2023 Florida Football Postgame Notes
Florida 49, McNeese State 7
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field – Gainesville, Fla.
THE OPENING DRIVE
● Florida extended its nation-leading home opener winning streak to 34-straight wins.
o The Gators’ last loss in a home opener came in 1989 (Ole Miss 24, Florida 19).
● The Gators delivered their largest margin of victory (+42) since defeating Vanderbilt, 42-0, on Oct.
9, 2021 (21 games).
● Florida posted its best defensive performance in terms of fewest total yards allowed (112) in 86
games — since Sept. 17, 2016 vs. North Texas (53).
● QB Graham Mertz’s 526 passing yards in his first two career games at Florida ranks second in
program history behind Shane Matthews’ 599 in 1990. They are the only two Florida quarterbacks to
eclipse 300 passing yards in their first-career games as Gators.
o Mertz opened his UF career with back-to-back games with a completion percentage
above 70.0%, completing 14 of 17 passes for 82.4% against McNeese.
o Mertz has completed 73.8% of his passes (45-for-61) through two games.
- In the first half, Florida scored four rushing touchdowns in a single half for the first time since Sept. 5,
2009 vs. Charleston Southern.
Florida saw four different players score a touchdown in a half for the first time since
Sept. 5, 2015 vs. New Mexico State.
- Saturday’s official attendance of 88,163 marked the sixth-largest crowd vs. an FCS opponent in
program history.
OFFENSIVE NOTES - Florida made it 13-0 in the first quarter with its first 99-yard touchdown drive since Sept. 18, 2021 vs.
No. 1 Alabama (Emory Jones five-yard touchdown rush, 4:04 in third quarter). - Eugene Wilson III became the first true freshman wide receiver to start a home opener since
Antonio Callaway in 2015 vs. New Mexico State.
o Wilson III is the first Gators true freshman wide receiver to start a game since Caleb Douglas
in 2022 vs. South Carolina.
o Wilson III finished with a career-high four receptions and 36 yards with his first-career
touchdown.
Wilson is the last true freshmen wide receiver to score in a game and at home
since Caleb Douglas – 2022 at Texas A&M and 2022 vs. Eastern Washington. - RB Treyaun Webb scored his first-career touchdown with a two-yard dash in the second quarter –
the first Gators true freshman running back to do so since Trevor Etienne vs. Kentucky in 2022.
o Webb set a career high with 33 rushing yards on a career-high seven carries. - Florida’s 117 rushing yards in the first quarter marked the team’s most in the opening quarter of play
since Nov. 12, 2022 vs. South Carolina. - Florida’s 212 rushing yards in the first half marked the team’s most since totaling 290 in the first half
vs. South Carolina on Nov. 12, 2022. - Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass in 17 of his last 20 games.
● The Gators eclipsed 500 yards for the fourth time in the Napier-era.
o This is the 16th time in Florida’s last 39 games that the Gators have totaled 500-plus yards.
● The Gators eclipsed 400 yards for the eight time since the start of 2022.
o Florida amassed 400-plus total yards for the 25th time in its last 38 games including 38 of the
last 57 contests.
● Florida eclipsed 300 rushing yards for the first time since Nov. 12, 2022 vs. South Carolina.
o Week 2 marked Florida’s fourth 300-yard rushing game since 2021.
● The Gators rushed for 200-plus yards for the ninth time in their last 15 games dating back to last
season.
o The Gators have rushed for 100-plus yards in 12 of their last 15 games dating back to last
season.
● By out-gaining McNeese, the Gators have out-gained their opponents in nine of the last 15 games
dating back to last season.
● Florida scored 30 points for the eighth time since 2022 and eclipsed 40 points for the third time in
the Napier era.
o The Gators scored 30-plus points for the 40th time in their last 66 games, including scoring
30-plus in 27 of the team’s last 42 games.
● RB Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed for 100-plus yards for the sixth time in his career and for the fourth
time as a Gator – his first 100-yard performance since Nov. 12, 2022 vs. South Carolina.
● With Johnson Jr.’s rushing touchdown on Florida’s opening drive, Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne
have combined for at least one touchdown in 13 of 15 games together, scoring 20 total TDs.
o The duo has combined for 19 total rushing touchdowns.
● WR Ricky Pearsall recorded a reception in his 30th-consecutive game.
● Pearsall totaled 100-plus receiving yards for the fourth time in his career including his third time as a
Gator – his first since Nov. 25, 2022 at Florida State.
● QB Max Brown made his collegiate debut and finished 2-for-2 with 24 yards passing.
● WR Aidan Mizell made his collegiate debut and hauled in his first-career reception – a 16-yard
grab.
● QB Micah Leone made his Gators debut in the fourth quarter.
● WR Zak Sedaros, WR Andy Jean, E Scott Isacks and OL Hayden Clem made their collegiate debuts
as well.
● OL Lyndell Hudson II made his Gators debut.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
● The Gators allowed its fewest passing yards (66) since Sept. 1, 2018 vs. Charleston Southern.
● Florida allowed its fewest rushing yards (46) since Nov. 12, 2022 vs. South Carolina (44).
● S Jordan Castell became the first Gators true freshman safety to start since Kamari Wilson vs.
Eastern Washington in 2022.
● LB Scooby Williams forced a McNeese punt with his first-career sack on the Cowboys’ opening
drive. It also marked his first-career tackle for loss.
● JACK Jack Pyburn set a career high with three tackles.
● S Bryce Thornton notched his first-career tackle for loss.
● EDGE T.J. Searcy posted 0.5 tackles for loss – the first of his career.
● Florida recorded its first safety since Sept. 10, 2022 vs. Kentucky.
● Florida posted its best defensive performance in terms of points allowed (seven) since holding
South Carolina to six points (38-6) on Nov. 12, 2022.
● Florida held the Cowboys to under 300 total yards of offense.
o This is the fifth time since the start of the 2022 season that the Gators have held an
opponent to 300 yards or fewer.
● Florida held its opponent to under 200 passing yards for the sixth time in the Napier-era.
● The Gators allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards for the third time in the Napier-era.
● The Gators recorded two sacks in tonight’s game.
o Since the start of 2021, Florida has out-sacked its opponents by a plus-25 margin.
o Florida’s 181 sacks since the 2018 season ranks second in the SEC and tenth nationally.
● S Cahron Rackley, ILB Kenny Anyaehie and ILB Justin Pelic all made their collegiate debuts.
● EDGE Quincy Ivory made his Gators debut.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
● P Jeremy Crawshaw punted one time for 51 yards.
o Crawshaw has punted for 50-plus yards on 37 of 91 career punts.
Explosive Plays (13)
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 19-yard rush, first quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 13-yard rush, first quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 11-yard rush, first quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 22-yard rush, first quarter
● Eugene Wilson III: 18-yard rush, first quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from Graham Mertz): 19-yard reception, second quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 15-yard rush, second quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 15-yard rush, second quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from Mertz): 23-yard rush, third quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 12-yard rush, third quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from Mertz): 50-yard TD reception, third quarter
● Aidan Mizell (from Max Brown): 16-yard reception, third quarter
● Treyaun Webb: 16-yard rush, fourth quarter
Series Updates
● Tonight’s game represented the first all-time meeting between Florida and McNeese on the gridiron
as well as the Gators’ first meeting against a Southland Conference opponent.
● With tonight’s victory, Florida improves to 1-0 vs. McNeese and the Southland Conference.
o UF rises to 6-1 vs. McNeese all-time across all athletics.
● Florida has won eight-straight games vs. the FCS and is 23-1 against FCS opponents since 1981.
- HC Billy Napier defeated McNeese HC Gary Goff in their first meeting as head coaches.
THE STREAK
● Florida has scored in 438-consecutive games — which is an NCAA record and 54 games longer
than any other college football team in history.
o The Gators broke Michigan’s record of 365-consecutive games (1984-2014) against LSU on
Oct. 7, 2017.
o The last time Florida was shut out was on Oct. 29, 1988 vs. Auburn (L, 16-0).
GAME DETAILS
● Florida Game Captains: #56 Austin Barber, #7 Trevor Etienne, #94 Tyreak Sapp, #15 Derek Wingo
● Coin Toss: McNeese won the toss and deferred; Florida received and defended the south end
zone.
● Attendance: 88,163 (sixth-largest vs. FCS opponent)
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Coach Billy Napier
Press Conference
Florida 49, McNeese 7
BILLY NAPIER: We really appreciate our fans showing up
tonight, home opener. We had about 88,000 in there for
an FCS opponent. Look, they make a difference. They
make a difference. The energy that they create for our
players and certainly the difficulty for the opponent, it’s
special.
We talked to the players throughout the week about it’s
sacred to compete in the Swamp. We only get so many
opportunities. So independent of the opponent, it’s just a
special experience for our guys. They work hard the entire
year for these opportunities, and I thought we had the right
mindset early, both sides of the ball, and for the most part
did what we should do, truth be known, and ultimately as a
coach — we had a miscue early with the snap and then we
fumbled the ball late.
Outside of that, pretty clean day for the most part.
We did some things that were significant statistically, but it
really wasn’t about that. I told the players in the locker
room just now, I appreciate the response that we saw from
the players after last week, which was obviously
disappointing, but I think the leadership on the team, we
said it was going to be about the mindset, the effort, the
attitude, and I think we had the right things early.
We’ll enjoy tonight, and when we wake up tomorrow we’ll
get ready for the big one next week.
Q. You touched on some of the positives, but just
getting a win maybe after a four-game losing streak,
getting back in the Swamp and getting back to the
winning ways?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah. I mean, there’s something to be
said for that, I agree. Just relative to the emotion that
comes with it, right.
Again, I want to compliment the players. I think that they
handled that well.
One of the things about college football and I would say the
University in Florida in particular is it gets noisy sometimes,
good and bad. If it’s bad, then it gets loud, and if it’s good,
it gets loud.
I think the ability to stay consistent in your approach and
evaluate things objectively is important, not only for myself
and our staff but I think also for the players, and I think
we’ve got some maturity in that locker room that helped do
that.
Look, there’s challenges ahead here, but I do think that
what you’re saying is true.
Let me say one thing that I think is really important for
games like this. Some of the guys that we observe work
hard every week that don’t get to play most weeks. We’ve
got a lot of guys that do a lot behind the scenes that make
our team better, and to see some of those guys have an
opportunity to go between the lines and play, I think that’s
really special.
It not only means something to those individual players and
for us as a staff, it’s one of the more gratifying things about
coaching, but to see veteran players excited for those
individuals I think was a positive.
Q. 327 yards rushing, building confidence and maybe
even playing to your identity, how big were those?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, no, I think just efficiency. It’s
always fun when the plays work. It’s always a lot more fun
when the plays work.
But I think we had a hat for a hat. I think that we made the
right decisions at quarterback, and ultimately the staff did a
good job putting the plan together, and we went and
executed that plan for the most part on all parts of our
team.
That’s what you want when you play an opponent like this,
and certainly as a coach you’d like to say they’re all the
same, but we know that’s not true. There’s a human
nature element, and for them to show up and compete was
136634-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:29:00 GMT Page 1 of 3
a positive.
Q. What kind of tone do you think the first drive set,
and Montrell in particular, getting him involved
because he wasn’t quite as involved in the Utah game?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think just staying on schedule,
creating favorable down and distances. I think 3rd down
was manageable for the most part all night, and really the
one 3rd-and-long that we did have, we converted. That’s
where you’re essentially playing with odds on your side,
and ultimately that’s where you want to live as a play caller.
If you’re a defensive play caller you want to live on the
other end of the spectrum. We certainly did that tonight.
I think that’s the best defensive performance in how many
years?
Q. 86 games.
BILLY NAPIER: 86 games or something like that. Look,
every time I turn around out there I see a freshman running
around. Defense was ready to play, and I think we’ll
continue to get better.
We’ve got a lot of young players out there playing, and I
think those guys will get a little bit better, not only at game
day but their routine during the week I think will be
beneficial.
Q. How important was it after last week to play a very
clean game? Penalties at a minimum, mental mistakes
at a minimum.
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think it was a point of emphasis.
Reality is as a coach and really as a competitor, and each
individual player that plays in the game, you can live with
some things. Guy beats you, you run into a really good
player, maybe he wins a match-up, but ultimately the
things that have nothing to do with the opponent are the
ones that keep you up at night. Certainly we had too many
of those last week. To come back and play cleaner I think
was a positive.
But we all understand we have to continue to improve, to
evolve, and bigger challenges are coming.
Q. Just on the defense, how nice was it to be able to
see a pass rush be a little bit more consistent tonight
and also the run stopping ability? I think you guys
held them to under two yards a carry.
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I do think our ability to rush the
passer in particular, I think we could put a pretty good sub
package out there that could go get the quarterback.
That’s one of the areas of emphasis in recruiting was to go
get guys that can finish on the quarterback.
I think we struggled last year on 3rd down for a number of
reasons, and I think we’re off to a pretty decent start there
so far this year. But yeah, I think you’re spot on.
Q. What things are still a concern to you as you now
head towards Tennessee here, hosting them?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think ultimately for us as a staff,
we have young players that need to continue to develop. A
lot of guys have gotten significant experience the first two
weeks, and obviously this will be a huge game, and that
Swamp will be a lot different next week. It’ll be a bigger
stage.
I think ultimately getting our players accustomed to the
routine and challenges each individual player and even
members of the staff that are new, Sunday, Saturday —
because that’s where the game is won ultimately as a
competitor. If you can prepare, dot all the Is, cross all the
Ts, and you’re well-prepared when you show up to the
park, you’ve got a chance to play with confidence, and I
think our young players need to continue to learn that.
Q. You talked about Graham’s efficiency. That was
one of the things you liked. 14 of 17, you don’t get
much more efficient. What’s he bringing to the
offense? I know it was more run reliant tonight, but I
think the 3rd-and-10 play to Ricky, that 12-yarder, that
was kind of a big play.
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think really two drops, too, I would
say, so he’s close to being really clean.
The guy is really bright. The guy is a really good
communicator. He’s one of the hardest working players
I’ve ever been around in my career.
I think his experience bring a steadiness. He has an
awareness. It’s not too big for him because he’s played in
big games and big stages. He’s made mistakes in his past,
and I think he’s taken ownership of that.
But he’s just in a good place. He showed some toughness
last week. I think he’s earned the respect of the players
with how much he’s improved. This guy has grown a lot as
a player since the first day he got here.
He’s what you would want your quarterback to be. He is
the standard bearer. He is the example about anything
you want to talk about; if you said who sets the best
example, he would be on the list.
136634-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:29:00 GMT Page 2 of 3
I think what you see out there is a product of a lot of hard
work, and I really believe if we can continue to grow up
around him and play better around him, he’s got a chance
to be a really good player for us.
Q. After last season, two games fewer than 400 yards
against the defense. I know there are circumstances
to that, but still, given last year and that stat, what’s
that say?
BILLY NAPIER: Well, I think we added good players in the
portal. We added good players that are freshmen that are
contributing at all levels of the defense. There’s a lot of
new players out there running around.
I do think that we have veteran players that are doing a
good job leading and setting an example, and I have to
compliment the staff. Austin is new, and obviously he’s
brought a lot of things to the table, but I can’t say enough
about the growth in year two from Mike Peterson, Jay
Bateman, Sean Spencer and Corey Raymond. Not only
the on-field guys but we have a lot of off-field guys that are
in year two, too. It’s year two in the system for players and
also for that staff, and then obviously Austin has done a
good job of connecting with players, connecting with the
staff, putting his spin on things.
Look, I mean, there’s a lot of young cats running around
out there. This is a good thing for the Gators in the future.
Q. You mentioned the big stage next week and also
how many young players. How do you get them ready
to maybe not let them get too high or too low with the
excitement they’ll have with the Tennessee game?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, it’s a process. It’s Sunday. What
do we do on Sunday? What do you do on Sunday? Let’s
do the best we can do today.
I think we try to map out Sunday to Saturday for the
players. That was the point of emphasis inside the locker
room there with the players. Look, when we wake up
tomorrow, let’s go execute your plan each day, and that’s
every part of the organization, it’s not just players.
Ultimately to get to a place where you can go play with
confidence, I think you’ve got to prepare a certain way, and
ultimately that’s what I think we’re learning how to do.
Hopefully we’ll have our best week this week.
Q. I just wanted to get your assessment on your two
backup quarterbacks, Max and Micah coming in. What
did you think of them? And how important was it just
to get them reps knowing they could be a play away
from having to go in?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think these games are beneficial
in that regard. Max did some good things there in the first
possession he had.
Each guy probably made a mistake or two, but for the most
part, I thought Max did some really good things in that
possession when we moved the ball down there and
scored. He had a couple naked throws for completions.
It’s definitely beneficial.
And ultimately those guys take a million reps in practice.
That’s a small sample size compared to what we see each
week.
There’s no doubt we need those guys to continue to
develop.
Q. How would you assess your young pieces in the
secondary, specifically at star with Sharif Denson and
Bryce Thornton, given the change you had there this
week?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think those guys have continued
to grow and improve. They’ve earned more of a role on the
team.
It’s a talented rookie group of DBs, when you start thinking
about Jordan Castell and Jakeem and DD and Sharif,
Bryce. You saw him a little bit more today. Can’t
compliment that group enough. Not only talented, but I
think they all have character, and they all go about their
business the right way.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports.
136634-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:29:00 GMT Page 3 of 3
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Jaydon Hill
Press Conference
Florida 49, McNeese 7
Q. It had been a while since you guys had a winning
locker room. What was it like just to get back in the
locker room and be with your teammates after a win?
JAYDON HILL: You know, any win is a blessing, to go out
and just dominate and just let all the work that we put in
show. Anytime it’s a win, it’s great vibes in the locker room,
and it’s good to have that feeling.
Q. What was it like getting back into the Swamp today
with a pretty good crowd?
JAYDON HILL: You know, the Swamp, the vibes are
immaculate. It’s just a great opportunity to go out and
dominate, and I feel like we took advantage of it. This
week has been a big emphasis on just executing and
dominating, and we did a pretty good job. But we can’t be
satisfied with that. We’ve got to bounce back next week
and come even harder.
Q. How important was it for you guys to put such a
clean performance on tape tonight against this team?
JAYDON HILL: That’s just been our challenge this whole
week. With last week with the loss, just this week, just
attacking it and being consistent. As a defense, we feel
like we have a chance to be pretty good for the defensive
side. As a team, as well, but defensively speaking, I feel
like just executing and just practicing hard every day and
just putting it on tape really.
Q. You’re two games into your transition there at star,
and you had the pass breakup tonight out of the slot.
How do you feel like that’s going for you personally?
JAYDON HILL: Pretty good. I like star a lot. I embrace
the role, and I’m just ready to make any play that comes
my way.
Q. You had a lot of freshman defensive backs come in
throughout the game, especially at your position.
What have you seen from those guys two games in,
especially what they were able to put on the field
tonight?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, I applaud them boys, more for the
work they put in throughout the week. Them boys prepare
like veterans, and I feel like it pays off — it’s going to pay off
in the long run. They’re going to be great players for us.
Q. Given last year and some of the struggles on
defense, what’s that feel like just being able to kind of
keep teams in check?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, so me and Princely was actually
talking about that today on the sideline, and it’s just like
seeing improvement is like the best when it comes to
football. We practice together every day, and just seeing
the improvement, that’s what it’s all about. I feel like we’ve
just got to keep improving, keep getting better.
Q. How much were you pulling for the shut-out at the
end of the game? You guys were pretty close. Would
have been the first shut-out since Vanderbilt, and what
does it say to put together a pretty strong four
quarters, including your backups, limiting them to as
few yards as you did?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, on the sideline when the younger
guys were going in, I’m just motivating them, making sure
they’re on top of their game and handling business. But for
the shut-out, as a defense we were like — that’s what we
was harping on the whole week, just shutting these guys
out. Obviously we didn’t get it done, but we played pretty
well defensively I feel like.
Q. How cool was it to get a safety there at the end?
JAYDON HILL: Oh, yeah, that was lit, yeah. I haven’t
seen a safety — when was the last time we had a safety? I
don’t know, but it was really cool to see a younger guy
Jamari getting that and just celebrating. It was real cool to
see.
Q. How jacked up does that make the defense when
you get — that’s probably the hardest way to score.
136635-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:32:00 GMT Page 1 of 2
JAYDON HILL: Oh, yeah, that’s like — it’s not really too
many plays that compare to a safety because it’s not as
frequent. It doesn’t happen as often. But it was really cool
to see, though. I was happy for him. We was happy for
him as a defense. Hope to get more.
Q. The pass rush that the defense was able to
generate tonight, how much does that help you guys in
the secondary, and how important was that to get
going, especially before Tennessee next week?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, the pass rush is like top when it
comes to defensive backs. You disrupt the pass of the
quarterback, it helps us out on the back end. I feel like this
game, we took advantage of it, and we’ve just got to keep
getting better and just disrupting timing. That’s what it’s all
about. I feel like on defense, disrupting timing and all that.
We’ve just got to keep getting better at it.
As a DB, yeah, we love to pass rush. It’s great.
Q. How big was Scooby’s hit early in the game? What
did that do for the defense?
JAYDON HILL: That lit us up. I remember seeing it. I was
kind of like on the other side, and I was just yelling. But it
was really cool to see Scoob do that, all the work he puts
in, and just to see it pay off and see him celebrate with the
guys.
Q. You guys were close to getting a few takeaways in
that back end of that defense. Is that the next step for
you guys?
JAYDON HILL: Yeah, yeah, that’s always been like the
main goal, but we’ve just got to keep getting better and
hopefully come up with those balls that we had our hands
on as a defense.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports.
136635-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:32:00 GMT Page 2 of 2
University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Ricky Pearsall
Press Conference
Florida 49, McNeese 7
Q. You and Graham, how are you feeling, the
confidence level you’re feeling with him, and how big
was that 50-yarder for you?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I think it was really big for us. I
think from the confidence standpoint, I think it’s through the
roof always. I have full trust in him. He has full trust in me.
It’s always good when we hit on a big play like that.
Q. Was McNeese playing you guys a certain way that
was not allowing you guys to really attack much and
then the run game just kind of dominated?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, they kind of came out in like a
three-high look, so we just knew we were going to get the
run game. That was kind of our plan initially anyway was
just getting started with the run game, but from the passing
standpoint, yeah, they were playing three high, so it was
kind of hard to get some passes in there.
But when we got into 12 personnel sets, it opened it up a
little bit more for us.
Q. The confidence level going from Utah, such a tough
loss, to just running amok all over McNeese State, how
important was it to build that confidence up, and how
do you take that into the home game against
Tennessee?
RICKY PEARSALL: For sure. I think our confidence level
is always good. I think last week against Utah, we just kind
of beat ourselves. I didn’t really think it had anything to do
with the talent of the guys. I think it was more about
executing and eliminating penalties, and obviously I think
we did a better job of that tonight. I think that’s going to
give us a good amount of momentum going into the next
week. We’ve just got to prepare for Tennessee.
Q. I know you mentioned that establishing the run
game was a key. Can you talk about what it did for the
whole offense, specifically Montrell Johnson saw his
role increase significantly tonight. Just talk about his
performance in the run game as a whole.
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, for sure. Well, we got guys like
2 and 7 who are extremely good and gifted athletes, so I
think just getting the ball in their hands early, you can’t go
wrong with that. So just getting the running game going
early I think helps the passing game.
Q. I know you said there was an emphasis on
establishing the run today, but from a play-calling
perspective, how much more confident are you guys
getting now that game 2, you’re used to Graham Mertz
being in there. How confident are you guys from
getting the play calling and running it effectively?
RICKY PEARSALL: I think we’ve a lot more confident.
When you go out there and you execute plays better, I
think that boosts your confidence automatically, but yeah.
Q. Just to see him, just his poise, learning from all the
years that he’s had under him, just his confidence,
how contagious is that for an offense?
RICKY PEARSALL: I think very contagious. Personally for
myself when maybe I’m not feeling as hyped for a game or
something, I’ll hear Graham in the background yelling for
all the guys, and that just motivates me, motivates all the
other guys too, as well.
Graham is a really experienced guy. Everybody in the
room respects him for that, and I think all the guys pull for
him.
Q. I hate to bring up the bad memory, but the pick last
week, what happened on that play from your
perspective, and what happened on the sideline
afterwards between you two and how did you work
that out?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I’d like to take responsibility in
that just because it’s me, but it was just timing purposes
that we were off a little bit. They sent pressure, and I had
an option route, and I needed to hurry up my route, and we
just weren’t on the same page during that rep. I turned in
136636-1-1002 2023-09-10 03:39:00 GMT Page 1 of 2
and he had the ball already out, so he just got up on me,
and I just had reflexes and put my hands up, and that’s
where the tip happened, and then from there, I was like,
okay, now I’ve got to play defense, try to get the ball down.
Obviously can’t play defense.
Q. How did it feel to be able to build on some of the
stuff you guys did last week and have the 50-yard
touchdown tonight? What did you see on that play?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I think improvement throughout
the week is the most important thing with the guys
continuing to build the relationships, continuing to build the
trust and get better execution through the plays.
Just repetition, just perfecting it in practice. That’s it.
Q. How much emphasis was put on eliminating the
mental mistakes this week and how satisfying is it that
it seemed you had very, very few?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, we definitely harped on that
throughout the week. I think that was probably the main
key point that we were going through as a team is we can’t
shoot ourselves in the foot. You’re not going to be able to
beat these good teams if you just continue to shoot
yourself in the foot, get penalties, have certain mistakes
that are just going to set us back.
I think just emphasizing that throughout the week.
Q. It seems like you have more catch-and-run
opportunities this year. Does that suit your game
more?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I’d like to say it does.
Obviously I like when I’m out there and I have a little bit of
space and a little bit of freedom to make a move. I look
forward to continuing to have that.
Q. Eugene Wilson got more of a chance today. What
were your thoughts about him taking advantage of his
opportunity tonight and what he was able to do?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, for sure. I think he’s a very
talented player, very unique. He’s a very twitchy guy, so I
think he’s one of those guys where you’ve got to get the
ball in his hands in space, so I think we were going out
there and trying to do that. Get him going, because the
young guys it’s like, oh, they get in the Swamp and it’s new
to them, but I don’t think the lights are too big for that kid. I
think he’s going to be a big player for us, big impact guy, so
I’m excited for him.
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