ABILENE, Texas – As the 2019 football season is coming to a close, the McMurry War Hawks are preparing for their final home game of the year as they host Louisiana College at Wilford Moore Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
Thirty minutes prior to kickoff, the team will honor and recognize seven senior players, two senior student coaches, and other senior members of the program as part of McMurry's Senior Day.
The nine seniors McMurry Football will honor Saturday are listed below:
Ahead of this week's contest with the Wildcats, McMurry head coach Jordan Neal, senior wide receiver Kevin Hurley Jr. and former receiver turned student coach Tanner Clark answered questions from the media on Thursday in the Athletics Annex on campus.
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 a big week for us. We're excited about senior day. I've been looking forward to this. I'm really proud of our seniors, and I'm excited about another opportunity at home here in the latter part of the season to give these guys an opportunity to win a ballgame and compete hard and give them a good sendoff. I'm really proud to have Kevin (Hurley) here. He's had an outstanding season. And Coach (Tanner) Clark. I jokingly say this but it's really true…without him, our program doesn't even operate. He does so much. It's neat to get to be here and have these guys with me.
Coach Neal commending the seniors for sticking through the transition
Resilience and the fact that they are still here…I felt like a stepparent coming in, you know. I didn't recruit these guys and didn't have a previous relationship with them, and they didn't ask for me, vice-versa. The fact that they've welcomed me and the rest of the staff in and gave us the opportunity to be their coaches. Anytime there's a coaching change under any circumstance, that's challenging. So the fact that these guys are still here and that they've tried to buy into what I believe in and what we're trying to build our program on says a lot about who they are. These guys are going to be successful in life after football.
I'm proud to have them as my first senior class as a head coach…it's a pretty special deal.
Coach Neal on last week's fourth quarter effort at Hardin-Simmons
The fact that those guys continued to battle just shows that they're trying as best as they know how to believe in what we are talking about. I was extremely proud of our coaches. There was no quit. We kept fighting, we kept coaching, we played like it was zero-zero all the way through. Obviously we struggled and we're not anywhere close to where we want to be, but the fact that we kept battling…I was proud to walk off that field with our team on Saturday…that's a testament to all of our seniors.
Coach Neal on Louisiana College
You look at it on paper, this is a team we feel like we match up to better. I don't know if it's any one particular thing but I do know this…the team's that succeed late in the season are the teams that don't get tired of practice. They don't get tired of doing the same old things and they don't allow themselves to be complacent. What that carries over into the game is the simple fact that the team that makes the fewest mistakes has the best chance to win. I think that's true in general, but that's definitely when you look at teams that are somewhat evenly matched.
Louisiana College, make no mistake, has some really good athletes. Their coaches have been there for a long time and they know that they love their program. They've had success there in the past. They may not be having that kind of success this year, but they're capable just like we are. So I think the key is that we need to play mistake-free…penalties, drops, misalignments, mental busts, things like that. We just have to eliminate those things, and that's been a big theme for us in practice.
Coach Neal on retaining Tanner Clark as a coach
A lot of great coaching careers start out exactly like the way it's starting out for Tanner, and I don't know much, but I can guarantee you this guy is going to be a phenomenal coach. He's a servant, he serves the players. Any of their needs, he's there. He is a worker and he's always busy, always finding work and does it with a big ole smile on his face. It's awesome to see.
Kevin Hurley Jr. recapping his senior year thus far
If I'm being completely honest, my senior year has honestly been one of my favorite years here. Obviously we've been going through some adversity, but I think a lot of that has brought us as teammates closer and kind of gave us more respect for our coaches for sticking it out and being good examples on how to deal with losses and how to find a silver lining.
Kevin Hurley Jr. on not quitting when a game gets out of hand
I think we have to give the credit to our coaches. In the past when we got down like that, we might've just folded and let it happen. These guys have put it in us since Day One that it's not over until the final buzzer goes off. We have a lot of hungry young guys that want to get in there and make plays, and they did it Saturday, so we (seniors) appreciate them for that.
Kevin Hurley Jr. on the culture change at McMurry this season
I think the biggest and most important change we could've had was a change in our attitude. Our attitude as a team has made a complete 180 compared to the past. The young guys have a lot to look forward to with the coaching staff that we have now. You can tell how much love they have for us and how much they want us to do great, not just on the field but as young men. I think they should look forward to having some great years with Coach Neal and the rest of our coaching staff and football team.
Kevin Hurley Jr. on what a win in his final home game would mean to him
Of course we're all looking for that win, but for me, the most exciting thing I've been able to see this season is just how much we've grown…not only the younger guys but the older guys. You can tell how much everybody has changed. It always feels good to get a win, and this would be a great game to do it in our last home game. As long as we go out there and take care of business and play how we're supposed to play, things will turn out how they should.
Tanner Clark on the transition from player to coach
Honestly, it's been a blast. I can't put into words how much fun I've had just kind of seeing the game from a different perspective other than a player. I can't wait to actually get into this career field. It's pretty cool to be a leader in front of my old teammates and new teammates, seeing the freshmen look up to me as an actual coach and still having an actual relationship with the players as a past player. I can't wait to see where this program goes in a couple of years.
Tanner Clark on his responsibilities as a student coach
A day in the life of a student coach, you have a lot of responsibilities. One thing I will say is that it matures you really fast. You have to have a great work ethic. As (the coaches) are taking care of the team and getting the team prepared, me and the other student coach, Reagan Miller, are in the back taking care of all the little things…equipment issues, laundry. Whatever the players need, we're more than willing to do that for them. Out on the practice field, we have players come out to us as ex-players and kind of ask us what we would do different in different types of situations.
It's a great experience to have, especially in my young career, and being under (Neal) has been a blessing. He's a great leader and really knows how to get through to the guys, that's for sure.
Tanner Clark on finding his place as a senior
This was the first thing I told Coach Neal when I found out I wasn't going to be able to play this year…I asked him if there was anything that I can do just to be a part of the team and be with my teammates day in and day out and still be a leader that I kind of was on the team. This has been a blessing, and I'm so thankful for (Coach Neal) letting me come in and do what I do here to get this experience.
