WMU-Ball State Post-Game Quotes
WMU Head Coach P.J. Fleck
Overall thoughts...
"First and foremost I wanted to send our thoughts and prayers out to everyone that has breast cancer, that has a family member fighting breast cancer, that has lost someone to breast cancer, and anyone who is going through that. We have a deep tie to that on our coaching staff. Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are all with you. Just keep rowing the boat, and we'll find a way to get you an oar I promise you that. Obviously not the outcome we all wanted. We did not play well enough to win the football game. The kids continue to fight and I could go on with every excuse in the book but that's not good enough. We have got to win football games no matter who is on the field. You are expected to win and you are expected to play well. You are expected to do your job, and you are expected to do your job at an elite level and tonight we did not do that. When you look at what we're doing we are in the right position but then we make a bonehead error. I'm proud of the football team. I am proud of those boys. I am proud to be their football coach. I am proud to be part of the struggle because everyone is going to talk about the struggle in years to come and look back at this year. I'm not going to say it again but I am the happiest blah blah blah coach in the country. We have got to get better. These kids are resiliant and they are giving us every ounce of athleticism, pride and effort they have. It's hard to lose and this will be a winning program. We've got to give Pete Lembo and the Ball State football team some credit, they are a great team. They've got a lot of talent, a lot of seniors and a heck of a quarterback. That is a Pete Lembo football team and I love Pete Lembo. He is a heck of a guy and a heck of a football coach. His football team came in here and did what they do."
On Ball State's quarterback...
"He is the most poised player we have played all year. That is a heck of a compliment when you are a quarterback. That team looks at him, when are you going to get us out of this and when are you going to do something next, and that is what we are missing. They even have some other guys on defense that they can look to. But they have a main guy. His poise and presence and awareness and confidence and swagger are what people flock to. All the throwing and athletic talent aside, he is still a great quarterback and he will play in the NFL someday. It's the poise that makes him different."
On defensive performance...
"We played a ton of man coverage, meaning we are bringing one more than they have and they somehow still blocked our guys. They found a way to bump the ball or something and when we did get to the quarterback he had already let it go. That's the awareness that he has that he knows when to get the ball out. This is our red-shirt freshman's third game, and he doesn't have a ton of that yet but he'll develop it."
WMU Red-shirt Freshman QB Zach Terrell
On his performance...
"I feel like I'm getting better. I feel more comfortable. I felt more in control during this game than I did in the last one. Coach Fleck always says you have to get better everyday, and I think I really took a step forward this week. We have to do it again next week."
WMU Senior RB Dareyon Chance
On senior leadrship...
"It is something as a whole team. That should just be a given to be a leader. Coach talks about it everyday how a leader can be a freshman who just got in or a senior who has been here for awhile. It is important that you do have leadership."
WMU Junior SS Trevor Ishmael
On Ball State's offense...
"They're a good offense who do what they do. They may not do too much but they just run their plays and they catch it when they need to catch it. They just kept catching us at the wrong spot."
Ball State Head Coach Pete Lembo's opening statement:
“ I appreciate everybody being here, and good win for Ball State today. I'm really pleased to come up here and play a team that is much better than their record indicated. A team that we've been in a lot of close games with the past two years, and to come away with a win is special. It was a pretty good first half offensively, we moved the ball well and we had the one situation where we got stopped on fourth and inches which I was disappointed with but, getting 17 points in the first half and being able to control the ball, we came into this game knowing we had to run it well to win the game and be persistent with the run game and I thought we were able to do that. It seemed to get a little better as the game went on. Defensively a lot of good things, but some break downs that really hurt us, a couple bad fits that resulted in bad runs and missed tackles that resulted in bigger plays. Overall it was a fairly clean game until the end there, where we had the unfortunate turnover that resulted in seven points, a couple to many penalties for my liking. I don't think this was our A+ game but it was a solid effort.”
Ball State QB Keith Wenning on the start of the game:
“Well like coach said going into the game, we wanted to run the ball, we knew we were going to have to run the ball, even with them having a lot of guys in the box. We knew we were going to have to force some runs. They stuffed us a couple times and we broke a couple, but that's why there's a couple third and longs that we had to converse. I'm thankful that our offensive line stepped up and gave me some time. We converted some big third and longs and tried to have some balanced attack.”
Ball State TE Zane Fakes on Keith's leadership on the offense:
“Obviously Keith being the quarterback, he's the one that everyone listens too, and he's a great leader. He's been a two-time captain, but not anything against Keith, I think it's the offense as a whole helping each other, not just one person pulling each other. Even though it doesn't happen that often, say if Keith has a bad throw, the line will turn around and tell him 'you got the next one'. Anybody on our offense can be a leader at any time, it's a matter of who needs bringing along, the whole offense rally's around each other.”
