Toledo Coach and Player Quotes
Sept. 27, 2003
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Coach Tom Amstutz
"Walter Reyes is a great running back. His offensive line did a great job opening holes, and he has great balance and instincts. He has patience and picks his holes, and then just takes off."
"We wanted to mix in the run, but the Syracuse defense stopped us. They're on a roll and look like a very good team to me."
"The Carrier Dome is a great home field advantage and definitely was a factor in the game, but it's one that we have to overcome and we didn't."
"We got beat by a very good football team, but at least we're tied for second place in the Big East. They did a great job and just out-executed us on both sides of the ball."
(on the Reyes touchdown runs) "We tried to run blitz on those short yardage plays and make a big play. He made some moves, found a hole and just took off."
Rover Paul Dye:
"You have to get Reyes before he finds a hole, or he is gone. They did everything we had seen on film, but they were just better prepared than us."
Sophomore running back Trinity Dawson:
"They're a great football team. They came out ready to play and just got the job done. We came out flat and didn't execute the way we needed to."
"We stopped ourselves a lot. We weren't executing on our highest level. We didn't come out and play like we did last week."
"We've got to go out from the start and play as hard as we can for four quarters."
Trinity Dawson on SU running back Walter Reyes: "He's a patient football player. He waits for the holes to open up. When they did, he took them."
Sophomore quarterback Bruce Gradkowski:
"When the opponents have the ball more often and our defense is on the field that long, that's going to hurt. That's bad for the defense and the offense. You get tired just sitting on the sideline and then that's not a good rhythm to have."
"It was a whole team effort out there. Just like when you win, it's the same when you lose. Everybody had mistakes out there."
"We tried to establish a run because that opens the pass. A pass opens a run. But, mistakes here, mistakes there, just kept giving Syracuse the ball back and they capitalized on it."
"Syracuse can run the ball very well. They have a good quarterback, good running backs and a tough offensive line. Defensively, they come after you, they're tough."
