Syracuse Player Quotes
November 30, 2002
Graduate Student Will Hunter
On the Syracuse defense:
"Early on we allowed them to make some big plays on us. We have to be precise and be more on top of everything we do."
On playing his last game:
"It was my last game, and I will probably never play football again. You never know what's going to happen. I just wanted to savor the moment, and it felt great."
On Syracuse's season:
"Anytime you go 10-3 one year and come back the next year and you don't win even half as many games, you have to look at yourself and ask what you could have done better."
Redshirt Freshman Steve Gregory
On the game:
"When you play against a team like Miami – obviously they have a great quarterback, great receivers and great running backs – you have to be able to stop everything. You really have to be on your 'A' game. We each have to take responsibility. We were just one step behind them. That's how good they are."
On team's anticipation of this game:
"We were excited about this game - to have the opportunity to play against the No. 1 team in the nation. We struggled a bit this season, and we thought we could fix all of our problems. But they got at us with their passing game."
On Syracuse's zone defense:
"We were playing a lot of zone out there, and they were busy running some great plays and getting beyond our zone defense."
Senior David Tyree
On NFL future: :
"I am going to give it a whirl. I might not have the best chances, but I am trying to be the best wide receiver that I can."
On playing his last game:
"I haven't shed any tears yet, but they are coming. The more I think about it, I know they are coming. I have had a great experience here. I played in every football game I could and I can't ask for much more than that."
On Syracuse's performance:
"If you have any heart as a football player, you always want to go out and play one more and prove that you can play against the best teams in the country."
On Syracuse's season:
"I think there were a number of factors to look at. I think there were many games where we weren't that put together. It was harder to correct our faults this year. It was a big struggle for the team to deal with, but all-in-all we fought through the season. It was difficult, but they have a lot to look forward to next year."
Sophomore Walter Reyes
On the play of Miami:
"They are not the No. 1 team in the nation for nothing. They came in here and we knew we would have to play 60 minutes very hard. We have to give them credit though. They are a great team and unfortunately we kind of sputtered today and we ended up losing."
On his running game:
"It looked kind of bright there for a minute, running the ball when the offensive line was doing a great job opening the holes for me. But playing great teams that make their plays on defense, it slowed up our offense."
On the season:
"I don't think we will be able to digest this. It's so disappointing. We worked really hard all season, but it is the motivation for my off-season training."
Senior Clifton Smith
On Dorsey and McGahee:
"I think they played really good. Dorsey made some key passes on third downs and McGahee made some key runs. They are both great players."
On Syracuse's performance:
"Going into the game, I felt that we had as much speed as they did on defense. We have some fast people on our team. They have some fast people on their team. Going in, I thought we matched up well."
On the play of Miami:
"They are very deep. Just about anyone on their team can start. They are a great ball club and it's hard to play against them."
