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LA Tech 55, WKU 52

Oct. 6, 2016

Joe Aillet Stadium

Ruston, La.

POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH Skip Holtz

Q: A big sigh of relief in this one, kind of ironic that this was an offensive battle all night long, and the Tech defense gave up a lot of points, but when it counted, they came up with a big turnover there at the end.

Skip Holtz: Yeah, they ended up with a couple of them tonight, which was really nice to see. We've talked about our turnover woes, and it certainly isn't pretty and there's so much we've got to get fixed.

But you know what, I thought we improved. We're improving on our tackling, we're getting better with that. But talked about the challenge with our pass defense, and you know what, when you can score a lot of points, people are going to play wide open against you.

And you know what, if you can learn to stop the pass -- if we can learn to stop the pass a little bit better and in our zone defenses, then you know what, you've got a chance to win some games going away. But you know what we made it interesting without a doubt. Got a punt block late that really upset me that just special teams-wise was not what we've been.

And you know, a lot of things we've got to get cleaned up. But, we won. You know what, like I told the team, found a way to win. A lot of pressure on this team, dropping one early in the conference when we had our opportunities at Middle Tennessee.

Knew we were playing the defending champion coming in here. Knew it was going to be a challenge: 13-game winning streak, longest conference win streak in the country. We knew they wouldn't go away. We talked to our players about it was going to be a 12-round heavyweight fight, and it's not going to be over till the very end. And you know, I'm just really proud of our players the way they were able to compete in there and they were able to get the win.

Q: And one of the things that kind of helped them get back in it at the end, we had a couple first downs where penalties were down, also negated the first downs?

Skip Holtz: Second half was really bad penalty-wise. We're trying to milk the clock, grind it out, take the passing game out of it and kind of run the ball; nickel, dime, dink and dunk, put a drive together. And I thought we moved the ball really well.

But then we had two holding calls on one drive, to a chop block in one hold on one drive. Then we come back, get a first down. We get a tripping call. Just I mean, those are things that you shoot yourself in the foot, and that's what we talked about. I mean, I'm anxious to see them on film, but those are things we've got to eliminate if we are going to keep moving forward.

Q: How good was it to have Carlos Henderson back out there?

Skip Holtz: 232 yards worth made a difference. I'm telling you, you look at what Trent has had to do carrying the load all by himself. They came out here, and really, they rolled everything to Trent. They rolled everything to Trent, and that left Carlos one-on-one. And pretty much the whole first half, we were able to take advantage of it and exploit it a little bit.

But Carlos was healthy. We haven't had him for the last two weeks and so to get him back out there tonight really made a huge difference. Like I said, he went for 232 and it was good to have him back.

But Jarred Craft I thought ran really hard, made some big runs for us. And Ryan Higgins continues to protect the ball. I get mad at him. You know, I get mad at him. I yell, scream and holler, and he looks at me and like with a "yes, sir, are you done, I've got to go run a football team." He's poised. He's protecting the ball. He's running the offense. I just couldn't be more proud of the progress that he's made and the things he's doing on the field.

Q: And Jarred Craft, another productive night, 80-something yards rushing, I don't know how many he ended up receiving, but two touchdown receptions and one running. He just continues to become quite the weapon for you.

Skip Holtz: Yeah, he really does. Here he ends up with five and a half yards a carry, 5.6 per carry, and another 53 yards in receiving with eight catches. He's a workhorse. I can't say enough about those four that we mentioned tonight on offense right now. I thought the offensive line did a great job of giving Ryan Higgins time. I thought they did a great job of giving him time in the pass protection.

I didn't think we ran blocked as good as we need to, but they were giving up two yards a rush, and here you've got a guy like Jarred Craft rushes for five and a half yards a carry against that defense.

But I thought they protected Ryan. But Ryan Higgins, Carlos Henderson, Trent Taylor, Jarred Craft are four really special players and what they are doing right now. But it's like you said, too, you know, it's a team effort. The defense came up with the stop when they needed to. Really proud of them to see them be able to do that.

And Jaylon Ferguson came up with the final turnover and we didn't know last night and this morning if he would be able to play, fighting a flu bug and getting IV'd before the game, halftime; probably getting another one now. Just a lot of guys, some great efforts right now.

You know what, Thursday night, I know how hard it is for everybody to get here to the Joe. But you know what, this is such a special place to play and such an advantage and a home-field advantage for us, and the people that were here, the student body was awesome. They were loud. You wish there were a lot more people here, but I do understand it is Thursday night. When we got to the stadium, it was 4:30 and most people were still at work. So I know how hard that is for people to travel.

Thank you to everybody who made their way out here to support this football team. We said it was going to be a heck of a game. You're going to see an entertaining game and it was certainly that.

Q: The three-point margin of victory came on a 54-yard field goal by Jonathan Barnes, third-longest in Tech history.

Skip Holtz: Yeah, Jonathan, he's been a superstar. I'm sitting there going, all right, it's fourth down and Jonathan is right there. He goes, "Coach, listen, I've got it. I mean, I've got it."

I just have great confidence in him. I mean, everybody was upset we missed the field goal at Arkansas, but nobody was more upset or determined than he was. And I don't believe he's missed one since. You know, I'm just really proud of him, the way he's bounced back and the way he's competed, he's an unbelievable competitor.

There are not many that compete like he does, and strong leg and you know what put it through the up rights. I think it went right through the middle, didn't it?

Q: Barely, sort of. Congratulations on win. I know it's a big one and you've got the weekend to kind of enjoy it.

Skip Holtz: Yeah, we need it. Not having an open date for 12 weeks, we've got to go 11 straight games and playing this game on a Thursday night gives us the opportunity to kind of, we'll get a lift and a run in tomorrow and get the bodies flushed a little bit and get some of the bumps and bruises to go away.

And they will get a chance to go home for Saturday and get a chance to spend some time Saturday and Sunday at home, and then we're back here Sunday night, Monday and it's on to next week. But at least they are going to get a couple-day break to get their legs underneath and take a deep breath.

Thank you to everybody who came out and supported the team to it into. Great venue, environment, the blue out. Just really proud of the players and what they were able to get done on the field.

QB Ryan Higgins

Q: Pretty wild game.

Ryan Higgins: Yeah, we really had faith in our defense the whole time. We kind of -- we stalled out in the fourth quarter. I thought we played the first three quarters really well offensively. I think we -- I went for it on the fourth down, and that was one of only times we didn't score.

I just thought we did a great job offensively and our defense made a play when they needed to to take a little pressure off our back and we were able to finish the game.

Q: How nice is it to have Carlos back?

Ryan Higgins: That's a special player right there. I mean, showed every reason, like -- he's awesome, man. It's hard to -- hard to explain. It's just nice to have him out there. I mean, at first, they just weren't making the adjustments they needed to stop him and we just kept burning him. He makes me look good, so I'm happy.

Q: Jarred Craft had a great game, as well. What was he able to do on the ground as well as the passing game?

Ryan Higgins: Jarred's got great hands and giving him little screen passes or anything like that, dumps, check-downs, I trust him to make plays, and he's done a great job making the first guy miss almost every time. And I'll dump it to him, you know, expecting, okay, they got us on this one, I'll check it down to him, get a couple yards.

Next thing you know, he's got nine or 10. He's just been -- he's become, I guess, more loose, just in the way he runs and everything. He's just becoming a really good running back.

Q: When you look at Western Kentucky's numbers coming into this game, you may have thought they were good against the pass, they had not played very many pass-happy offenses thus far. What did you see on tape that made y'all think you could exploit them deep?

Ryan Higgins: Well, really we didn't expect them to play man-up as much on us. We just expected a lot of three-deep zone and stuff like that we thought we were going to have to run the ball and then force them to lock down. But they did that early, and we took advantage of it.

Wasn't exactly what we expected but we -- I mean, coming in, we definitely didn't underestimate them. We were like, this is going to be the best -- I think the best defense in the conference and just with a great offense, too. We were expecting a great team and they did, and they were good players, but I think we just took advantage of a lot of opportunities.

Q: Seemed like you enjoyed the company of one another. What is it about the two teams that make it -- you despise them a little bit?

Ryan Higgins: Really I just think how the past two years have gone, with 2014, us putting a whipping on them, and last year, them beating us, and then having -- they had the 13-game win streak in the conference, and like coach holds said earlier in the week, they had the belt between us and it just -- I don't know. It was just really intense, and we knew how good they were, and we knew how good we were. We just knew it was going to be a great battle and it just made it all that more intense.

Q: On that note, what's it like when you stop that 13-game win streak and set yourselves up nicely to continue this run for a conference championship, what's that feeling like, that you took care of business?

Ryan Higgins: It's great. Like Coach Holtz said, we have 24 hours to celebrate. We're stoked that we did a great job offensively and defense made plays when we need them to, and we came out with a win more than anything.

But we're not happy with where we are. We feel better than where we were but we just have to keep going, and I mean, it doesn't stop here. It's on to the next game.

Q: What was that feeling of jubilation like? You were on the sideline, you guys had done your part putting up 55 points but still having to be on the sideline hoping the defense could make play and sure enough, one play in, they get the fumble. What was that moment like?

Ryan Higgins: It's surreal. We had all the confidence in the world that our defense could step up. I mean, with Xavier and Coop and Lloyd and all those guys, we trust them to make plays, and we knew they could come through in the clutch for us. And it just happened to be on the first play and made it all that more -- I wouldn't say caught us off-guard but it was a wonderful sensation.

Q: As a quarterback, do you like to play a game like that, where the offense -

Ryan Higgins: On one hand, yes. It's awesome, I guess, to be in a shootout but on the other hand, it can be a little scary.

Q: Did you get in a rhythm with Carlos? Did you feel like it's going to be a big day, not just you, but the passing game in general? Did you find that touchdown feel?

Ryan Higgins: Yeah, like in warm-ups, I just felt -- we warm up with our deep balls and stuff like that, and I just felt great today. I was just feeling it. And really, just after one or two passes, you just get in a rhythm like that and it's just -- and it's great to have Carlos back and we were able to connect opponent a few. It was just nice, kind of like in the zone.

Q: Shootouts, you've had a couple of these, nice to finally get one? How much of a confidence boost is that?

Ryan Higgins: It's huge, especially moving into next week. We get some time to rest our guys. Just really as far as offensively, it is great knowing we can put up as many points as we need to win. And especially with -- inaudible -- it's a great confidence boost for the defense, knowing, hey, we need to make a play and we did and really just of course we're all -- we all know we need to improve every day and every game, but we hope to build on this momentum.

Q: How happy are you to get a little extra time off?

Ryan Higgins: I'm especially excited. Like today I felt great. The team, or the offensive line did a great job, gave me plenty of time, and it is easy when I've got guys like Carlos and Trent to get open quickly. I don't remember taking too many shots. Just it's going to be nice for everybody to just have a nice little break, almost like a bye week. Just ready to come back Sunday, ready to work.

WR Carlos Henderson

Q: Carlos, what was it like, that first half, specifically, you're back out on the field and putting on quite a show, getting these long bombs from Ryan. How rewarding is that?

Carlos Henderson: I've got to commend my offensive line and the quarterback. I've got to commend the offensive line for giving the line enough time to throw me the ball and commend Ryan for finding me to get it down deep. I mean, I play how Coach tell me to, play technique. I commend my offensive line and my quarterback. They had me in the first half.

Q: The first half, touchdown reception, seemed like you pretty wide open. What kind of coverage did you see and what was going through your mind?

Carlos Henderson: Coach called my number -- you got to make a play, and so I just saw the ball in the air and caught it and made a play for my team. That's the move, making a play for the team. Did it for the team.

Q: How excited were you to be back on the field?

Carlos Henderson: It feels great. It feels great. It feels great. I've missed it. I've missed it. I love this team, I love this game. It felt wonderful, great, to be back on the field with my team and to get the W like we did tonight, it's a great feeling. No feeling like it.

Q: Your first game back -

Carlos Henderson: Yes, I feel good, but like I said, I commend my offensive line and my quarterback for finding me and getting me the ball.

Q: Like we were talking with Ryan, to get a win over this team where it seems like kind of a rivalry slowly building and them coming in, depending conference champions, 13-game conference win streak, for you to handle your business and get past this tough opponent, how important is this for setting yourselves up well for the rest of the season?

Carlos Henderson: This was very important. Them having -- Western Kentucky has a very great football team, and them having a 13-game win streak and for us to break that, that's big time. I commend my defense and my offensive teammates for making the stops and making the plays we need to make when they are supposed to be made.

I couldn't ask for -- got some great teammates in there and they did their job. When their number was called, they made the play and they played well, real well.

Q: What did you see in the end zone -- in the ground and also the air?

Carlos Henderson: Jarred Craft is a good player. You never know when Jarred Craft is going to break a line -- he bounces off tackles good, he does what Coach tells him to do.

I think Jarred Craft is a great player and we need him and we're going to continue to need him throughout the season and throughout the conference. It's great to have him. He's a good player to have.

Q: Everything you've done on offense, getting all the points and yards, still having to be on the sideline last few minutes and expecting your defense to come up with a stop and they do, on that first play, what was that moment of excitement like?

Carlos Henderson: It was very exciting. It was breathtaking. Like Ryan said, we have faith in our defense and they made a play when they need to make a play. They came up big, and that was a big-time play in a big-time situation. I couldn't commend them enough for doing what they did. Fundamentally sound, coached, making a tackle and getting a fumble. That was great. That was an awesome feeling. That was an awesome feeling.

Q: Is that a budding rivalry -

Carlos Henderson: Yes, going into every game, we know we've got to score a lot of points. We've got to score. It's our job to score. That's what we do as an offense. So yes, I think we came into the game knowing we had to score a lot of points.

Q: Did you necessarily think it had to be 55?

Carlos Henderson: No, no, I'm not going to lie, no, no. But I'm glad we did score 55, but I'm glad. I appreciate we did.

Q: Surrendering the big one, what do you think contributed -- when they were able to get back in the game?

Carlos Henderson: That's a bad taste in our mouth, when we come from Middle Tennessee losing a game like that. So I guess we kind of had (inaudible). The defense stepped up and made a big play when they needed to make it and that was good. That was good. That was good.

WKU HEAD COACH JEFF BROHM

JEFF BROHM: Bottom line, we didn't play well. It's the worst game on defense we had. Didn't do enough on offense. Special teams has been playing outstanding every game and giving us a chance. And yes, I like to fight, and we came back, but it was just not a very well-played or well-coached football game.

Q: What were the main issues defensively?

JEFF BROHM: Well, early on they just ran right by our corners. So I don't know if really that was the cause. Our corner just ran right by. It was disappointing to give up two easy throws.

And then after that, I think they lost their confidence and gave up too many perimeter throws on the outside, which we knew they were going to do coming in -- screens, which we knew they were going to do.

It's disappointing. I think our defense probably lost a little confidence early on and was shell-shocked. But those are things you've got to learn from. I think towards the very end of the game, it was slightly better. But you know, it's a team loss. We've got to take it that way and we've got to learn from it.

Q: Do you think T.J. not having Nick affected the defense?

JEFF BROHM: Without question, when you're missing some key guys like we are, it's going to. But it's no excuse. Whoever is in there has got to step up and make plays, and we didn't make very many plays.

Q: That being said, offensively, were you pleased with how the guys did tonight?

JEFF BROHM: I thought our guys battled and played hard, and we found a way to make some plays and score some points and that was a plus. But it wasn't enough. We've got to find a way to do more. Disappointed that we turned the ball over at the end, but it happens. I thought we had a quick little pass, two guys open to the left and Mike locked in a little bit on the rush and tried to step up and knocked it out.

But it's a team loss and we've got to find a way to move on and get ready for next week.

Q: What will be the message moving on?

JEFF BROHM: There's a lot to learn from it, and this is going to be a tough stretch for us. We knew these two games would -- two of the better teams in the conference on the road. Now we've got our backs against the wall a little bit, and we've got to go into Middle Tennessee and find a way to win. And they are leading the conference right now, and I'm sure they will be licking their chops trying to get us at home.

We've got a lot to learn. We've got to be critical of ourselves as coaches, as players, find a way to make improvement and come out and play much better next week.

Q: Where do you think y'all are as a team halfway through the season?

JEFF BROHM: Well, you know, unfortunately we've lost a couple close games but that's all part of getting better do we have a few younger guys, yeah, we do. We have a lot to learn and make sure we're there for them and work with them and get them to improve and they understand how important every small little detail is, because that's how you win. Last year we were fortunate, we had some senior leaders that took over the team, and we found a way to do the small things.

And right now, we probably need a little bit more of the leadership to step up and get us over the hump. We all have plenty of room to improve. It's a long season and we lost this one. Now we've got to just focus on the next one.

Q: Is that defensive performance surprising, given the way they have played the first few games of the year?

JEFF BROHM: I'm very surprised at it. I thought we've worked hard over the last year and a half to defend the spread. We haven't really faced a very good spread team yet. We handled Rice pretty well, but this team is one of the better ones; there isn't any question about that.

I just thought we gave them way too many easy throws and easy completions and didn't contest things, and you know, just wasn't good.