Syracuse Postgame Student-Athlete Quotes (Sept. 19, 2009)
Syracuse vs. Northwestern
September 19, 2009
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Linebacker Derrell Smith
On Max Suter’s interception:
“We got a good rush on the quarterback causing him to run to his left. He’s a right handed quarterback so it’s pretty hard to throw across your body. Max made a good read, came down and broke on the ball.”
On why Northwester quarterback Mike Kafka was successful:
“Obviously we blitz a lot. He made a lot of quick throws and the yards just came with the quick throws. He completed a lot of quick passes from those quick throws. I’m glad we won.”
On how it feel s to win:
“Oh my gosh it feels so good. A couple days ago they quoted me in the paper saying we work so hard and we didn’t get to see the results yet. Today we saw the results of our hard work.”
On the locker room after the game:
“It felt good. Everybody was jumping up and down. Everyone was excited. I hope we feel like that every week from now on.”
Kicker Ryan Litchtenstein
On his thoughts about the last kick:
“I don’t even know. It was a completely mind numbing experience. I don’t have much recollection of what went on. It was a completely unbelievable.”
On how he prepared for the kick:
“It was funny. A little bit during the third quarter Greg (Paulus) came over to me after a score and said, ‘This games going to come down to you. The game winning kick is going to come down to you. We have faith in you.’ I just focused on that.”
On how good was his kick:
“Honestly, I couldn’t see it. I’m 5-10. They’re 6-6. I’m short and can’t see over the line that well. I just saw it go straight and then Rob (Long) just started picking me up.”
On the time ticking down:
“I really wasn’t focusing on the time. Rob told me to just focus on the kick and that’s what I did.”
On the pressure situation so early in his career:
“If you play football, everyone wants the ball in their hands. That’s what you play for. Everyone wants to win. Being able to be part of that is amazing.”
Quarterback Greg Paulus
On the last drive and the field goal:
“I think Ryan said it best. You want to be in that position and I know on the sidelines that’s what we were talking about. When we were down by one touchdown we said ‘let’s score, do our job, and let’s get a touchdown. Trust our defense will make a play and when we get it back we will do what we need to win.’ Then, Max Suter made a big time play right there.”
On how he thought he played:
“We won. So that’s how I judge myself and I know how that’s how quarterbacks are judged. As long as we win, I will go back to film. I know I made a bunch of mistakes. I will correct that just like I have been correcting each week and I will keep getting better, hopefully.”
On how it felt having more than 300 yards of passing:
“We were in a good rhythm offensively. I think we ran the ball with DC (Delone Carter) and Antwon (Bailey). The way they were running the ball our line did a great job. Our O-line did an absolutely great job. I just want to stress how important they were to giving me time and the way we ran the ball. They were phenomenal tonight.”
On connecting with Mike Williams:
“He is a big-time receiver and he makes my life a lot easier. If I put the ball up, he’ll go get it. He’s a big-time player who makes big-time plays. That catch that he made to get us nine yards closer was huge.”
On his overall feeling on the game:
“It was fun. I know I tell you guys that every week. I’m having a blast. It’s good to be able to finish the deal and to close it out. Now we have to keep building, use this as momentum and not get complacent. Get back and watch the film tomorrow. We will be running and lifting, getting better. Now, enjoy this one for the night but we have to keep moving forward.”
On what this means for the program:
“I think it’s a good start. I know that Coach Marrone is going to do a great job not only this year, but for years to come. I feel very lucky as do a lot of the guys on the team. Everyone in that locker room feels lucky to be a part of it. We have a lot of pride in Syracuse the city, this team, each other, and we are going to try and keep it going.”
Wide Receiver Mike Williams
On his performance this week after last week’s game:
“I’m a receiver and drops are going to happen. I look at it as if I drop it, I’m going to catch the next 10. I look at it as a critical job. I went out there and caught the next 10. I just tried to do that.”
On the mentality of the sidelines:
“It was our offensive line that said it the best. They came there and said we expect to score every time. So that’s how it felt. It felt like we were out there and we had to score. We said no matter what we have to do, get out there and get 3 or 7 and that’s what happened.”
On seeing single coverage :
“One-on-one coverage all day. They kind of doubled on some third downs, but besides that, it was basically one-on-one. I love that. That’s what I live for right there. If you can’t be one-on-one, then you can’t be a receiver.”
Nico Scott, Senior, Cornerback
On the first win
“A win is a win. I’m happy we got that first one out of the way so now we can keep rolling. It shows that we’re unlike last year, when we were down and couldn’t make it back. It shows that we’re a different team and we’re ready to get after it. We’re ready for the BIG EAST.”
“It feels great, it feels fantastic. That’s what I was telling the guys in lockerroom before the game. We’re doing all the things right, we just have to win now. It feels great to get that first win out of the way.”
On quarterback Greg Paulus
“He’s a fantastic person all around – on and off the field. He’s a great leader. He came and talked to me after the game … It got emotional out there. I’m excited that he came to Syracuse. We’re going to get it right and win a lot of football games.”
On what Coach Marrone talked about this week
“He talked about doing all of the right things. We just needed to win and we got it. We got our first win and we’re going to celebrate tonight and get ready for Maine. “
On motivation tonight
“Like I tell the guys –finish, leave it all on the field. The last couple of plays we thought, ‘This is the game right here’ and we got it done.”
Donte Davis, Senior, Wide Receiver
On the locker room after the game
“Everyone was happy. It’s good to get the first win out of the way so we can keep rolling. Everyone was excited.”
On a dramatic finish
“It was a big an emotional boost, as it was in literally the last second. The field goal was a great moment for the team, for the school, for the coach.”
On Coach Marrone’s first win
“It’s a great feeling for him. The whole team is glad that we did it for him. After the game, we gave the game ball to Coach Marrone.”
Max Suter, Junior, Strong Safety
“We were in Okie formation, and under pressure, he (Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka) came out in the flat. I just read his eyes there and threw it right to me and that was it. It felt so great. I knew once I got that pick that Greg and the receiving corps could get the job done.”
On the win
“We’ve been waiting on this one and we’ve finally got it. Coach got his first win and that’s what we were looking to give him. And for the seniors, and we finally got it so it was for everyone. “
On the difference from last season
“ I remember last year how tired we were and this year with all the running and everything we’ve been doing – we were always there and ready for them ,except for a couple plays where they were coming out quick and hitting us before we were getting the calls. Other than that, quick passes and everything, we rallied to them and we won the game.”
Delone Carter, Senior, Running Back
On what they gained tonight
“Confidence. That’s what we’re looking for right now, to build our own confidence and it happened tonight”
On what went right
“Everything - just to looking into our linemen’s eyes, they really just believed they could do it. Then we executed it. The receivers were catching everything. It was great being so composed and the running backs were running hard.”
On (running back) Antwon Bailey subbing for him
“We lose nothing when he steps in there. He’s a great back and you’ll see a lot of him this year”
Doug Hogue, Junior, Linebacker
“Today was a great experience for us. We’ve been working hard and it’s something that we had coming. We expect a lot more wins to come our way. “
On the last play
“I kind of started celebrating before it happened because I knew he (Ryan Lichtenstein) was going to make it. (smiling) When it happened I just knew the team was going to run out on the field so I wanted to make sure my feet didn’t get stepped on or something like that. It was a great thing – a great feeling to have.”
On gaining confidence
“I think the confidence is a great thing and it comes from the win today. We’re going into next week thinking we’re going to win, plus we’re bringing our fans along with us. That’s a big part about our program – we believe in the fans and in the fans helping us out. I feel as if we’ve had confidence from the get-go and this is just a booster and now we’re on a streak, a winning streak, and that we’re just going to keep rolling.”
On the team maturing
“I feel as if the team matured before we started playing other teams. Every time we played in a game, I feel as if we’ve held our own. Now we came through against this team and we need to keep going.”
On strong safety Max Suter’s interception
“When Max picked that ball off, I was at a loss for words. I thought he was going to score, truthfully, running the ball.”
