Coach Higgins' opening statement...
"The coaches talked all week about challenging our players to come out and play with more intensity than the past week, and as we watched the game and evaluated everything, they did just that."
Coach Higgins on last weeks game against Chattanooga...
"They got off to a 14-0 start, which put us in a hole. Cass Couey did a great job on our fake punt and did a great job selling it. We saw something on tape where we would have a good opportunity to run the fake, and the look was there so we faked it and we got some momentum and scored. We managed to get the ball back and had a 12 play drive. It was fourth and one and we had a penalty call that really hurt us. We had to settle for a field goal, but we went into the half at 14-10 with some momentum."
"We came out in the second half and forced a fumble. We put in the double reverse pass and Luke Caldwell, who can throw the ball very well, had the opportunity for a big play. We had Van Dyke Jones wide open on the sideline and just threw the ball away and lost that opportunity to score."
"Next possession we had a good nine play drive, but we threw the interception in the end zone. Their cornerback made an unbelievable play on the ball and when you have the opportunity to make big plays, the team who converts on those opportunities generally wins the game."
Coach Higgins looks ahead to Appalachian State...
"We have to move forward. We have a tremendous challenge this week playing the number one team in the nation. As we saw last week with Alabama and South Carolina, athletes always play with more emotion and enthusiasm to try and be the one to knock off the top team. We had the best practices of the year last week and I think our guys will do the same this coming week."
"Appalachian State is obviously a good football team as they've been over the years. Their quarterback, DeAndre Presley, is throwing the football very well and he is one of the top rushers in the conference right now. He has the big wide receivers Brian Quick and Matt Cline and the offensive line is strong. They have a new defensive coordinator but from within the organization so it's the same system and they are good again this year. They haven't played an option team yet this year, so we'll see if we can go to Boone (N.C.) and upset them. I know our guys would love to get this win."
"They haven't played an option team so we have that advantage, and we played them well at home last year with plenty of opportunities to win that game, but if we play well and make plays like last year, then we have a chance to win. I still believe that from an offensive standpoint we have better days ahead; we just need to be more consistent and make more plays. Defensively we're third or fourth in the league, so we just need to be more consistent and get some more turnovers."
Christian Robertson talks about playing the number one team...
"It is very exciting, I know I'm excited and I'm sure everyone on this team is excited, they have some great athletes, but we will go out and play hard."
For more information on Bulldog Football, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.citadelsports.com.
