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Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
November 26, 2011
Syracuse, N.Y.
November 26, 2011
Syracuse, N.Y.
Carrier Dome
Junior strong safety Shamarko Thomas
On the game plan to slow down Isaiah Pead:
“Just go get him. That was the key, but they had a good scheme against us. They had a zone read and they just figured out how to make plays.”
On the biggest issue the Syracuse defense faced:
“Lack of communication and execution out there. We had a lack of communication and we just did not hit our areas right.”
Senior linebacker Dan Vaughan
On the current state of the locker room:
“It is tough to explain how upset everybody is. Just mentally, after another loss like that, it is just tough to deal with. They beat us in all three phases of the game and it is just hard to take.”
On the play of Isaiah Pead:
“He is probably one of the best backs in the BIG EAST. They just wanted to get him the ball. They got him on screens out in space and they ran him up the middle too. He is a slick back and was just making plays out there.”
On the lack of execution coming off of a bye week:
“We have revaluated several times how we have been doing things. We have tried to take new approaches every week and we have been trying to do all the little things. I guess it really comes down to executing when it matters.”
Junior defensive end Chandler Jones
On what the defense was thinking as Cincinnati was moving the ball in the fourth quarter:
“Well the biggest thing on defense is getting the ball back—whether it be a turnover or a three-and-out. Just getting the ball back in the offense’s hands as soon as possible. So that was our main goal, to just get the ball back.”
On if the team was surprised about the result of the game:
“We are not in a daze at all. Give credit where it is due. We went in and played a great Cincinnati team and they out-executed us and came out with a win.”
On how the team started 5-2 and is now 5-6:
“That is one of the greatest questions I have. I really do not know. That is a great question.”
Senior running back Antwon Bailey
On how disappointing this game was to the seniors:
“Of course it crushes me in a way because it is my last game in the Dome along with the rest of the seniors. But like Chandler Jones said — we still have everything in front of us. We have one more game. One more game that if we win, we will be bowl eligible. We still can go out on top.”
On the offense’s slow start in the first half:
“Give credit to Cincinnati. They came out playing and we did not. We started to pick it up in the second half. We cannot do things like that. We have to go from the start of the clock.”
On his last game in the Dome and what needs to happen to win next week against Pittsburgh:
“Definitely, there are a lot of emotions running through me with this being my last game in the Carrier Dome. I have a lot of good memories in this place, but as far as next week goes, everything is on the line. It is like a playoff game. We either win or we go home. Everybody already realizes that tomorrow we put this loss behind us. We have to come in ready to work.”
Senior quarterback Ryan Nassib:
On what happened on the field:
“Two different things: they made us make some mistakes and we just could not make some plays on both sides of the ball.”
On the amount of pressure the Cincinnati defense was able to generate:
“They always sent a lot of pressure in all situations — first, second, and third down. They did a good job of disguising their pressure and making sure they were not in any patterns. They did send a lot but we have to make plays against pressure. When they send it, we have to show them that we will gash them if they do.”
On back-to-back games of being stopped numerous times on fourth-down attempts:
“It is just the situation really. You do not really practice four-down territory. That is something we really have to work on considering it happened to us twice. So it is something that we cannot leave out or take for granted. When you are in four-down territory, it is a situation in and of itself.”
Sophomore center Macky MacPherson
On what went wrong the last four games:
“You don’t need to be an expert to see that it’s inconsistency. We’ve had sparks of greatness and sparks of utter humiliation. It’s nothing but football. The number one thing we want in this offense is consistency and that’s what was lacking. So, we need to go out there and block better as an offensive line to protect Ryan, protect Antwon and open up holes. We need this sixth win.”
On what led to the improved running game:
“We had physical practices and we were coming off the ball well. When you get down by two scores, down by 10, down by 17, it’s hard to run the ball especially late in games. So, it makes life difficult for the offensive coordinator because we were running the ball pretty well upfront, but it’s difficult to call running plays when you are down by 17. We need to be able to protect Ryan more so we can get those pass plays so we’re not a one dimensional team.”
On getting the sixth win:
“I don’t see anxiety, I see pressure. We’re not nervous, we’re not anxious. We needed a win and we didn’t get it. Now it’s crunch time and we’re going to see how badly we want this sixth win.”
Sophomore cornerback Keon Lyn
On getting beat on the ground:
“They pretty much out-toughed us. I really don’t know X’s and O’s or how many yards they had on the ground, but I know we have to fix it fast and fix it soon.”
On the feeling in the locker room after the game:
“It’s a bad feeling. We have to find the problems. We don’t know what it is.”
On inconsistency in the games:
“We prepare well in practice. We had extra film, extra practice. Seeing as we didn’t have school this week, we were down at the football facility for so long, I thought we had the game plan mapped out and ready to go. I Guess they just out beat us”.
Junior wide receiver Alec Lemon
On the dropped passes:
“It’s a lack of concentration. It goes back to practice time. If you drop a ball in practice, it’s going to show up in a game. As you’ve seen in the past couple weeks, we’ve had a lot of dropped balls. I feel like it’s all mental, all concentration.”
On what went wrong on offense:
“We wanted to establish the run. We had the run going. We knew they were a Cover-2 type team and we could take some shots downfield. We just didn’t come up with the big plays when we needed them.”
On the tone of practice last weeks:
“We wanted to get the intensity up and be physical. Coach Marrone made the offense a little simpler. He just wants us to go out and stop thinking, just play and run hard. It was just a tough game”.
Senior tight end Nick Provo:
On the emotion of the last game in the Dome:
“These seniors, we really wanted to go out with a bang, especially at home, because we’ve had some hard times here at Syracuse. It’s unfortunate they beat us in every aspect of the game. It happens.”
On scoring a touchdown in his last game:
“It’s nice but I’d rather come out with the win. Stats aren’t everything when you’re playing college football. I’d much rather have that win under my belt to send us to a bowl game, but I guess we will have to save that for next week.”
On his connection with Ryan Nassib:
“We’ve had a pretty good season. I think we could have had a better season. At times we’re not on the same page. But, that’s football. Nothing is going to be perfect. We’re going to continue to improve through this next week and look for that last win.”
Graduate student cornerback Kevyn Scott:
On today’s game:
“It’s disappointing. You don’t want to go out on this note, especially in the last game in Dome. But, we just have to keep on fighting to get this sixth win.”
On the feeling in the locker room:
“It wasn’t good. We’re upset about today, but we have keep our heads up to get this next win.”
Sophomore center Macky MacPherson
On what went wrong the last four games:
“You don’t need to be an expert to see that it’s inconsistency. We’ve had sparks of greatness and sparks of utter humiliation. It’s nothing but football. The number one thing we want in this offense is consistency and that’s what was lacking. So, we need to go out there and block better as an offensive line to protect Ryan, protect Antwon and open up holes. We need this sixth win.”
On what led to the improved running game:
“We had physical practices and we were coming off the ball well. When you get down by two scores, down by 10, down by 17, it’s hard to run the ball especially late in games. So, it makes life difficult for the offensive coordinator because we were running the ball pretty well upfront, but it’s difficult to call running plays when you are down by 17. We need to be able to protect Ryan more so we can get those pass plays so we’re not a one dimensional team.”
On getting the sixth win:
“I don’t see anxiety, I see pressure. We’re not nervous, we’re not anxious. We needed a win and we didn’t get it. Now it’s crunch time and we’re going to see how badly we want this sixth win.”
Sophomore cornerback Keon Lyn
On getting beat on the ground:
“They pretty much out-toughed us. I really don’t know X’s and O’s or how many yards they had on the ground, but I know we have to fix it fast and fix it soon.”
On the feeling in the locker room after the game:
“It’s a bad feeling. We have to find the problems. We don’t know what it is.”
On inconsistency in the games:
“We prepare well in practice. We had extra film, extra practice. Seeing as we didn’t have school this week, we were down at the football facility for so long, I thought we had the game plan mapped out and ready to go. I Guess they just out beat us”.
Junior wide receiver Alec Lemon
On the dropped passes:
“It’s a lack of concentration. It goes back to practice time. If you drop a ball in practice, it’s going to show up in a game. As you’ve seen in the past couple weeks, we’ve had a lot of dropped balls. I feel like it’s all mental, all concentration.”
On what went wrong on offense:
“We wanted to establish the run. We had the run going. We knew they were a Cover-2 type team and we could take some shots downfield. We just didn’t come up with the big plays when we needed them.”
On the tone of practice last weeks:
“We wanted to get the intensity up and be physical. Coach Marrone made the offense a little simpler. He just wants us to go out and stop thinking, just play and run hard. It was just a tough game”.
Senior tight end Nick Provo:
On the emotion of the last game in the Dome:
“These seniors, we really wanted to go out with a bang, especially at home, because we’ve had some hard times here at Syracuse. It’s unfortunate they beat us in every aspect of the game. It happens.”
On scoring a touchdown in his last game:
“It’s nice but I’d rather come out with the win. Stats aren’t everything when you’re playing college football. I’d much rather have that win under my belt to send us to a bowl game, but I guess we will have to save that for next week.”
On his connection with Ryan Nassib:
“We’ve had a pretty good season. I think we could have had a better season. At times we’re not on the same page. But, that’s football. Nothing is going to be perfect. We’re going to continue to improve through this next week and look for that last win.”
Graduate student cornerback Kevyn Scott:
On today’s game:
“It’s disappointing. You don’t want to go out on this note, especially in the last game in Dome. But, we just have to keep on fighting to get this sixth win.”
On the feeling in the locker room:
“It wasn’t good. We’re upset about today, but we have keep our heads up to get this next win.”
