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Joker Phillips and staff know that it's the Jimmy's and Joe's that ultimately decide victory and or defeat. And if the game performances are a match to practice performance they feel that they have enough Jimmy's and Joe's to get the job done against the Louisville Cardinals.
So it's natural that the players go into every game thinking they are going to win but Joker Phillips is in search for that magic elixir to make that a reallity. So What does he like about this team that's different than past teams. "I like the attitude in the locker room and the leadership at the top," Phillips enthusiastically expressed. " The seniors are starting to bring the young guy along."
What has brought about the difference in the locker room. Almost every player we've talked to since the crowd numbing comments of Joker Phillips in Louisville last Wednesday about 'Stuff'. Having no knowledge of said comments, beginning with D. J. Warren, Avery Williamson, and Collins Ukwu all have alluded to elements of the team discusions. "Coach Phillips does things with us that allows us to know our teammates better," Ukwu said. "We need to know more about the guys we are around 24/7and guys we play with. From that we are a family oriented team, That's helped us to know each other better and we've become a family. It brings us closer as a team and knowing each other better I feel like it will make us play harder. We don't worry what people are saying about us because we are playing for each other."
We asked Avery Williamson why all the negativity surrounding this team from the fan base and how do you flip that in one win over Louisville? Williamson said - "I'm sure we could. We've just got go in there and believe in ourselves. We are the only people believing in us and we've been the underdog a lot of times since I've been here and we've gone out and proved people wrong in many of those games. But we are a family and we are going out there as 'us against the world.' " When hearing that when his name is mentioned to coach Minter, his defensive coordinator and how his eyebrows kind of wiggled in approval, why does Minter react like that. "Because he knows I put in a lot of time this summer learning my plays and I really showed him this fall that I could make plays," Williamson said.
The subject of low fan expectation and little enthusiasm, Maxwell Smith was asked why I felt they could turn that around? He said - "I just think we are a better offense. Fans want to see us put points on the board and not the other team. And if you are a lot better at that, that's how we will turn it around."
Every team is a different team each season and in the play on the field there will be 3 to 8 players that fans don't know about that will be impact type players. Aside from the yearly talking points of being more together and being bigger, faster, and stronger, the togetherness claim feels genuine. And that could be the upset elixir Joker Phillips is looking for.
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