Dale Steele

CampbellHead Coach

On the Camels loss at Jacksonville and playing in the PFL

We're obviously disappointed at the outcome of the football game. We felt that going in, we would be prepared, but we ended up having some hiccups early on, and we lost to a really good football team. The question has been asked, "Is Jacksonville better than they were last year?" They are much better. They're going to be a very competitive team in this league.

Offensively, they were very talented up front, as well as big and physical. I think we did get a measuring stick out of this for the league though, showing us where we are and where we need to be. As we prepare this week, we have a better idea of what we need to do to win a football game in this league.

On San Diego

San Diego is picked to win this league. They are certainly a talented football team, and we have to work really hard and eliminate some of the errors we had last week. We should have a better understanding of the speed and the physicality of the game than we had last week. We had a really good day in the rain yesterday, and we were able to accomplish a lot. Hopefully, as we get through this afternoon's practice, we're going to continue to improve. We demand a lot of this football team. They have to stop playing like freshmen and start playing like seasoned veterans, and that's a hard thing to do. But we're not going to use youth and inexperience as a crutch and as an excuse to not win in this league.

San Diego is great football team. They lost a quarterback to the NFL last season and they've replaced him with a quarterback that's just as effective. Then they have a big wide receiver in Matthews, who is just as good as anyone I saw in the Southern Conference. He's comparable to the guys at Appalachian State, in terms of his ability to make plays. Defensively, we're going to have to get a pass rush, something we didn't get going last week, and contain the quarterback.

On the level of competition

Each week, the level of competition has gotten better. We played Birmingham-Southern, who was a very competitive group, Methodist was a veteran group that plays to a high level, and in the third week, we stepped into Division I. The speed of the game has changed each week, and more importantly, the physicality.

Bobby Trimble

R-Freshman

Offensive Lineman

Durham, N.C. / Riverside HS

Comparing September of last year to September 2008

Last year was more getting used to learning the play book and the new techniques that we'd be using, while this year we're preparing for each team and getting used to the game speed that comes with Division I football.

What he learned so far this season

Jacksonville was definitely a lot faster than the two previous games. The athletic ability of their defense was greater and they got to the ball a lot quicker. After that, I feel like I know the game a little better and I know that I have to stay on my block longer, maybe take on two people, or block downfield to give our running backs more room.

On experiencing the vision of Campbell football come to life

The vision Coach always talked about really equaled what I had envisioned, and then some. It was one of the most exciting things in my life to come out of the tunnel and see all those fans in orange, screaming for us. Each game from then on has been exciting as well. It's been everything I had expected it to be.

Erik Feliciano

Freshman

Defensive Back

Fayetteville, N.C./ Douglas Byrd HS

On the transition from high school to the college game

The transition has been faster than I originally expected. Over the first two weeks I was getting used to it, like everyone else, but Jacksonville was a lot faster than I expected.

On the playing atmosphere at Barker-Lane Stadium

I love the atmosphere here. It's live, with the fans on top of playing with new teammates and new coaches, it's something you really love doing.