SAN MARCOS, Texas – Quotes from Texas State head football coach Jake Spavital, safety Tory Spears, and wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins following the game against App State at Bobcat Stadium on Oct. 8, 2022.
 
Jake Spavital, Head Coach
The largest crowd against a Sun Belt team here at Bobcat Stadium. Does it feel like a signature win for you?
I thought it was just a great win overall for our program. It's all about the kids and always about the program and everybody in here. There's a lot of work that has gone into this. I just think that's a momentum kind of game for us to understand what we're capable of doing. If we play together, play clean football, play football the right way.
 
You had a great opening drive but then threw the interception. You get a 4^th down stop and felt like the momentum switched. Just talk about that defensive stop.
I thought that was the biggest momentum swing of the game. We threw a lot of bullets at them early and then we got all the way down (and) we throw that interception. That's something good teams got to capitalize on. For our defense to elevate their play. We talk about in those momentum swings that, good or bad, the other side of the ball's got elevate to play and to get that turnover on downs and us to capitalize on that score. That was really the momentum swing of where we started kind of controlling the game from start.
 
What was going through your mind when the pick-six was thrown and he was running the other way for the score?
I was fired up for him and when he made the cut to score like around the 50, I was more concerned about making sure everybody was staying on the sideline because our kids they like to have a good time. I can tell you that.
 
You guys were coming off the field and everybody was so excited. That feeling with all that excitement where so many fans and so many people were looking at, this is a building point for this program where it is 3-3 yes, but this program's definitely getting up there.
I thought it was just awesome in general. When you pull up to the tailgate and the tailgate's packed and it was a great crowd, you just see that. We're trying to put everything we can into this program and everybody else trying to do it, too. And we need the fan base to keep showing up like that. It takes everybody, it takes a village to do these things and it was a great support, great crowd.
 
25,000 fans at an October game, you guys are 2-3 going into the game. You're 20 point underdogs, you still get all these fans here. Does that show what can happen here if it's curated properly?
Yeah, like I'm saying like when we were 2-2, it is one of the better records they've had in a long time. This just shows you like kind of where we're going with this and we're going to keep showing up and going. Like it just shows that we have a product that people are excited to watch and there's a lot of pride in this university and our goal is to keep building, keep bringing the consistency to the games. It was fun to kind of sit back and see a lot of people out there and you actually hear them on those critical moments on their downs, they got pretty loud in times.
 

Tory Spears, Defensive Back
Thoughts on the pick-six
The play before, I kind of misread my key and gave up a little bit much. I was trying to lock in a little more that play with zone, hot pressure, read the quarterback, and gave hard shoulders. Caught it, and when I cut it up the only thought in my head was, "Don't get caught, don't get caught." Because I got tired around the 40. Like you said, my first one and the adrenaline is still kicking. I still can't believe this, I really don't. Bless God and thank God.
 
Thoughts on being a 19-and-a-half-point underdog and lots of people counting you all out, what went into the preparation in this game?
Defensively, we understand it's not about them. It's about us. So, we really don't listen to the media. I mean, at the end of the day, it was disrespectful. Being more than 20 points, yeah our coach will say something. Other than that, it's about us. Once we do what we have to do, nobody can mess with us. We kind of show it every chance we get defensively, nobody can mess with us when we're locked in and going.
 
At the end of the first half you had a dropped ball, was that on your mind throughout halftime until you could make it up?"
Not really. The three second reset. I mean, it was on my mind for sure. Like I could've, should've, would've. I did my little 25 push-ups on the sideline before I went in. I went in and my teammates were letting me know that we needed those. I was like, "Okay, I got you." Three second reset and next play and do what I had to do."
 
What is it like to go out there being a 19-point underdog, and having all the fans show up and put on a show?"
Great. Dream come true. A lot of people wish they could be in my shoes, so we (defense) try to take advantage of it every day. Even with us being the 19 and a half point underdogs and losing, the crowd still came in at a record number. I can't ask for anything more than that, it's love.
 
Getting the fourth down stop in the first quarter, what did you all see on that play and how did that change the momentum?
The way we practice, we practice harder than the game, so we have seen that play so many times. So it's like yes, they finally read the play. We just executed and did what we had to do to get off the field. I didn't expect them to go for it and they did. They tried to do their job, and we did our job so that's all we can ask for.
 
What was the defense doing to shut Chase Brice down?
Doing what we have been doing the last nine months and preparing for this. We get to show you all what we have been doing. We really get active, and he couldn't do a lot. That's what we do (defense).
 
What were everyone's thoughts after the game when seeing the crowd and fans so excited?"
If I could take a picture of it and frame it, I would want to see that moment every day. We haven't had that here; I mean we have but not like this. Fans and everybody in there, I couldn't ask more, and I appreciate it.
 
 
Ashtyn Hawkins, Wide Receiver
On almost not playing today
Yesterday during practice we're actually gonna stretch, we were doing a little hamstring stretch and I actually got a tweak in my hamstring. I don't know how; it was weird. I've never had a hamstring problem or a groin problem. This is the first time it has ever happened. My hamstring just started hurting so it kind of slowed me down. I needed a little training time overnight. I was getting a lot of treatment, a lot of treatment on the last day of action, a lot of foam rolling, stuff like that. This morning, I got a lot of treatment as well. Pretty much by the time the game started, I was ready and good to go. I told coach, I had to play. I wasn't going to back down from this one. 
 
You didn't look like you were slowing down, did you feel pain during the game at all?
 Actually, today it felt normal. The trainer gave me this wrap, and I wrapped around my leg with my pants on. I was running and everything felt normal, it just felt like my hamstring wasn't hurting or it was never hurting in the first place. You know, the wrap actually did good for my hamstring, I was out there running and I didn't feel any pain.
 
Tonight it felt like the complementary game was Coach Spavital was saying down the listing and got a great performance from the defense and the offense was able to capitalize in certain situations. Do you feel that way?
Yes, I do. So, like what was going into the half, like 24-0 or something? Going into the locker room, we tried to tell each other to keep the foot on the gas. The game was not over with every half we actually say the score is still 0-0. I felt like as a team offensively and defensively at the start of the second half and we didn't back down. We kept foot on the gas. I felt like we kept making plays, executing plays as well. So, I did feel like we complementary football as a team. As you can see, I'm concerned about brute force.
 
Ashton, y'all had a great first drive but it ended in the interception, they drive down the field get the stop I mean, we all felt the momentum kind of switch on that. What I wouldn't necessarily ask what change but I'm you guys moved the ball. So well done. I mean, what y'all see on film what we all able to do just run up and down the field. Most of the time.
We knew, from the start of the game that if we actually play our football we will be able to move on any time versus any team but today after that first drive. We came to the sideline and said don't let that drive get in your head. Play the next play, we will get the ball back, defense – they got the stop. It was a huge stop. We got the ball back. We kept telling each other no matter what happened. Hey, go down, keep your head up, play the next play, keep fighting, keep executing and everything.
 
Final question for me. I know there's a 20-hour rule of coaches they don't want to have too much of a lull because of Troy and other opponents after that, but just walking up the hill with reactions from the fans from the administration and just that thought walking off and just the all the fans cheering and seeing the potential of what this program can be.
It was great. Like once the clock said one and then zero, I'm pretty sure everybody has the same mentality I was happy and I wanted to throw my helmet, but I had to think about it like hey there is too many people on the field I might hit somebody. That feeling right there. I think the crowd and the fans, everybody that came down. We couldn't do that without them like coaches, trainers as well, and everybody that stands on the Texas State home side. appreciate everybody that came because without them we wouldn't have did it.