Mizzou Black & Gold Game Quotes
4/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 18, 2009
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Mizzou Post Game Quotes
Head Coach Gary Pinkel
On His Take on the Spring game
“We had a great spring. Today was a great game but Monday we'll be back in the weight room lifting and in June they'll be back to working hard and making some more progress.”
On the Strength of the Defense
“Well, first of all, if your defense is playing well then that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. If you're not excited about the defense after the spring game, then that's not good. We're glad to see that they're getting out there and playing football. I also think we have a good offensive football team. It's just about putting all the pieces together and building experience and we have a lot of practices before the first game in 140 days.”
On Finding a Replacement for Chase Daniel
“We don't make starting depths for the Illinois game until after spring football. There is a lot of competition out here. In reference to Blaine (Gabbert), I think he had a really good spring. But you know what, there's a lot of time out there and everyone is going to work to get better. I think we have a lot of sped on defense. We can run. Jerrell Jackson made some good plays out there. Derrick Washington had some good runs, there were a lot of good things today.”
On the Athleticism of this Team Compared to Past Teams
“I don't like to compare, but this season we have a lot of speed on defense. We have a lot of young guys, freshman guys, they have a lot of ability. So what we do between now and Illinois is just try to get better. We have to get better and we have the coaching and ability to get there.”
Mizzou Player Quotes
Blaine Gabbert
On the Interception
“When that pick happened… you can't really do anything about that. I've just got to bring it downhill a little more. Overall, we did fine. We just didn't move the ball like we wanted to. Since the beginning of spring practice, everyone has improved immensely, just from learning the playbook and getting the repetitions.”
On Making Improvements
“Everyone has got to improve. We play our first game against Illinois, and that is a huge test. We're going to work hard all summer just to get better. Overall, we've all done well. I just need to work on the little stuff. Making completions, that's the big thing, just playing catch. That's what we need to work on the most.”
On the Newcomers
“They played well today. It was a combination of things, but we just didn't move the ball and that's what it boils down to. They're [the new freshman] doing well, they've just got to learn the playbook a little more. I mean, they've been here what, a month? So we're going to work all summer, work all two-a-days, and we'll be fine.”
On Josh Tatum and Jerrell Jackson
“They came in together, and Josh (Tatum) was the more heralded recruit. But Jerrell (Harrison) came in and just made some plays. He's even been getting some one reps. He's been going out with the ones a few times here and there. I'm really impressed with the way he's accepted the system. He came in and learned it really quickly, and it's great that he has that opportunity to come in and play already.”
On Missouri's Defense
“I don't think it's safe to say that we're a dominant defense at the moment, but I think we've definitely made some strides and come far. Hopefully we can just keep making strides and get better and better as each week comes. I think the offense is still good… don't sleep on that offense. We've got Blaine Gabbert, who makes a lot of plays. He's going to be explosive this year. There are a lot of guys catching the football, and there are going to be some great things going on this year.”
On the Overall Feeling of Spring Practice
“It's a great sign. It gives you a lot of confidence going into summer ball. We've just got to finish out spring, and take care of lifting weights and academics and stuff like that and make sure everybody's ready to go when we come back for the summer. I think it's one of the most competitive springs we've had. The pieces aren't there yet—we're still becoming a unit and trying to gel together and things like that, but as far as competitive nature these guys you can count on every day to just compete and compete and compete.”
On Missouri's Defense
“That was one of our down days on offense, but we're going to scorch every defense we play. Defense has really improved from last year. They're faster, stronger… it shows in the weight room, and of course it shows on the field. It is not easy to get first downs and touchdowns against our defense. Next year is going to be an outstanding year for our defense.”
On the Leaders of the TEam
“We have a lot of vocal leaders, and we're looking for leaders on the field that are going to make plays. Wes Kemp made a few plays and I made a few plays today, and that's what is going to keep the offense rolling. People that make plays are going to make the whole offense play way better. We still have Jared Perry and Danario Alexander returning, and those are some of our top leaders on offense.”
On Blaine Gabbert
“It looked like they got a lot of pressure on Blaine every once in awhile. He didn't have an opportunity to play like he wanted to play, so he had a lot on his back. Right now we're just moving forward and progressing, and hopefully next year we will be able to play with anybody.”
