Football

Mizzou Football Media Day Quotes - Oct. 20

Oct. 20, 2014

Oct. 20, 2014

HEAD COACH Gary Pinkel

Opening Statement…
“We have bumps and bruises like everybody does, but they are manageable and we expect everyone to play. Morgan Steward is still out and hopefully he will able to run this week in practice and we'll see how that goes. Vanderbilt, like every team in the SEC, is a good football team. Our focus is on ourselves and playing well. We're looking forward to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and we want to play our best, so we'll work hard this week and continue to try and get better. It's Homecoming. We're excited for our fans and to see people come back to Mizzou.”
 
On Harold Brantley's performance against Florida…
“He had a great game. He's getting better and better and I think it's just a glimpse of what he is. He's still a young guy and has so much potential. He's working hard, he's a great athlete and has great movement. For our fans, it's neat to see guys take it to a whole different level. There's no question about it. It was a huge impact game for him, and we think we only saw glimpses of what he can be.”
 
On establishing something offensively against Vanderbilt…
“Vanderbilt is a good football team. It's important to get something established every week. There's nothing magical here. I've been here before. We'll keep working hard and stay positive, and I think we'll be okay.”
 
On how facing two quarterbacks last week helps preparation for Vanderbilt...
“They've had some quarterback injuries, so we aren't sure what's going to happen there. We just have to make sure we're prepared for everything. What you do is anytime look at the plays one guy has run and compare them to the other quarterbacks. If there are adjustments that should be made, then make them and if not, you don't. That's something Coach (Dave) Steckel will do.”
 
On Marcus Murphy's development as a returner…
“You can't coach reading the seams. You can't coach it. I was just talking to Mike Kelly about the impact Marcus has had on our program. He's got his degree, is working on his masters and has just had a huge impact here. He's very gifted. The neat thing about the kickoff return, he wasn't touched by anybody. He's got great vision and when the guy is right in front of them, the good running backs look farther down field. That's something that comes natural for him. He's just very gifted, a great kid and makes huge impact plays. In that environment, starting the game off with a kickoff return is a huge momentum play."


JUNIOR DE Shane Ray

On forcing six turnovers at Florida...
“We were definitely excited about that. It's getting back to what we do as Missouri Tigers by getting takeaways and making big plays. That's what we've been lacking over these past couple of weeks in our defense, we felt. We made it an emphasis this week to go out there and attack the ball. We did a good job of that.”

On Harold Brantley…
“The kid has a lot of potential. He's gotten bigger, and he continues to get faster and stronger. He's demanding more double teams as the season has gone on. I'm really excited to see how he continues to develop, but he's a great football player.”

On having success on the road…
“We stick together. We believe that everybody has each other's back and when you know that your brothers are there for you, you leave everything on the field. That's definitely played a part in our success when we're playing away.”


JUNIOR OL Evan Boehm

On the offense against Florida...
“We had a 17-play drive that led to three points, and yeah we should have stuck it in the end zone and scored, but we'll take the points. Points are points no matter how you get them, offensively, defensively, or special teams-wise. Shout out to our defense and our special teams for doing such a great job, but as an offense, it's really time for us to step forward and take control of the game.”

On a change of offensive tempo….
“It makes things a little bit easier, but at the same time it makes things a little bit harder because we're trying to go so fast and we're trying to make calls on the offensive line so that everybody is on the right page. So once we get all that down – and we'll continue to work on it in practice – but the faster we go, the better it is for us. That's what we believe here. We just have to get better each and every time we're out on the field.”​


SENIOR RB Marcus Murphy

On his record-breaking performance against Florida...
“I check it every now and then, but during the game, I really don't pay attention to that type of stuff. It's always good to know where you are as far as stats, but I haven't really looked at it lately. It's special to even be mentioned on the list of all-time punt returners at the university, or all-purpose yards. It's special to be on a list with the greats like [Jeremy Maclin].”

On how he's improved as a return-man….
“As a player, being more comfortable back there. It's so important to return every kick I get and take advantage of each opportunity. It's about letting the plays happen and not really trying to rush a return or make a big play. I try to let the plays happen, follow my blocks, and trust the return team to get me to the end zone.”

On his favorite career return….
“Actually, after watching the last punt return against Florida, I think that's probably my favorite one. I made a lot of cuts and made a lot of guys miss. And it was our safe team out there, and a lot of people don't know that.  It was our punt return safe team and it just showed that we can come out and get a good return even on with our punt return safe team, and that says a lot.”