Florida A&M Student-Athletes
Jeremy Moussa
Isaiah Major
Stanley Mentor
2014 the last time FAMU came here to play a game, talk about the chance to play in Atlanta and the bowl game, talk about being on this platform.
Jeremy Moussa: The city of Atlanta has been great to us since we arrived on Wednesday, the city of Atlanta has been putting on a lot of events and it has been great hanging out with all of my teammates. The experience of seeing what the city has to offer has been great, being able to experience all the things we have been to and being able to hang out in the hotel is what I am going to miss when my collegiate days are done. It has been great to us, we get to play in a great facility, and can’t wait to get on the field and see what it is like.
Talk about the journey to get here, the last two years falling short to Jackson State, being able to get here.
Stanley Mentor: It was a pretty long journey at the end of the day, but we knew the goals that we had to set, which was the Cricket Celebration Bowl. We took it one game at a time, every opponent.
With the accolades the defense has earned this season, how important is it for the defense to play well.
Isaiah Major: I am thankful for all those accolades, but I am only as good as my defensive line and my defensive backs. It is a mindset we take into every game; we must go out and compete not just the Celebration Bowl, not just the SWAC Championship, every day at practice, that is just what we do.
Willie Simmons, Opening Statement
This has been a phenomenal week for us to represent the SWAC in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. Once we won the SWAC championship almost two weeks ago we were extended the invitation from John Grant, we have been fired up. You have seen a lot of orange and green throughout the city and that will continue into the weekend. This is a great opportunity for our team to do what they have done all year. We set our goals high, and we have a chance to make history by winning our first Celebration Bowl. This is a great game against a great opponent, this is a great showcase of two great institutions.
What has this year been like and what can you point to that has gotten you there?
For us this journey started way back in January. It really started last November when, I felt like in my opinion, we were snubbed from the playoffs. I challenge my guys every day to control our own destiny, and never put ourselves in a position where we are depending on someone else. At the start of the season, we knew right out of the gate with the opener in the Orange Blossom Classic. We knew Jackson State was a good football team, and we knew whoever won that game was going to have a leg up. And it started on the first play with the kickoff return for a touchdown that set the tone for that game and really for the season. We knew we were talented and knew we had a chance to be really good, but it’s always about the application. I am proud of how this team has handled adversity and overcome it. For us it was the realization we were a team of destiny and if we put the pieces together, we had a chance to do something special.
