Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes (Oct. 3, 2009)
Syracuse vs. South Florida
October 3, 2009
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Senior linebacker Derrell Smith
On South Florida Quarterback B.J. Daniels:
“We knew what to expect. We had running backs play his position all week. He was a good athlete, very quick.”
On the play of the defense:
“I think we did pretty well. We could do better, if everyone does their assignments. It could have been closer, but I still think we did well.”
Freshman linebacker E.J. Carter
On the play of the defense:
“BJ Daniels is a great athlete. I saw him play in high school, both of us being from Florida. He was a real solid athlete and we tried our best to contain him. I really think the defense played very well. We didn’t get as many turnovers as we would like, but we were definitely prepared. We are just trying to stay focused and get ready for next week.”
On the long touchdown by South Florida at the beginning of the second half:
“Our corners did a very good job no matter what anybody said. I have the most confidence in all of our corners and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody in the world.”
Senior wide receiver Mike Williams
On the amount of turnovers:
“That’s one big thing that we have to eliminate, turnovers. When you have turnovers it looks like no one is playing on offense. When you put the turnovers in, that was the game. We had seven turnovers today and that’s what happened, we lost the game.”
On his two touchdowns:
“That’s what we have been working on all week. I told him (Greg Paulus) if he sees the coverage (man-to-man), just throw it up and I would get it for him. That’s what we did.”
On the passing attack:
“We knew we could get some passes through the air on these guys. South Florida came out with a great plan and they beat us.”
On the man-to-man coverage:
“When I get one-on-one coverage, I’m going to try to exploit it. That’s what Coach Spence called, he saw the one-on-one coverage and we tried to go at it all day.”
Senior nose tackle Arthur Jones
On the play of the team:
“We got off to a good start. We just have to eliminate the big plays on offense and defense. We’ll be alright. It’s still a long season and we have to get ready for West Virginia.”
On what this game revealed to the team:
“I know that on every play on defense we can make a big play. I believe we could have done more on defense. We just have to keep working hard.”
On how he feels physically:
“I’m going to take it one day at a time, get to 100%, and get ready for next week.”
Graduate student quarterback Greg Paulus
On the amount of turnovers:
“I think you start to press a little bit. I had a couple of bad balls and I have to keep learning and growing from those. Having that amount of turnovers puts your defense in a bad position. They had more possessions and could extend the lead.”
On the play of the South Florida defense:
“I think they deserve credit. They made some plays on some balls. Some of it is on me. I mean, all of it is on me. Whether it’s a bad throw or whatever it might be, it’s on me.”
On the speed of South Florida
“They had some really good athletes. Their front line did a good job of putting pressure. Their secondary had really good athletes who made some good plays on the balls. I think they made some tough catches to cause those interceptions.”
On this week being a missed opportunity:
“Every week is a big opportunity whichever way you look at it, conference or non-conference. We have goals for ourselves and this team. Each week allows us to get a little bit closer to that goal and that’s what we need to do. We didn’t get there this week but we have to get there next week. I know Coach Marrone is going to have us ready to go and he’s going to do a great job. We’ll be ready to play.”
Junior wide receiver Da'Mon Merkerson
On his transition from offense to defense:
“It’s been a smooth transition. I like both sides of the ball. It’s about playing for me.”
On when he found out he was going to play defense:
“It was on Sunday. The decision was more of mine. I wasn’t really needed on offense and I felt that if I could contribute on defense, they’d let me switch. Coach made the decision.”
On playing a good amount in the second half and what it was like:
“I’ve been playing both positions for most of my life so it’s just the feel of the game. I don’t look at it as if I’m on an island – receiver or corner. I just want to play. When I’m on the field I just want to have fun.”
Sophomore wide receiver Marcus Sales
On the frustration with the turnovers:
“Before the game that was one of our key points. We just have to correct the mistakes and get ready for West Virginia.”
On how much of the turnovers was caused by South Florida and how much the fault of Syracuse:
“I think it’s all on us. We have to have better ball security. We have to do things better, and we just have to get better as a team.”
On receivers fighting for the ball in the air:
“The whole week we stressed going up for the ball and that’s what Mike [Williams] was doing today and we just have to keep on doing that.”
Junior linebacker Doug Hogue
On how the team shot themselves in the foot:
“It’s a tough game. We had a couple of blown assignments. We have those things that we could have done better but we just have to figure it out for next week.”
On forcing turnovers early:
“That’s the mentality of our defense, to make plays and get the ball to the offense. We did everything we could possibly do. We had a couple of blown assignments. We just have to correct them and get ready for next week.”
Senior tight end Mike Owen
On the problems with the offense:
“We had a lot of turnovers. That’s just mental things that we have to correct, and that’s correctable, that’s quick. Ball security - we work on every day. It’s not about the coaches, it’s about us. We have to do it, we have to hold onto the ball.”
On Mike Williams and what he does for the team:
“I think Mike Williams is the best receiver in the country. That’s what I personally believe. He shows that in practice, coming to work every day in practice. In the game today he’s double-covered, two touchdowns. Mike Williams is a tremendous player.”
Junior Safety Max Suter
On the mentality of the defense at the end of the first half:
“We knew we had to stop them and we can’t let a big play up right before half. We knew they were running so we just kind of ‘did our thing’ and played defense.”
On how the turnover [South Florida fumble at end of first half] come about:
“Derrell [Smith] just came inside-out and put his helmet right on the ball and it popped out, and luckily I was there to recover it.”
On how he felt after recovering the fumble:
“It’s great because right before we went out there it was, ‘We need to make a play, we need to make a play, we need the offense to get the ball, they’re going to score. Greg’s coming up to us, get the ball back, we’re going to score, we’re going to score,’ and that happened. It was what our coaches and other players were telling us to do and we did it.”
Junior cornerback Kevyn Scott
On the big play South Florida had coming out of halftime:
“We were containing them pretty well on the deep ball, and then came out of half time and they saw us in coverage and made an adjustment and ran that post-route on us.”
On how tough it was going into half time down one point and then giving the play up:
“It’s very tough, but that’s the name of the game. We might give up some plays but you have to come back out and keep playing.”
On being on defense and seeing the seven turnovers by the offense:
“It’s very tough for the defense, but we can’t worry about that. We just have to keep coming out there and trying to get as many three-and-outs as possible.”
On the game being an opportunity to make a statement:
“We really did have an opportunity to make a statement. You can’t give up that many turnovers against a good team, and South Florida, I give them credit. They are a good team. You can’t expect to win a game when you’re giving up turnovers like that.”
