ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Football held its weekly press conference on Thursday afternoon in the Athletics Annex, as the team travels to Belhaven (Miss.) for its first conference road game on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.

Head coach Jordan Neal, junior defensive back Cahlyl Rossin and junior offensive lineman Daniel Zarzoza III each answered questions from the media this week.

For footage of the press conference via Facebook Live, click here.

Below are some of the highlights:

Coach Neal's opening statement

We're excited about another opportunity this week to play Belhaven in Jackson, Mississippi. We're leaving out early tomorrow morning. We'll have a practice that we'll conduct tomorrow over at Millsaps on their campus which is right across the street. We've had a good week of practice. Our guys have responded well…they haven't felt sorry for themselves, haven't hung their heads and haven't made any excuses. I felt like we got better as a program this week at practice.

It's frustrating right now that we haven't gotten that feeling of winning a ball game, but we expect to go out and compete well. If we can eliminate some of our mistakes that we made last week and in weeks past, and we continue to progress…I feel like we can compete and have an opportunity to be competitive with Belhaven.

Coach Neal on how last week's loss compared to the first two

I think we really put a lot into that game. We've felt confident going into all of the games we've played thus far. We definitely felt confident going into the Howard Payne game, really winning three quarters of that ball game. Some of the positive things we took out of that, bringing that into the Sul Ross game, we felt even more confident that it was a ball game that we could and should win. So not coming out on top is extra frustrating in that sense.

Coach Neal on costly turnovers from last week

Turnovers is the number one statistic in football. In my history as a coach over the years, games that we have won the turnover battle and have taken it away from them while protecting it on our side, it adds about a 75 percent chance of winning. When you look at all of the games that you either win the turnover battle or tie, you have about a 60 percent chance (of winning). All the games I've been a part of where you tie (in the turnover battle), it's about a 55 percent chance. So it's actually a net positive if you just simply don't turn the ball over…even if you don't take it away, just don't turn it over and you have a chance.

And then on the other side of that, your win percentage drops precipitously if you lose the turnover battle…so it's a huge thing that we talk about, but it's not good enough to just talk about it. It's something that you have to really believe. It's got to be something that you really practice, taking care of the ball. It's been a big push for us this week.

Coach Neal on Belhaven quarterback Hunter McEachern and his role in keeping pace with #1 UMHB

It starts with their quarterback. They have an outstanding guy back there at the helm who's experienced. He's a transfer from UTEP, so he's played at a high level. He has a really good arm; he has a quick release. Even though he hasn't been in the same system for three years, this is his second year in the system with Coach (Blaine) McCorkle and I know they are trying to establish that. (Hunter McEachern) is a big reason for their success.

Daniel Zarzoza III on Belhaven's improving program

They are real sound this year defensively. They have a good front that's going to give us some trouble if we don't play our game. If we don't stick to our gameplan, they are a team that can take advantage of that. Like Coach Neal said last week (about Sul Ross State), if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. I think that applies to this game, too. If we don't run our execution like we need to, then they are going to take what they need from us. We just have to play our game, play like we know we can, and actually believe in what we do…and I think we will come out on top.

Cahlil Rossin on Belhaven's offense

On offense, they are real disciplined. The like to run the little routes and try to make plays in open field. I feel like, like (Zarzoza) said, if everybody stays disciplined and hone our technique and our jobs, we should come out on top. We have to stay focused, play one play at a time and just "chop wood."

Cahlil Rossin on what "Chop Wood" means to him

Like lumberjacks who chop wood. If they are chopping down a tree, it doesn't take just one time and the tree falls over. They have to go one chop at a time, breaking it down at every step, every chop. So when I say "Chop Wood," I mean you got to take it one play at a time, take a deep breath, reset, do the same thing over and over again, consistently.

Daniel Zarzoza III on learning the new McMurry offense

It made it a lot easier (having an experienced line). It was fun to switch from a different program to the program we're in now. Coming in and seeing we have a new coach that means what he says, he's ready to take this program to the next level. Having (his upperclassmen teammates) with me at the same time has meant a lot to be able to work with them. We have already put so much work in together the season before, and with (fellow junior offensive linemen) Ryan (Miller) and Juan (Ramirez) the past two seasons. I'm so blessed to have those guys with me.

Cahlil Rossin on becoming a starter at defensive back

This (transition of players) has challenged me a lot, mentally. I had to prepare different mentally and just go about everything a different way than I have in the past. I had to step up into a leadership role that I was called to step into, while taking a lot of ownership and responsibility with how I play and how the rest of the secondary plays. It was tough at first, but after I got my feet wet a little bit, it's been good.

Cahlil Rossin on McMurry's strong defense performance last week vs. SRSU

Every week, Coach will tell us we have to play four quarters instead of taking a quarter on and taking a quarter off. It's never been a thing where I've didn't believe we could do it, we just have to hone it and be consistent. Don't take plays off.

From Howard Payne week to Sul Ross week, there really wasn't a change in our mindset because we are always wanting to be consistently bought in…this is our new standard. We want to bring all 11 men to the ball and do what we're supposed to do. So there's never really been a change in my mindset because I believe in each and every one of my teammates that we can do what we can do. We just have to execute it.

Daniel Zarzoza III on putting past successes vs. Belhaven aside

I guess it holds a little meaning, (being undefeated all-time vs. Belhaven) isn't something you don't want to give up with losing a game. But what I'm preaching to my guys right now is 'focus on this week, focus on this practice, focus on this play…focus on this game now.' The past doesn't matter and the future doesn't matter. It's one game at a time, and that's all we're trying to focus on is this one game.

Coach Neal on Zarzoza's and Rossin's agreed "one game at a time mindset"

That's a good answer…I'm not just a football purist, but I'm a sports purist. I grew up watching Hoosiers, Rocky and the Natural…I believe in this stuff. Like I talked about earlier, I think the mental side of the game is so important. It has way more impact than physical skill, and I probably have a confirmation biased when it comes to that. For me as an athlete growing up, I was never the biggest, strongest, the most gifted or talented, but you have to find an edge some other way.

There's nothing that gives you more pride than to go out and beat a team that is better than you are physically. You beat them with discipline. You beat them with hard work. You earn the right to go beat somebody else who may be on paper someone you look at as a better team. We want (McMurry) to be big and fast, strong, quick and mean…but we want them to be tough. We want them to play the game sound from a mental standpoint and from an assignment standpoint.

So to hear (Zarzoza and Rossin) talk about that, even though it's a bit of an echo chamber sometimes when we go over these things, it does affirm in my mind that our coaches are saying the right things and our players are listening…it gives me a lot of pride to see that they are buying in…I look forward to seeing the fruit of our labor.