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 home association game vs Robert Morris on Saturday, Oct. 7.
 
OPENING STATEMENT
"Coming off the bye week, where we were trying to get healthy. Our offensive room is beat up right now. We have four or five guys we hope can be back for us this weekend. Our tight end room is beat up. Our offensive line has some nagging injuries, and our running backs are banged up. But we got better this week. We were on the road recruiting and evaluated some players for next season. It was a really productive week."
 
"Our guys understand that the preseason is over. It's a time to reset. We got our two FBS games out of the way, and now we have seven winnable ballgames left. At this point last year, we were 1-4 with two really bad FCS losses. We have a chance now thanks to a quality FCS win over Elon, who has gone on to beat #5 William & Mary, Campbell, and North Carolina A&T in the CAA. We have a chance to go on and play very well. It's going to be seven dogfights the rest of the way. We have to find a way to not make mistakes or beat ourselves."
 
Q1 – Is your team viewing this as a reset, and are they excited to hit the field again on Saturday?
 
"We are. In my opinion, we played very well in two games and we've played poorly in two games. This week, we sat down as a staff and evaluated why. But we're right where we need to be right now. We have one quality win, and we need to go win some games in this conference. We want to set the precedent this week of what we want this team to look like down the stretch."
 
Q2 – What can you tell me about this Robert Morris team who looks much improved from last season?
 
"They are much better. They got a bunch of transfers. That's the good thing about the portal. If you think you're struggling or don't have the talent, you can fix it very quickly where it used to take two-three years. Coach Clark has done a great job of flipping the roster. They're much more athletic. Everyone of their secondary are transfers, they have a transfer at linebacker, three on the defensive line, wide receivers, offensive linemen, tight end, it looks completely different from the last few years. That's our message to our team. It's not the same Robert Morris. They look much better, are more competitive, and they are very well coached."
 
Q3 – With the injuries, your team taken a "next man up" mentality, and how have the younger players accepted that role?
 
"Here at Gardner-Webb, we don't sit here and complain about what we don't have. We don't play the excuse card with our team or our staff. We meet every Tuesday morning at 7:30 am with a list of players and here's who's available, here's who's practicing, and who can play. We put a high value on practice reps. If you can't get it done in practice, you're going to be on the sideline with me, whether that's due to injury, lack of execution, missed assignments, turnovers, whatever. We have to make sure practice stays important, and the players who practice well will play on Saturday."
 
Q4 – It's been a month since you've been home. What kind of atmosphere do you expect on Saturday?
 
"Well, I've got a great record at home as a head coach since I've been here. On the road, it hasn't been as good. There's some concern there. But at home, we've been really good. I think our atmosphere is great because our administration and our fans care. When you start to win, it's easier to get butts in the seats. And that makes a big-time impact on your home games. Our goal this year is to be undefeated at home. We have all of our goals intact. We can still make the playoffs, win the conference, and go undefeated at home. Those were our goals in the preseason, and they're all still obtainable."
 
Q5 – Robert Morris is very efficient passing the ball this year. Is there anyone you've faced already that compares to them?
 
"I think they're a lot like Tennessee State on offense. They're going to get big on you, they'll start to spread on you, they can do a little bit of both. They get a lot of motion and shifting. They're going to ball control pass. Number two (Noah Robinson) is a dude. He's a great player. He's certainly a problem in the passing game. We have to harass the quarterback. We have a lot of sacks and tackles-for-loss, and a great pass rusher who I think can play in the NFL, but we have to harass the passer. We need to make them one dimensional, stop the run, and then get after the passer. It's not fun to play quarterback when that's the case."
 
For media interested in joining Tre Lamb's weekly Zoom call, please contact Richard Martin for more information.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to Spangler Stadium for the first time in almost a month on Saturday, Oct. 7 against Robert Morris. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM. Fans can purchase tickets to the game at gwusports.com.