Mizzou-SDSU Postgame Quotes
9/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2010
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Mizzou 27, San Diego State 24
Sept. 18, 2010
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Opening Statement
"First of all San Diego State played very, very well, probably good enough to win. And in turn, I am very proud of our football team. We had a lot of adversity out there. There are guys in the locker room who never vent, and they believed we had a chance. The turnovers of our defense put us in position that gave us the opportunity to win. Finally, the last drive we had great coverage, great play in a big time situation. I am proud of our football team, and I told them also when you don't play well and you win a game, there are lessons to learn and we will deal with that tomorrow at practice. It is my job to make sure that we get that done."
Perspective on T.J. Moe's Catch
"I was on the backside of it and I saw him make somebody miss and the way that they were playing it was a lot of coverage downs. Especially the first half, it takes one miss and as you well know we miss a throw the first half and probably had three drops. We had big opportunities the first half, we weren't playing well. But, big time players make big time plays in big time situations. Wow, it was huge."
After the Blaine Gabbert's Second Interception
"Honestly the players kept thinking there was a chance, and I thought there was a chance to get the ball back and have the opportunity. With one time out and eighty something yards you have to score a touchdown. Certainly we were working on a two man offense all the time and we found a way to get that done. We had several great stops."
Do you think you need to practice better?
"I wouldn't blame it on something like that. I have been doing this for 34 years, and when you win a game like this, it is a test of character for the football team. A lot teams can't handle that adversity, they can't deal with it. Right to the very end, Smith was behind me encouraging his teammates and so was everyone else. Teams find ways to win games."
On the Injuries
"Zaviar(Gooden) may have a shoulder sprain. We are not very sure right now, we have a few guys gimping around right now, but it's just what it is.
On the emergence of Michael Egnew and T.J. Moe
"It is the same guy we keep talking about. T.J. Moe, the same guy who has been doing it all throughout two-a-days. What both of those guys are doing is their confidence levels are growing. He is running the ball better after the catch, he knows he is good now and he has a chance to be a real good player. He made a lot more plays."
Missouri Player Quotes
On the game-winning touchdown...
"I knew it was coming to me because Blaine gave the call. We had about 1:30 left and I was trying to get a feel for where he was throwing and there are not many wide receivers who could do what Jerrell Jackson did. He was supposed to be running a fake, but he turned around and ran back and got me up the sidelines. We were all thanking God.
"I saw him come in and it was kind of like Illinois a little bit when I ran 26 yards. I just started inside because a lot of times you think you're going out of bounds. I had to out-smart him and Jerrell (Jackson) sealed him. This team doesn't give up; we believe. That's the bottom line. When it's a 1:30 left, it's time to be great. I went to Blaine, shook his hand and said it's time to be great. We just went out there and executed. Our defense kept us in the game the whole time."
On our defense clamping down...
"They were clamping down on everyone; that's a good defense. They do a lot of blitzes and man-on-man coverage. They won a lot of battles tonight."
On winning the game...
"I like winning, but sometimes I don't like winning like this. But it felt good after the game."
On his confidence and improving...
"Catching a ball more and getting more playing time helps. I hear the defense calling me out and talking to me. Sometimes it's a good feeling. I'm a lot more confident definitely. The butterflies go away and it becomes a little easier. If we could get those third downs the game would have went a lot easier."
On San Diego State...
"They are a great team. And that's what you get sometimes when a team comes out and plays their hardest and we don't perform as well."
On finishing the game...
"You just need to go out there and get the job done. You can't focus on the score. That's what Coach Pinkel was preaching on the sidelines. We're all competitors. There are highs and lows. We were off and on, but we kept pushing.
Missouri-San Diego State
Post-Game Quotes
Sept. 18, 2010
San Diego State Head Coach Brady Hoke Quotes
Opening Statement...
"It's always tough to lose a game that way, but we didn't deserve to win it, the way we played. We didn't play very well. We didn't tackle well on defense all night long. We played a little bit tentative and we can't do that. Offensively at the end, we've got a young kid (RB Devon Brown) who thought he was on a personnel group; he wasn't on a personnel group, and that's our fault. We didn't coach the end of the game right. He's a young kid who is learning a lot about how to be a running back at the Division I level. We got some help in there, we had some decent holes in there, and when he gets an opening he runs pretty well."
On whether or not his team let up on the game-winning touchdown...
"No, not at all. They were trying their ass off. I didn't see that at all; in their facial expressions, everything. When you have two guys trying to make a tackle, and they run into each other, it's one of those freakish plays. But we had opportunities before then to get the ball."
On where the team goes from here...
"Well, number one, we as coaches have to do a better job and that starts with me. Secondly, we have to make sure that we know how to play and believe and believe in ourselves. We didn't do that at the end of the game. I don't think they believed they could win."
Jose Perez
On TJ Moe's TD at the end of the game...
"I was locked down on number one. My man turned around and I see TJ running down the sideline. He made a move outside and made a great play."
On the attitude in the locker room...
"We're down, it's a tough loss. We had opportunities to win the game. It was tough for us; it's tough right now. All we have to do is bounce back and get things going again."
Ryan Lindley
On what he thought of the offensive line tonight... "I thought that we fought hard and for the most part I thought our line played well. They really dug in against a tough Mizzou front four and opened up a lot of holes for our guys."
On what was going through his mind at the end when Mizzou took the lead...
"Complete disbelief. TJ Moe made a great play running down the side line. What we should have done is gone out on the field and moved the ball better at the end."
On Ronnie Hillman's performance today...
"He's got great speed and he's got a second gear. I'm excited about the way he runs and sees the field out of the backfield."
Ronnie Hillman
Thoughts on the game overall...
"We did a great job running the ball and our offensive line did a great job of opening up holes. We've got to do a better job of controlling the clock at the end of the game. It was a tough loss."
On what do take from a loss like Saturday's....
"We've got to be mentally and physically tougher. We've got to settle down and realize that we have to win this game. We fought hard and it's a tough loss, but we can't let this one loss hang over our heads."
Thoughts on what a rollercoaster ride this game was...
"It is part of football and you have to be ready for it. Mizzou got the last punch and as a team, we have to respond to that. We have to get better."
