COACH RICK STOCKSTILL: We’ve got North Texas this week, and they are a much improved team. They’ve got a really good running back in Lance Dunbar, who’s had a good year this year. I think the biggest thing for them offensively, compared to the last couple of years, is that they have stayed away from injuries
Their quarterback has been very good, throwing for over two thousand yards. They have always had good skill guys at receiver, and that is true again this year. They are a very solid team, very multiple in their offense. Defensively, I have always thought they have been good on the back end, and the most improvement they have made this year is in their front seven. And they are really solid in their kicking game with some really big returns. They have a dynamic return guy in their punting game, so we’ve got to make sure that we are ready to play a good game in the kicking game as well.
We are looking forward to it; it is the last one, and hopefully it will be our best one.
(The importance of winning the last game): No matter if it’s high school, college or pro, you remember your last game. On the other side, if we win this game, it is not going to make our season feel any better. We’ll be happy if we win this game, but we are still going to be disappointed, we still have to work and do some things to get better in the off-season. I do think, however, that how you play your last game will affect how you go into your off-season.
(On guys who have come on strong in the last few games): You hope your underclassmen will continue to get better. A guy like Kyle Griswould for instance, he started out at wide receiver, and that was the first time he had ever played in college, and he has to learn to play that position live, then he had to play running back when Benny (Cunningham) and D.D. (Kyles) got hurt. Now, it takes him a few games to get started there. He played pretty well at FAU, and he’s starting to get more comfortable at running back, then Benny returns and we moved him back to wide receiver. We hope he will have another good game this week at receiver to build on what he has already learned.
And it’s the same with some of the young guys on defense. Shubert Bastien has played well since he’s had to replace JiaJuan Fennell at end, and a good game this week will raise his confidence level going into spring practice. Our linebackers are playing a little better. Sammy Seamster will get a lot more snaps since Derrick Crumpton is out with a concussion. The same for the two offensive linemen, Micah James and Isaiah Anderson, who will start for the second week in a row because veterans are out.
(On quarterbacks Jeff Murphy and Logan Kilgore): I think it is critical that both of those guys play well Saturday, and that they end the season with some good things happening to them. They are very confident guys, but I still think it is important that they play well as they head into the off-season.
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