Syracuse Student-Athlete Press Conference Trancript
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
October 31, 2009
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Mike Williams, Sr., WR
On what the play-call was for the interception in the end zone:
“It was a fake screen where we wanted to fake to the right and he just stayed in the middle the whole time. Greg thought that he bit on the pass but he didn’t.”
On how disappointing it was to have a drive end with an interception in the end zone:
“It was definitely disappointing, especially against the No. 5 team in the nation. It’s disappointing going down there after a long drive and having it end in an interception. “
On losing a fumble in the end zone later in the game:
“You are going to have bad breaks. You just have to bounce back, which we didn’t. You have to bounce back from the mistakes; they are going to happen all the time.”
On if it was frustrating with all the penalties and turnovers:
“The score tells it all. It was just like it was. We had a long drive then a turnover. That’s a mistake on our part. There were a lot of errors on our part. We have to go back to practice and get better and come out next week and play hard. “
Doug Hogue, Jr., LB
On playing the No. 5 team in the country:
“I thought we played well. There were times where we needed to make a play and we did it. But we also made a lot of mistakes.”
On the fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown:
“They caught us off guard. We weren’t expecting that to happen. They got the play done. The referees were doing their job and they just got the play done.”
On the play of Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros:
“He was able to move around. He was a real good, athletic guy. He was able to make big plays. “
On his personal foul penalty:
“I was trying to make an aggressive play and I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s all I can possibly say. I am just going to keep being aggressive.”
Cody Catalina, Jr., TE
On the play that resulted in his first career touchdown:
“We work on those types of things every week and it just depends what part of the game we are in and where we are on the field. Like last week, we had great play calling and a pass was called but I dropped the ball. This week I thought that I had to make a play and help the team. Most of the time I’m in the run game and I’m helping as much as I can there. But I have to help in the passing game and do whatever I have to do. It was one of those things where we said if we get in this part of the field, we might run this play, and we did. It was great play action, they brought a blitz and there was no one there to cover me. I’m excited for my first touchdown but I would have liked to get the win.”
On the turnovers in the red zone and how frustrating that was:
“It’s tough. You drive the ball down the field and you make good plays to get first downs then you get down in the red zone and you have turnovers and stalls, its hard not only on the offense but on the defense too. We have to work on it this week in practice and be ready to play Pittsburgh this coming week. We have to come out ready to win and fight hard. “
On what encouraging signs can be taken away from the offense today:
“I thought we did a lot of things well on the offense today. In the red zone, we had a tough time. But we ran the ball well and I thought we threw the ball well. We just need to come out and minimize the mistakes. There are a lot of small mistakes and some that you can see and some that you can’t. We just have to minimize them and come out hard and have the will to win.”
Mikhail Marinovich, So., DE
On trying to deal with Zach Collaros:
“Cincinnati has two different types of quarterbacks, one is a pocket passer and one is a runner, and you have to prepare for him on the run like an extra running back. It was probably more missed assignments on our part. “
On if Collaros is a really skilled player:
“I think they are a good team and he is really good at what he does. I think if we do our assignments every time, we have a chance.”
On if the mistakes Syracuse made cost the team the game:
“They are a really good team but I think if we came out the second half like we did in the first half, then it would have been a different story. You have to give credit to them. They did a good job and we have to execute better.”
Ryan Nassib, So., QB
On how frustrating the loss was to the offense:
“It is pretty frustrating, I am not going to lie, especially since those turnovers cost us points because we left the red zone with nothing. We needed those points to keep the game close and to try to get ahead.”
On the crowd support:
“It made me feel good. I think they were cheering for the whole offense and it was good to have the fans behind us.”
On how much he expected to play coming into the game:
“It was the same as every other week, nothing more extraordinary than any other game.”
Da'mon Merkerson, Junior, Cornerback
On the challenges they presented:
"They have the ability to make plays and get the ball up the field. They are shifty guys. We just tried to keep them in front of us and do what we can."
On how well they executed the game plan:
"We kept most of the plays in front of us. They just went out there and made more plays then we did."
On the 81 yard touchdown pass:
"It was a coverage blown. It was just a coverage blown."
On being a secondary and the ball being thrown to your side of the field:
"I thought I was in position. I wasn't making the play. What it comes down to is when the ball is in the air one of you has to make a play. I don't think I was out of position in any of the plays."
On the touchdown pass in the end zone:
"He converted the route. He originally ran a slant route and the quarterback scrambled a little bit and he got good position."
Mike Holmes, Junior Free Safety
On the refs and questionable calls:
"You can't really worry about that."
On turnovers in the red zone and pressure on defense:
“We work on situations like that, sudden changes in the red zone. We can't worry about what the offensive does.”
On Cincinnati being the highest ranked team SU has played:
“We are continuing to improve, little things here and there. We are going to keep working on them.”
On a mid-season report:
“Everyone is still trying for the ball. I'm pleased with the defense today.”
Greg Paulus, Graduate Student, Quarterback
On the crowd:
"When you are out on the field you focus on what you have to do. When we are playing and the snap is going on, we are thinking about getting first downs and playing at the task at hand."
On the two red zone turnovers:
"We executed to get all the way to that certain point and to turn the ball over in the red zone, it is not going to get it done especially against a top five team. We need to do a better job of that and put points on the board. We took away points from the board."
On two turnovers and the excellent drives to get to the red zone:
"Coach is going to put us in the best position. We got all the way down there. We executed exactly the way we wanted to and we just have to close the deal. We have to finish it and put points on the board. Chipping away at the lead or extending the lead, that is what we need to do."
On whether or not rotating quarterbacks is an issue:
"No, it is not an issue. We understand what is going in, the packages and the types of plays. We trust coach. We know what we are doing is the best for our team and this program."
On Mike William's (Syracuse WR) coverage:
"They did a really good job on defense. We got it to him here and there, but we need to give some credit to them (Cincinnati). They did a good job, whether it was doubling or putting an extra guy on him or dropping some coverage. They did a good job. We are going to need Mike to make good plays and he is going to make plays for us."
On game plan:
"Our game plan is great every week. It is just a matter of execution. We score in that red zone and we get the field goal and we are chipping away, maybe even tying it. We know our game plan is going to be great every week. Now it's a matter of just going out and executing it."
On points available down the field:
"Well Cincinnati did a great job, too. Give them some credit. They have some great athletes. They do a really good job of protecting the big play. When we got all the way down to the 20, we were chipping away, chipping away and it was just a matter of finishing the deal."
On the next games on the road:
"I think it is going to be a good thing for our team. Get out there, us against the whole stadium. It is going to be great. I know we will be excited about it and as far as what we might do maybe going a little different cadence or something to deal with the crowd type atmosphere. Same type preparation, same type work. We will be doing the same thing tomorrow."
On Delone Carter handoff:
"A turnover is a turnover in the red zone."
Delone Carter, Senior, Running Back
On what happened when he fumbled:
“They had a linebacker on the blitz which we really hadn’t accounted for, so on the handoff he kind of got in there with me.I really didn’t have control over it and it popped up.”
On his reaction to losing the ball in that situation:
“I try to keep my composure, it is disappointing at that second, but I just try and keep my composure so my whole mindset on my game really doesn’t go down. Bad stuff happens, but you have to keep positive and keep moving forward.”
On whether the turnovers in the red zone are frustrating:
“It was very frustrating, because we are playing the No. 5 team you know during the first half and throughout the game I thought that we must be pretty good pressing the ball in the red zone like that and to execute would be a great thing.”
On if he agrees with Coach Marrone saying the best way to fix turnover problems is repetition in practice and coaching these things:
“Absolutely, we need to get our composure together you know to recognize things like that, and then it will become second nature to us.”
Derrell Smith, Senior, Linebacker
On being right there with the No. 5 team in the country but not being able to pull it out:
“We just have to make plays. They scored on a couple big plays. We beat ourselves a little bit; we helped them out a little bit. If we could cut down on some of those mistakes, it would be a better game.”
On the Cincinnati quarterback:
“He is a very good athlete; he did a good job of getting out of the pocket. When the pocket collapsed he made some good plays with his feet, some good plays with his arms. He is a good quarterback, everything he was hyped up to be.”
On how hard it Is on the defense to watch the turnovers in the red zone:
“From a defensive aspect, it was tough. I mean that’s not my job to worry about, you know we just have to go out there and play. We are going to go out there and do it better next week.”
On if they were prepared for their offense:
“I think we were prepared for their offense. I think you all saw that we hit them, we hit that tem, but we have to prepare better.”
On his health and how his leg is feeling:
“I’m good.”
Arthur Jones, Senoir, Nose Tackle
On if it hurts to be playing the No. 5 team in the country close and not being able to finish:
“Definitely, just like coach Schafer said after the game, he wouldn’t change anything with the game plan. We had a good game plan trying to eliminate some of the big plays. They are a good football team that’s why they are the number one scoring offense, so you have to give hats off to them. Right now we need to go back to the drawing board and get ready for Pittsburgh.”
On what he thought of Cincinnati’s quarterback:
“He is a great player. He will be a great quarterback for Cincinnati in the future. He is a great playmaker.”
On if he thinks had SU eliminated some of their big plays they would have won?
“I felt that we could have won, definitely. They have a great offense and you have to give hats off to them, but I thought we could have won. The past is the past. We have to look to Pittsburgh coming up.”
What do you think you could be doing in practice to be eliminating some of these big plays?
“I leave that up to the coaches. My job as a captain and senior is to keep playing, keep a smile on my face, and have fun and play, you know keep playing for each other.”
