ABILENE, Texas – Coming off a bye week, the McMurry University football team get back to action this week as the War Hawks travel to East Texas Baptist. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. in Marshall, Texas.
On Thursday at noon, McMurry head coach Jordan Neal, senior defensive lineman Dez Turner and freshman offensive guard Tyrik Gill fielded questions from local media members at the McMurry Athletics Annex on campus.
The War Hawks (0-5, 0-4 American Southwest Conference) will look for their first win on Saturday, while East Texas Baptist (2-3, 1-2) looks to respond at home following a 50-14 loss to No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Press Conference Video l Game Notes l Gameday Coverage
Below are some of the highlights from the press conference:
Coach Neal's opening statement
It's good to be back. We've enjoyed some time off, which has been handy. I think it came right at the right time for us. But we're excited about getting back to it. We have a five-game season that we're stepping into here against ETBU on Saturday. I'm actually very excited that it's a travel trip because we get to go on the road and be together as a team after spending some time apart. We've had a good week of practice, and it'll be good to get back on the road and get prepared for a good contest.
Coach Neal on responding to the loss against No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor
We had one of our best practices, if not the best practice, of the season on the Monday after that loss to those guys. Of all the days of practice that you look at throughout the course of the season where you would think you're likely to have a bit of a lull, that was in fact our best practice. I think that really speaks to the character of our team, both upperclassmen and all the way down to our young guys that are freshman.
Coach Neal on personnel changes heading into ETBU
As far as making changes is concerned, Coach Gabe Garcia, our offensive coordinator, is going to come down (from the press box) and be on the sideline. I think that's going to be a huge boost for us because he's such a motivational guy and a positive leader. He's somebody that really enhances the spirit of our team. I think it's going to make a big difference to have him down there with us on the sideline. Him talking to our quarterbacks is going to help me manage a little bit easier from a head coaching perspective.
Coach Neal addressing the offensive run game
Dee Robinson has a lot of natural ability and is running behind guys like (Gill) and a couple of our other freshman offensive linemen. Really all of those guys are underclassmen, even Dan (Daniel Zarzoza III) who's a junior but kind of like a freshman because the offense is new. We feel like we're building some depth and our offensive line has played well. To have a guy like Dee, who is a bigger back at 195 pounds but has the speed to take it the distance…it's awesome having that. Leo Brownfield IV is another one of our running backs who has elite speed. We get him back this week and we'll get him back out there…Kam Session…all those guys are really capable.
Coach Neal on Dez Turner's leadership
Whenever I came on my interview to McMurry, Dez right here was one player that I met. Of course I met a lot of people that day and didn't remember everybody's name, but this was somebody that I remembered. I remember when Dez came up to me and visited with me and gave me a reason to want to be at McMurry. I could tell he was a young man of character. If you knew his story and some of the responsibilities that he has outside of football, it's quite amazing that he's even in the program, much less being a team captain and a guy that we rely on and a guy that works his butt off every day. I can't say enough positive things about Dez.
Coach Neal on recruiting Tyrik Gill as an assistant before McMurry
Tyrik doesn't know how hard I actually recruited him to a different school before McMurry…I'm glad he's here and not in Arkansas. Tyrik is one of many examples of guys that are freshman that we are high on and really excited about. They have the potential to really develop something here, and I think it's just a neat dichotomy between these two guys (Turner and Gill).
Coach Neal on scouting ETBU
The main thing that stands out is their running back and their quarterback. The funny deal is that their quarterback (senior Brian Baca) was a guy I recruited to Hendrix, as well. He is originally from Cleburne, and I have a lot of family and coaching friends there, so we recruited Baca really hard. He's an outstanding player, so we have to keep him contained. He can beat you with his feet, he can beat you with his arm.
Dez Turner on takeaways from the UMHB game
My takeaway was that it was a great opportunity to face the number one team in the nation, and I took that as a positive challenge. I wasn't backing down from it at all. I wanted to perform to the best of my ability and show them what I can do. The outcome wasn't the outcome we wanted, but we had a chance to show what we can do. They are the best, so why not compete against the best? To be the best, you have to beat the best.
Dez Turner scouting the ETBU offense
They have a really sound offensive line. They do their jobs well, so it's just a matter of us doing our jobs better than them and just executing. They're a well-coached team and we just have to come in on our high horses and be ready to play.
Dez Turner on heading into his final five games as a senior
Well first off, going into this week's game, I see that we have five games left of a 10 game season. This is basically halftime for us. No matter what sport it is, when it's halftime, you have to clear your head and think that the score is 0-0. Going into the next game, no matter what, our record is 0-0 and the score is 0-0. No matter what the outcome may have been in the first half, whether it's good or bad, we have to come in with a fresh mindset. That's my take going into these next games.
Also, I just want to play my hardest and leave the best I can for these guys. Even if the season doesn't go the way I want it to be, if it's a stepping stone for (the underclassmen) to get better and be successful in the future, then I'll take whatever the season has for me. I just want to go do my best and show them that working hard pays off. Doing the right thing pays off. Being a leader pays off. No matter what the outcome might be in football or in life, it'll pay off.
Tyrik Gill scouting the ETBU defense
Based on watching film, they are a very good d-line. Up top, they're very strong and I noticed that they like to shed. One of my favorite parts of watching teams is film, because I like studying what the person across from me does. I like noticing tendencies, knowing what to avoid, knowing my strong suits, so I'm just learning as I go.
Tyrik Gill on working towards becoming a better program in the future
I feel like everybody wants to play the best team in the country. Steel sharpens steel, and you can't get better unless you play those kind of teams (like UMHB). I feel like everybody played and even everyone on the sidelines got better. We're all bonding as a team and we're all getting closer as a family and as a unit. This will make us better in the long run.
Tyrik Gill on coming to McMurry and what he hopes it becomes in the future
Coming to McMurry, right when I got here it was spring break. There was nobody here, but Coach Brooks Billings, my o-line coach, was here. He took me through the facilities and everything, and I kind of knew I wanted to be here. It didn't take long for me to commit and do all of that, then I talked to my family about it. Seeing people like Dez, (Kevin) Kevin Hurley Jr., X (Xavier Alexander), all the seniors and upperclassmen…it's a good example for me to follow.
