#SCvsMIZ Post-Game Quotes
10/3/2015 4:07:00 PM | Football
Mizzou Players | USC Coach Steve Spurrier | USC Players
Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Opening statement:
"Certainly, I'm proud of our football team for battling today. We came off a tough loss last week at Kentucky. This football team took it to heart and today's game was really important to them. We played a lot better today as a team then we did a week ago. South Carolina's a good football team. I'm pleased to come out of today with a victory. I think we've become a lot better football team this week. We can build on today and become even better."
On the performance of freshman quarterback Drew Lock:
"Drew really did some good things for a young player. We were a little conservative (with play calling) in the second half with some of the field position we had and trying to get our running game going. But I thought he really carried himself well. I thought that was good. He did a lot of good things and he has a lot of ability."
On what seemed to click today for sophomore tailback Ish Witter:
"I just think he got going. I think he works better when we limit the carries for him. He and Russell (Hansbrough) are a real good 1-2 punch. We're blocking better (as an offensive line). There were creases there today that I could've run through. He started to break more tackles and ran harder today. That was a big positive."
On the performance of redshirt freshman defensive end Walter Brady:
"He's a really good player. You look at all those freshmen and redshirt freshmen playing on the field today. It's amazing. He really made some plays today and continues to get better and better. There's a lot of competition there (on the defensive line) and I couldn't be more pleased with their effort."
Coach Pinkel | USC Coach Steve Spurrier | USC Players
MU Player Quotes
Sophomore WR Nate Brown
On the play of Drew Lock:
"He handles the pressure amazingly. He's just poised, as you can see on the field, he wasn't rattled or anything like that. Having to start, he took it and ran with it. Hats off to him and hats off to his play today, and just the type of person he is."
On the QB change midweek:
"I mean, when something like that happens you tend to just, you stick to your teammates. Not to take anything away from Maty [Mauk] or his success or anything like that, my heart goes out to him with whatever he's going through, but it just brings the team closer together. We keep those walls shut and we just go to work."
On the difference between catching passes from Drew Lock and Maty Mauk:
"It's different. It's a different quarterback, different guy, you know what I mean? So everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. I mean, with Maty, he can sling it downfield. You'll not think it's coming, and it'll be there. With Drew it's kind of like as soon as you come out of your break, it'll be there."
On why the offense was clicking:
"I feel like once the offense got going, we got our tempo going and everybody was a little more relaxed. At the same time they're focused on what they have to do. When you get into a rhythm, it relaxes everybody on the offense and just kind of keeps them focused on their job."
Freshman QB Drew Lock
On his week leading up to the game:
"I went to my classes, I had one class actually clap for me, which was really cool. I kind of tried to keep a low profile, I only went to Chipotle twice this week, I normally go about three or four times."
On his relationship with Evan Boehm:
"It's pretty cool, it's a Lee's Summit thing. A Lee's Summit center to a Lee's Summit quarterback, it's a big deal. You don't really understand unless you're in that tight-knit group of people. To be from Lee's Summit, that's pretty cool too. I was watching him like 'I hate that guy' when we were playing him in high school. The one time that I got to watch him play, I was pretty amazed by him. Now to take snaps from him, it's kind of cool."
Redshirt freshman DE Walter Brady
On whether he has any experience making catches:
"I played a little tight end in the day – way back in the day."
On whether he was worried about dropping the interception:
"No. I mean it was pretty much a lob, just up for grabs between me and the tight end, so I knew I just had to come down with it and try to get some yards. I knew everybody was a little nervous with me being a defensive lineman with the ball in my hands. I was able to come down with it and get a few yards."
On the last time he had so many big plays in a game:
"High school, definitely high school. Like I said, hats off to the guys giving pressure to make that great play. They get more credit than I do. We made an interception on that because they were able to get back there and force him to throw the ball."
On how the team succeeds on defense regardless of personnel:
"Definitely our tradition. When everybody came in, we understood what being a D-lineman at Mizzou meant. We had guys tell us, and we knew right from the get-go, that this is no joke. We have to execute and we have to dominate to keep the tradition going like we have been able to for so many years."
Coach Pinkel | Mizzou Players | USC Players
South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier
Opening Statement:
"They're a better team and better coaches. I don't think we coached a spectacular game but anyway, give Missouri credit. They played with no turnovers, we had three big ones. They ran the ball better than us. Give those guys credit."
On the running game:
"The only thing we had was Lorenzo. David Williams had one run. We kind of got messed up on the run that they reviewed the catch, not very well. We didn't block those guys very well. We need to reevaluate a little bit. Some of our inside runs. There are some things we can do differently but again, give Missouri credit. They had the number one defense in the SEC coming into the game and they'll probably be number one coming out of it."
On Lorenzo's three Interceptions:
"We wish he had thrown those in a little different spot and we'll go back and watch the tape. We had some guys open, I think, and we've got to get the ball to the open guy at the right time. We didn't do that maybe once on Pharoh's long pass at the beginning of the game there. We had to kick a field goal on that one so we could not run the game. It's a huge difference when you can't run the ball in. We're struggling doing that."
On some of the calls that did not go their way:
"The referee said he threw the ball from the one yard line. I asked him to review it and said we thought he was in the end zone when he threw it and if that's the rule then that's a safety. Intentional grounding in the end zone is a safety. They told me that he was on the one yard line so no need to even look at it. That's all I heard. The interference on Pharoh at the end of the game there, put us seven behind with six minutes left, I mean that's tough. I haven't seen the tape on it. That was a tough call. He said the guy ran around him. I don't know. We'll just have to look at it. That was a tough call. He had several calls, I don't know what the head official would say if they are good or not, when the guy dove at Lorenzo out of bounds and everybody in the stadium could see that is unsportsmanlike but then all of a sudden they said our guys pushed someone. Did anybody in the ballpark see our guy push anybody? No. They said Matrick blocked a guy and he was out of bounds and he gave him a little shove like that. That was the explanation I got. That's not what beat us. Don't get me wrong. That's not what beat us."
On Drew Lock:
"The pass rush we thought we were going to have hasn't quite been there. Their guys threw and caught everything pretty much. That kid's a good passer. We stopped them, about five times. We had a lot of chances but couldn't get in the game with them."
Coach Pinkel | Mizzou Players | USC Coach Steve Spurrier
USC Players
South Carolina Wide Receiver Pharoh Cooper
On the current mentality of the team:
"We are really just going back to practice this week and preparing for LSU. We can't really do anything about a loss. I mean, this is over with and we have to put this behind us and get ready for LSU next week at home. That is really all we can do about it and get ready for next week."
On communication with QB Lorenzo Nunez during the game:
"It is about confidence. He came out in the second half and had three interceptions back to back. Turnovers are what really lost us the game. We cannot have turnovers every possession we have. He is a young guy, a freshman, so he just has to relax back there. He feels like he has to throw every time instead of using his legs and running. It was just some mistakes he made in the third that kind of gave them the ball back."
On effort of offense:
"The effort is good. We came out here and fired every series. We were driving the ball up the field and in the second half, the interceptions killed the whole drive. They get the ball back and score. It is really just a turnover thing. We cannot have turnovers on offense. That is what it comes down to."
