MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama football head coach Kane Wommack, offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, along with student-athletes Carter Bradley, La'Damian Webb, Jaden Voisin and Yam Banks met with the media Monday for the program's weekly press conference.

Below are highlights from the session.

Head Coach Kane Wommack
- Opening Statement:
"The game [against Georgia Southern] was a very physical game. I thought our team handled and dealt with a lot of adversity, some of it self-imposed adversity. You look at the week of preparation and I thought our guys did a great job of handling the unknowns of who's going to be out with us having 31 guys out [throughout the week] with the flu, including 17 of our 22 offensive/defensive starters. That certainly may have had an affect on us in the first half in our execution woes, but I thought our guys settled in really well and was probably most proud of the physicality that we brought in the second half. We were able to run the ball for over 200 yards in the second half and held them to -10 yards rushing, a program which has prided itself on its ability to run the ball and physically dominate people at the end of games. 
"It was a neat opportunity for us when we got a fourth-down stop with a little over four minutes to go in the game, you saw an out-pouring of their fan base, which I felt was indicative of how physical we were running the ball at that point. Our sideline knew the game was in hand at that point. You still have to go out and execute and do your job, but just the level of confidence that we had knowing we were going to run the clock out and they were not going to get the ball back. And that's what happened."

- On the logistics and decision to fly Yam Banks in day-of-game:
 "There were a lot of constant conversations about how he was feeling, hourly check ins, talks with the doctors, talks with Chad Stefano our head athletic trainer and his staff on a number of guys. You're also worried about who you are going to have available when you wake up Saturday morning. Fortunately, we were able to navigate through that. Yam had felt okay as he went through the day Friday, so we booked him a flight. We also had a back up plan in place to drive him over [to Statesboro] if need be. We basically had it planned down to about 30 minutes prior to kick if needed. It was pretty impressive to watch Yam go in the game knowing that he wasn't feeling at his best and be able to play every snap. He had a huge takeaway and did some other good things as well. 
"You can also point to La'Damian Webb's ability to rush for 247 yards on the back end of the flu and that's pretty impressive in itself. I'm not sure I could have done that healthy."

- On the decision to turn the game over to Webb and the offensive line:
 "Some of it is about the confidence we have in our team and the confidence we have in our run game. There were times where [La'Damian Webb] he was running it really well and we had not crossed the 50-yard line yet. I was thinking that we were about to hit another long drive and wanted to give him a breather after he's hit about three or four good runs and put him back in when we get around the red zone, but that joker was not coming off the field in that moment. 
"I feel my background as a defensive coordinator helps [in that type of decision making]. I've seen teams and defenses wear down along the front. I watched the ways [Georgia Southern] was trying to defend and the angles and leverage they were trying to use, but at that point, we were truly just out matching them, so at that point you just pound it until you score."

- On the decision to go for the fake punt in the first quarter:
 "We've called for a fake punt three times this season, and we have a way to check in and out of it. We had talked about it in some of our meetings earlier in the week that if we need to steal a possession early to take away momentum. We were worried about getting worn down on defense, particularly because of all the guys who had been out with the flu, that if they had gotten too many reps in a row and momentum was going to go against us, we would need to do something to get it back. They had scored and had all the momentum. When we went back on offense after the score, we knew we needed to establish a drive one way or another, and soon as we went three-and-out, we were going to call the fake punt at that point. They gave us the look we needed and obviously it hit. 
"We've ran three fake punts in two years here and I think we're averaging something like 32-33 yards per carry on them. It was much needed at that time because they were up 21-7. The fear is that they get it to 28-7. We were able to go down and score and make it 21-14 and it certainly changed the outcome of the game."

- On the fine line of aggressiveness and discipline as it relates to the penalties this season:
 "[On playing aggressive and trying to clean up the penalties] It goes hand-in-hand. On one hand, we have to keep playing as physical as we're playing and that's going to cost us some penalties. Our goal is to not be the least penalized team in the country, but we certainly don't want to be on the other end of that. Every penalty has to be judged individually and handled on a case-by-case basis. We knew we were going to play a lot of man-to-man coverage and we knew we were going to incur a number of penalties. We don't want those things, and some of them we could have cleaned up with better eyes on our part. I can deal with the ones we expect a little bit, but certainly not back-to-back ones like we had on the defensive holding. 
"The unsportsmanlike penalties are truly unacceptable to me. As frustrating as they are for our fan base, no one is more frustrated by them than I am. I'm the one that has to make sure that the accountability of this program is reflective of that. We haven't had a lot of unsportsmanlike penalties this season, but I thought particularly this past week that we certainly did not meet the marker. Three of them came in the game, one of which was with [offensive lineman] Dontae Lucas, which I felt was so egregious that he was kicked out of the game, and I along with [athletic director] Joel Erdmann felt like we needed to send a message and suspend him from the Texas State game as well."

- On Kent Foster filling in for Lucas and producing in the run game:
 "Every time the dude goes into a game, we run the football down somebodies throat. He is the epitome of a guy who is committed to this program. He hasn't gotten the playing time that he would like this season, yet every time we call his number, he steps up to the plate. He's tremendously improved from where he was a year ago. His technique is sounder; he's more physical at the point of attack. He gets movement and plays the game with a tenacity that I feel is at a higher level than it was a year ago."

- On with all the accolades this season, how does he keep the team humble:
 "It's part of being a process-oriented program. You look at what Nick Saban has done at Alabama where they are the best team year after year. To do that with the best players in the country who were all the alpha males of where they came from is due impart to the number one thing I hear about their program. It's about the process and being process-oriented. If you become an outcome-oriented program, ultimately, you're going to miss the mark and leave something out on the field. It's easy to look at a game and say that we blew a team out by 30 points, but did you play to your standard? It's the only way you can maximize your roster and keep your guys focused. There's always something in a process-oriented program to get better at and improve on. Wins and losses are finite, those are easy things to point towards. Did we win the game or did we lose the game? We'll all be judged by that, absolutely, but to be process-oriented allows us to become the best versions of ourselves. Not just good enough to win. Those are two totally different types of teams."

- On what sticks out about Texas State:
 "Their defense is very competitive and one of the best defenses that we will have faced to this point in the season. Their defense is highlighted by their defensive line. They are very stingy in the run game. You look at their last four games and what they've been able to do in stopping the run. They are averaging a drive more a game than we are, and I think that speaks to their defense getting off the field and forcing three-and-outs and takeaways. They are also playing a little more of a complimentary style of football. You look at [head coach Jake Spavital] and what he's been able to do in his career. He's one of the bright offensive minds in the country. He's done it a certain way, kind of under the spread-tree [offense], but he's also showing ways to get into '12' personnel and 'heavy' packages. He's committed to running the ball a couple of different ways. When you look at their games, even the losses they incurred against Southern Miss and Troy were very tight games in which they gave themselves a chance to win in the end. We've got to be able to establish a run game better than we did a few weeks ago against Troy, another great defense. We've got to also capitalize on our shots, which we were not able to do a couple weeks ago on offense. Defensively, we have to keep the main thing the main thing. You have to be able to stop the run and you have to get off the field situationally on third down and in the red zone. If we'll do that, I feel it's a recipe for winning football this weekend."

Offensive Coordinator Major Applewhite
- On La'Damian Webb:
"At halftime we felt like we were creating enough movement up front and guys were cutting people up and being physical in the run game. He was seeing things the right way. He's a great player, obviously, but we just felt like in the third quarter that was where we needed to take the ball – put it in his hands."

- On the run game the last two weeks:
"You have to have a run game at some point. I've seen that and experienced it in my career as a coach – you lose a starting quarterback in an important game and you don't have a run game to rely on in those type of situations. To be able to put it on the backs of the offensive line, tight ends and receivers downfield, La'Damian (Webb) and the other (running) backs as well – to be able to just run the football about 95 percent of the time for about a quarter-and-a-half says a lot."

- On La'Damian Webb's performance:
"He's competitive and has a competitive pride about him. He understands the flow of the game, knew he was seeing things well and was in that zone, so to speak. He was taking care of the ball, seeing things the right way and feeling the flow of the game. When you have someone like that in that kind of rhythm, you just let them go."

- On the fake punt:
"That was a huge point for us offensively. We were struggling in the first half, and that call gave us a little bit of boost and momentum across midfield and gave us a little bit of energy there to go score and get our feet underneath us and go as an offense. It was a tremendous play and a great call by [head coach] Kane [Wommack]."

- On Texas State:
"This is a very good defense. You look at the last three weeks and I know there's not wins next to their name, but you look at how they play the game – the competitive nature and physicality. It starts with their guys up front; they have great players in the back end too, but it always starts up front with your big guys and how they move around and those big guys play the game the right way. Their linebackers get downhill in the run game. They're a very good defense. I think they're underrated in this league and not talked about; I think they're a very good defense."

Defensive Coordinator Corey Batoon
- On defensive adjustments in the game against Georgia Southern:
"When you look back at the game, I was talking to the guys this morning, practice is so important. Dealing with the things we dealt with this week, you could tell those first two series looked like guys who had not practiced. To be able to fight through those things, you've got guys flying in the day of the game, just a crazy situation. Once we were able to settle in and get the guys their looks and they started feeling comfortable with their looks, we started playing faster. By the third or fourth series of the game, we had an opportunity to make adjustments and the guys could conceptualize what we were trying to ask them to do. The second quarter on and through halftime, we continued to talk with the guys in terms of the pictures. That's what is so important about practice, is that you're able to anticipate things, the motions, the shifts. It's important, especially with younger players. I felt like once we settled in and started figuring out the pictures, again halftime was good at making adjustments. We started playing fast again, and that was evident in the third and fourth quarters. The amount of three-and-outs we got in the second half really helped. You can't overestimate the value of just being able to see things live. It's not a walkthrough, it's happening right now at full speed. Those are things you benefit from at practice throughout the week." 

- On Jalen Jordan:
"He's a high-energy guy. He's a great communicator and he just puts himself in positions in the game by anticipating things and always playing fast. His ability to get people to the ground is big. There was a time when Yam Banks missed a tackle and he was able to make a great play in open space. He's really improved himself from a tackling standpoint by winning one-on-one battles in open space. That's something he's got to continue to improve on, but he took huge strides in the game on Saturday." 

- On the interception off the muffed punt:
"That was a huge play. That was a game of momentum swings. They owned the first quarter in terms of momentum. We were able to stave it off at times and then that was a big opportunity for them to regain momentum, and for us to come out and intercept them, it was a tremendous play by Yam. Can't speak enough about him. He was one of those guys that flew in on game day and to be able to do that, it just speaks to his experience in our system." 

- On Texas State:
"They are a pretty veteran group. The quarterback was the starter last year, Layne Hatcher. The tailback is the starter who transferred from Arkansas State. Both of those guys have tremendous experience in game starts. Their receiving corps is a pretty veteran group and they returned three of the five offensive linemen, so it's a very similar group that we faced last year down in San Marcos. They are doing a better job, in my opinion, this year of running the football and establishing the run. They are more committed to it. The physicality of the backs shows and in turn, that opens up their passing game. I think they are playing good complementary football right now."

Running back La'Damian Webb
- On what it was like to feel in the zone on Saturday:
"It's a good feeling. It's always a good feeling when you can help your team out."

- On if he felt stronger throughout the game or wasn't getting tired:
"When you're trying to win, even if you get tired you still have to work. That's how I attack it."

- On if he was telling the coaches which plays were working for him:
"Not really. Whatever they called, the offensive line was executing. I felt like it was all working at a certain point of the game."

- On when he started to feel like himself after going through an illness this week:
"I started getting better throughout the week, but I don't think I ever got to 100 percent better. I just knew that I had to play and went out and did what I had to do."

- On being able to play at home again:
"It's a good thing. Hopefully it will be a great crowd so we can do what we do best in front of our hometown."

- On talking to Todd Justice about his fake punt run:
"I tried to tell him if he would have waited on his blocks he probably would have scored, but he said he wanted to hurdle somebody."

Quarterback Carter Bradley
- On having a short memory as a quarterback:
"All this game is about is how fast you can bounce back. What I've learned over the past couple of years, taking some stuff from guys around the league and being around my dad, is that guys feed off of you. How you're going to be looked at as a leader and teammate – one play doesn't define you as a player. The next play is the biggest play."

- On momentum gained from the fake punt:
"It was huge and a great call by the entire staff to be able to pull that off for us on offense, because we needed it big time and it paid out."

- On La'Damian Webb:
"Seeing him hit holes like that is unbelievable, but credit to the offensive line; the last six quarters they have played unbelievable football. Being that physical up front and dominating the line of scrimmage to create the run game that we've had is huge, especially in November when you're doing that. I had a front row seat and it was unbelievable to watch."

Safety Yam Banks
- On his five interceptions this fall:
"That's just a great feeling. When the ball is in the air, I try and go attack it."

- On the defensive performance against Georgia Southern: 
"I think we did pretty good overall, but we've just got to come out faster and stronger." 

- On at what point he knew he was going to play:
"On Friday, I wanted to play regardless. I just took my medicine and then waited until the morning. I got a lot of rest and made sure I had fluids." 

- On the weather:
"It didn't really affect me because last week we played in the rain the whole game, so it was just another day." 

- On coming back home to play:
"It's a great feeling. We support our fans and they support us a lot. They help us and give us a great advantage."  

Safety Jaden Voisin
- On what adjustments the defense made during the game:
"We had to come in the second half and lock in. Everybody worked to focus and do their job."

- On the difference of playing in front of the home crowd:
"It's a good feeling. The two teams we just played on the road, their stadiums aren't as packed as ours usually is. Having your fans behind you is a great feeling."

- On how the team is staying hungry after clinching a winning season:
"We are just focused on the next game. Even though we are bowl eligible, we still have an end goal of a championship. There's a lot of factors that go into it, but that's still our goal."

- On what it's like to be on the sideline and watch the offense succeed:
"It's a good feeling to see the offense dominating. It gives us a breather, and it shows how much effort those guys on the offense are putting in to seal the game and help the team."

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