctive, he's talented, he's smart, he's tough. So there's a lot to like about the way Turk's playing right now.

Q4:  For a casual fan, it might not be evident what a guy like that is doing on a Saturday. What could somebody who's a casual fan look forward to see? Hey, this guy is a stout lineman up front.

INGRAM:  Just watch him. He's fun to watch. He knows what he's doing. He's going to compete every snap and  if we're playing well inside, it probably means we're running the ball well and moving well. So I think his play is a reflection of how the offense is going to play.

Q5:  First career starts for Brandon Dumezil and Fortune Woods after David Alexander, Jesse Combs were held out. How did those two account for themselves against the Bulldogs?

INGRAM:  Fortune's played quite a bit of football here. Had a touchdown in the first game on the blocked punt. Fortune played well. Fortune plays hard. He's just a great young man, reliable, trustworthy. You kind of know what you're going to get with him each and every snap. Brandon did a good job. You know, he's a young kid, he's got some size, but to be able to hold his own against that offensive line, which, you know, is a really good one, I think was impressive.

Q6:  The mentality of this team, it seems like it continues to embrace the theme of brotherhood.  How have you seen it strengthen?

INGRAM:  I do think that they're embracing it. I think they really care about each other. I think they like each other, like being around each other. We are playing harder. You know, there were some times against West Virginia State we didn't play hard, but that was an emotional weekend. We got really tired, you know, it was hot. We played at noon up there, so I think we're playing harder. But the other thing is you gotta execute and you gotta do your job because everyone else depends on you. And I think that's continuing to grow. We're nowhere near where we need to be as a team and where we're capable of being. But I think because they're embracing this kind of unity and theme of brotherhood, I think we're going to continue to get better. I know that we came to work yesterday and a lot of good things are happening here, but I can still walk up in front of them and be critical of their play. They know it's not personal. They know that we all have their best interest in mind and they seem to be eager to get better as well.

Q7:  That's been an observation from folks on the sidelines. When an adjustment, a criticism is levied, there's been very little pouting. It's been something to be considered and taken to heart. How does that make you feel as a head coach? That seems to be happening, at least from an external vantage point through three games.

INGRAM:  It is happening. But as coaches, we're not perfect. Our players aren't perfect. We're just a work in progress. But the guys are buying in and we'll just continue to get better. We'll continue to work, we'll continue to coach them hard and if they'll allow us to do that, our best days are still ahead of us.

Q8:  You look at Catawba defensively. You have to talk about Deno Wardlow, safety for the Indians. He was among the league's leading tacklers last year. He is the league's leading tackler this season. As an option offense, is it a little bit scary when you're facing a team with a quality safety who can make plays like he can in space?

INGRAM:  He's a very good football player and we're going to have to know where he's at. We're going to have to block him. We're going to have to read him. We're going to have to pitch off of him and we're going to have to know where he is in the pass game. So he's a very good football player. They've got some talented guys on defense. We're just going to have toplay our game and our focus right now is really Carson-Newman.  We've got to play much better than what we played this past. Now, that being said, you know, Wingate had a lot of lot to do with that. So obviously tip of the hat to them. But I thought that was a great test and I think that's exactly what we needed on offense, a team to be physical, the team to make us work, the team to put pressure on us. And I think we'll be better for it going forward.

Q9:  Catawba's been on the road the first three weeks of the season. They'll finally open up the doors to Shoeford Stadium and play in front of the home fans in Salisbury. Does that change the approach at all?

INGRAM:  I think we just got to play football. We can't control where we're playing. We can't control the elements in the environment. We just got to play and do our job.

Q10:  Anything else?

INGRAM:  We're just excited to get back out there. Obviously it was a great win, but at the same time, there are ways we can play better and we know we can.

Kickoff between the Eagles and Catawba Indians is set for 6 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 5 p.m. with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.