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Western Carolina Head Football Coach Mark Speir:

Opening Statement:
"We are excited about a win; you know that is the objective - to come out (and play well) against a very good Catawba football team. We had no grand illusions that this was going to be just a `money game' as they quoted. I knew coming in that Catawba has always had talented players and really good coaching staff. And they had their guys well prepared and my compliments to Catawba."

"I told our players in the locker room, it was a good team-win because our offense has been rolling for two games and we been pretty efficient. Yeah, we got sloppy today; we had some pre-snap breakdowns which just are pet peeves of mine. A good day so, thought the kicking game was pretty solid today; it gave us good field position."

"We have an open date coming up to let us get some guys healthy. We start conference play in two weeks against defending champion Furman. This bye week comes at a good time. Coming off this game we have a lot to clean up and it will give us the opportunity to really coach them and I think that they are going to step up. Try to clean it all up and try to get ourselves prepared to go down and play a really good Furman Paladin team."

On the sloppiness of the game on both sides of the ball, yet overcoming and winning:
"We kind of out-coached ourselves a little bit at times. We didn't want to change our signals about (which signal caller) was live. Several of their coaches are familiar with our signals and calls. we are genius coaches who out-coached ourselves at times."

On what it means to overcome sloppy play and end with a win:
"It shows that they are mature. Nobody was on the sideline complaining and fighting, it was let me put you on my back and keep on going. Sometimes you need a sloppy game and win it for down the road."

Objectives going into the bye week:
"I told (our team) that we have got to have our very best week of practice. It ain't an off week - we just don't play anybody this Saturday. We got a lot to clean up and we got to get our guys healthy. We are going to go back to fundamentals this week, catching, blocking and wrapping up."

Redshirt senior defensive back Ace Clark:
On the defense and the takeaways along with the effort:
"We had four or five turnovers, trying to stop the run so they would pass the ball for us to pick it off and set the tone."

Feelings on going into the bye week 2-1:
"I've been here since 2010 and it's my senior year and it feels great. Definitely been the first time I have been 2-1. That feels great going into the bye week. We are going to use it to get healthy and keep grinding on the field. Come out next week and start the conference grind."

Significance of the forced fumble late in the second quarter:
"A great play on the 4-yard line; one of our defensive backs got to the ball out and changed the momentum back to the offense going into halftime."

Attitude of locker room heading into conference play 2-1:
"Everyone is excited in there. (We want to) get everybody back next week and we are not going to take anything off this week in practice just keep grinding and going down to Furman in two weeks with the mindset to get that first conference win."

Freshman running back Detrez Newsome:
Thoughts on having two touchdowns in the first two home games of the season:
"It has been a great experience, scoring two against Brevard last week and following that up with two against Catawba today."

On the competition between Newsome and Darrius Ramsey at running back:
"Ramsey has been around since my recruitment, and we go around and say hey, it's our week. We need to do our best."

On what Coach Speir said at halftime:
"He told us to keep doing what we were doing; run hard and get first downs."

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Jake Thornton:
On the differences in the running game between first half and second:
"We made a lot of adjustments (at halftime). The coaches saw some things up in the box that needed to be changed. And really, the mentality. The first two games, we started out real strong and continued it and that is the mindset we want to have the entire year."

Thoughts on the 2-1 start to the season:
"It feels great, it's been long road. I got here in 2012 and came into a program like Western with the history it has had we wanted to change it. Going into the bye week at 2-1 is great feeling. But we are not content right now at 2-1. Our goal is to win the SoCon and it starts with Furman. Furman is a great team and came here last year and beat us. Greenville is a tough place to go into, that is where we want go in and set the tone for a win. But, right now we are going to enjoy it."