Georgia State Head Coach Bill Curry
I have to say to Jordan Hildreth [Campbell player who was injured] and his family that he is in our prayers. Those are the moments that make you wonder about all of this. I understand, according to our trainers, that he was moving and he was ok. You can never be quite sure with those kinds of injuries before they are fully diagnosed. Again, from all of us to Jordan and his family, they are in our prayers. We probably need to think more about the sacred trust that we have for these amazing creatures. When you see one of those moments, I haven't seen many on the field when I was involved or our team was involved, but it just absolutely is chilling. We do everything we can to protect the student-athletes, we really do. Nonetheless, there is such a risk so I just want to say that to Jordan, his family and to the Campbell team.
It was a magic offensive performance for us with the exception of the obvious and that is the mistakes that still continue to cost us. Defensively, it was another example of a long stretch where we played excellent football but when we had to make a stop coming down to the finish line, we didn't. So it's wonderful to have a win but we all know what could have been this year, what we didn't get done. That, to me, is extremely sobering. Where our record could be and what it actually is is two very different things. What we pushed at our team was, we've got one more chance to show what we're made of and in many ways we did that today. We still have light years to go. Having the mental toughness to absolutely put the clamps down and finish the game pulling away rather than to allow somebody to come back on us again and again and again. We are happy with the win. We are very dissatisfied with the season as we all are, but we'll go back to work right away and get to work on our academics, recruiting. We've got many things to improve on in our program and I'm really anxious to do that.
It seemed like you kind of kept things simple on offense today but simple seemed to be the most effective with the option plays right and left, and of course the play of the year run by Kelton (Hill) in the third quarter. Is that an accurate observation?
It was simple. The thing we have to be careful of with Kelton is that we don't get him so fatigued. He's in great shape but he's not a quarterback that runs out of bounds or slides. He picks the linebacker out and tries to hurt him. Usually, it doesn't hurt the linebacker much at all but it hurts Kelton. He might run over him and make another three yards and that's noble, but one of the things he's going to practice this spring is how to avoid collisions. Trying to tackle him in the open field is almost impossible. He is gifted. What everybody needs to notice too is how he has grown throwing the ball, both throwing on rhythm which we would like him to do a little bit more, but also when he does pull the ball down and starts moving around, it can very quickly be a touchdown. That is where he is looking; he's not looking to run with it. He's looking to find somebody. His accuracy has improved. His leadership has improved. He has come through some personal adversity this year, as have all our quarterbacks, in a way that makes us real proud of him. We just want it to continue.
How big was it, despite the fourth quarter, given what you guys went through all year, to go into the offseason with a better taste in your mouth this time?
The best way to say it is it beats the daylights out of the alternative. Having been in both situations, it really does lighten the burden but there are no illusions about this being some sort of redemption. Redemption would have been, like I said, a six-game winning streak, which is something we were perfectly capable of if we had been a little better coached and if we had responded a little better. We are going to build on that. We will look hard at the specifics of why. Very responsible in our administration have sat down with me and said, 'Why? What is going on?' I have to find more answers than I have found up to this point because I haven't been through anything quite like this experience. We will find out what we could have done in preparation better and we will use that in our plans as we go forward. We've got other areas of our program that need a lot of work. Like I've said several times, we've got a tremendous amount of work to do.
#4 Sophomore Quarterback Kelton Hill
On his 39-yard TD rush...
"Honestly, I was just trying to pick up the first down. Then I saw open grass in front of me. So I took it and made the defender miss and it was off to the races."
On ending the season with a win...
"It feels great to go out with a bang. We'll hit the off-season running and get better for South Carolina State (2012 season opener)."
#35 Senior Linebacker Jake Musau
On his senior season...
"Being a senior on this team has been amazing. Just trying to help all of the younger guys and lead them in the right direction. We all know that the season didn't end up the way we expected, but we ended it on a good note. We've been through some rough times, but football is just like life. You've got to learn to roll with the punches. I definitely enjoyed being around these guys and being coached by Coach Curry."
#20 Junior Running Back Donald Russell
On his running style...
"I felt like they were cloging up the middle so I felt like I needed to change a little bit and bounce outside more. I think it surprised them a little."
On the win...
We wanted to get a win for the seniors. It's been a real rocky season. We haven't won a lot of games that we should have. But to send the seniors out with a good win, I appreciate that. I think it's time to strap on the gear and get ready for next year. A lot of games this year we kind of let up and didn't finish. Today I felt like we finished and made some big plays."
#20 Senior Safety Brandon Jones
On his senior season...
"We had a rough year but we ended it on a positive note. I'm exhausted right now, but just knowing that my teammates wanted to play to their full potential and make sure we seniors left on a great note, feels tremendous. When I came in here in 2009, we had to do a lot of traveling to different practice sites. It was very hectic. But knowing that they were trying to build this program is something we had to wait to happen. These coaches have done a lot for me by leading me in the right way. Everyone in this program is trying to make it one of the best. I'm just excited to end by career this way."
CAMPBELL HEAD COACH DALE STEELE
ON JORDAN HILDRETH -
I really don't know a lot yet. I spoke to him on the field and he was responsive, so that is good. I will check on him with the trainers when they are finished all the tests and x-rays.
ON NOT GIVING UP
I am proud of the way this team always fights. That has been a hallmark of this team every week. It is a tribute to the seniors.
ON 6-5 WINNING SEASON-
It is exciting to be a part of the re-birth of Campbell football. The seniors have accomplished something to remember them by and we thank them.
ON WHAT TOLD TEAM ON FIELD AFTER GAME -
I told the team that they were winners. The seniors showed their leadership all year long. I told them that what they did for the Campbell program was appreciated by all of us.
ON THE FUTURE
I hope the people at Campbell and all our fans are excited as all of us are to move on and get started on next year. This has been a great group of guys and we are quite optimistic for the future.
NOTING GEORGIA STATE:
SCHOOL RECORDS - Georgia State had its most total yards of offense in school history today with 514, topping the 447 vs. West Alabama last week. The 301 yards rushing top the previous best of 244 yards vs. S. C. State five weeks ago. That gives GSU 961 yards total offense in its final two games. The 50 rushing attempts today were a school high, topping the 45 rushes at S.C. State this year.
POINT TAKEN - Georgia State started the season with 41 points in the win over Clark Atlanta and today's 42 points are the second-most in school history. GSU scored 55 points last year vs. Savannah State and had 41 points in the inaugural game vs. Shorter and the Clark game.
QB KELTON HILL - This season, QB Kelton has come on to throw 11 TD passes in the last 8 games. Those 11 TD's have covered 452 yards, an average of 41,1 per TD pass. Today's were 56, 55, 3 and 3 again. His longs are 78 and 63 yards, with five TD passes now of 50 or more yards. His 4 TD passes in a game are a personal best and tie the school record of Drew Little (done twice last year).
His 213 passing yards today are a second-best, behind his 228 last week at West Alabama.
With his 141 yards rushing today, that gives him back-to-back games with 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing. (228 pass, 152 rush last week).
His five TD's accounted for (four pass, one rush) tie Drew Little's score record of 4 in a game (all passes).
DOUBLE 100 RUSHERS - This is the first time in GSU history to have two runners each gain more than 100 yards in the same game. Kelton Hill ran for 141 yards on 20 carries (7.1 per carry), while Donald Russell topped that with 146 yards on 19 carries (7.7 per carry). Those are the second and third best totals in school history behind Hill's 152 yards rushing last week at West Alabama.
FIRST DRIVES - Georgia State scored on its first possession of the game (3 plays, 56-yard TD pass) and scored on a one-play, 55-yard pass on its first possession of the second half.
MORE THAN LONG HAIR - LB Jake Muasau had a fumble recovery and tackle for a loss today in his final game. He missed the St. Francis game, but in the final four games he played he has 6 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. He'll end his two-year career with 14.5 tackles for losses, 4 fumble recoveries, 3 pass interceptions.
WILLIAMS STREAK - WR Danny Williams extended his streak to catching a pass in all 22 GSU games with 4 for 92 yards today. He has four career 100-yard receiving games.
THAT'S A FIRST - GSU's 27 first downs today were a new school best, topping its previous best of 22 done three different times.
