Post-Game Quotes vs. Ball State
Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle
opening comments
Very proud of our team’s effort and how we responded in the final game of a stretch playing three games in 12 days. It’s not easy having a short week for back-to-back games. I thought we handled it well and played well in all three phases of the game tonight. Our backs were against the wall a little bit after losing to Buffalo. Our preparation has been heightened the last two games and there was a true sense of awareness of what needs to be done.”
on taking a 21-0 lead in the first quarter
“I think it was important to get off to a good start. If you don’t do that, you can’t freak out. You need to continue to respond because it doesn’t always go as scripted.”
on scoring a defensive touchdown and forcing turnovers
“Anytime you can create turnovers and get a defensive touchdown that’s huge. It creates a big momentum swing and big boost for our team. You could see our sideline go crazy when that happened.”
Quarterback Eli Peters
On the offenses’ quick start to the game
“I think it speaks volumes about our preparation during the week. Working with the receivers and getting those reps with the first team really helped get our timing down.”
On having a short week of preparation
“We just take it a day at a time. We know our opponent has to go through the same thing during those weeks, we just try to take it day by day and keep our focus.”
On having a good balance between the running and passing game
“That was huge. We have a really good backfield, it’s really deep and we have a lot of playmakers back there who can hit holes on any given play.”
Linebacker Richard Olekanma
On the improved play of the defense
“We’ve had a new mindset at practice. Everyone’s doing a good job playing together and focusing on the details, making sure everyone does their job on every play.”
On the defense forcing five turnovers
“That’s huge for us. When everyone’s doing their job, it increases your luck every single play. We just go out there and make plays and try to cause some chaos.”
Running Back Art Thompkins
On the success of the running backs
“It starts up front with the offensive line. They did a great job making holes for us, and that makes our lives easier when we get the ball.”
On having a deep backfield
“It’s great because it keeps us fresh. We take a lot of wear and tear and take a lot of hits. Everyone wants to be out there making plays, but at the end of the day it’s better for us because it keeps our bodies fresh week in and week out.”
Ball State Head Coach Mike Neu
“More than anything else, the guys fought and competed for four quarters. But at the end of the day, we got ourselves in a hole really early, 21 points right out of the gate. We fought back and battled, but we didn’t capitalize when we created some of those turnovers and had a chance to maybe get some momentum back.”
“I was proud of the turnovers we created and the ball skills and some of the plays those guys made. But at the end of the day, we had three fumbles and two interceptions.”
“Drew (Plitt) really competed. I thought there were a lot of positive things about his performance to build on. I thought he gave himself a lot of confidence. He was in command and had a good understanding of what we were doing. He hung in the pocket some during some stressful looks and made some impressive throws, but we have to protect him better.”
