Cincinnati Press Conference Transcript
October 31, 2009
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly
"Just a recap of the game, obviously we knew all week coming in here that if we did not match the level of intensity that Syracuse plays with this year, then we'd be in trouble. I think Doug (Marrone) has done a terrific job of teaching his football players to play hard. That was my concern all week. We banged that drum as hard as we could. I thought we came in and it was business-like in a sense. We got our job done and we want to get the heck out of here."
On Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros:
"I thought he was outstanding, actually. He was better than he was last week. We had to move some things around on the offensive line, which is very disconcerting when you lose your right tackle, Sam Giffin, to the flu right before the game. We had to move a guard over to tackle and Syracuse is petty good up front. There was too many times where he was flushed out of the pocket. We would have liked things to have gone a little bit better out of the pocket, but Zach is really good outside on the perimeter and made the big plays for us."
On why Collaros has been able to perform so well:
"Well, I think it goes back to he's been in our system for three years. He understands what's going on out there. He's a very smart football player and he possesses those traits. He played the spread offense in high school so it's just all those things that when you get the chance, it comes together for you."
On why wide receiver Armon Binns got the ball so much:
"They paid a lot of attention to Mardy (Gilyard) and DJ Woods. Virtually all the coverage was loaded in some fashion to those guys. Armon gets a lot of one-on-one opportunities and when he does he'll go up and get the football. He is an outstanding receiver."
On their big defensive games:
"Two big plays obviously, with the first being the interception in the endzone when Syracuse was driving to tie the game. Then, the stripped fumble. We were fortunate in this game that our defense made two big plays. Again, offensively I thought we were just OK, but we did take care of the football. We held onto the football and we didn't turn it over. I give Syracuse a lot of credit. This is a different football team than the one we played last year. They played really hard for four quarters."
Zach Collaros, So., QB
On the touchdown out of field goal formation
“I was going to try and run it, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Kazeem (Alli) cross so I threw it and he took it in.”
On coming into the game
“I wasn’t nervous to begin with, but (Syracuse) played a lot harder than last year. They hit every play and threw some things at us that we didn’t see a lot of on film. We made some adjustments at halftime and in between drives. They played hard.”
On the first touchdown pass
“That was improvised. They gave us a look that we saw on film so I checked out of it and they were able to get under our coverage. They had us in the check but I was able to get a block and found Armon (Binns) wide open, he just outran the secondary.”
On getting a chance to play
“It is a blessing, it is not a blessing that Tony (Pike) got hurt, but being able to get my chance. It feels great to play this well, I couldn’t do it without the game plan that we have, the help of our coaches and the other players. On defense, Drew Frey stepped up today and created two huge turnovers for us. Syracuse was driving, it could have been a lot closer at the end.”
Armon Binns, Jr., WR
On his touchdown
“I was running a post and the cornerback was playing a little high and inside. I saw (quarterback Zach Collaros) scramble so I threw my hand up, I knew he was going to get it to me and give me the opportunity to make a play.”
“(Quarterback Zach Collaros) started out going the opposite way but the play broke down so he rolled back over to my side. They left me uncovered, I looked back and there was no one there.”
On being a primary receiving target
“The quarterback, the system, just everyone having confidence in me to make plays has put me in a position to be successful.”
Drew Frey, RFr., DB
On the interception in the end zone
“They were down on the goal line and driving us, so we definitely needed to gain momentum. When they get down in the red zone our defense really steps up and we were fortunate enough to make a play.”
“They threw a tricky formation at us; they motioned from a two-back set and motioned a running back out so the coverage that we called had to be altered. Our linebacker and I zoned off on the inside, I took (Mike Williams) and was able to read the quarterback’s eyes to know that was where he was going.”
On Syracuse receiver Mike Williams
“He is their number one receiver and makes big plays. One of the focus points of the game was to stop (Mike Williams) in particular; for the most part I think we did that.”
On limiting Syracuse receiver Mike Williams
“He likes to get the ball high, they run a lot of cross routes to him. Communication was the main point, noise out on the field at all times. He likes to run big across the middle, so our linebackers and our safeties needed to know whether he was going deep or across the middle.”
