Mizzou/Bowling Green Post-Game Quotes
9/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 12, 2009
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MU Players | BGSU Coach Dave Clawson | BGSU Players
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I thought Bowling Green played an exceptional game. I think you've got to give them a tremendous amount of credit. They battled and we were fortunate enough to find a way to win. When it's 20-6 about five minutes into the third quarter, obviously it's a big gut check time for our football team. I thought we responded well--we started moving the football and got some momentum going. I think we started doing the things necessary to come back and win a football game. You can grow tremendously from it--you go back and look at the mistakes that we made, like two turnovers and penalties. I thought in the first half our defense played really well. We had two turnovers that we forced field goals on, and we also had a kickoff return to midfield that we forced a punt. If we weren't playing good defense there, we'd be in trouble. We'll learn from the game and I'm proud of our football team for battling and finding a way to win, especially after watching the games on television all day and those losses [by Oklahoma State and Kansas State]. I feel fortunate that we're 2-0."
On the importance of running the football:
"I thought that Derrick [Washington], obviously a really good player, gave some chances. I thought Kendial [Lawrence] came in well as a young player, a freshman and really came through in a big-time environment when we needed to make some plays. Blaine Gabbert also made some plays, several of them. We got some continuity in our offense going and stopped making mistakes and turnovers. The other thing is that in the third quarter, Bowling Green changed their game plan. They were running the football, using the clock, and trying to get first downs--and it was working. As soon as that score tied back up, then they went back to what they normally do. I've also got to say just how remarkable our fans are. [Bowling Green] jumped offsides at a really critical time in that game, and one of their tackles signaled that it was because they couldn't hear. That's because of our fans, and I give the credit to them. That forced them to punt. We have great fans, and I'm glad we found a way to win it for them."
On Blaine Gabbert:
"I think for Blaine, for a young quarterback, this was important from a confidence standpoint. When things are tough, and it's 20-6 almost halfway through that third quarter, and then you make some throws and do some things that are important for your team, that says a lot for him in his second start. I wish we didn't have to put him through it, but that says a lot about him. I think he was frustrated a little bit, but you learn from the good things and the bad things. I always told him when he got here to watch Chase Daniel and watch everything he did in the Oklahoma State game or the Texas game--games that he struggled in. I told him to learn how he handles it, learn how he responds, and learn how he communicates with his team. I think that the most important thing for a quarterback is that when things get tough, and aren't going really well at all, is whether [Blaine] still has his poise. He was not anything but under control today--he was locked in and focused. One of the greatest things a quarterback can do is learn to forget both bad plays and great plays."
On the style of the victory:
"I remember seeing someone from the [Pittsburgh] Steelers interviewed after their game this week, where they didn't play their best game but they found a way to win it. He said, `We're not looking for quality points, we just want to win.' We just want to win the game, and learn and get going. I feel fortunate that we were able to do that. It's like Jaron [Baston] told the team out there, `Don't let anybody take this victory from us.' We fought hard and found a way to win. It took us that long to do it, but thank God we did. We have lessons to learn, but it's a whole lot more fun fixing things after a victory."
MU Players | BGSU Coach Dave Clawson | BGSU Players
MU Player Quotes
Offensive Lineman Tim Barnes:
On Missouri's slow start:
"I think our communication could've been a lot better. We started off kind of rocky and had to get used to playing back here, but I think we did a lot better towards the end."
On whether or not he felt the possibility of a loss:
"When you're losing 20-6, there's always something running through your mind. But we were on the sidelines and said we were going to put our foot down and said we're going to go out there and start executing, and that's what we did in the second half."
On Missouri's timely running game:
"It's hard to tell, it sure as heck helped us. That opened up the passing game and without that running game, we were just stalling. So once we got that running game going it opened up our offense and got us running on all cylinders."
Wide Receiver Jared Perry:
On his close touchdown pass:
"I was kind of juggling it because the ball went right through his hands, and it was really close. If he would've caught it, it would've been a pick. It went straight through his hands."
On Blaine Gabbert's second half:
"He showed his pride, his willingness to fight. He was just not giving up, knowing he had to go out there and make plays."
On his thoughts when the score was 20-6:
"Being down like that, we just knew we had to come back and just make plays. We had a rocky start, so I just said, somebody has to make a play, somebody has to step it up, and it ended up being me making the play and after that, the train just kept rolling."
Wide Receiver Wes Kemp:
On Missouri's second half:
"I think we came out the second half. We started showing a little bit in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter the offense really started getting along."
On Blaine Gabbert's second start:
"I don't think that [nerves] was the problem. The problem was during the game we were getting holding penalties, and getting a lot of penalties that would stall drives and when you're in third and 15 situations, it's hard for any offense to score or even get a first down."
On the offensive coordinator's willingness to run the ball:
"I think Derrick Washington ran for over 100 yards, so I think the running game always opens up the pass, so that helped us out a lot."
Cornerback Carl Gettis:
On the defense's ability to keep the entire team in the game:
"That's how it goes sometimes. Offense, when they struggle, we know the defense sometimes has to pick them up. We have to be strong for our offense because we know sooner or later in the second half they were going to come along and make some big plays to help us out."
On Aldon Smith's sack:
"That was a huge play. With that play, that pretty much gave us all of the momentum. After that we were rolling, because Perry made a big play, Aldon got the sack and it just all came together after that."
On if he ever doubted a victory:
"I actually didn't have a doubt. The whole time I knew we just had to keep fighting and we were going to come up with the victory."
On Blaine Gabbert's second half:
"He showed his competitive edge. He showed it a little in the first half, but he's a fighter, he's a competitor so he kept coming for it. He kept going at it the second half and it just shows his pride and his competitive edge."
Tailback Derrick Washington:
On Missouri's running game:
"We came back when we were down. Usually when we're down, we go to the air, but we went to the running game. We had to get the job done on fourth and one and Coach gave me the ball, but that shows Coach's trust in me. And I got the first down and we just kept fighting. I think we scored a touchdown after that so the running game got us going."
On players who stepped up in the second half:
"I give credit to the running game and the offensive line especially. They were getting the job done all day. I think we should've started running the ball a little bit earlier in the game, but we didn't. But we got it going so that's all that really matter, and that we got the win."
On teammate Kendial Lawrence:
"He's going to be great. You've seen how he runs out there. He was one or two tackles away from scoring."
Quarterback Blaine Gabbert:
On how the running game opened up the second half:
"We had to get our offense on a roll in the second half because we didn't execute in the first half. We had to open up some running lanes. And Derrick and Kendial ran extremely hard tonight, and that opened up the passing game in the second half."
On Bowling Green's defense:
"They were doing some different stuff defensively and taking away some vertical shots. They were dropping eight people into coverage and they weren't letting us throw deep. We were just taking the short stuff that they were giving us. "
On his touchdown pass to Jared Perry:
"They went cover-three so I just had to move the corner a little bit and he bit on boundary two so I just had to throw the ball and luckily Jared Perry made a great catch."
On the style of win:
"It was a gutsy win. It really checked what we are made of and in the end it's going to make our team better in the long run. A win's a win and it always feels good. We're going to go look at film and make those changes we need to."
MU Players | BGSU Coach Dave Clawson | BGSU Players
BGSU Head Coach Dave Clawson
On Missouri's offensive line in the second half of the game...
"Their offensive line, I thought in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, really, started wearing us down. Our defense in the first half stopped them on every third down and really got them off the field. And in the second half we weren't able to do that. So, we really give credit to them. They really ran the ball well, and we didn't tackle as well as we did in the first half. I don't think we were as physical up front."
On the decision to go for it on fourth and five...
"The way they were running the ball, and our defense was getting no rest. I didn't feel confident about our ability to get the ball back, so I was going to go for it on fourth and five. And then it became fourth and six and fourth and 11, so I thought our best chance was to get the ball back and punt it."
On the first half field goals...
"You know, we had the one motion call on third and one, and then its third and six. And now, instead of hopefully having first and goal and possibly scoring, now you're kicking a field goal. That potentially cost us four points. You're not going to score a touchdown every time you get in the redzone, that one kind of hurt."
On letting down their guard in the third quarter...
"I don't want to say that our guys let down. But Missouri executed better than we did from that point on, so credit to them. But our guys didn't let down, Missouri just made some plays."
On the momentum shift of the game...
"I thought the real turning point in the game was when we got the ball back in the second drive of the second half, and we had a second and one. We were going for the jugular, we were trying to end the game there, and we took a shot, and we got called for the chopped block. So instead of third and one, now we were second and 16. And you say the game changed on the play, it might have been that play. That's when I thought the momentum really swung away from us."
Coach Pinkel | MU Players | OSU Coach Mike Gundy
BGSU Player Quotes
Quarterback Tyler Sheehan
On losing after holding a 20-6 lead...
"I can't say that our guys didn't play hard, because they did. I think Missouri stepped it up a little, they made some adjustments. That's what their coaches are paid to do. I think we played good enough to win but the outcome just didn't happen."
On Missouri putting more pressure on the quarterback in the second half...
"They were trying more stunts up front, blitzing a little bit, trying to get pressure to disrupt the passing game. We did a pretty decent job of picking it up. Myself and some of the others needed to pick it up and make more plays."
On missed opportunities...
"There were definitely missed opportunities. We had the ball in clear touchdown zones and we shot ourselves in the foot with a lot of the stuff we did."
On execution...
"The coaches came out with a great gameplan. We executed early, and then we started not executing later in the game. I think that's why the end result was us losing."
Defensive End Angelo Magnone
On Missouri's offensive line adjusting in the second half...
"They really stepped up in the second half compared to the first. They really got more physical. We didn't really get away from our gameplan, we just missed some assignments on the line and gave up some big plays."
On Missouri sticking to the run game...
"I expected them to early, but in the first half, we stopped them pretty good, I thought they would go to the pass more, but they stuck with it and they were successful in the second half."
On the defense staying on the field...
"It was real frustrating. I think they kind of wore us down a little bit in the fourth quarter. But we still played hard, they played hard. Hats off to them, I guess."
