MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football head coach Steve Campbell, offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield, defensive coordinator Greg Stewart, along with quarterback Evan Orth and defensive end Chason Milner met with the media Monday to recap Memphis and preview Saturday's Sun Belt road game at Appalachian State.

Head coach Steve Campbell
Opening statement: "Obviously it was a disappointing loss to a very good Memphis team but there were some positives we can take out of that, we did some good things on both sides of the football and made some improvements from the week before when we won a game against Texas State.  We move forward now to App State with all of our preseason goals still in our own hands as far as winning our half of the Sun Belt Conference and playing in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.  We can't control all of that right now, but what we can do is focus on trying to win one football game which would leave us alone at the top of the West Division; that's what we're gunning for.

"App State is a great football team.  They are one of the top teams in the nation in total defense, and they are very good offensively — they put up 70 [points] last week — and they have a guy who blocked two punts for them.  As you would expect from a team that won nine games and a bowl game a year ago, they are a well-rounded, well-coached athletic football team.  It will be a great challenge for us, but it's one that we are up for and really looking forward to."

On what the team learned from the Memphis game: "Offensively I'm sure we gained some confidence, I know I did as a coach; we hadn't played a game like that, each game that we play is the first time through with these guys.  I thought our protection held up.  Evan [Orth] did a tremendous job throwing the ball out there where Jamarius Way could go get it, and Jordan McCray went and hot them the week before.  I'm learning that sometimes double coverage doesn't necessarily mean double coverage, those guys can go out there and make a play.  Evan is doing a great job of finding where to go with the football, we're giving those guys enough time, and I also thought he did a great job running the triple option.  Those are things in practice — when you're not live doing full-speed tackling — that are hard to judge, but in the game the guys are making the plays that we need to make in order to move the football.

"Defensively, any time a guy goes for 188 you're not happy.  But the week before he went for two-and-a-quarter, and the week before that he went for 250; the guy was averaging 15.6 yards per carry.  I'm not pleased we held him to half his average, but there was a little bit of improvement there.

"We need to keep gaining ground and getting a little better on both sides.  I was pleased that we blocked a punt and that we stopped a fake punt, there are some things in there that you don't always see that gave us a chance to possibly win the ballgame.  I saw growth in the kicking game and thought we covered punts and kickoffs well, and we had one great kickoff return that flipped field position.  There was a lot of progress on both sides, what we have to do is keep chopping wood and sooner or later that light switch comes on."

On Evan Orth: "Evan has done really, really well, he hasn't done anything different from the first scrimmage when we gave him a chance to get in, he's been doing this since the beginning.  As a coach, you need to pay attention to what you're seeing because he has done a good job with every opportunity that he's been given.  I've been pleased with his progression, and now that he's getting more reps you will continue to see growth out of him.  I'm pleased with the way he's been able to throw the football and with what he's done in the run game, I thought he executed the triple option and power read well.  We're asking a lot out of him in the run game and the pass game, and he's done a really good job."

On building the team's offensive line: "The toughest place to run is right up the gut, we've had some success there at times.  What I tell our guys is we have to block well enough inside to make the ends tackle the dive, if they are doing that then our quarterbacks can keep it on the outside and we can get it on a pitch to Kawaan [Baker].  If you're not blocking well enough to make the end squeeze, that's when your offense has issues.  The one play that disappointed me was the 4th-and-2 where we did not get it, we need to get to where we can knock them off the football and gain two yards but we're not quite there yet.  I need to do a better job helping our guys out and getting us into a better play call, I am not going to put that on them.  We are getting to that point, we need to get to where it's 4th-and-2 and they know we're going to run it, we know we're going to run in and we're going to get it anyway but we're not quite there yet."

On Appalachian State: "App State is a great football team, they are coming off a nine-win season where they had a blowout victory in their bowl game.  This year they've beaten two opponents, one by 40 and the other by close to 70, and the one they didn't beat was Penn State — the Fiesta Bowl champion — who they took to overtime.  They are a good football team, but that's the kind of team you play in the Sun Belt Conference and we're excited about it.  To get where we want to go you have to go on the road and beat teams like that, that's the challenge in front of us and it's one we're really looking forward to."

Offensive Coordinator Kenny Edenfield
Opening Statement: "We're excited to get back out there this week. I think our guys saw a lot yesterday on things we can continue to improve on, and they're excited to get another opportunity – a conference game against one of the better teams in our league, so we can kind of see where we stand at the end of this week. Hopefully, we'll be 2-0; we're going to get them a good game plan and give them an opportunity and put them in good positions to make plays."

On positives from last Saturday's game at Memphis: "First and foremost, we were able to get the ball and have some opportunities down the field to make plays. We talked about that being one of the things we wanted to do, and we were able to do that. Any time you get an opportunity to make big plays, it helps open up some of the run game. The one thing we were still not able to do was go without any turnovers; we're going to continue to work on that. We had two critical turnovers in the red zone, and I think if we could have gotten some more points there then it would have helped us out. I do think we did a better job, even though the stats didn't say it, of being able to get some runs in there and try to go straightforward and be really physical with them (Memphis); I think that made a difference. But at the end of the day, we have to continue to make more plays and not shoot ourselves in the foot with our turnovers."

On Evan Orth: "I didn't know any of the guys when I first got here in the spring. I thought he (Orth) was an intelligent guy who worked hard and waited his turn. Every opportunity we gave him, he seemed to make some plays. Going into the first game, we talked about Cole [Garvin] getting the start because they were pretty even and Cole had played a lot more football so I wanted to give him an opportunity. The thing Evan has never done is gotten down on himself. He just keeps waiting his turn, and when his turn has come he has made opportunities out of it. He has shown that the last two weeks. He's trying to do exactly what we ask him to do. None of us are perfect calling the plays or playing the game, so I'm just excited that he keeps coming with a good frame of mind each week trying to get better and give our guys opportunities to make plays. And that's really what the quarterback is, he's like the point guard – just distribute the ball out there."

On Orth's leadership: "It's hard to be a leader when you're not out on the field playing. You can lead in a certain way, but guys respond to making plays. I think the way he played the last couple of games helps his leadership. He's always been trying to be encouraging and get everybody on the same page, but sometimes if you're not playing then they just look at you. I think, now, making all the plays he has made and giving guys opportunities to make plays, protecting the ball – that has helped him a lot. I do think when he gets on the sideline, when there is frustration at times, he is really good at getting those guys on the sideline and encouraging them that we're going to get them the ball and just keep doing what we're supposed to do."

On Appalachian State's defense: "They have a really good football team. They've been running the same defense for a long time. They changed (defensive) coordinators, but are still in the same scheme so they have guys who have grown up in their scheme. It's a very similar scheme to what we play here defensively. They do some different things in the secondary, nothing hard or nothing we haven't seen. They do try to give you a couple of different looks. They played Penn State really tough, and only played a couple of fronts and coverages the whole game; they just tried to play hard and not mess up.  They run to the ball really well and have good speed. I don't think they're gigantic up front, but their linebackers are pretty good. They have four of them who all run pretty good and have good size."

Defensive Coordinator Greg Stewart
On the Memphis game: "The offense gave us a chance and when we get those opportunities, we have to take advantage of them by making plays that we should make; we need to play our defense correctly. Opponents are running some different schemes on us. [In practice] we are working on their favorite plays to run; we work on stopping their four favorite runs and their four favorite pass plays. In the games, we are seeing a little bit of different stuff, which normally is a good thing, because when teams start doing stuff that they aren't normally doing, they usually aren't as good at it. What we have to do better defensively is when we do see those changes, we have to play better.

"I love our guys though. We keep telling them every day to just keep working, and I know it's a cliché, but just stay the process. I know [Coach Steve] Campbell knows how to win [Coach Kenny] Edenfield knows how to win and we've done a bunch of winning, but we just have to keep the process and not panic. We have some bumps and bruises along the way, but this isn't our first rodeo. If we play hard good things will happen."

On scouting Appalachian State: "What makes Appalachian State a little different from others is that they run some triple-option; we run a little of that [on our offense] so we've had a chance to work against it a little bit. They're really solid, their quarterback's really efficient. I know [Taylor] Lamb was there the past three or four years, but [Zac Thomas] is good; he can run a little bit and you can tell that he's very smart in how he plays. [Jalin Moore] and [Darrynton Evans] are real good [running] backs as well. [Corey Sutton] is their go-to guy at receiver; he has a lot of speed. In the run game though, they do a lot of the same things that everyone else does with the addition of the triple [-option]. They're a good team. As Kenny [Edenfield] was saying, they've been [their offense] a long time and you can tell; their offensive line works really well together. It'll be a challenge, but it'll be fun."

On how the Oklahoma State and Memphis games have helped season the defense: "The more that we play, do what we do and see the things that they've seen, it will only make you better. The thing we can't do is try to do too much. Some things don't always go well and you can't take everything out and put something else in, that's even worse. Our players know what they have to do, know how to play it and that there are some things we have to do better, some things we have to coach better, but it's all part of the big scheme of what we are trying to do within our defense. It's not rocket science. We have to tackle better and in order to get better, we are going to keep tackling every day. Eventually, a switch will come on and it will happen, just like with everything else. Hopefully it will be this week."

Quarterback Evan Orth
On bouncing back this week against Appalachian State: "It sucks to lose, but we are 1-0 in conference play. Right now we're looking to go 2-0. That's our main goal. We're going to do everything possible this week to make that happen."

On his growth as being the starter: "I feel a little more comfortable with all the plays and different things they're asking me to do with running the ball and throwing the ball. I'm more comfortable in the pocket, feeling it out, playing whole games, four quarters, and getting acclimated being a leader on the field and on the sidelines, too. When people are frustrated with how the game is going you have to keep them up and stay positive with them. I think I've learned how to do that now being the quarterback. Moving forward I want to make sure everyone knows that no matter what the score is we have to go score the next time we get the ball. It's kind of like having the mindset that the game isn't over no matter what the score is."

On Jamarius Way: "He's an awesome player. Any quarterback would like to have that. I think he's had around 175-180 yards two weeks in a row. Throwing to him when you have a third down and short and need to make a play happen you know you can go to him. He's very reliable, has great hands and he's got a huge body. You can throw it high and away from defenders. He was doing it against players who were all-conference against Memphis. It was awesome to see his growth and we need another big game from him this week."

Defensive end Chason Milner
On bouncing back this week against App State: "Definitely going to be a bounce back week for us. We've played three good teams out of conference so far this season. I think it puts us right where we want to be going into conference play. We've seen tough opponents. We're definitely going to build on a lot this week, learn from our mistakes and move on."

On what went good and bad last week: "There wasn't a whole lot of good. We definitely could have done things better. We have to learn from our mistakes. But we played hard, you know that's the thing we always fall back on especially on defense, and I'm sure the offense feels the same way. As long as we play hard we can fix the mistakes."

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