Mizzou Players | UConn Coach Bob Diaco | UConn Players

Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel
On the performance of Mizzou's defense:
"We have some starters that are playing really well, and we've got these freshmen and redshirt freshmen defensive linemen playing at a really high level. That gives us a chance to matchup in the back seven. I thought the back seven played their best game as a group today. I thought the defense deserves a lot of credit and I think that they are going to be better next week."

On the performance of defensive back Anthony Sherrils:
"Anthony has been doing really well. He is an extraordinary athlete that has great speed and acceleration. That is why we have him returning kicks and returning punts. The sky is the limit for how good he can be. Also, he is very smart, and has matured a lot over the past couple of years. It is good to see him doing the things that he is doing."

On car crash Friday involving Missouri players:
"Well when that happened, I was scared to death. I shot over there, trying to get through traffic and not get there too late. They're like my kids. The good news is Terry is okay. DeSean (Blair) and Keyon (Dilosa) are both okay. DeSean has a concussion, and Keyon has a bruised elbow. We were dealing with those two things with those two players. Trevon Waters is okay. He is fine. But, there was a lot going through us on Friday. I have been coaching for years, and we get everything. We get absolutely everything. The most important thing is that they are all doing well. Terry was really upset because he was driving the car. He was right in the middle of rush hour. A person pulled out in front of him, and thankfully the person in the other car is fine too. There were no serious injuries.  I thought Terry went in and played well. That is a lot for a young guy to deal with."

On giving Freshman QB Drew Lock playing time:
"We just talked about it for a moment. We thought it was good. I thought it was good. We get gut feelings based on where we are at. It is a conversation between Coach Hill and myself."

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MU Player Quotes
Mizzou QB Maty Mauk
On whether he puts more pressure on himself out there with the running game struggling:
"I want to say so. As a quarterback, you're the one to get things going. I've got to make the easy throws, get them going, let them make plays, and when we do take shots down the field, I've got to be accurate, give them a chance to catch it. It's just responsibility."

On the offense not being where they want it to be:
"It's just coming back to practice. You've got to practice all week how you're going to play in the game. We can't come out sluggish. We came out and we kind of started fast. We had some good drives and it comes down to finishing. You can drive all you want and put up yards, but if you're not scoring points, that's what it comes down to."

Mizzou QB Drew Lock
On if he knew what the plan was for him going into this game:
"For sure, they told me every week that I'm going in at the start of the second quarter, and that's what you saw today."

On when they told him he'd be playing in the fourth quarter:
"The first defensive play before I came out. So, like a series before."

On whether or not he was surprised to see time in the fourth quarter:
"Maybe a tad, but I was confident in myself and I truly feel as if they are putting me in, they feel pretty confident in me, and that means a lot to me to see that."

Mizzou S Anthony Sherrils
On whether or not they were anticipating the fake field goal:
"We weren't, but the coaches put us in a position to make the play. All game, we were lying down on the line and he backed us up to get a good view on the fake and they faked it. He threw it and I took the ball."

On whether or not he was fooled at all by the fake field goal:
"We were anticipating it. We anticipated it. We backed up off the line to get a good view of it. The tight end released and I knew it was a fake."

On how well the defense has been playing:
"We're playing really well. When the offense is not on their 'A' game, the defense is always there to pick them up and get them back on the field."

On how soon Coach Pinkel told him to maybe go down after intercepting it:
"They were screaming down the sideline, but when I came off he didn't say much to me. He just said, 'Good play, Anthony.'"

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University of Connecticut Head Coach Bob Diaco
Opening Statement:
"Credit to Missouri and their staff and their players for fighting hard for four quarters and executing enough to have more points than we had today, so I'd like to give them credit. They're a class organization, class outfit. Coach Pinkel does it the right way and is someone that all young coaches should emulate as it relates to running a program and how to run a first-class program. I appreciate all the UConn Huskie fans that came, filled that corner and cheered hard for four quarters. We heard them, we felt them. Thank you so much for traveling to the game. It is much appreciated and much-loved. As a staff, I feel, we feel terrible for the players who fought so hard. They busted their butts. As a leader and a head coach, I wish I could have put one more play together to try and help them win the game, because a game like that, it is one play. One play and it's in overtime. One play and it's a win. So, we are going to work hard, the guys are resolute."

On the last field goal fake which led to a Missouri interception:
"Yeah, I didn't feel great about the 42-yarder. I didn't feel great about the battery. I didn't feel great about the guts of the protection. I didn't want to put it on Michael [Tarbutt] at that point. We felt good about the look and that Alec [Bloom] would have an opportunity on a small defender. And he did. What I'm interested in is how the pressure was in his face so fast. As soon as he came off the play-action, there was a guy right there so he never got a chance to throw that top-shelf ball that we would have needed. We knew that even if they had defended it properly it was going to be a little guy and a big guy, and if it was a top-shelf ball, it would've felt great."

On UConn's strong defensive play:
"Just proud of them and they played fundamentally sound football. They played hard, tackled well. They just played within the structure; committed one of eleven to each other. They played together well. Whenever you can play together well, play with great effort, play fundamentally sound and play sound on blockers, run to the ball and tackle, you are going to have a good defense."

On the blocked punt in the first quarter:
"They poured through the left shield and the person protecting. It was just fundamentally poor on the snap and Justin [Wain] was a little slow and a little long, pushed too close to the shield, so we'll get that cleaned up."

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UConn Players
Safety Andrew Adams
On game as a whole:
"We played well all game. You know, we had the mentality the whole game that if they can't score, they can't win. They made a push in the third quarter and scored, so I think that was the difference in the game."

Punter Justin Wain
On the fake punt:
 "That was my first run. I never ran with the ball before in my life, so that was actually the first time I ran with the ball. I just got the ball, looked down and I just saw a straight line to the sideline, so I was like alright I guess this is my route, I 'm going."

WR Noel Thomas
On what this game shows for progress of the program:
"It shows how much we are growing together as a team, at the end of the day we didn't come up with the win, but you can see we are a team."

On if they had something to prove:
"I think the proof is more for the world, we came here expecting to win a football game. I tip my hat off to them, they are a great team, but we came here expecting to win."