North Carolina A&T head coach Sam Washington opening statement… "Good afternoon everyone, happy to be here again with you guys. This game was a tough ballgame, and we knew going into the game that it would be tough. They are an "O-fer" team, but they don't play like that, and if you look at their previous games, they were ahead going into the fourth quarter as many as 21 points, very similar to what we had and that turned around. Going into the contest, we knew it was going to be very important that we got started fast and finished strong. That was the motto, and I thought we did that. Offensively, we came out and put points on the board and moved the ball. Defensively, I thought we played perhaps our best half of football for this season thus far. We were able to get pressure on the quarterback, and everything was going according to plan. Then in the second half, we were receiving the ball thinking that it was going to be big for us, and we had turnovers, two in particular, that made for a short field for North Alabama, and they capitalized on both turnovers. That's why we put so much emphasis on protecting the football because when you have those kinds of mishaps, bad things normally happen. I was very pleased and proud with the way we finished the game. The guys never quit. They never wavered, but you have to tip your hat to North Alabama. They fought. They didn't give up. They didn't quit, and they continued to play at a very high level, and they capitalized on those turnovers and turned them into points. They also changed the tempo. They went to a faster pace offensively to kind of get us off balance, and it did, but I thought we finished strong." 

Washington on Jalen throwing a pick coming out of halftime: "Just have to be more careful. We're going to take what they give us. We're not going to allow them to dictate what we do." 

Washington on if it was wrong route or bad pass on interception:  "A little bit of both. From what I saw, he (Jalen) should've gone backside. The corner came off. The number two receiver ran the wrong route. He was supposed to take his guy further inside, and the spacing was really bad." 

Washington on what team learned Saturday: "I thought the team showed a lot of character, you know, that they would fight regardless of the situation and the moment, and they didn't bow down to the moment, so I was very pleased and proud of them for that." 

Washington on how he's addressing penalty issues:  "We're going to have to find some way of doing it. Some of it was technique, and some of it was the officiating. He was calling a very tight game, and we had to recognize that, and when they're doing that, we have to be a little less hands-on and play with our feet more than our hands, and that's one thing we did not do. We got out of position several times due to the lack of technique. That can be corrected." 

Washington on the Aggies first Big South road game:  "It's going to be a big ballgame, period. They're a run team, and we like to stop the run. They are very good. They are nationally ranked. They are a good opponent, but it's a challenge I think we are up to, and we are looking forward to going down there and just competing." 

Washington on guys jumping up and down on sideline:  "I think it's very important that you have positive energy on the sideline, and then when you make a play, it needs to be recognized, so that part I'm okay with as long as you keep it to a minimum and in perspective." 

Washington on concern from jumping offsides:  "If I had the choice to cut back and be less aggressive, I wouldn't choose that. We don't want to take away that aggression from them, but they have to be more disciplined. They can literally watch the ball before they go, and that's one of those things that can be rehearsed and practiced, and we will get better at it." 

Washington on two turnovers in the second half:  "It definitely changed the game itself. Whenever you have those sudden changes, that changes the complexity of the game, so you're kind of off-script now. You have to do what is necessary and kind of leave your script, so that's what makes it difficult." 

Washington on last time A&T played a team that runs like Kennesaw State:  "I don't think we have faced any team to run true triple. This will be a first, and it's going to be a big challenge for us. It's going to require us to be very disciplined. Our eyes must be disciplined. It's about reading your keys and reacting to what your keys say and not following the football in the backfield with your eyes, so discipline is going to be huge." 

Washington on challenges KSU's offense presents: "Honesty it's fun for me. We're the number one rush defense, and they're the number one rushing offense, so that's going to set the tempo of the ballgame. We will face the challenge with our heads up, and we have to be very disciplined and tackle well. I think those are the two things that will determine our fate." 

Washington on if it's a complete change defensively facing KSU: "We are going to have to do some things a little differently than normal, but for the most part, it's going to come down to run, block, tackle. We're going to have to tackle well defensively." 

Washington on what it was like seeing Tuten's performance Saturday: "It's a joy to watch that young man practice. I believe you play as you practice, and he practices at a high level, and that's why he's able to perform as well as he does." 

Washington on what it means for A&T's running game having three capable backs… "Thank you. It makes it very difficult for the opponents, I'm sure. They all have their own style, and they're all football players. I often say football players make football plays. We have three football players in the backfield...actually, four." 

Washington on running back depth chart:  "The depth chart hasn't changed, everybody just has different responsibilities. Jah-Maine is still our running back, and he must carry the load, and we'll throw our little curveball and our little off-speed pitch to you when we deem it necessary." 

Washington on how they recruited and landed Tuten: "Through the grace. Honestly, it was a blessing. When he and his family came down for the visit, we were so concerned that we were not going to be able to seal the deal and, fortunately, we did." 

Washington on how much he thinks the team is looking at new conference standings: "I think it's a bit early to get into that. We can and must get better at so many other things before we get into that part of it, but we understand how important games six, seven and eight are. If you want to be a champion, you have to do well during that part of the season, and this happens to be game number six." 

Washington on what Monmouth has done to beat Kennesaw State two times in a row: "One of the things they've done that I hope we can replicate is keeping the ball away from their (KSU's) offense. If you keep that triple option on the sideline, they get very impatient." 

Washington on one aspect of KSU the Aggies need to focus on:  "The run game. We have to stop the run. If we don't stop the run, in particular the diving and quarterback, if we don't stop those two options, we're in trouble. At least manage. If not stop, manage." 

Washington on Kennesaw State: "They're a solid football team. They're a team that I would like to believe doesn't make many mistakes; they aren't going to beat themselves and will play hard. They are a very disciplined team. A lot of cut blocks that you don't normally see in 2021, and here they come, and they do a very good job of it." 

Washington on Aggie Pride in Atlanta: "It's humongous. It is so huge when you turn around and see and also can hear that cheer for you; it does something to ignite you to be your best. We're very proud of our support and our support groups and very grateful." 

RB Bhayshul Tuten 

Tuten on eventual game-winning TD… On the play, it was a play where I had just come back in. We ran a slip. It was a motion to the right, then back across the formation to the flat. We ran that play in practice, and coach Barnette told me it was most likely going to be open in the game, and I was going to get it, and my mentality was that I was going in. I got the ball, I looked upfield, and it was about 10 to 15 yards between the next defender and me and the corner; he tried to pin me against the sideline, and I made him miss. Then I made the second guy miss, juked back inside for the third guy, and then I looked and saw a whole convoy of wide receivers and linemen running back inside, and they led me to the end zone and kept their blocks, and we got there." 

Tuten on the feeling of making a game-winning play at home:  "It felt great, to be honest. I've never felt anything like that before. I know I played at a high level in high school, but college is different, especially when we needed a big play like that. It kind of felt out of this world. It felt good." 

Tuten on if he expected to be thrust into the role this quickly: "This quickly? No. But I was expecting for the moment where our coaches called my number. As coach said, I work hard, I practice hard, and it came out that I played hard and good." 

Tuten on how he came to A&T… "It was kind of a late decision. I know COVID messed up a lot of my recruiting in high school, and one day, coach Barnette reached out to me, and we got in contact, and we talked like every other day and built a connection. Then they had me down for a visit, and I liked the campus, my mom liked the campus, they liked what they offered, and that's how I came about." 

Tuten on his high school career: "I had a big high school career, I guess you would say. I was a two-time all-state rushing leader, a two-time player of the year, a lot of first teams, and a lot of good stats, I guess you could say." 

Tuten on what he's learned from older running backs like Jah-Maine: " I would say, I learned a lot more on the mental side like learning deeper into the playbook. In high school, we talked about schemes and stuff, but we really weren't in-depth with it, so to come in here and talk with them more helped me understand the role of playing running back is more than running the ball. It's about when you don't have the ball in your hand." 

Tuten on how the team bounced back after losing the first two games: "I think we bounced back in a great way. Of course, we still have some work to do, but we're taking another step forward. The first two losses were hard on us, but we stuck together; we bounced back and one step at a time." 

Tuten on what last Saturday's performance does for his confidence:  "It's a big confidence booster, but I still try and stay humble about it and keep working at practice. Like we say, last week is behind me, so I'm kind of looking forward to the next game." 

LB Jacob Roberts 

Roberts on defense's performance in the first half: "In the first half, I thought we played as one. We stopped the run, we played together, and in the first half, we played great." 

Roberts on how the defense is gelling with players returning from injury: "It's coming along great. We're still figuring things out as the season goes along; we're just going to keep getting better and better." 

Roberts on preparing for KSU's run game… "We harp on stopping the run, so that's something we're really going to work on this week during practice, and that's going to be our main focus, and we're going to try and get the job done." 

Roberts on any differences he's noticed between Big South and MEAC: "Football is just football to me, but in the Big South, linemen are a little bigger, a little stronger, a little faster. The game is a little faster, but it's nothing new. We're going to adjust to it and our best against their best; I'll take us any day." 

OL Dacquari Wilson 

Wilson on offensive start Saturday:  "I feel like we had a very explosive start. Coach Barnette placed a lot of emphasis on that throughout the week, preparing in practice and coming out with great energy. Everything we did in practice pretty much transferred over into the game. In the second half, we had a little bumpy start with some turnovers, but we ended up picking it back up and ended up playing smooth." 

Wilson on if it's different blocking for each running back:  "Not necessarily. We stick to our game plan, and they do a great job finding the holes and making us look great, so overall, it's the same for each back. Depending on the scheme, we might have to block a little differently, but overall it's the same thing." 

Wilson on how dangerous offense can be with a three-headed monster in the backfield:  "Oh my gosh, that just opens up so many things. Having those guys in the backfield is opening up the passing game a lot. A lot of guys expect us to come out running it downhill, but I feel like it just opens up our offense a lot more. We can do a lot more with it. It makes us a lot more dominant." 

Wilson on offense bouncing back from the two turnovers:  "It definitely built confidence. We know we can hit adversity and overcome it. We expected things to go wrong in the game, and just like anything in life, how you overcome it determines the type of team you will become, so I feel like we dealt with it very smoothly, made some adjustments, and carried through." 

Wilson on the element of pride going up against a team trying to outrush A&T: "Absolutely. At the end of the day, we try not to put too much emphasis on the opponent. We just have to come out and play as we play. If we do that, stick to the fundamentals and execute, it's our ballgame." 

Wilson on winning over fans to attend games against new opponents:  "Honestly, we don't really think too much outside the football aspect. We control what we can control, starting with having a great week at practice, sticking with the fundamentals, and executing how we do. All the outside noise is simply out of our control, so we just focus on what we're here for."