Mizzou/Miami (Ohio) Post-Game Quotes
9/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 3, 2011
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Mizzou Players | Miami Coach Don Treadwell | Miami Players
Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
On today's game…
"Miami is a good football team and we knew that coming in, and I give them a lot of credit. I thought we just made more first game mistakes than we've had for a long time. We had a lot of penalties I felt that kind of hurt our execution on both sides of the football. But we have to get better we have to become a better football team, and we gotta do it pretty fast because we got a big game coming up Friday night."
On Franklin's play…
"Well he did some real good things, I thought he settled down in the second half a little bit. He made some real key throws for us. So I think he did some good things. Obviously it was a poor decision on that one-out route, but he also had a few guys open and he made some good throws, too. It's all a process of learning. I can give you stories of all these different starting quarterbacks I've had, ones that turned out great, ones that turned out awful, and ones that are just a real good effort, and they can get a lot better. He's like Marc Brunell down at Washington, it's a real good effort but he can do a lot better."
On winning despite penalties and a costly turnover…
"That's the only touchdown that our defense gave up, so (MU's defense) made some plays. We got the interception at the goal line from E.J. Gaines, we got the fumble later in the day off a sack, we did a lot of good things.
We also, with penalties, kept them on the field a few times. You know, you got third-and-12 and all of a sudden you have a penalty and they're back out on a first down. But you have to give a lot of credit too; their quarterback is a good player.
And then offensively we're just very sporadic. A player makes a mistake here, another there, another over here. For the number of experienced players we have out there that's a little bit disappointing. So, the good news is if you get better and become a better football team, you got a chance to compete. You know I tell my players that the teams that compete for championships are the ones that get better every week. And not all teams do. You think, 'well that's easy.' No, it's not easy. So that's our challenge as coaches to get that done."
On injuries to Will Ebner and Jacquies Smith…
"Jacquies Smith (injured his) elbow, he might be out for a while. So we're going to miss him. Will Ebner, we just found out, has a high ankle sprain. I feel so bad for Will because he's such a great kid and he's been through so much. It's just unbelievable, that such a tough, competitive kid can have all these injuries. I would suggest that at least one week for sure (for Ebner), and then we'll get another report. Jacquies is having a MRI right now, and they'll look at that, read it, and do what's right to get him healthy and ready to go."
Coach Pinkel | Miami Coach Don Treadwell | Miami Players
MU Player Quotes
QB James Franklin
On the win:
"I think we did a great job coming out here, playing in the heat. There are some things the offense has to work on, but the defense did a great job putting us in situations where we didn't feel like we were pressured. So that starts with me, just leading the offense, making the right reads and everything. But I think together, we did (well) as a team, and we came away with a win."
On his performance:
"I think it was awful. I did some good things here and there, but I wasn't reacting to the coverage, and I was making bad choices. That's something I will definitely work on for the upcoming game."
On the defense's effort:
"We want the defense to keep [playing so well]. Now the offense has to decide we want to score every time we go out there."
LB Zaviar Gooden
On playing in the intense heat:
"It was pretty hot down there. We've been practicing two-a-days all during the summer, so I mean, you never get used to it, but you can acclimate to [the heat].
On the defense:
"I think we played pretty good. They moved the ball a little bit, but we bent and didn't break. We held them out of the end zone pretty much except for one play. I think we had a pretty solid day."
On next week's game at Arizona State:
"Arizona State is a great team from what I hear. We have to come ready to play, get a lot better, learn from our mistakes and we have to play better to win next week."
SS Kenji Jackson
On today's win:
"It Feels really great. We worked hard, and Miami of Ohio is a great team, but we came out here and did what we had to do and got the win.
On the secondary's strong tackles:
"The defensive line really makes our job easier when they pressure the quarterback. That allows us to roam around [the secondary] and make those big hits. We like it, the fans like it, so we just want to keep it going."
On MU's potential to win low-scoring games:
"We have to be really stout on defense. Our job is to create a lot of opportunities for the offense to get the ball. However many times we have to go out there and do that, we're all one team and we're willing to do it for our offense."
On Arizona State:
"We have a big battle and it's a quick turnaround for us. We have a day off, then we have to start preparing for ASU. They are a really good team, they have a lot of guys coming back, but we have to be focused on beating Arizona State, and that's all we are worried about."
WR Marcus Lucas
On his first career touchdown:
"It felt great. [The touchdown] was definitely something I've been waiting a long time for. It came at a good time of the game to help my team out. I was really happy, proud of myself, proud of James [Franklin]. Everything just came together on the play."
On the big hit he took on the catch:
"It actually wasn't that bad. We've been battling these last few weeks in two-a-days, and your teammates have been coming at you with that same intensity. By the time you get to the game, you're ready for it."
On returning to Arizona State:
"It's going to be great. We've already seen the scenery, so the imagery is to our advantage because we already know what the stadium is going to be like after playing in the Insight Bowl last year."
Coach Pinkel | Mizzou Players | Miami Players
Miami (Ohio) Head Coach Don Treadwell
On last year's game:
"Well you know, you always anticipate good things to happen and as you build to come with the anticipation of the game and I think our kids had the right focus. And I'm sure it helped we talked about the fact again they had a tremendous amount of respect for Missouri and certainly having played them last year and we knew we had to come out and play one of our better games and at times we did that. Then there were times, you can imagine, where we'll look back at the tapes and say 'ok here's a couple of things we need to clean up to put us over the top.'"
On Missouri's defense:
"Well they did a great job of beating us up in the blitz. They put some things on you where you knew you were going to have to execute to make a big play or all of a sudden they were going to make a big play. They did that a few times, where they had a couple of sacks there and might have rushed the quarterback a few times. When Missouri comes after you, they have got a lot of speed and they showed it."
On how the interception changed momentum:
"Well I think like anything you know a momentum shift stuns you, if you will, like in boxing when you get that uppercut but you don't go down but you're like 'ok, get back in here and get ready to go.' The good thing was it was still in the first half so we knew we got the ball in the second half, and I think guys were locked in and we got to the second half and here we go."
On Krysinski's kicking:
"Nothing take the place of experience, and when you know you got Mason [Krysinski] in there roughly the first time, and this is a certainly a tremendous venue here at Missouri, you need to find out about your kids. You never really know until you put him in a live game and we're hoping like anything else I mentioned that most improvements happen in between game one and game two."
On Finklea:
"I thought so, I mean again I look at the tape again a lot more in great detail but he moved the chains for us a little bit and that's what you've got to have in this offense. We have a decent amount of guys that returned for us up front in the o-line and I think that makes a big difference."
On his first game coaching at his Alma Mater:
"Oh, I guess I'd say I've done a pretty good job of staying in the moment and that is really on what's the task. I don't know that I really got caught up on how I was feeling. I wanted to make sure I spend more time on what we need to do so the number one the team is ready and make sure I did a great job and the big picture of game day management, keeping the coaches locked in, keeping the players locked in so I kept so busy so to be honest I'll probably think more about it as I sit on the bus and planes as we head back."
On QB Zac Dysert:
"I don't think anything from him the last time he didn't play affected him today. I think if anything I've got to give credit to Missouri defense. They did a great job. They have a lot of skilled players out there, like I said earlier. At times they put pressure on him and at other times they just have great coverage so they really challenged our guys to get open."
On biggest difference between offensive coordinator and head coach:
"Oh, you just make sure you communicate and connect with your entire team throughout the game. Offense you just rely on totally locking into what's the next call, what they are doing, it's more tactical. Where certainly as a head coach you've got to get a feel if something happens, momentum change, get your guys and you've got to keep them locked in, you know we had an interception down there and there are different things that can change the game but if you don't let it affect you by your performance then most teams can bounce back."
Coach Pinkel | Mizzou Players | Miami Coach Don Treadwell
Miami (Ohio) Players
TB Erik Finklea
On how it felt to score in his first game at Miami:
"It felt good getting in the end zone. It was our only touchdown today, kind of disappointing, but as a team I felt like we should've got in the end zone a couple of times and should've scored (more). But it felt good getting in the end zone."
On what to take away from today's game:
"Finishing. I felt like today we moved the ball pretty well. We got down in the red zone, just couldn't finish. Mainly as a running back, I felt like that's when we need to step up and take charge and put the ball in the end zone."
On keeping focus during the game:
"It was a huge crowd with a lot of noise. I'm just happy that I handled the ball, didn't drop the ball and read my blocks well. My line - Brandon Brooks, JoJo, Redenar - all of them did a great job up front and I just did a good job of reading blocks."
QB Zac Dysert
On his first game back from injury:
"It was nice to be out there again, finally. You know, I felt good out there. I felt good to be back at 100 percent."
On what to take away from the game:
"I think we did a lot of good things out there. We moved the ball well I thought. You know, we just have to finish. We have to score. We're going to learn a lot of things from the tape. You know, just go from there and we're going to be a good football team."
On how Missouri kept them off balance
"I think it was more us. I threw that pick in the red zone, we missed the field goal, and then right off the bat, that stuff just puts bad thoughts in your head. That kind of ruined the next play, the next couple of drives because we were on the 30 and we punted and we should've tried a field goal I thought. I'm not questioning the coach's decision or anything like that, but I thought we could've made a field goal. But when you miss a field goal and you have a great kicker, it makes the game a lot different."
CB Dayonne Nunley
On his interception:
"Well, they run that same type of route - the 4, number 2. In the back of my mind, I knew it was coming again, so I sat there and that time I got it."
On how the defense played:
"I feel good about our defense. I feel like we came together and we're really good. We can be really, really good. I'm excited to play Minnesota in two weeks."
On looking back and wondering if Miami should have won the game:
"I look back and say we could've won, but in the back of my mind, we're just trying to move on. We have to move on to Minnesota. But I know, after today, we can be really good. We can be really good this year."
