Coach Pasqualoni Quotes Prior to Temple Game
On status of R.J. Anderson's injury and if he will be available for Saturday's game:
"I think he's going to be okay. I didn't personally talk to him today, but yesterday it was getting better. I'm anxious to see how he throws the ball when we get out there today. He has to be 100 percent. I'm very optimistic that he will be."
On what went wrong against Pittsburgh:
"When you evaluate it, what you saw was confirmed. It was a day when if something was going to go wrong, it went wrong. Obviously, we gave up a few big plays defensively that we could've reacted better to. It was just a very difficult day. A day where we made some mistakes. We didn't play as fast, I felt we were slow at times. We just didn't play with the kind of speed that we're capable of playing with. Hopefully this week we'll get some good rest, come back and go down to Temple and play our kind of game."
On how to keep the team's confidence up:
"I think what you do is you do a great job preparing them. I think the better prepared you are, the more confident you are in what you're going to do and the better you're going to play. We lost a tough game to Miami last year, and came back the week after and played pretty sound, tough football against Boston College. The only area of the game we didn't get beat (against Pittsburgh) was special teams. Special teams have been consistent every single week and were really good last week. Offensively we got beat and defensively we got beat last week. When those things happen to you, you very clearly and honestly evaluate it. You come back and work real hard on getting prepared. If you are prepared, you have a chance to play with confidence. That's the only thing I know you can do."
On whether any "shake-ups" are needed:
"I don't think you shake things up. I think you make the corrections. The kids here have always been terrific and realistic and honest in watching the film. You make your corrections and you go out and you work and get ready to play."
On SU's pass rush against Pittsburgh:
"On the first tipped ball of the game there was pressure. The next third down was a third and four and we've got an excellent chance to pressure, but we don't execute it. On the next third and eight, we have an excellent chance to pressure, and we don't get the execution to get it done. Those plays are kind of an inch away. On that particular Saturday we didn't get it done. But I think we have gotten that done, and I think we will get it done."
On how 1-4 start could effect recruiting:
"We've had an awfully good start to recruiting. And ironically, we had a very high-profile prospect here last weekend. It was unbelievable how the weekend went, it went great. You never know. If you're in it long enough and you understand it, every once in awhile, these things happen."
On success team has had against Pittsburgh and Temple:
"The thing that we've always done against Pittsburgh and Temple and anybody else in this league, is we have paid very close attention to detail ? to who they are, the people who are playing, how they are playing and what they have going, etc., etc. I will say there will be a major emphasis on that this week. We're going to go back and re-address those things in great detail once again."
On Temple's defense's ability to stop the run and if Syracuse will be able to run the ball against the Owls:
"They are playing a very aggressive eight-man front style of defense which is actually a very similar style of defense that we just saw. We have to come up with a design as to how we're going to do it. We're confident that we're going to be able to do it."
On playing at Veteran's Stadium:
"It is a tough place to play. The games we've played there have been real dogfights with them. The fact that maybe it is kind of an unemotional setting is no excuse. I'm going to be disappointed if we don't go down there and play with great emotion and great intensity. I don't know if we've played on the surface that they have down there yet. I'm looking forward to not playing on that other surface."
On tough start:
"Every year is tough, regardless if you're 4-1 or 1-4. We've played some very good teams. It just seems the traveling, the quality of the opponents, not that that is an excuse, has made it challenging."
Player Quotes
Clifton Smith
Senior
Linebacker
On mood of the team:
"We feel we shouldn't be in the position we're in right now. We put ourselves here so now it's time to scrap and fight and get back to where we want to be."
On if he needs to be more vocal on the defense:
"You can be vocal, but you still have to stay positive. You can't get down on guys because they aren't going to listen. I try to be vocal, but at the same time try to help because that's how guys are going to get better."
On attitude team needs for the rest of the season:
"Everybody's attitude has to be positive. Just because we're 1-4, we can still do what we want to do. Everybody just has to keep positive, keep working at it and keep going hard. At the end of the Pittsburgh game, you saw a lot of people with their attitudes staying positive. On defense, even though we were down, we were still scrapping and fighting until the end and that was positive to see."
Erik Kaloyanides
Senior
Offensive Lineman
On Temple game:
"We didn't really start out the BIG EAST the way we wanted to, but we're excited about another great opportunity we have on Saturday. Like it is on every Monday whether it's a win or loss, after Monday morning film we put the game behind us. You have to prepare, starting as soon as we get back in here for meetings for the upcoming opponent. Temple has a good defense, a wide-open spread offense so we need to prepare for a big win because that's exactly what we need right now is a big win."
With SU's recent success against Temple, is there a chance SU could overlook this opponent:
"There's no way. Last week is behind us. We need a win. Everybody knows we need a win. We have to do everything in our power to get a win and taking that team for granted is definitely not one of those things."
On whether he was surprised that Pittsburgh blitzed so much on third down:
"I wasn't really surprised. It was something that we planned on happening. We didn't really help ourselves. We put ourselves in a lot of third and longs. It's really tough to call a play and be successful at it when it's third and long and they're bringing eight or nine people. That's our fault. We have to get more out of first and second down and then maybe we'll have a shot on third down."
