Ashley Ingram pre-Newberry press conference
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman takes on Newberry Saturday in a matchup that can keep Carson-Newman in the hunt for a SAC title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Below are Ashley Ingram's pregame remarks to the media about the Newberry Wolves.
VIDEO: Ashley Ingram Press Conference
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman takes on Newberry Saturday in a matchup that can keep Carson-Newman in the hunt for a SAC title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Below are Ashley Ingram's pregame remarks to the media about the Newberry Wolves.
OPENING STATEMENT:
INGRAM: A lot at stake in this football game for us. We are playing a very, very talented football team that's well coached. Obviously, there's a reason they're 8-1. There's a reason they're in first place in the league and a top 20 team in the country. They have great quarterback play. I would think their quarterback's offensive player of the year in the SAC if things ended today. They've got a lot of skill around him, wide receiver, running back, and then very big up front. And then defensively, just a lot of talent on defense as well.
Q1: When you talk about the quarterback, Reed Charpia, he leads the league in passing. He's second completion percentage. 154 straight passes without an interception. What makes him good? What's his skill set like?
INGRAM: Well, he's got it all. He can throw the football, obviously, he's very athletic. He stays alive. He's not afraid to try to make a play. And the way he plays, I think it's really impressive that he does not turn the football over. Says a lot about the kid, but he's just a dynamic football player, dynamic playmaker. He's a lot of fun to watch, honestly.
Q2: Has one of the best pass catchers in the league, too. You say Reed Charpia, player of the year? I would argue that Keith Desaussure, the receiver, would be in contention for that as well. He's the league's leading receiver, number five nationally in receptions per game. Obviously, Reed Charpia is pretty good, but how much of that is based on the fact that he's got a guy like Keith Desaussure to throw the football to?
INGRAM: Well, that certainly helps. You know, he's talented, he's athletic, he's an explosive kid. And then they have other weapons around them, too, so good combination for them, I guess, bad combination for us. Great quarterback play with great skill around them, with a really big offensive line in front of them.
Q3: Where's this team mentally after three consecutive wins, to put you in a position to compete for something in this game?
INGRAM: I think we're in a good spot. We understand what's at stake. I think we've understood what was at stake, you know, each of the last three games, and we try not to make one any bigger than it is, and we try to focus on one at a time. And as we've told the guys, all we can do is practice and prepare and if we do that, maybe we'll have a chance.
Q4: You've shown growth week in, week out. From your vantage point, does it feel like your best football is still in front of you?
INGRAM: I think so. The defense has played really well all season. Offensively, we are very close to a breakout. I mean, we're playing really well at times. We'll do a thing or two to kind of shoot ourself in the foot. Obviously other defenses play a part in that too. You got to give people credit. But we're playing better. We're starting to kind of look like the offense that I thought we could be and hopefully we can put it all together on Saturday.
Q5: We'll need to Zane Whitson has gotten a pretty significant run at quarterback after it's been shuffled a little bit, some of that due to injuries earlier in the year. What sticks out to you about what he's done to learn this system over the last two years?
INGRAM: He's come a long way early on was work in progress and he just keeps getting better. The kid is an ultimate competitor. He makes others around him better. He brings a lot of energy to the table. He's always the same. That's what I love about him. So he's done well. Very proud of him.
Q6: You kind of have that similar thing. We've talked a lot about your defense in the secondary, your linebacking core. But guys like David Alexander, Dedrick McLain, Luke Scott, Jesse Combs, those guys don't have a ton of numbers. But I would argue that everything that happens defensively is a go to happen unless they do what they're doing up front. How valuable have some of your more substantially sized defensive linemen been to what you've been accomplishing defensively?
INGRAM: They've been huge, obviously. Martavis Mason, Fortune Woods, you'd have to throw in there. And then you look at our Jack position with Mekhi Brown and Storm and Jimmy Olarinde. That front four has played great. Kind of unsung heroes of the team. I think everything starts there. It allows our linebackers to play the way they've played. It frees them up, obviously helps on the back end when you're covering if there's pressure on the quarterback. So we'll need to do that this week. We'll have to again stop the run and we'll have to pressure their quarterback. He's dynamic.
Q7: You've developed an offensive line Into a unit that has now started the same group three straight weeks. How proud are you of that unit again after some early season knocks and injuries to kind of gel together?
INGRAM: We continue to get better each week. Up front we've established some depth so when we have a guy go down, we just roll the next guy in and we don't think about it. So that group's been great. And not only the they're starting five, but there's a group of guys that can play behind them as well. So again, we're playing well, we're making progress. I still think our best game and our best days are ahead of us.
Q8: Offensively, you're guaranteed two of these games left. Hopefully there is more, but I think probably hinges on this one against the Wolves. With that in mind, you seem pretty steady. I'm presuming there is no change in approach this week given what's at stake.
INGRAM: No, we just have to win a football game and what will win the football game will be no different than it was the first game of the year. You know, we've got to take care of the football, which we've done a pretty good job of most of the season. We've got to be able to run the ball and control the tempo and the flow of the game. Defensively, we've got to stop the run to try to get them in some long yarded situations. And if we'll do all those things, you know, we'll have a chance, but we just got to play winning football.
Q9: What have you learned after playing in last year's SAC title game against Wingate that you look to apply this time around?
INGRAM: The last three games we've played, you know, what's the difference? If we lose one of those games, we're not in this position. The situation, the circumstance, we can't really worry about that because it's not going to have any bearing on how we play. And if it does, it's probably not a good thing. So we're just going to approach it like any other game. Obviously understand the stakes. We're not naive to that, know that we have a great challenge, but I think our guys will put their best foot forward.
Q9: Anything else?
INGRAM: No, we're just excited to play a really, really quality opponent on the road. I think we'll be ready to play.
Kickoff between the Eagles and Newberry is set for 1 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloCollege at cneagles.com/FloFB. The ESN also allows you to go "Inside the Radio Booth" with a live feed of the ESN crew on YouTube
