Oct. 11, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
Head coach Denver Johnson and the Redbirds begin their preparation for the No. 1 ranked Southern Illinois Salukis today. In the weekly press luncheon at noon, Coach Johnson, along with sophomore tight end Dave Mordis and true freshman saftey Tom Nelson, addressed topics including the Salukis and their recent last minute loss at Youngstown State and last week's Homecoming loss against No. 3 Western Kentucky. Here are the quotes from today's conference:
Sophomore tight end Dave Mordis on what his versatility brings to the offense:
"I'm really just doing what the coaches are telling me to do. I'm playing a little bit at H-back and a little bit at the Y position, which I played quite a bit last year. Getting out there in a lot of different position makes it hard for the defense to pick up on what I'm doing and allows me to get open in the flats. "
On losing two straight games by three points:
"Having two straight losses by three points is heartbreaking. Losing to Western Kentucky by three at homecoming hurts for as team, the coaches and the whole community."
On playing No.1 Southern Illinois this week on the road:
"Going down to Southern is going to be a big challenge for us this week. They're the No. 1 team in the country, so it's going to be a hostile crowd. I've never played there, but when you're No. 1, you're going to have great fans and its going to be tough."
On how the team is preparing for the SIU game:
"We know what we're going up against. So we're going to practice hard all week and develop a solid a game plan to go in there with. We're positive that we can play even after the two tough losses because you can't worry about the past. We just have to put that behind us and try to have a good game against Southern and take them out."
True freshman safety Tom Nelson on the transition from high school to college football:
"Well the two are completely different. The speed of the game is increased, the talent level of the players, the complicated schemes and the length of the season all make the college game much harder."
On what's helped him in the successful transition to starting as a freshman:
"Being down here for two and a half months this summer working out and talking with my teammates helped out a lot. I worked out as hard as I could and tried to absorb as much information as I could and that has seemed help. Coach Lambert has also taught me a lot about how to play defense and has given great insights on how to be successful."
On how he became a Redbird:
"Coach (Ron) Lambert contacted me a week before signing day after talking to coach (Randall) McCray, who now coaches at Toledo, to see if I wanted to come down for a visit. When I came down for my visit, I talked to coach Johnson and liked what I heard and saw on campus and signed about a week later. It was a quick process, but I'm happy I did because this is a great place to be."
On the coaches deciding what position he was going to play:
"That was one of the hardest things for me coming out of high school and being recruited. I played quarterback my senior year and barely played defense at all, so I didn't have any defensive film to show anyone at all. I knew I had to switch to defensive back or safety in college and that coaches had to trust that I could play defense or else I never would have been signed at all."
On the defense preparing for SIU:
"They're the No. 1 rushing team and No. 1 offense in the conference and have been for the past couple of years. It's going to be a great challenge for us to establish ourselves against that offense. It's also a great way for us to establish that we are a force in the conference as a team and that we're still the top defense in the Gateway and should be."
Head coach Denver Johnson opening statement:
"We've had a couple of tough games against Youngstown and Western Kentucky losing by three points. And now we're right in the middle of what I'm calling `Amen Corner' with our three games against ranked opponents. But, I still believe in this team and believe that we are a Top 25 team. I know from our last two performances that we can play with these teams, but now we just have to win the tough one. We're going to head to Southern with a solid plan in mind."
On bouncing back from two tough losses:
"Our kids seem to be very resilient. I'll be very surprised if they don't show up today at practice with extreme focus and determination. To this point the guys are frustrated, but there's no quit in them and they still realize they have time to go out and make some noise in the conference."
On three-straight ranked teams in WKU, SIU and UNI:
"Going into the season, I think the consensus was that Southern, Western Kentucky and Northern were the three best teams in the Gateway. But I think this team is better than what everyone thought we would be and that we are right up there in the mix with those teams. But we have to beat one of those teams in order to put in that group as one of the best. Our conference is one of the best and when you have to face the three best teams in a row, it's definitely a tough road to hoe."
On keeping up team morale:
"I'm always honest with my team. I just tell them what I think, where I think I'm at and where I think the team is at. Where we are is mid-season and we're .500 at 3-3. We've got five more games to determine how our season is going to end up. It's difficult and I worry about the psyche of the team, but I worry less about that because we have kids with great character. We are blessed to have great young people in our program right now and see great things in the future for this team and program because of that. "
On being motivated by two consecutive losses and the No. 1 Salukis:
"I hope our kids are motivated and excited about going to play the No. 1 team in the country. We feel like we may be the best 3-3 team in the country right now and we know that we can play with the Salukis. I've known Jerry (Kill) for a long time and they've put together a great program down there with a strong influx of talent the past few years. I just hope our kids come out today with a bit of an edge or attitude and keep that up all week going into Carbondale."
On the No.1 defense in the conference (ISU) going against the No.1 offense in the conference (SIU):
"That's a very interesting match-up. Their offense is very talented, efficient and productive. (Joel) Sambursky has been a great quarterback for them for the past three seasons and their running backs have been great, with their best of the three still being there. But our defense has been very productive this season. Our defense has been good about forcing turnovers and has been pretty adept at scoring some points on defense. I hope that match-up will be one of the marquee match-ups on Saturday and whichever unit comes out on top in that front has a good shot at winning the game."
