Coach Pasqualoni Press Conference Transcript
"I have been asked on occasion to comment on how we evaluate our coaches, more specifically the expectations we have of our football program. I will tell you our expectations of the football program and the criteria we use in that evaluation process. These criteria are at a minimum. Finish in the top three in the BIG EAST football side. In the past 11 years, we have done this nine times. Finish in the top 25 in national polls. In the last 11 years, we have done that eight times. Appear in postseason bowl competition, including the BCS (Bowl Championship Series). In the past 11 years, we have done that eight times, two of which have been BCS appearances. Finally, have a high graduation rate that the program, the athletic department and the University can be proud of. We are 80-plus percent on that side and ranked high, probably in the top 10 percent, in the country in Division IA. As you see, this is not a snapshot of a one-year situation. It is a long-term evaluation. We are very conscious of making sure that we don't do a knee jerk reaction. We visit these things and revisit them on an annual basis over a long period of time."
Coach Pasqualoni's Quotes Prior to Central Florida Game
On whether he personally felt that the University needed to publicly state the expectations of the program
"Personally no. I think that what we've done here is well documented. The people in this room (the media) are very aware of what we've done. Maybe the greater community, as a whole, isn't quite as aware. Maybe it gives some insight into exactly how programs are evaluated, what the expectations are. Our goals are sort of tied into those expectations. As a team, our goals are actually higher. As Jake said, those were minimum standards we were looking for. I do think the academic standards are a little bit higher than the minimum. When over the long haul you graduate student-athletes at a higher percentage than the average male undergraduate student body, I think that's a little bit better. That's something we're awfully proud of off our kids doing. From an on-the-field standpoint, our expectations are high. We set unbelievably high goals every year and that's part of the disappointment when you start off the kind of season we've had. Maybe it gives everybody a little better perspective as to how we're evaluated and what we expect. That's the minimum we expect, and it's absolutely the minimum the kids expect."
On if the statement was a vote of confidence:
"The perception certainly could be that and that's a great thing. At the same time, we feel good about what we're doing. We believe in what we're doing. We'll continue to work hard at what we're doing. As coaches, you are always evaluating and trying to figure out what direction to go in and what to do to help win. That's something that's an ongoing, 24-hour a day deal."
"I'm very confident in what we're doing. I'm very confident in the kids. I'm very confident in the program. My confidence level is not low at all. It's quite the contrary. If you're in this long enough, this type of thing can happen, especially when you have the number of young kids we have who are playing."
On whether criticism bothers him:
"I really don't get involved with it. Sometimes if you get too much involved with that and it becomes a distraction. It's easy for me to stay focused because I believe in what we're doing. We're looking at the big picture. We're looking at the development of the kids here too. You wouldn't mind having your son in this program. We treat the kids here the way they are supposed to be treated in a very competitive, high intensity deal. Obviously winning and losing is very important. I'm not so sure that every week it's winning and losing."
On whether criticism bothers him knowing the work that he and his staff and players put in:
"Here's what I believe in this business at this level. I don't care if you're Paul Pasqualoni at Syracuse, or Bobby Bowden at Florida State or Joe Paterno at Penn State, when things go wrong people are not going to be happy. My junior year (at Penn State), Syracuse beat us on homecoming. The fans in the stands booed like crazy. That's something I'll never forget. I think it happens everywhere. I think it is to be expected. If you think my feelings are hurt because that happens when we don't play well, they aren't. You have to understand how I feel. At that point, I want to ring somebody's neck too. But I'm the coach and I can't do that. I just try to be an educator. I got into this to be an educator. In a lot of ways being around these guys and fighting through this is a positive thing. There's nothing bad about facing a little adversity and rolling your sleeves up and fighting your way out of this. There are some good lessons there to learn, too. I enjoy the battle and I enjoy the fight."
On what point the quarterback gets credit for the play of the players around him:
"The quarterback gets the credit for a great individual play, like the throw that Troy (Nunes) made to Jamel (Riddle) in the corner of the endzone (against Rutgers). I think you have to give Troy credit for that play. There are too many times when, in all honestly, it's not the quarterback. That's the part that, unless you evaluate the film, you don't know. Unless you run the play back and forth on film and you know what the protection schemes and blocking schemes are, you wouldn't know that. All you would know is the quarterback just didn't get the play done. Consequently, the quarterback gets blamed. That's not always the case."
On Rutgers game :
"One of the great things that came out of Saturday's game is that the team, down 7-0 on a crazy play (blocked field goal returned for a touchdown), stayed focus. I thought the defense gave great support to the effort. It gave the offense the ball a number of times in great field position. I thought the offense executed and made some big plays."
On comeback of senior Maurice McClain (who returned from a leg injury):
"Maurice McClain, being a fifth-year senior and being out there, added to the overall stability. With so many formations and multiplicity and a guy that's been through it, the adjustments seem to be smoother. They seem to be executed. He added a great deal."
On whether Central Florida is similar to any of SU's other opponents:
"They are similar to a few people in regard to the number of formations and the different personnel groupings they use and the aggressive style of defense they play. They would be similar on defense to Auburn. There are parts of North Carolina's offense in there. There are parts of West Virginia's offense in there. There are parts of Rutgers offense in there. They are a multiple outfit on offense. They have an excellent quarterback, and a bunch of older guys. They are a good team."
Player Quotes
Nick Romeo
Junior
Offensive Lineman
On the Rutgers game
"We played a lot better against Rutgers. On the offensive side, we eliminated a lot of our mistakes."
On Troy Nunes starting at quarterback
"Troy is a fifth year senior. He has a lot of experience. He's had key plays in past games. When things got a little bit rough in there he kept his head."
On what momentum team picked up against Rutgers
"We're picking up our pace a little bit. Whenever you have a good game it is something to build on. Going into the Central Florida game, we're just going to take it one day at a time to keep building on the momentum we had against Rutgers."
Louis Gachelin
Junior
Defensive Lineman
On the Rutgers game:
"Defensively we played a good game. We finally showed what we're capable of doing. Last week was a good week for us. Practice went well. We went into this game with the challenge of executing every one of our plays on every single snap. I think we did a good job of that."
On whether having nearly everyone healthy on defense made a difference:
"One big difference was Maurice McClain. You have a guy who is a fifth year senior and he knows what he's doing. One thing we've been battling all year is injuries to key players. At the beginning of the season Josh Thomas and Christian Ferrara went down. Then we had a couple of linebackers hurt and couple of defensive backs. We still don’t have a full squad (without Jameel Dumas). Maurice McClain added a big plus to our defense. A lot of credit goes to him and what he did Saturday."
As a Florida native, on playing a team from Florida:
"It makes a lot of difference to me. Two of the kids on that team actually played on my high school team. The quarterback (Ryan Schneider) played call for a school named Plantation and I played defensive end, so I've been chasing him for a long time. A couple of the guys who play on defense are from my area. They work out with me during the offseason when I go home in the summer. This game, for me personally, is almost like bragging rights. It's a big game for me."
