Photo by: © Kobi Everett Photo
Tre Lamb Press Conference - Week 9 vs #13/14 UT Martin
October 24, 2023 | Football
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Every Tuesday during football season, Gardner-Webb Head Football Coach will hold a weekly press conference over Zoom at 9:30 AM EDT/8:30 AM CDT to discuss the Gardner-Webb football game each week. This week, Coach Lamb met with the media to discuss Gardner-Webb's upcoming home game with #13/14 UT Martin on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1:30 PM.
OPENING STATEMENT
"We had a great crowd on Saturday night. We had a Black Out. We broke out our black helmets for the first time since our winning streak from last season. That's probably bad coaching on my part. Probably should've brought those out earlier. But we'll be wearing those for the remainder of the year. It was a really good crowd and an incredible atmosphere. The weather was perfect."
"We got off to a slow start, and got punched in the mouth on the very first drive. The defense responded, got us some stops, got some turnovers, and we were able to separate in the second half and take a two-score lead, going up 11 with about two minutes left. We were able to seal the deal at the end. That's a very good win. We have two really good nonconference wins with Elon and Eastern Kentucky, both at home. We hope our trend of winning late in the year continues with four conference games left. We know that we have to win four out of four or three out of four to have a shot at the playoffs. We need to get to six or seven wins. We have two of our next four at home, and have a really good football coming in here Saturday."
"(UT Martin) coach (Jason) Simpson has done an awesome job. I've gone against him as a player a couple of times, and there's a lot of respect I have for the continuity in his program, and being where your feet are, he's been there a long time. And he has seen it go from where it was to where it is now and how talented they are. They've done a great job recruiting and using the scholarships. He has a really good blueprint for what coaching at the FCS level looks like."
"I think they're playing really well right now. The running back (Sam Franklin) is a very gifted player. They're big up front. The quarterback (Kinkhead Dent) is playing well. I don't see a ton of weakness. Their kicker/punter (Aidan Laros) has been really good. We ended up getting into a recruiting battle for him, and he chose UT Martin and has had an unbelievable year. There are no weaknesses on this football team, and there's a reason they're undefeated in FCS play. We have to play a really good game to knock them off. But our kids are excited for this one, and we're glad to be at home."
Q1 – Do you think the ball bounced your way a bit more with the turnovers this weekend?
"We didn't change anything in practice. We do takeaway and balls security circuits every Tuesday and Wednesday, competitively. We're still dead last in the country in fumbles lost, and we're ranked 117 in turnover margin. The fact that we have three quality wins with those numbers tells me that we have a pretty good team. The second thing though, is that we have to get those problems fixed. Ownership has to come from the players. I am tired of talking about it. Yes, the ball bounced our way a bit on Saturday, and we were able to even out the turnover margin thanks to the defense forcing four turnovers. We have to habitize that and keep working on it. But I am still mad and agitated by the fumble situation."
"And I get it, we're young on offense. We have a true freshman at quarterback. Eight of our starters are sophomores or freshman. Maybe we're trying to do too much. But the players have to take ownership of it, knowing you're holding the entire program in your hands. And that turnovers cannot happen."
Q2 – After struggling to close games out earlier in the year, how do you feel about the way your team came from behind and closed this game out against EKU?
"We wanted to put a big emphasis on winning the middle eight this week. Eastern Kentucky has been in a bunch of close games. We wanted to get the lead to two scores. We haven't been in an many close games. Tennessee State and Appalachian State were the only close games we've had, and we lost both of them. We knew we had to get that game to a two-score game in the third and fourth quarter. We talked a lot about coming out for the second half with controlled energy, emotion, and focus. More so than usual. And I think it made an impact on the middle eight. We won that, and then we won the second half."
Q3 – What will your team have to do to come away with a big win over UT Martin this weekend?
"Coach Simpson has always done a really good job. He's hired really good coaches around him. I like what they do defensively. They have a really good front seven. Those guys and their nose guard are as good as anybody we have played all year. Offensively they are big up front, and tough. They're going to run the ball with an established running back, and then throw it with the play action pass to a big tight end and capable receivers. Coach Simpson has always had a great mind and recruited great players, and that's no different this year."
Q4 – How do you use what is expected to be a big crowd to help you win this game on Saturday?
"Yeah, we have Homecoming this week. We're very excited about that. We need to make this a tough environment to play in. This is a playoff game for us, we know that. We need to win this one. And we need our crowd to know that. We'll have the biggest crowd of the year because of Homecoming, and we need them to be loud."
"We can't really stop their run game. No one has, including Georgia. You need to defend the run and make them uncomfortable. Put them in some long yardage situations and get off the field on third down. Offensively, first down is going to be huge for us. We cannot play behind the chains with a freshman quarterback. We have to take what they give us and be more patient running the football. We need to get three- and four-yard gains, and then take those shots with some double moves when we get those opportunities."
"I'm excited about the day. It's going to be a beautiful day for football. We certainly look forward to the challenge of a top-10 caliber team coming in here."
For media interested in joining Tre Lamb's weekly Zoom call, please contact Richard Martin for more information.
Gardner-Webb returns to Spangler Stadium and to conference play, hosting nationally-ranked UT Martin on Saturday, Oct. 28 for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 1:30 PM. Fans can purchase tickets at gwusports.com.
No videos available.
