Head Coach Doug Marrones Post-Game Press Conference
Syracuse vs. Wake Forest
September 1, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse Head Coach Doug Marrone
Opening Statement:
“I was disappointed in how we came out offensively. Wake Forest came out early and did a heck of a job. They pressured us early and we couldn’t make the plays. Nick Provo had a drop, Van Chew had a drop. I thought the defense was outstanding as far as how long they were on the field and how many players because we had some nicks and bruises. We have a lot of freshmen, and it’s funny because before the game I was sitting in my hotel room, and I took out the rooming list and I started going through how many players had a role in their first time that they were on a trip. It came out to about 43% of the kids who were on the trip. And they really played well and kept their heads in there.
“I think that, for us, we were 0-6 against ACC teams in the Carrier Dome (since 1994) and I think Wake Forest is a heck of a football team. My hat goes off to Jim Grobe and his staff. They came here ready to play. It’s the first time we’ve beaten an ACC team since 1994, and again, the resiliency of this team or perseverance is a word we like to use. It’s unbelievable to me, but we won that game because of what we do with our players. We won that game because of our leadership program, our accountability, making sure we do all the right things and staying in there and knowing you’re a team. They’re the foundation of our program. And I think that’s important.
“Obviously we had players make plays in the second half. Antwon Bailey took it down. They were pressuring us, and we just caught them in the right play. They caught us in a bunch of right blitzes early on for us not to make plays. I think Kevyn Scott showed resiliency. He’s out there working. Their receiver had a heck of a game in Chris Givens. All of a sudden, Kevyn Scott comes back with a great pick. That’s a fifth year senior who never gives up.
“We have a long way to go. We’re far from where we want to be, but it’s a good start and we’re excited. I appreciate the fans, they helped us win this game at the end. And if you wound up leaving, you missed a great game.”
What does the team get out of this game?
“We haven’t played a game in 265 days, so you learn from it. The players will get excited about it, but they’ll come back and we have a long way to go. We never want to start like that. There were a bunch of three-and-outs, and at one time it was 42-45 plays to 19. You can’t do that, especially early in the year. That’s not the way we want it. So I think you learn every game. But I know this: we talk about accountability and perseverance, and there’s a lot of that on that field. I’m proud of our football team for that.”
After struggling through the first three quarters, what clicked in the fourth quarter?
“We just caught them. Honestly, they were pressuring the heck out of us. They came out and pressured us, zero pressure, and we were looking to make a play on the perimeter. We had some leakage in the protection and then all of a sudden we had some big plays. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s been my whole career. I like teams that pressure us, because now you can get the big play. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t make them earlier because if you make them earlier, then you make them adjust. They kept it the same way and we were fortunate to catch them in some of the pressures later on.”
Did the Wake Forest defense do anything that surprised you?
“First games are tough. We wanted to make sure we knew what they were doing. They played multiple fronts, but mostly they played 3-4. They were the opposite of what they showed last year on film. So, were we not ready for pressure? Of course we were ready for pressure. We play against our defense all spring and they pressure. So I’m disappointed that we didn’t come out and do a better job against the pressure early, and that’s just a matter of execution and making plays.”
What did you like about what (quarterback) Ryan Nassib did tonight, especially how he was able to hold it together in the fourth quarter?
“Everyone has to hold it together. You can’t just have one person trying to hold it together. So the whole team holds it together, and we expect a lot of out Ryan and he’s done a good job for us. Everyone just hung in there. Van Chew made some great catches. He really did. It comes down to the same thing, it’s not rocket science. You go out there, and someone has to make plays. And we had some guys that made some plays. We didn’t make plays early in the game, and we were very fortunate to win that game.”
How did the dynamic change after (Wake Forest quarterback) Tanner Price was injured?
“They still threw it. You never like to see anyone get injured, and I’ll tell you that honestly. I was happy to see that Chris Givens played and that they had all their players. They have a good football team. Those kids know what it takes to win. We just came up on the right side of the score at the end of the day. But we worked hard, and we earned some things, and we caught them in some things.”
Was there any frustration in the locker room at halftime after the offense struggled in the first half?
“I’m not a guy who gets into panic mode, but I felt good. Once you know what they’re doing, then it’s a matter of being on the sidelines, schooling up the players, understanding what’s happening. I think you can ask any of the offensive players, after the first series we came over and said, ‘We know they’re going to pressure.’ So we started making adjustments, and then we just needed to make plays, and we were able to make them at the end of the game.”
What does a win like this do to set a tone for the season?
“It is important to get off to a good start, but we talk to this team about where we’ve been in recent history. And we tell them the truth. Tonight, we won a football game, but we accomplished a lot in this game. And I think it’s important. Back-to-back season opening (wins) – we haven’t been able to do that for a long time around here. There are a lot of great things that happened, but we’ll enjoy it for one day and then we’ll move on to the next game. That’s what I don’t like about the job I have because I’ll enjoy it a little bit, but I’m on the road recruiting and I have to get ready. We have a laundry list of things that we need to get better.”
September 1, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse Head Coach Doug Marrone
Opening Statement:
“I was disappointed in how we came out offensively. Wake Forest came out early and did a heck of a job. They pressured us early and we couldn’t make the plays. Nick Provo had a drop, Van Chew had a drop. I thought the defense was outstanding as far as how long they were on the field and how many players because we had some nicks and bruises. We have a lot of freshmen, and it’s funny because before the game I was sitting in my hotel room, and I took out the rooming list and I started going through how many players had a role in their first time that they were on a trip. It came out to about 43% of the kids who were on the trip. And they really played well and kept their heads in there.
“I think that, for us, we were 0-6 against ACC teams in the Carrier Dome (since 1994) and I think Wake Forest is a heck of a football team. My hat goes off to Jim Grobe and his staff. They came here ready to play. It’s the first time we’ve beaten an ACC team since 1994, and again, the resiliency of this team or perseverance is a word we like to use. It’s unbelievable to me, but we won that game because of what we do with our players. We won that game because of our leadership program, our accountability, making sure we do all the right things and staying in there and knowing you’re a team. They’re the foundation of our program. And I think that’s important.
“Obviously we had players make plays in the second half. Antwon Bailey took it down. They were pressuring us, and we just caught them in the right play. They caught us in a bunch of right blitzes early on for us not to make plays. I think Kevyn Scott showed resiliency. He’s out there working. Their receiver had a heck of a game in Chris Givens. All of a sudden, Kevyn Scott comes back with a great pick. That’s a fifth year senior who never gives up.
“We have a long way to go. We’re far from where we want to be, but it’s a good start and we’re excited. I appreciate the fans, they helped us win this game at the end. And if you wound up leaving, you missed a great game.”
What does the team get out of this game?
“We haven’t played a game in 265 days, so you learn from it. The players will get excited about it, but they’ll come back and we have a long way to go. We never want to start like that. There were a bunch of three-and-outs, and at one time it was 42-45 plays to 19. You can’t do that, especially early in the year. That’s not the way we want it. So I think you learn every game. But I know this: we talk about accountability and perseverance, and there’s a lot of that on that field. I’m proud of our football team for that.”
After struggling through the first three quarters, what clicked in the fourth quarter?
“We just caught them. Honestly, they were pressuring the heck out of us. They came out and pressured us, zero pressure, and we were looking to make a play on the perimeter. We had some leakage in the protection and then all of a sudden we had some big plays. That’s how it is. That’s how it’s been my whole career. I like teams that pressure us, because now you can get the big play. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t make them earlier because if you make them earlier, then you make them adjust. They kept it the same way and we were fortunate to catch them in some of the pressures later on.”
Did the Wake Forest defense do anything that surprised you?
“First games are tough. We wanted to make sure we knew what they were doing. They played multiple fronts, but mostly they played 3-4. They were the opposite of what they showed last year on film. So, were we not ready for pressure? Of course we were ready for pressure. We play against our defense all spring and they pressure. So I’m disappointed that we didn’t come out and do a better job against the pressure early, and that’s just a matter of execution and making plays.”
What did you like about what (quarterback) Ryan Nassib did tonight, especially how he was able to hold it together in the fourth quarter?
“Everyone has to hold it together. You can’t just have one person trying to hold it together. So the whole team holds it together, and we expect a lot of out Ryan and he’s done a good job for us. Everyone just hung in there. Van Chew made some great catches. He really did. It comes down to the same thing, it’s not rocket science. You go out there, and someone has to make plays. And we had some guys that made some plays. We didn’t make plays early in the game, and we were very fortunate to win that game.”
How did the dynamic change after (Wake Forest quarterback) Tanner Price was injured?
“They still threw it. You never like to see anyone get injured, and I’ll tell you that honestly. I was happy to see that Chris Givens played and that they had all their players. They have a good football team. Those kids know what it takes to win. We just came up on the right side of the score at the end of the day. But we worked hard, and we earned some things, and we caught them in some things.”
Was there any frustration in the locker room at halftime after the offense struggled in the first half?
“I’m not a guy who gets into panic mode, but I felt good. Once you know what they’re doing, then it’s a matter of being on the sidelines, schooling up the players, understanding what’s happening. I think you can ask any of the offensive players, after the first series we came over and said, ‘We know they’re going to pressure.’ So we started making adjustments, and then we just needed to make plays, and we were able to make them at the end of the game.”
What does a win like this do to set a tone for the season?
“It is important to get off to a good start, but we talk to this team about where we’ve been in recent history. And we tell them the truth. Tonight, we won a football game, but we accomplished a lot in this game. And I think it’s important. Back-to-back season opening (wins) – we haven’t been able to do that for a long time around here. There are a lot of great things that happened, but we’ll enjoy it for one day and then we’ll move on to the next game. That’s what I don’t like about the job I have because I’ll enjoy it a little bit, but I’m on the road recruiting and I have to get ready. We have a laundry list of things that we need to get better.”
