2024 First Responder Bowl Quotes
Postgame Bowl Quotes – 15th Annual SERVPRO First Responder Bowl – Jan. 3, 2025
Final Score: Texas State (8-5) 30, North Texas (6-7) 28
Texas State coach GJ Kinne
Opening statement…
“Super proud of the guys. We had to make it interesting. Second time in a row to put on a show for the people. Hats off to North Texas and coach Morris. Their backup quarterback came out and played lights out. The last couple of weeks have been the craziest I’ve been a part of in college football. To come out with this atmosphere and get a win, that is what it is about.”
“We had to work through things early, and we weren’t the cleanest but that is what happens when you take a month off. I am really proud of the way that we came out and finished.”
On the play of quarterback Jordan McCloud…
“For him to come out and play in this game, he is a winner. He never batted an eye this year. Through the ups and downs, in practice he played like a champion. I am super proud of him going out as a champion. I hope that he gets a shot at the next level and I’m excited to see what that looks like.”
On the play of running back Lincoln Pare…
“He is going to be a captain moving forward. He is the epitome of what we want as a Texas State Bobcat. That is what you want to win games. I am super proud of him.”
On the team’s success on fourth-down conversions…
“We had a couple of conversions that we won the game because of it. Lots of credit to the staff. It’s not easy to lose your coordinator. We came together and did this as a staff and I’m so proud.”
On the play of the defense…
“Besides the late touchdown, we were in two-man, they called a great play. I told one of our defensive linemen to spy the quarterback and their offensive guys did a good job of getting to them. We get most of those guys back and to get that momentum going into the offense. We will see some real leadership step up going into year three. We are really starting to identify leaders.”
On building momentum from this season to next year…
“We have some good kids and good coaches. It just takes time. I know everyone wanted us to have instant wins. We are winning games and back-to back bowl champs which is really good. To get where we need to go the leadership needs to step up and that happens naturally, you just can’t do that overnight. We will have a lot of momentum and a lot of leadership going into the offseason.”
On back-to-back First Responder Bowl wins…
“It has been awesome and a great two years. With all of the in and out, to build a culture and have some buy in to go win 8 games at a place that hasn’t done, it is special. We have to build this thing the right way, and it starts with signing Texas high school kids and we have been able to prove we can do that.”
North Texas coach Eric Morris
Opening statement…
“Hats off to Texas State. They made the plays down the stretch when they needed to. I am proud of our guys. There were a couple of storylines coming into this game. The first one is a walk-on true freshman quarterback that never even started in high school. The kid was phenomenal. I was hoping and praying the whole entire couple of weeks. He has practiced so good. He went out there and didn’t waver at all. He had a great presence about himself. Really excited about the opportunities that he’ll provide for us in the future and be a guy that we can build this program around.
“There were a bunch of young players out there that I thought did a really nice job for us today. For us to have three really good drives that had zero points were two big things. Those are things that when you turnover the ball twice when you get good drives is a big minus for us today.”
On the play of quarterback Drew Mestemaker…
“We had plenty of time to prepare for this. Drew is a guy that retains information really well. Anytime we put a lot on him during the course, he has been able to handle it well. For him to go out and shake those nerves out, he went out there and threw a strike, you could feel his demeanor change after that first touchdown. He’s a guy that runs 21.6 on the GPS all the time. I was not surprised at all that he ran that last touchdown.”
“Seems like the whole entire day he had the offense moving. There are growing pains anytime you are playing on that stage, there are a couple of throws he probably wishes he’d have back. He did a nice job extending plays and getting outside the pocket and using his legs. He is a guy that can definitely lead our football program.”
“Not even close to his ceiling. But he played so well tonight. That’s the first football game he’s started at quarterback since the 9th grade, which is wild to me. To see him go out there and compete the way he did. I’ve been blessed to be around some good ones. He has some traits that are as good or better than some of those guys playing on Sundays right now. I think you saw the athleticism, the accuracy, the decision making. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 15 years Drew Mestemaker is playing football still.”
On the play of the defense against Texas State…
“They continued to battle. They handled our pressure really well. Texas State was really efficient on those third downs, but to be able to come up with that interception and then the fumble there at the end on the sack was a big play for us. I was super proud of the way they fought the entire game.”
On playing an in-state team in a bowl for recruiting…
“It has an effect on recruiting. Winning is the secret receipt to recruiting. It’s a lot easier to sell a program when you have show for it and something to prove for it. In this industry it is so driven financially, it throws a little bit of a hiccup in it, but anytime you can end the game with a bowl victory it can help you in recruiting the next year.”
Using today’s performance to go into next year…
“Right now it is about getting into year three and really build more chemistry and play complementary football together. We have to do a better job getting more takeaways throughout the year and tackles for losses. When we do that, ti can parallel the brand of offense we want to play. We started four true freshmen on the offensive side of the ball and we have to add some depth to that. We have to build this roster up from top to bottom. This will be a huge offseason for us.”
Players
Damon Ward, UNT wide receiver
“The offense never wavered. We just left it all on the field. As a team, I’ll remember the resiliency and the brotherhood we have.”
On play of QB Drew Mestemaker: “Drew took command of the offense. He learned all our schemes and took advantage of his opportunity.”
Jayden Hill, UNT defensive back
“Everybody was playing their hearts out. We were playing this one step at a time. That was one thing we were striving for.
Portal losses impact things? “I don’t think it affected us. We knew what we were going to do. We had a lot of time to prepare the young guys. It was really nothing.”
Jordan McCloud, Texas State QB
“We came out and knew there were ups and downs throughout the season. We were preaching for the last month that this win would be big for the program.”
On your game: “It was pretty good. Shout out to the guys who made plays. All of our skill members made great plays with the ball in their hand.”
Big takeaways: “It’s a lot of talent on this team. Once everyone figures it out and learns how to handle adversity, we can take the next step.”
On offense: “We ran our base stuff and executed pretty well tonight.”
Lincoln Pare, Texas State RB
On TD run: “They were just loading the box. I knew if I could get to the next level I knew I could beat them. Hats off to the O-line for opening up holes the entire game.”
On your season: “For me it’s really a feel good moment. I put in a lot of work to get here. To be able to out there and continue to contribute, it feels great.”
On QB Jordan McCloud: “We have a veteran signal caller. You have a guy like Jordan McCloud comes in that’s why we’re here. Having a guy like that leading us is great.”
On the slow start: “It just goes to show you’ve got to weather the storm. When you have a guy like Jordan and you can control the game, it makes things easier. Hats off to having a lot old guys who have been through that.”