Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse Football
Syracuse vs. Maryland
September 20, 2014
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Darius Kelly, Senior, Strong Safety
On how the team can bounce back from this loss:
“We have to erase this past week and realize that there’s a next week. That’s one thing I want to relay to the team. The greatest thing about this sport is that we have next week and we want to regroup and get ready to make some stops on plays. We fought in the fourth quarter and we have next week.”
On the game next week and the opportunities:
“You can’t really dwell on what you did last week and the week before. Next week is a brand new week – new players, new quarterback, new coaching staff we’re playing against – so we need to get ready for that.”
On the team’s reaction to the primetime game next week:
“We’re primetime on ABC, but we have to concentrate on this week, and now we’re going to look at it as an opportunity to step on the field against a top team in the nation. We’re going take it as full speed as we can.”
Prince-Tyson Gulley, Graduate Student, Running Back
On the team’s performance in the red zone:
“We just couldn’t do it. We did everything we needed to do to get down there. We just couldn’t punch it in. We will try to better next time. It is very frustrating because you do get down there but you don’t punch it in. It feels like you got down there for nothing. We just have to keep working every day.”
On the Notre Dame game next week:
“We just have to go to work. It’s a big game but we just have to watch the film from Maryland and tighten up some things and get ready to play Notre Dame.”
On improving play in the red zone:
“Execute. That’s all the plays come down to. We just have to make sure we follow in line with what we are being told to do.”
Julian Whigham, Junior, Cornerback
On today’s game against Maryland:
“I think we got flustered in the first half, calmed down in the second half. We were motivated to lock up what we were doing and we did a good job of that.”
“We were feeling good after the Central Michigan game; we came out with a lot of energy. It’s incredibly disappointing with the way things worked out. They made a lot of plays, we didn’t, and we ended up losing.
“It’s a team game. The defense should have done a better job in the first half - it’s not the offense’s fault. Obviously we would have liked to have more points but as a team we need to execute and we didn’t do that and it’s disappointing.”
On next week’s game against Notre Dame:
“It’s an incredible opportunity to play a great team in a great situation – primetime. I think the whole team looks forward to that opportunity. We are going to do our best to prepare and come out ready to play.”
Cameron Lynch, Senior, Linebacker
On today’s game against Maryland:
“We had three big opportunities to turn the game around and we didn’t make those plays so it could be a different story. Hats off to their team. They had a few explosive plays on offense and defense so our job now is to go to the drawing boards and focus on Notre Dame.”
On next week’s game against Notre Dame:
“I think that is just starting tomorrow, going in and being early to every meeting, paying attention to detail, whether it’s having your notebooks out before the coach comes in and just little small things that we do like picking up trash in the locker room. That stuff will carry over so when it comes down to staying onsides on third down with four to go, those things will be taken care of so it’s just the little things. Nip those in the bud at practice and in the locker room, we will get those taken care of.
“We’ve been there (in big games). We beat Louisville here, we beat West Virginia here. We play big teams at MetLife. We’ve been there before. It won’t be a shock to us at all. We will go out there and execute, get the quarterback and play assignment football. We will do well.”
Terrel Hunt, Senior, Quarterback
On today’s game against Maryland:
“I just want to throw it to the open person. I don’t really care who it is. I have my faith in every single receiver out there. They got my back, I got their back. It doesn’t matter who is in the game and who those options are, as long as they’re open I’ll get them the ball.”
On what the team can take from today’s game:
“I don’t really like moral victories because you lose. On the bright side you see where we are going as an offense, passing wise, rushing wise, you can see things opening up. We wish we would have won but we’ll go back to the drawing board.”
On how to move forward from this game:
“It’s the little things we have to take care of. I feel like we were unstoppable when we got into a rhythm. We were going up and down the field but it was the little things that killed us like penalties or misreads or just the wrong routes and once we get that fixed we will be unstoppable.”
George McDonald, Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receiver Coach
On the team’s performance today:
“It is disappointing. Every time you come in the red zone you have to come away with points. The red zone really hurt the momentum and we can’t do those things we talked about since the spring. Today’s game came down to execution. We have to go back and refocus on fundamentals of executing and doing your job.”
On miscommunication between quarterback Terrel Hunt and wide receiver Adrian Flemming:
“There was a miscommunication but Flemming did the right thing. This game goes back to we have talked about which is emphasizing communication and focus. In that play the communication broke down and it resulted in a negative play.”
On quarterback Terrel Hunt’s performance:
“We were close on a couple slants. I think it’s always easy to blame the quarterback. However, it was a combination of mistakes. We had more drops today than we have had in the last two games. Sometimes the ball is not going to be hundred percent where you want it and that’s why the other guys have to make plays. We will go back and look at the tape, but It is unfortunate we left some plays out on the field. We had our opportunity to score points and change the game but we couldn’t do it.”
On wide receiver Ashton Broyld leaving the game due to injury:
“Every time we lose a player like Ashton it hurts. I don’t think it was a noticeable drop off in the game. Ben Lewis went in and made some good plays for us. I think at the end of the day the lack of execution really hurt us.”
Syracuse vs. Maryland
September 20, 2014
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Darius Kelly, Senior, Strong Safety
On how the team can bounce back from this loss:
“We have to erase this past week and realize that there’s a next week. That’s one thing I want to relay to the team. The greatest thing about this sport is that we have next week and we want to regroup and get ready to make some stops on plays. We fought in the fourth quarter and we have next week.”
On the game next week and the opportunities:
“You can’t really dwell on what you did last week and the week before. Next week is a brand new week – new players, new quarterback, new coaching staff we’re playing against – so we need to get ready for that.”
On the team’s reaction to the primetime game next week:
“We’re primetime on ABC, but we have to concentrate on this week, and now we’re going to look at it as an opportunity to step on the field against a top team in the nation. We’re going take it as full speed as we can.”
Prince-Tyson Gulley, Graduate Student, Running Back
On the team’s performance in the red zone:
“We just couldn’t do it. We did everything we needed to do to get down there. We just couldn’t punch it in. We will try to better next time. It is very frustrating because you do get down there but you don’t punch it in. It feels like you got down there for nothing. We just have to keep working every day.”
On the Notre Dame game next week:
“We just have to go to work. It’s a big game but we just have to watch the film from Maryland and tighten up some things and get ready to play Notre Dame.”
On improving play in the red zone:
“Execute. That’s all the plays come down to. We just have to make sure we follow in line with what we are being told to do.”
Julian Whigham, Junior, Cornerback
On today’s game against Maryland:
“I think we got flustered in the first half, calmed down in the second half. We were motivated to lock up what we were doing and we did a good job of that.”
“We were feeling good after the Central Michigan game; we came out with a lot of energy. It’s incredibly disappointing with the way things worked out. They made a lot of plays, we didn’t, and we ended up losing.
“It’s a team game. The defense should have done a better job in the first half - it’s not the offense’s fault. Obviously we would have liked to have more points but as a team we need to execute and we didn’t do that and it’s disappointing.”
On next week’s game against Notre Dame:
“It’s an incredible opportunity to play a great team in a great situation – primetime. I think the whole team looks forward to that opportunity. We are going to do our best to prepare and come out ready to play.”
Cameron Lynch, Senior, Linebacker
On today’s game against Maryland:
“We had three big opportunities to turn the game around and we didn’t make those plays so it could be a different story. Hats off to their team. They had a few explosive plays on offense and defense so our job now is to go to the drawing boards and focus on Notre Dame.”
On next week’s game against Notre Dame:
“I think that is just starting tomorrow, going in and being early to every meeting, paying attention to detail, whether it’s having your notebooks out before the coach comes in and just little small things that we do like picking up trash in the locker room. That stuff will carry over so when it comes down to staying onsides on third down with four to go, those things will be taken care of so it’s just the little things. Nip those in the bud at practice and in the locker room, we will get those taken care of.
“We’ve been there (in big games). We beat Louisville here, we beat West Virginia here. We play big teams at MetLife. We’ve been there before. It won’t be a shock to us at all. We will go out there and execute, get the quarterback and play assignment football. We will do well.”
Terrel Hunt, Senior, Quarterback
On today’s game against Maryland:
“I just want to throw it to the open person. I don’t really care who it is. I have my faith in every single receiver out there. They got my back, I got their back. It doesn’t matter who is in the game and who those options are, as long as they’re open I’ll get them the ball.”
On what the team can take from today’s game:
“I don’t really like moral victories because you lose. On the bright side you see where we are going as an offense, passing wise, rushing wise, you can see things opening up. We wish we would have won but we’ll go back to the drawing board.”
On how to move forward from this game:
“It’s the little things we have to take care of. I feel like we were unstoppable when we got into a rhythm. We were going up and down the field but it was the little things that killed us like penalties or misreads or just the wrong routes and once we get that fixed we will be unstoppable.”
George McDonald, Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receiver Coach
On the team’s performance today:
“It is disappointing. Every time you come in the red zone you have to come away with points. The red zone really hurt the momentum and we can’t do those things we talked about since the spring. Today’s game came down to execution. We have to go back and refocus on fundamentals of executing and doing your job.”
On miscommunication between quarterback Terrel Hunt and wide receiver Adrian Flemming:
“There was a miscommunication but Flemming did the right thing. This game goes back to we have talked about which is emphasizing communication and focus. In that play the communication broke down and it resulted in a negative play.”
On quarterback Terrel Hunt’s performance:
“We were close on a couple slants. I think it’s always easy to blame the quarterback. However, it was a combination of mistakes. We had more drops today than we have had in the last two games. Sometimes the ball is not going to be hundred percent where you want it and that’s why the other guys have to make plays. We will go back and look at the tape, but It is unfortunate we left some plays out on the field. We had our opportunity to score points and change the game but we couldn’t do it.”
On wide receiver Ashton Broyld leaving the game due to injury:
“Every time we lose a player like Ashton it hurts. I don’t think it was a noticeable drop off in the game. Ben Lewis went in and made some good plays for us. I think at the end of the day the lack of execution really hurt us.”
