North Carolina A&T Head Coach Sam Washington Opening Statement: "Good afternoon everyone, this is a big week for us. Homecoming. Last week's ball game, it was tough. It was a very tough loss. It was one of those games that I thought was on a seesaw early. We did some things better, and we did some things not so well, and that inconsistency is one of the concerns that we're having right now. Defensively, we were missing a lot of capable, injured guys and went out there in the fourth quarter and had two freshmen on defensive ends, so those are tough times when you have true freshmen kids that were in high school last year performing for you, but I thought they fought hard. They finished the game for us, and that's what matters. Moving on to this week, big week, big week for many reasons. Of course, it's homecoming. GHOE. Everybody in the world gets excited for this moment, and we, too, are very excited, participating in this ballgame with a very worthy opponent. Initially, when I found out we were playing Monmouth, I was a little bewildered, to say the least, but as I thought about it and as I look forward to it, I think this is the perfect opportunity for us. You know to bring them into this environment, bringing them into our environment with this great fanbase, I think it's a great opportunity to showcase what North Carolina A&T has to offer, and that's not only on the football field also in the community as well. So, we welcome Monmouth and look forward to this weekend."
Coach Washington on the status of Kyin Howard: "He has fractured sternum, there is a crack there. So, very painful. Thanks for asking, and it's been one of those seasons where you know we've had several injuries. We have three guys out with concussions as well, and it just so happens that they're all on defense."
Coach Washington on getting players back from injury: "Yes, we think we're going to get a couple of defensive linemen back … at least two defensive ends.
Janorris Robertson is very hopeful, and so is
Shomari Wallace. If we're able to get those two back, that would be a tremendous help."
Coach Washington on Greatest Homecoming crowd helping A&T bounce back from losses: "The energy knowing that support is behind you. It gives you something a little more to play for on Saturday. But, you know, I always say, you need a 'want to,' a 'why,' and I think that's going to be a huge why. It's GHOE; what other reason do you need?"
Coach Washington on how not controlling own destiny affects team psyche: "Well, it's tough. If you look at it from that psychological standpoint. I think it's very important that we just do what we do and do it well, which we have not done. I still believe we can play better than we have played, and I know that we can, so those are the things that we must focus on going forward. Do the little things well, and big things will happen for us."
Coach Washington on why he thinks the running game is struggling: "If I were able to put a finger on it, we'd be running the ball better than what we are doing. It's various reasons. One, in particular, is the point of attack. We've got to do a better job of winning the point of attack, and we have not done that successfully. So that is a focal point that we must do better."
After the last game, coach Washington on how the team is: "Well, I'm excited to see them at practice today. Honestly, I haven't spoken with them since the ballgame, and that is a concern to make sure that we are in the right frame of mind and prepare for a championship ball club coming in here. So, I'm willing to bet their mindset is in a very good place. If not, we'll get it there."
Coach Washington on what makes him nervous about Monmouth: "They're a very good football team. Everything, they run, block and tackle well, but they are a very good football team. They do a lot of things well. And one of the things I admire, they don't hurt themselves, and I think that's a sign of a championship team. One that doesn't beat themselves. Very few penalties, and just play hard, and they play for 60 minutes."
Coach Washington on staying the course or re-evaluating: "At this point, there's going to come a time where we'll have to do that, but I don't think that this is the week to do that per se. Now, we self-evaluate after every ballgame. We evaluate every player after every ball game, but I think the focus this week is on Monmouth, and we're going to have to put the last game behind us as soon as possible so that we can move forward with this big challenge ahead."
Coach Washington on the depth chart: "I think injuries attack the depth chart first. So let's find out who's going to be able to play and who's not, and we'll make those determinations from there."
Coach Washington on Jamison Warren's play recently: "Football player. I always say football players make football plays, and that young man has been tremendous, and his attitude and his willingness to prepare and the energy that he brings is amazing, and I'm very happy to have him."
Coach Washington on the expectation for his leaders at this point: "I just had one of them come up to me as I was walking this way and asked, 'Coach, can we meet with the team today at 2:30 before your 3 o'clock meeting?' So, the leadership is in the right place. Their willingness and their want to is in a good place. Their heart is in a good place, so I was very excited that they came and even asked to meet with the team."
Follow up Q: So it's a players-only meeting?
Coach Washington: Yes, the players are having a meeting at 2:30, and the leadership group called that meeting."
