GEORGIA STATE HEAD COACH TRENT MILES

I thought our kids battled. We got beat by a really good football team. Texas State will probably be in a bowl and is one of the best teams in our conference. We didn't do much early. Offensively, the first series we were able to run the ball some and have a balanced attack and they held us to a field goal, and then we weren't able to get the ball moving much after that. Two 3-and-outs left our defense out to dry and we are very thin on defense. We suited up 16 scholarship players on defense. That's not an excuse. We were expected to perform. We didn't slow them down. They had a good scheme and put some points on the board, and then we came out in the second half and scored 28 points, they scored 27. We asked them to compete. We pulled everyone up in the fourth quarter and said to go play, just go as hard as you can and send our seniors out the right way. I thought they did that for the most part. We're seeing a process of building here. I told our seniors in there, they're like our parents. My life is better because of what my dad did for me and that's what my goal is as a parent is make my children's life better. That's what these seniors did is lay the foundation, hopefully paved the way for these young guys coming back.

Were you surprised the team came out playing so flat in the first half?

I don't think it was flat. [Texas State] had a lot to do with that. Texas State did a great job once they figured out what we were doing to try to shut us down in the running game. And defensively, with that quarterback that they have and the ability to run the ball, so you sell out to stop the run and they throw over your head. I thought they did a really good job. Our kids were not out emotionally flat.

Talk about LynQuez Blair and his play as a senior.

LynQuez gave great effort. He's played well all year. He did everything we've asked him to do. He had seven catches today. It was good to see the touchdown today, but I wish he wouldn't have spiked the ball. You're getting beat 40-something to whatever and we don't like to do that. But I'm not going to take anything away from his effort. He was able to make plays and we'll miss him. But we've also got some good young guys like Todd Boyd and Glenn Smith who stepped in and stepped up to do some good things also.

Moving to the offseason are there specific things you want to look at?

First of all, we have to recruit, that's the main thing, which never stops. Our coaches will be on flights Sunday morning to head out recruiting. We have to get bigger and stronger. We have a lot of young guys who have to develop and some guys coming back who have to get stronger. You look across the field and look at us and it's not the same. So we have to develop in the weight room and we have to develop leadership. I told the team afterwards, we have to develop leadership.

In the offseason are you going to specifically address defense?

We're going to get the best players that we can but obviously by numbers we have to get more defensive players. We had four weeks when we first got here (to recruit) and then a full year last year, but with the numbers by class and couldn't sign enough with only 25 to sign to fix that. So we need to go sign some players on the defensive side but we also will sign some on the offensive side.

What is the main message on the recruiting trail the next few weeks?

Well, you can live in Atlanta, Georgia, and go to Georgia State University and get a great education. The thing about us is we have great people here. From top to bottom, we have great people to be involved with. We tell recruits all the time, everyone is going to have a stadium to play in and [shoe companies] and facilities and study hall but the difference is the people. Georgia State has great people to sell the university and within the athletic department and the student body. You have a chance to get a great education and play great football in the Sun Belt Conference, the opportunity to play some great opponents and at the same time be around great people. We have some great young men in that locker room and people to support them. Lot of good things at Georgia State to sell.

Coaching attrition is part of college athletics. You only had one last year, but do you anticipate more this year?

Who knows? You know this profession. I have no idea. I'd love to keep everybody but I know how this profession is. There are some guys on this staff who other people would want. I've already been called by some guys. I don't want to lose anybody but that's the way this business is, it's a business.

Quarterback Nick Arbuckle

Let's start with the 13 on your face. Is that a tribute to [senior receiver] LynQuez Blair? 

Yes it is. It was something that I just had an idea for the game. I did it and all the receivers copied me.  He was the only senior receiver playing this game so it was something we did for him.

What did you learn about the team this year and what you can apply for next year?

We learned how to stick together through adversity. That was a big thing that we really built our team chemistry last year during the offseason on. You don't really know how that's going to work once you finally face adversity. You just have to go through the test and see where that chemistry can come in. We stayed strong and we stayed together and nothing that happened – no defense, offense – nobody severed from each other. We're a family and we'll go back to work starting Monday and we'll be so tightknit as a group that nothing can break us and nothing can slow us down. Like Coach Mile was saying earlier, it's a business and you never know what coaches are going to return or not. We understand that, we all pretty much know that coaches get hired and promoted to better jobs somewhere else. Coach (?) came in and he was a great addition to our program this year as well. And no matter what coaches come in her we are going to be so tight as a group that nothing is going to slow us down. We're going to hit the ground running come January and we'll get into our off-season program.

Talking about the offense and the number of players returning; Tim, AJ and LynQuez are the only departing players. You mentioned you feel like that offense could take a step forward next year.

We'll take a huge step forward. I don't think we cracked the 40's this entire year, that's something I think this offense next year will be capable of doing every single week. We've got some great running backs returning, it will be great to have Tyler back on our line. I know we're out there recruiting some really good running backs as well and they might be able to come in and bring us more versatility. Guys like Donovan and Robert Davis. We have guys that redshirted for us and guys like Octavious and Adam who might go and play big ball on offense next year. We're going to have too many player makers to get the ball to, which is never a bad thing. We've got some offensive lineman, guys that are really developing like Jai-Mai Davidson, Davis Moore and Steve Wolgamott and Garrett Gorringe. A lot of them have gotten a chance to play at some point this season and seeing where they came from last year to this year is unbelievable so I can only imagine where they'll be next year and what guys like them will be able to do in the offseason, how much better they're going to be. And then we've got guys that we're bringing in and it'll be great if we can keep that offensive staff intact, but that's something that's out of our control. So we know we're going to hit the ground running with what we've got.

You coming in as a transfer from California, you pretty much  have a strong knowledge of the offense. For you specifically what do you need to work on?

I have had a problem for the past 3 years that I am continuing to work on and that's turning the ball over. It's hurt us in a lot of games and its cost us a few wins in some of the closer games. Nobody in the country works harder than I do and that's something that I pride myself on. That's how I went from tight end in high school to a D1 quarterback.

Why should prospective recruits come to GSU?

The same thing that got me here, which is how much potential we have. There's so much potential to be something special and build something that has never existed before. That's something no other program can offer. I was able to see it when I was here last year. These are the guys you want to spend your time with, the kind you want to be your friends. That's something we can offer you here. We have an opportunity to make a statement next year.

WIDE RECEIVER LYNQUEZ BLAIR

What did it mean to see the tribute to you?

It meant a lot. In the past the team wasn't as close as we are now, and now it's a completely different team. We put the team first, we're not selfish. And that's something that will stay with me for my whole life.

Getting the last touchdown for the final game, how did it feel?

I was hoping I would get the touchdown. I had it in my head that I was going to go out with a bang regardless of the rest of the season. I just wanted to leave a memory for me and my family.

What are you going to take away from your time here?

First, my education and becoming a young adult. Just taking what I learned from the coaches and taking it to become a better adult for me and my family. Just to be able to pass my knowledge on to the younger guys because I'm still going to keep in touch with the team and the receiver corps here.

Do you feel like accomplished what you wanted to accomplish?

I wanted to get 1,000 yards coming into the season, I think that's every receiver's goal, but that's hard to do in college. Albert carried the team last year but this year we had a different type of corps. Watch out for the younger guys for next year.

TEXAS STATE HEAD COACH DENNIS FRANCHIONE 

“Well, 7-5 makes me proud of that fact and it was a good year considering what they've been through this year and last…It is kind of scary because we could have been 9-3 this year, but then again I guess we could be 3-9…Robert Lowe's 1,000 yards this year, three games with 150 yards or more were good…C.J. Best and his 11 catches, 120 yards and TD was another great performance today…Will Johnson, this may be a record with all 11 touchbacks, making every field goal and PAT. I don't think I've seen that before…Happy for our guys…They are a team that deserves the opportunity to keep playing and hopefully that dream will come true for them.”

ON OFFENSE THE LAST TWO WEEKS AND ITS EXECUTION

“Each week we've just kept getting better and better, but we can still improve in the red zone…Hitting 26-of-32 passing, rushing for 340 yards, having over 600 yards total offense are solid…I credit that to the strength of the quarterback and the development of the offensive line.”

ON C.J. BEST AND HIS PERFORMANCE 

“When you run the option, sometimes you don't know if you're going to get the ball…I think we had some good drives today and Terrence Franks did well rushing and hit the big play…In the two-minute drill, C.J. connecting on the catch to score to end the first half was big.”

WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE IS THIS TO A BOWL COMMITTEE

“I hope we get one considering last year when we lost the last three and ended 6-6…Now we've won our last two games this year and those things should matter…We didn't win today as decisively as we did last week vs. Arkansas State, but we did put up 50-plus points on the road…You'd like to think those things all add up…It would be a tragedy to be denied two years in a row.”

ON CB DAVID MIMS

“He has come a long way as a man, as a student, as a communicator and I've saw his confidence start to grow within the last two weeks and I really saw it grow today with that end of game interception return, making a demonstrative statement about how far along he has come…So I think we're going to have a really great corner coming back next year.”