WKU HEAD COACH TYSON HELTON
Opening statement:
““Great team win tonight, really proud of our team. We have been talking all year about that
complete game and really felt like we got close to that tonight. There were a couple things we
could have cleaned up but just an outstanding effort by everyone on the team. I was very proud
of our defense again; game ball went to Coach Crum for the outstanding job his staff did, and
our defensive team did. Really proud of our football team and where we are at, and we will
celebrate tonight and get ready for the next one after that. We are still in control of our destiny
and that is the main goal, just keep being in control of our destiny.”
When asked about what has changed on defense in these last three weeks:
“Well like we have talked about before, we are changing the fronts, multiple fronts, giving
different looks, playing a lot of different guys, doing a good job in the back end with the
coverage piece. Guys are playing with a lot of confidence; I thought the first part of the season
we hit a rough patch playing some really good competition so that really tested our defense.
But it also made us have to re-evaluate on how we play our best defense and I think that was
the good that came out of it, it made us have to re-evaluate where we were defensively and
what do we do really good. That is what a good coach does, so Coach Crum and his staff went
back and evaluated, and we have been playing good defense ever since so hopefully that will
keep going on.”
When asked how it was seeing a complete team game:
“Yeah, I thought it was great, like we have talked about just complete team football. And Bailey
still made some unbelievable plays tonight and Jerreth Sterns made some great catches, that
touchdown down by the scoreboard before half was exceptional. Just as a whole, offense and
defense, playing a lot of guys and seeing a lot of guys making plays and that is what you want to
do in the second half of the season down the stretch because you’re going to need those guys
when you play really good teams. We got a good one coming in here next week, Middle
Tennessee, they will be fired up to play us and it is going to take everybody to go win that
game. So, it’s good to see us playing a lot of guys.”
HILLTOPPER PLAYERS
Graduate senior quarterback Bailey Zappe
When asked about the depth of the receiving room:
“There’s not a single guy on this team, in this receiving core, that can’t go out there and make
plays and we firmly believe that. Everybody can go out there and do what we do no matter who
is out there. I trust everybody equally, it doesn’t matter who it is I am going to give them a shot,
throw them a 50/50 ball or try to make it easier for them on catches like that. Mitch had one,
Dalvin had one, Jerreth, and Daewood I wish we could’ve had more honestly, I wish I could’ve
gave someone else more but when you score 45 points it’s a good day. I am sure we will get
back to it tomorrow and see some of the stuff we made mistakes on and fix those.”
Junior wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley
When asked about the team’s confidence right now:
“I think we have a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season, you know we have
momentum going and we are just going to continue to work hard every day in practice and
capitalize on every opportunity every time, every possession we get the ball just capitalize on it
and make a play and just do what we do.”
Redshirt junior linebacker Jaden Hunter
When asked if they are on a roll and can continue to win:
“Coach Crum emphasizes one game, one quarter, one play at a time. We can’t start thinking
about the next week, the next drive or what they are going to do the next play. You have to
play one play at a time, and I feel like right when we fixed our attitude after the beginning of
the season things really turned around for us and are continuing to turn around for us.”
Redshirt senior linebacker Demetrius Cain
When asked how it felt seeing Coach Crum get the game ball:
“It’s a great feeling man because Coach Crum puts in so much work in here. Him getting the ball
and us being the linebackers coached underneath him is a great feeling and hopefully we can
add that on for him next week against Middle Tennessee.”
