A last second 44-yard field goal from Samford kicker Ty Ippolito finishes off a wild fourth quarter comeback as the Bulldogs get the 10-9 win over Wofford. We spoke with Samford head coach John Grass and kicker Ty Ippolito following the win.
Q: Last week at Furman to end the first half you don’t get the field goal off as the clock runs out. This week you execute it perfectly to set up Ty’s game winning kick. What was it like to see that execution tonight?
John Grass: “Well we tried the red field goal but the execution was not good. We had our fast field goal ready, and with it being not a fourth down deal, having enough time, we felt like we had enough time to clock it. It's kind of funny. You know, we've been prepping everybody to go fast field goal, which we call red field goal, and Ty thought it was red field goal. I think Zow or somebody had to grab him. So, you know, we're lining up because he's running out there doing the fast field goal, and we're trying to clock the ball, you know, so we got him off the field, clocked the ball, and then he just bangs it through. So like I said, just excited. They execute a lot, a lot of times you mess that up in the game, for sure. So that’s great execution, and we work those last, you know, end of the game scenarios, we work here every Thursday so it's just good to see that stuff come to fruition and play out in a game for our guys. And then actually execute it.”
Q: Another consistent performance from your defense, what has excited you most about their play?
Grass: “Yeah, I mean they've been, to me, they've been consistent all year. And they ain’t played perfect you know, it wasn’t a perfect night for them tonight. You know, they'd like to stop the rush a little bit better and make a few more plays. But like I said, they've kept us in. They've given us a chance to win every game that we've been in. And like I said, it's good the offense got started late, but we did enough to win the game too. But defense, I think we've been solid, you know, all year for sure. We play hard and just make some plays when we need it.”
Q: What was the celebration like in the locker room?
Grass: “Oh, man, I got to crowd surf a little bit. It was good. Those guys are just tickled to death, man. They're very, very excited. It was a fun dressing room, man. Just 2 weeks in a row, just to see those guys, you know, see some fruits with their labor, you know, come to fruition, man. This is fun to see that you know. This game was kind of my life, man, right? I mean, sometimes, you know, you're working hard, you're doing everything, things don't go your way. You just got to keep pushing and, you know, any good things do happen. You know, so it's just good to see good stuff happen to him right there at the end for sure.”
Q: That’s two consecutive wins, what do you look forward to for the rest of the season?
Grass: “Well, I mean, I think you just keep trying to stack wins. You know, we’ve got our work cut out for us next week. Go enjoy this one, not think about that too much. We have to go on the road and play a really good ETSU team, and we'd love to go up there and get a win. I know that would be a tall task, but I think we can. And then come back home to play our last one against Western Carolina, last conference game. So you'd love to definitely have a winning record in the SoCon for sure. So no reason why we can't, it's all about this and how we play and see how much better we can get these last couple games.
Q: Max Steve led your team in total tackles with 20, he’s had a really good freshman season. What has it been like seeing his play over the course of the year?
Grass: “Man, it's been fun to watch that kid. Very under recruited guy, um, played on a really good high school, and he's just a baller, man. He gets in in the summer, tremendous work ethic, and you kind of can predict the season that he was going to have, just by watching him in fall camp, man. The way you practice is the way you're going to play a nd that kid practices like that every day. And every scrimmage we had, because we didn't have him in the spring. He got here in the summer. So every scrimmage that we had in the fall camp, he just made plays. You turn on the tape after and he's just like he is now. He's making plays. I knew, we knew going in the season he was going to play. He's exceeded all expectations we've had for him. So he just gets more and more comfortable with the defense, but he is a tackling machine. So he saved, you know, tell how many, how many touchdowns he say tonight, just, you know, playing safety and making the tackle. So definitely saved a lot of explosive runs for sure.”
Q: As your team was potentially at that point setting up the game winning field goal, what goes through your head leading up to the kick?
Ty Ippolito: Yeah, definitely just calming myself, trusting my process, you know. It's just another kick, so just sort of trying to black out and not think too hard about, you know, what's going on, 'cause that can only cause more pressure.”
Q: What did it feel like after coming through at that moment? Then what was the celebration in the locker room like?
Ippolito: “Yeah, it felt amazing. I would have felt pretty bummed out if we lost, um, especially since I had a miss earlier in the game, but I was just glad we got the chance to, you know, make it right. “It was crazy. There's ice, there's water, Powerade everywhere. Yeah, I've never seen anything like it.
Q: What has it been like going through the ups and downs of the season for you?
Ippolito: “Yeah, no, it's definitely a part of kicking. You never want to get too high. You never want to get too low. So, you know, after every kick, just knowing, there's always an opportunity to, you know, kick again. But you can't get complacent with what you've done or what you haven't done. You just have to attack the next day.”
Q: What’s the best part about playing and working with this coaching staff?
“Man, the coaching staff, they just, they just believe in the guys. They just give everyone confidence, no matter what's going on, they stay positive through it all, and keep us all engaged.”
Samford heads on the road next week to take on ETSU. Kickoff is at Noon on ESPN+.
