Recap | Box Score | Notes

Villanova head coach Andy Talley...

Opening statement: Obviously from a spectator's standpoint it was a really good, hard playoff game. We played as hard as we could play. Chris Polony did an amazing job at quarterback and I am really happy with what he did. He gave us an opportunity to win the game. I think our guys did a good job trying to support him. I am really happy with his performance. It was very disappointing; the penalty situation for us and it is hard to believe that we could amass that many penalties this late in the season. I feel like maybe we didn't handle the pressure as well as we should have in some of the critical points of the game.

I feel that Sam Huston is a very good football team and I knew that the game was going to be a toss-up. If I had some things that I might take back I would have taken some of those easy scores that we gave them. They picked on our young corners with the kid from TCU and really hurt us. The other disappointment was when we put our final touch down in, that is when a championship team gets it done defensively. We just let them move the ball too quickly down the field on that last drive. I was hoping for a stop, we would have been in better shape. It came down to a three point difference in the end and that has sort of been the story of the season: a one point loss at Syracuse, a one point loss at Richmond and a three point loss here. All those teams are really good and you have to play a little better than they do. I thought they played just a little better than us for the entire game. I feel that they have the ability to go further and I am really proud of our football team. We were an overachieving team, we won eleven games and I have no complaints. They were as good a team as I have ever had here at Villanova and I am really proud of them.

It was a good hard fought game and I told the players it is my twelfth playoff game and there is only one time we made it all the way to the end. Someone always has to have a broken heart at the end of these games. It is time to look at the positive things; we had a strong senior class and they left a lot of great memories for our team to build upon for next season.

On senior quarterback John Robertson's situation: He got hurt in the game on Saturday against Liberty and he had a concussion so we put him through the protocol and he passed all the protocol. He was in practice yesterday and looked really good but part of it is, is that you have to have some collision stuff which he did on Friday but this morning he did not feel well. He hadn't slept, he had a head ache and he came to us and said `I don't think I can go'. That was certainly a flashpoint for us, we had to quickly scheme Chris (Polony) up and take some things out of the game plan that we had for John and cut it down a little bit for Chris. Chris was taking all the reps all week so he was geared up and ready to go but as of yesterday it looked like John (Robertson) was able to play. Then this morning after mass that was what we got so we quickly moved on with Chris and were confident that he would play the way he did and give us a chance to win it. I think that is the bottom line he played really well and gave us a chance to win.

On senior quarterback Chris Polony: He is a real man. He could have complained and been a problem guy or tried to transfer but he is an engineer and a real smart guy. He came here to get an education first and play football second which is our sell. He loved the school and wanted to be here and the way John (Robertson) plays this could have happened any game. It is a very fine success story if you want to hire a guy for your company that is exactly the kind of guy you want to hire, who is a team player and doesn't just think of himself. It is a beautiful story and he is a great kid.

On Robertson's decision: His mindset was that he was letting us down. However, he has had a concussion before and he knows how it feels but he didn't feel right and was worried that he might not make the right decisions on the field ... I accepted it because I had thought about it all week: We were going to play without probably the best player in FCS football ... While it was hard, we are all here for the betterment of our student-athletes and I wouldn't want to put him on the field. It is just a game and it is his head. You worry about long-term effects and there is so much now with concussion issues that in everyone is much more concerned about that kind of thing.

On the delay of game at the end of the game: We kick so seldom, that I don't think the application of getting everyone on the field, checking the time and getting the ball snapped on time was all that great. That is on us. I think that our whole level of play on special teams went downhill this year. I would have felt even worse if he made it and then have had the five-yard penalty.

On the blocked punt in the first quarter: I would have to say our kicking game this year is probably the worse I have ever seen at our school. We have a lot of work to do. For us to get this far with this kind of stuff. The kicker is new, the field kicker that we have on scholarship isn't ready yet and the punter is new. We just didn't do the kind of job we needed to do in the kicking game. That is frustrating but I need to look at eleven wins and think we are pretty blessed.

Senior quarterback Chris Polony...

On when he found out he was starting: Earlier in the week, it wasn't official until yesterday but I practiced all week and they made the decision yesterday. So I was well prepared, I took all the reps in practice. Robertson tried to come back but he still didn't feel right for today so the coaches decided to go with me.

On talks with John Robertson on the sideline: He just tried to stay positive. Saying you know your good and to keep your head up.

On final drive with four minutes remaining: We tried to do what we had been doing for the whole game. Just go through your reads, protect the football, make good decisions and see what happens. We just couldn't pull it out at the end.

On making his first start since 2012: I'll give credit to the offensive line, receivers and running backs, they just had a lot of confidence in me. They did their job so it just made it easier on me.

Senior running back Kevin Monangai...

On the end of the season for the seniors: We are just proud of the way we took this program from a 2-9 season when we first came in to what it is now. We would've liked to have gone further but that's the way things go sometimes.

On the confidence on offense: I think Chris had one of the better days of anyone in our conference this year. It was awesome to see him step in like that and John was very supportive of him. The offensive line played amazing and our wide receivers did to. I was just happy with the overall offensive performance." Don Cherry on stopping the rush in for the majority of the game. Our defense is always catered towards stopping the run first so I think we did a really good job of that. It's a credit to the defensive line; those guys are up there fighting in the trenches all day. They played a great game all day and freed it up for me to go up there and make plays. I think they practice hard all week and it showed on the field.

Junior linebacker Don Cherry...

On stopping the deep ball: Some coverages we got into went a little rough for our corners. They've had their ups and downs and I think they're all ready to step up now.

On losing Joe Sarnese: He's the leader of the defense. It's hard but you know we have a lot of guys back there that we know can come in and step up their play. We did everything we could to try to get the win.

Sam Houston State head coach K.C. Keeler...

Opening statement: Well, it's 72 and sunny back in Huntsville. So if we get a chance to do this again, I suggest we do it in Texas. It was nice coming east. A chance to see a lot of family and friends. Emotional win. I think [Villanova head coach] Andy [Talley] and his staff do a good of job as any staff in the country, coaching their kids. We found out just prior to the game that they weren't going to have their star. It didn't surprise me. I played against [Chris] Polony before; I knew his dad from the Lehigh Valley. And he played much like [John] Robertson. Hats off to them; they had a great season. They took a situation where that guy is not only their best player, but their emotional leader. They made some plays early in the game and got some momentum going and they started believing that they could win with anybody and it's a great tribute to that coaching staff. Andy has been a friend for a lot of years and he does a great job running that program.

Proud of my kids. Jared Johnson; he played but he was definitely ill. We found out on Thursday that he had the flu. So we had to mask him and put him in a seat all by himself and a hotel room by himself. Didn't let him out of the room for 36 hours or so. He threw the ball very well. I don't think he ran like he did in the past but probably because he has the flu. It has hit us with a number of players, but that's the time of year for this. We lost our third tight end during the game. That's just the time of year it is; survival of the fittest. That was a well-played football game by two pretty good teams. Great to get the win. Great to be in the final four. Don't care who or where we play because it will be exciting no matter what. They just love to play.

On why it was an emotional victory: It was an emotional game coming back east. I hadn't been back in a while. I've only seen my mom once since I took the job out in Texas, and my brother too. Just family and friends coming. The number of text messages I got. The number of players that came to see me at the hotel; former Delaware players. Number of players that came to the game just to see me, that was emotional. That's sometime I regretted that I didn't get to spend the last moments with those kids when they graduated. But that's enough about Delaware. These kids just love to play. I just love game day with these guys so much. It is an absolute riot. The energy that we have in that locker room, the energy we have on that field. I think that's why it's the third or fourth game where we've been losing but came back to win. The chemistry that has been developed because of what we went through early in the season is really tremendous. This is as close of a team that I've ever been around. That was one of the knocks on us early on, that we brought new players in. They have such a respect for each other. It's been an amazing ride and when we were 1-3 I told my wife that we would have Christmas in Texas.

On finding out Villanova QB John Robertson was not playing: It was literally when we were coming off the field after warmups and I grabbed one of the interns to see the depth chart and I saw Polony. So though there's no bargain, no bargain here. They lose a great player but they bring in a player that started a full year. I saw him play up in the Valley. Senior year, everything is riding on his shoulders. I thought they did a great job running the ball. Our defense line has been the dominant factor the last couple of weeks and it wasn't today. This is the first time all season where anyone has pounded on us. That opened up some opportunities for the quarterback. It's not going to change their game plan, so it can't change our plan. The reality is that if they make some plays early on with their guy out then everybody is going to rally and support [Polony]. Everybody plays a little better because they know they have to. He played really well and tribute to in his last ballgame as a senior. He played as well as any kids we played this year.

Sam Houston State junior wide receiver LaDarius Brown...

On how the team has gotten closer since a 1-3 start: The Colorado State-Pueblo loss really hurt us a lot. After that loss we said we weren't going to lose again. We said we were going to practice hard every day and get the job done. Now we're doing what we're doing now.

On mismatches down the field: When I was out there I was thinking to go over the top and I could make this play every time. The defense played like I thought they would. Big props to my QB for doing that.

Sam Houston State sophomore quarterback Jared Johnson...

On his thought process after Villanova regained the lead: We had some time to make some plays and to continue to play like we had all game. We knew we could score and then leave it to our defense to make a stop.

On the team's offensive growth: We've grown tremendously since the Colorado State-Pueblo game. We can run the ball when we need to and throw the ball when we need to. We have speed and can pound the ball when we need to. It makes it really hard for defenses to stop us.

Sam Houston State sophomore linebacker Myke Chatman...

On the defense coming up big on the final drive: It was big, that's the beauty of our team. When one side of the ball isn't clicking the other side picks us up. The offense had our back today and we took it upon ourselves to get a stop and focus in on the last drive.