Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Chris Davis
Neal Brown Press Conference - Boise State Game
8/28/2017 3:13:00 PM | Football
Purchase Tickets | Audio Only
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Opening Statement…
It's finally game week. I think we've had 22 practices and it's finally here. I think we had a successful fall camp with very minimal injuries so knock on wood that will continue this week.
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Coaches and players are ready to compete and see where we are. Honestly, I don't know where we're at, and I don't believe much of anybody does until after you play that first game. After that first game, you'll know where you are moving forward. I'm excited about the opportunity and the great challenge at Boise State. They're a tremendous program without a lot of tradition and we could sit here and talk about what they've done over the last 15+ years. We have a lot of respect not only for their program, but for Bryan Harsin and his staff and what Bryan's done as the head coach at Arkansas State, offensive coordinator at Texas and now at Boise.
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Offensively, they create a lot of difficulties because they're very well coached. They have multiple formations with tight ends and a good bit of shifting and motioning, which is what we have to be prepared for. The number one thing for us defensively this week is getting lined up and making sure our gaps are covered in the run game. They run the ball as well as anybody in the country over the last 10 years and do a great job of getting one-on-one opportunities in the play action passing game.
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Defensively, they've been successful for a long time. I think any time you win at the level they've won, it's always due to playing championship-level defense. Some of their offensive guys have gotten a lot of the press, but they've always been impressive on defense. They stop the run, are long, and do a great job in their recruiting process of going out and choosing long defenders. They get off and shed blocks, probably as good as I've played against in a long time.
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Overall, they're exactly what you would expect when watching film on Boise. We've put in a lot of hard work and a lot of energy. It's been a long time since we left the field lifting up that trophy in Mobile on December 23. Game one of a long season and it's an opportunity for us to find out where we're at as a program. It's not going to make us if we win the game, it's not going to break us if we lose it. But it is a really good measuring stick of where we're at.
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On the team's level of competition…
We're trying build a program here and to build a program, one of the key aspects of that is that you have to have daily competition. Not only in practice, but in the weight room and things like that. In our receiver room, both our inside and outside receivers have a ton of competition. Defensively, there's a lot of competition at linebacker. We're going to wait and see what practice looks like this week before we can determine what the playing rotation looks like at linebacker. We've had heated competition, and I firmly believe in playing a lot of people. I'd like to see that competition across the board by next year.
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On national attention of a non-conference game…
We put the most importance on conference games like most teams in the country. This game has a lot of national attention and rightfully so. Both of these teams won 10 games last year and Boise has been at the top of the Group of Five. That's where we'd like to take this program. I look at it as a two-game series that's going to tell us where we're at.
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On team chemistry…
I like where we're at. I like the mixture we have of veteran experience and young guys who are trying to prove something. I think we're a team that still has a lot to prove. A conference championship, getting a win with national prestige, those are things we have to be hungry for.
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On moral victories…
This program has won a lot of games. They won three national championships, been at the top of every level, went to a bowl game the first year they were eligible. I don't know if the fans have ever been fired up about moral victories.
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Troy is back…
Program-wise, it's about being consistent. We have a proud tradition here – Troy has won a lot of football games regardless of who the coach was. We're trying to build a program here, we don't want to be a one-hit wonder. We don't want to have one good 10-win season then fall back in the pack. We have to have a motto of consistency to do that. That's what is so impressive about Boise, because that's what they've done.
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Opening Statement…
It's finally game week. I think we've had 22 practices and it's finally here. I think we had a successful fall camp with very minimal injuries so knock on wood that will continue this week.
Â
Coaches and players are ready to compete and see where we are. Honestly, I don't know where we're at, and I don't believe much of anybody does until after you play that first game. After that first game, you'll know where you are moving forward. I'm excited about the opportunity and the great challenge at Boise State. They're a tremendous program without a lot of tradition and we could sit here and talk about what they've done over the last 15+ years. We have a lot of respect not only for their program, but for Bryan Harsin and his staff and what Bryan's done as the head coach at Arkansas State, offensive coordinator at Texas and now at Boise.
Â
Offensively, they create a lot of difficulties because they're very well coached. They have multiple formations with tight ends and a good bit of shifting and motioning, which is what we have to be prepared for. The number one thing for us defensively this week is getting lined up and making sure our gaps are covered in the run game. They run the ball as well as anybody in the country over the last 10 years and do a great job of getting one-on-one opportunities in the play action passing game.
Â
Defensively, they've been successful for a long time. I think any time you win at the level they've won, it's always due to playing championship-level defense. Some of their offensive guys have gotten a lot of the press, but they've always been impressive on defense. They stop the run, are long, and do a great job in their recruiting process of going out and choosing long defenders. They get off and shed blocks, probably as good as I've played against in a long time.
Â
Overall, they're exactly what you would expect when watching film on Boise. We've put in a lot of hard work and a lot of energy. It's been a long time since we left the field lifting up that trophy in Mobile on December 23. Game one of a long season and it's an opportunity for us to find out where we're at as a program. It's not going to make us if we win the game, it's not going to break us if we lose it. But it is a really good measuring stick of where we're at.
Â
On the team's level of competition…
We're trying build a program here and to build a program, one of the key aspects of that is that you have to have daily competition. Not only in practice, but in the weight room and things like that. In our receiver room, both our inside and outside receivers have a ton of competition. Defensively, there's a lot of competition at linebacker. We're going to wait and see what practice looks like this week before we can determine what the playing rotation looks like at linebacker. We've had heated competition, and I firmly believe in playing a lot of people. I'd like to see that competition across the board by next year.
Â
On national attention of a non-conference game…
We put the most importance on conference games like most teams in the country. This game has a lot of national attention and rightfully so. Both of these teams won 10 games last year and Boise has been at the top of the Group of Five. That's where we'd like to take this program. I look at it as a two-game series that's going to tell us where we're at.
Â
On team chemistry…
I like where we're at. I like the mixture we have of veteran experience and young guys who are trying to prove something. I think we're a team that still has a lot to prove. A conference championship, getting a win with national prestige, those are things we have to be hungry for.
Â
On moral victories…
This program has won a lot of games. They won three national championships, been at the top of every level, went to a bowl game the first year they were eligible. I don't know if the fans have ever been fired up about moral victories.
Â
Troy is back…
Program-wise, it's about being consistent. We have a proud tradition here – Troy has won a lot of football games regardless of who the coach was. We're trying to build a program here, we don't want to be a one-hit wonder. We don't want to have one good 10-win season then fall back in the pack. We have to have a motto of consistency to do that. That's what is so impressive about Boise, because that's what they've done.
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