Mizzou/Texas A&M Post-Game Quotes
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 10, 2007
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:: Postgame - Pinkel | Daniel
MU Players | Texas A&M Coach Dennis Franchione | A&M Players
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
On Missouri's 40-26 victory over Texas A&M:
"I thought [Texas A&M] really played well as I had anticipated they would. They are a very good football team. I thought we fought and battled, but I want to give [Texas A&M] credit for the way they battled back in the third quarter. We responded well as a football team, and I'm certainly pleased with that."
On Missouri's fourth quarter offensive performance that sealed the victory:
"In the fourth quarter, we did the things offensively that we had to do to win the football game. That says an awful lot about my team. I'm very proud of them."
On Missouri building on their victory over Texas A&M:
"I think without question that you grow from this, as long as it comes out positive. There's no way that you grow unless you deal with adversity and you fight through it. It's tough to get this done. It isn't always easy."
On the play of safety William Moore:
"First of all, he has become a better football player this year because of Pig Brown. He's gained a lot of confidence and he's raised his game to another level. Certainly he's playing very well, and he's making a lot of plays for us."
Coach Pinkel | Texas A&M Coach Dennis Franchione | A&M Players
MU Player Quotes
Junior QB Chase Daniel
On the Missouri offense's key fourth quarter drives:
"It was great for our team to face adversity. I got all the [players] huddled up and I told them this is what champions are made of. And to do back-to-back drives like that was something special."
On Missouri's running game:
"I was so proud of Tony [Temple]. He's had a tough couple of weeks...but for him to come out here and to be warrior that he is...it was unbelievable."
On Texas A&M's offense keeping the Tigers' offense sidelined in the third quarter:
"On the offensive side of the ball, we were just worried about what we were going to do next. It was so great for the defense to get a stop [in the fourth quarter]. For them to miss that field goal was huge for us."
On the game's close score through the majority of the game:
"I don't think you ever want games like this, but it was good to have it. I would rather be blowing people out by 60 [points]. But for our team to come back and answer the call in the fourth quarter [was big]."
Junior TE Chase Coffman
On Texas A&M's defensive play:
"They were doing a good job of getting our offense off of the field and keeping their offense on the field. We just came back and did a good job of moving the ball [in the fourth quarter]."
On closing out the game in the fourth quarter:
"It feels great; it gives [our team] lots of confidence in our offense. It's going to get us back to working hard and back doing what we need to be doing to win. As of right now, this has been our toughest game of the year."
On carrying senior tight end Martin Rucker off the field on Senior Day:
"Coach Walker does that with all of the senior tight ends. This year, we practiced all week carrying Rucker off."
Senior TE Martin Rucker
On getting carried off the field by his fellow tight ends on Senior Day:
"It feels great [to get carried off]. I've been the one carrying the guys off of the field for four years. So, it feels good to finally be there too."
On being 9-1 following the last home game of his career:
"It feels great. There are a lot of guys before us who helped lay the groundwork for this [program], and we are finally the guys that are getting it to take off. That's why they brought us in here."
On battling back from advertising to pick up the win:
"There was some adversity, but that's why it's so good to be apart of this football team. Those two drives we had in the fourth quarter where we had to score points...we went out and did it. In the past, it would not have happened."
Coach Pinkel | MU Players | A&M Players
Texas A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione
On the Fourth Quarter:
"We put ourselves in position, we had a chance to score, and we didn't get any points. We missed a field goal, and they immediately went eighty yards, I think it was, to score. That's what good teams do, and we didn't cash in on our opportunities. We hurt ourselves with some penalties and some missed tackles, and you can't do that playing against a top ten team."
On the play of A&M QB Stephen McGee:
"They did a good job of handling the pressure and the blitz, and finding [A&M TE] Martellus [Bennett] on his reads, all and all they managed the pressure pretty well."
On game plan and rushing Missouri QB Chase Daniel:
"It was much similar to last year's game plan which worked very well for us. They were just a lot better on offense this year I think. It's hard to defend all aspects of their game. Last year we were able to defend the run and force turnovers much better."
On A&M DB Alton Dixon:
"A lot of good things from Alton today, emotions might have got the best of him in the end. You can't help but to feel for the young man in that situation."
Coach Pinkel | MU Players | Texas A&M Coach Dennis Franchione
Texas A&M Player Quotes
Sophomore RB Mike Goodson
On closing the gap in the second half:
"It felt good. We didn't come out with a victory, but the team showed that we can come back and do some great things and come hard at Texas."
On halftime adjustments:
"We came out kind of slow, but we came in at halftime and Coach got us ready. We just did what he told us to do, and it worked."
On the missed field goal:
"I guess it hurt the situation in the game, but things happen and you've just got to keep pushing."
Junior QB Stephen McGee
On penalties:
"I think whenever we got opportunities and we scored today, it was because we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot with stupid penalties. It's tough to overcome those penalties when you're second-and-long and third-and-long. On first down it seemed like we did that too many times."
On the team continuing to fight back:
"Our guys kept fighting. I wish we could've converted a couple of times when we were down there. We just didn't do that. You've got to hand it to them, they played a really good game and our guys never quit. They always kept fighting, and that's why this team is so special."
Sophomore DB Jordan Pugh
On Missouri's offense:
"They have a very good offense. They are very explosive. It's frustrating because it's hard on us, but you've got to give them credit."
On coming back in the second half:
"I think we just executed a whole lot better than we did in the first half. We came out with a different attitude, and just the execution phase was the big difference in the third quarter."
On the team's mindset coming into the game:
"We were very confident. We are confident every week. That's the way you got to play the game. That's the way you have to play the game, you've got to be confident in what you do."
Senior DL Chris Harrington
On the defense:
"I think it was very effective in the first two quarters. We just need to do a better job of tackling. I think that was our main issue. We put ourselves into position in the fourth quarter and we needed a stop and we didn't get it. I think that was the difference in the game."
On the shift in momentum in the second half:
"I think the momentum swung in our favor in the third quarter. We really got excited, and I think our confidence level came back. When our defense went out, we couldn't stop them. We'll take the blame for that one. The offense scored the points."
