MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama football head coach Kane Wommack met with the media Monday for the program's weekly press conference.

Below are highlights from the session.

Head Coach Kane Wommack
- Opening Statement:
"This is an exciting week for our fans and exciting for the conference to have two teams that have positioned themselves to compete at the highest level of our league halfway through the season on a Thursday night on national TV in a rivalry game. I told the players 'In this building there are a number of things to point to that are potential distractions for us, and they are distractions if we allow them to be, particularly if we allow them to distract us from the detail and relentless effort it takes to be consistent in the things that we are doing in this building day in and day out to get us to a [positive] outcome on Thursday.'

"I think it's awesome that we are playing against a team that is also positioned to compete at the end of the season. You look at a packed Hancock Whitney Stadium, and all those things are really great, but ultimately this team is in the position that we are because we've been so relentless in the detail of our process, so those are the things that we are going to talk about this week." 

- On whether it's a challenge or an advantage to play such a big game on a short turnaround:
 "I feel that in some ways, coaches get panicked about having a short week. It's natural for us to want as much time to prepare. There's always one more walk thru that we feel we could do for our own piece of mind. There are things from last week that we need to get corrected and addressed, so that it doesn't hurt us moving forward, but to some level on a short week there's a little bit of an advantage that we know what to do and we know our process.

"We treated Sunday night like a Monday morning, and today was like a Tuesday and so on and so forth. Our players naturally get in those rhythms. We had one of our best practices of the season today on a Monday which is usually a Tuesday gritty practice. We took back some of the volume and took the pads off halfway through so that we make sure we take care of our guys. We want them to play as fast as they can on Thursday. I think that some of those things can honestly benefit you long term."

- On the development of Caullin Lacy:
 "When I took this job, I was aware of Caullin just because I had recruited down here, and was aware of his skill set and what he did at Faith [Academy]. As I watched the tape and saw some of the things that he did during the 2020 season, I thought he had a really good skill set. Caullin will tell you this, but I was very hard on Caullin last year. I saw a player who was young and had great promise, but one who didn't pay attention to the details that it takes to become an elite player in this league. He really worked through that and I saw a lot of positive momentum from him a year ago. He's now playing with consistency. He takes care of the ball when he gets it in his hands. He runs great routes and executes his assignment situationally and otherwise. Now, he is starting to play with a confidence in which he expects to be the person that makes play, and that is why I think he's playing at such a high level right now. I think him and Yam Banks are both indicators of where this program has been and where we are headed, and the value of confidence and what it does for you."

- On this team going into games now expecting to be that elite type of team:
 "When you look at a body of work and what we've done to this point, we've operated with consistency. We haven't always played our best football and have had some lulls in certain games, but we haven't had just a bunch of mistakes. We know what to do and we're getting better at the fundamental execution of that. As our players get in those moments like we did against UCLA, or like we did against Louisiana or for that matter we responded really well in the third quarter against ULM and then had to respond again [late in the fourth quarter]. Those things aren't fun as a team and they aren't fun for coaches, but they give you a chance to play with confidence moving forward because you know that you are able to do play that way and fix things moving forward. I think this team gains confidence every time they step out on the field. Our guys get a taste of winning and all they want is more of it. They recognize the only reason we are winning is because of the detail it takes to accomplish that relentless consistency, and I think our players have a hunger for that."

- On the two Troy quarterbacks:
 "From a defensive standpoint and you start game planning and looking at a team's personnel, you always start with the quarterback position. What do I have to do to defend this quarterback specifically? When you use a two-quarterback system, you [generally] have scenarios where you have a running quarterback and a throwing one, but this situation is not the case. There maybe subtle differences in some of the things they do based off what they do in their passing game that one quarterback maybe a little more comfortable doing than the other one, but [Troy] is ultimately running the same system with both of these guys. You kind of silo that and maybe group these things together. We may do a couple of things based off whether we see this guy or the other, just because of things they've put on film or a weakness that we feel like we might be able to expose on an individual quarterback, but ultimately, we will be prepared for both and I don't think it will change there plan dramatically one way or another."

- On Troy linebacker Carlton Martial
 "I love Carlton Martial, just the way he plays the game. You turn on the tape every week to prepare for an opponent and you'll see No. 2 on it. I told him at [SBC] Media Day [this summer] that he was my favorite player in the Sun Belt that doesn't wear a Jag helmet. It's true. The way he carries himself every single day, and the energy that he plays with; his teammates feed off of that energy. He's not the biggest or fastest guy out there, but he is a tremendous football player. He tracks the ball really well and plays with great leverage. He is physical and strong at the point of contact, and that's why he's had the success that he's had over the years. Anybody that loves the game of football, particularly us defensive coaches, the way he plays the game as a linebacker, you can't not enjoy watching him.

"That being said, when you play great players like that, it only raises the level of expectation that I would like to see someone operate when we go against someone like him. It's good on both ends, but I'm certainly proud of Carlton and what he represents for the city of Mobile."

- On South quarterback Carter Bradley's confidence after Saturday's school-record performance:
 "Carter has some intangibles that you want in your quarterback if you want them to be elite. He's operating at an elite level and he's held to that elite standard. [Offensive coordinator] Major Applewhite is great for Carter Bradley because if there's anyone who has operated at such an elite level, and Major wasn't nearly as talented in college as Carter is and he'll tell you he wasn't able to make some of the throws that Carter is able to make, yet that's what's made Major great as a coach and as a player. He was able to get every ounce out of himself and he's able to get every ounce out of his players. That's a great dynamic and they have a great relationship. The communication level of what we want and expect in terms of how we game plan and what's actually executed on game day breathes confidence in the rest of our offense through the calls that Major makes and the execution of Carter. You're seeing our offense protect just a little bit longer because they know every millisecond can be the difference in us creating an explosive play down field. It also opens things up in the run game, but what we've been able to do from that position and some of the checks that Carter is able to get us in and out of has us operating at a high level."

- On what's different about Troy this season compared to last:
 "I think there is an energy that you see when a new coaching staff comes in. Right, wrong or indifferent, that's just the nature of it. When a new staff comes in, there should be a new energy and a new culture. Usually when a new staff comes in, they're coming in for a certain reason, because the on-field success was not at a level that was needed. I feel his team is playing with some energy and passion. You look at their sideline and they take advantage of momentum. If they create an explosive play on offense or a negative play or takeaway on defense, they take advantage of that momentum. When we look at that, we want to make sure we limit they're explosive plays that they create offensively, the negatives that they can create with a very stingy defense, and try to hold momentum and regain momentum if needed throughout the process of that three-hour game.

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama football, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaFB (Twitter), /SouthAlabamaFB (Facebook), @SouthAlabamaFB (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at usajaguars.com.