Mizzou/Ohio Post-Game Quotes
9/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 23, 2006
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Mizzou/Ohio Post-Game Quotes
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Opening Statement:
“Good afternoon, I was very proud of my team; it was a heck of a win. It was a win that obviously there was a lot of things that we need to fixed. Most of the things we did out there, mistake-wise, can be fixed. I was pleased overall with our defense. In the second quarter, we had some penalty issues, as did the offense in the second half. But overall I think we're improving in defense and in offense we can definitely improve. It was kind of sloppy at times, but we'll enjoy this. I tell my players, 'You enjoy winning! You enjoy winning!' If you work awful hard last January, you enjoy the win, and then we'll find things we need to do to improve the football team. That's the good thing; fumbles, our focus on fundamentals, and that's all there is. Penalties are all discipline, and focus, that's all that is, we can correct all those things. We need to play a cleaner football game, we need to react to adversity, and I was pleased with that. We'll just work harder on becoming a better team tomorrow.”
On the first sack of the game:
“Big plays have a huge significance on momentum, we all know that. I think that was an important sack, and a great hit by Dedrick (Harrington). The offense is the same way; big plays are momentum builders, the more you have, the more momentum you're going to get. Boy that was significant.”
On the significance of Special Teams blocks:
“I was really pleased with that, they work hard. That's our number one defense out there. Coach (Cornell) Ford is responsible for that. His specialty, as a coach, is field goal blocks, and the thing you have to have if you're going to be a field goal block you have to have great relentless effort. Because you might do it eighteen times in a row, just pushing guys back and getting close, but you just have to keep coming after it. A lot of teams go hard two or three times, but these guys do it all the time, and they were obviously very, very big blocks.”
On the performance of Chase Daniel:
“He was 18-of-34, for 258 yards. A fumble and interception; both his responsibility. You can see the remarkable impact turnovers have on games. You can be statistically dominating, but when you turn the ball over a few times, you might as well wipe that all out. He's going to make mistakes, like I said before and this is just the fourth game he has ever started. Is he perfect? No. Will he get a lot better? That's the good thing, because he's going to get a lot better as he goes.”
On getting the win after a lackluster performance:
“Yeah, that's what someone said to me, 'You won 31-6'; there were disappointments out there, and there were a lot of things going on. It was a sloppy game with the turnovers. I guess we are reacting to adversity better. And I give credit to all my football players, winning 31-6 and not playing well is okay.”
Missouri Player Quotes
Xzavie Jackson, Defensive End
During the third quarter could the team feel the momentum shift:
“We felt the momentum coming out of halftime. That was just a turning point for the whole team, not just the defense. We went into halftime and we said that we need to make some big plays and Deke (Dedrick Harrington) started us off. As a captain on this team he went out and showed that it could be done and everybody else followed his footsteps.”
On the two blocked kicks:
“We got two of them today. The first one was by (Marcus) Bacon and the second one, I don't know who got it, we'll have to tell on tape, but I think I got it. I felt it on my arm though, you never know, it's a team effort.”
On how big of a momentum changer is a blocked kick:
“It's big. It's an opportunity to score. It (the kick) would have put them in the game if they would have gotten one or two of those. It comes down to fundamentals”
Marcus Bacon, Linebacker
On if the defense have confidence that they can play this way every week:
“We all take our job seriously. Everybody wants to be the best at what they do. Everybody is doing their responsibilities so it holds the team together.”
About his block on Ohio's field goal attempt:
“We called the block and I had the “A” gap. I got in and I was supposed to jump over the top and it felt like I was riding the guard and center and the ball hit me in the chest, or I think it might have hit my hands, I'm not sure. I got a block though.”
On how big of a momentum-changer is a blocked kick:
“A block?' It's a big one. Any change in momentum is big. It doesn't really matter what game it is. A team's down there and they are getting an opportunity to score. It makes a big difference in any game. If we make a block it helps us and takes momentum away from them.”
Ohio Head Coach Frank Solich
Opening comments:
“We missed all kinds of opportunities the first half. We knew coming in we had to get things done to win.”
“If we would have taken advantage of the opportunities we had, we could have went into half time ahead.”
“That's one thing we knew coming in, if we were going to get things done in this ballgame that we had to win, those plays and those special team plays, we could not have field goals blocked, missed field goals. As the game went on we wore down. You can't let those kind of points go by against a good football team, and expect it not hurt you in the end.”
On PK Matt Lasher:
“He has always seemed to have great height in his kicks, but today he seemed to be a little off on almost all phases of the game.”
“When you have good play opportunities, you've got to make them, we did not make them.”
Ohio Players
Kalvin McRae, Tailback
On playing from behind:
“Anytime you're playing from behind you get in a situation where you can't really run what you want to run.
On the blocked kicks:
“Anytime you don't get points on the board it's a huge momentum shift for the other team. We could have used those points.”
On offensive struggles in second half:
“In the first half we picked up yards and got them out of their zone, (in the) second half they came in and blitzed a lot more so we had to pick up the blitz. Us getting yards in the first half helped take them out of the defense they wanted to run.”
Austen Everson, Quarterback
On blocked kicks:
“It's hard anytime you have a chance to get points against such a good opponent and to come away with nothing.”
On the frustration of missed opportunities:
“We were able to move the ball early…the things we were doing early were working. The turnovers, blocked kicks, and penalties hurt us all day - mistakes that we need to cut out.”
On moving on:
“There's definitely signs that we're a team on the move.”
On going back home
“Anytime you come into a tough stadium to play in, and the Missouri crowd was definitely loud. It will be nice to head home finally and play in front of the home crowd.”
Matt Lasher, Placekicker
On blocked kicks:
“First one I think I just junked it a little too much…I think it was probably a little low.”
On the pressure from last week affecting him:
“You go through a whole week of practice that really takes your mind off of the week before. It was just kind of a rough day kicking.”
On momentum swings for Missouri:
“It definitely helped them. Going into halftime it would have been something like 14-13 had I made all my kicks. It definitely played into their advantage. They're just kicks I've got to make.”
