USC Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse Football
Syracuse vs. USC
Saturday, September 8, 2012
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Matt Barkley, Sr., QB
On the impressions of the Syracuse defense:
“They actually played a lot more Cover 3 than we expected. We expected more Cover 4, which we thought would give us more opportunities down the field. I had to be patient with the ball and make sure that I didn’t force the ball and was very careful. We moved down the field and we were scoring points, but we had some plays in the second half that I really liked.”
On how the weather delay impacted the atmosphere today:
“It was weird. We don’t typically get delays from thunderstorms in Southern California. I thought our guys responded well, though. We came out in the second half - and even in the first half when the ball was a little slippery - and made some adjustments on offense and defense and made it right.”
On what transpired in the locker room during the delay:
“I got some extra work on my shoulder to keep it loose. I put my feet up, put on my headphones, took my pads off. I knew it was going to be longer than 5-10 minutes. We were just resting our legs to make sure we were ready.”
On the difference Marqise Lee and Robert Woods had on the game today:
“I thought our running game complemented our game in the air today. They were on fire. We threw up some big balls, which forced the safeties to play down field, which puts Marqise and Robert alone with the corners. If I know that it’s one-on-one with them, I bet on our guys at the end of the day.”
On Xavier Grimble’s touchdown reception:
“I think that’s also a testament to how we practice. There’s always a collision, but there’s also always a finish 20 yards down the field. That was a perfect example of a guy who never stopped running. He got contact, but kept his legs moving. It was a cool translation from the practice field to the game.”
Dion Bailey, R-So., LB
On the atmosphere in the locker room during the weather delay:
“We just tried to stay focused on our objective. It’s something we are not used to, but we handled it well. We came out hot in the second half. It was a great experience for our football team.”
On the mindset of the defense when Syracuse had a chance to take the lead:
“I am one of the leaders of our defense. We huddled up and got the message across that we had to come up with a stop and put the ball back into our offense’s hands. We have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. And they exploded in the second half like we thought. “
Robert Woods, Jr., WR
On his 67-yard run:
“Coach Kiffin was calling a reverse in practice all week. It went well. I hit the edge and had a great block from Marqise (Lee). I just made two cuts and raced down the sideline. The defender had a good angle.”
On responding to SU’s comeback bid:
“We all have that mindset that this is our time to make a difference. Every player on this team is trying to take over, so when the game is that close, each player had that mindset to take over. Fortunately, we started with that at the beginning of the game. Our defense started to play better. Our offense started executing better.
“In practice, we go against the top guys. They challenge us each and every day. So when we get to the game, it’s nothing new.
On Xavier Grimble’s touchdown reception…
“I was pretty excited. That’s my roommate. He broke four tackles . That shows how big and strong of a player he is. Not only the broken tackles but to also get it into the end zone, that shows the type of player he is.”
Syracuse vs. USC
Saturday, September 8, 2012
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Matt Barkley, Sr., QB
On the impressions of the Syracuse defense:
“They actually played a lot more Cover 3 than we expected. We expected more Cover 4, which we thought would give us more opportunities down the field. I had to be patient with the ball and make sure that I didn’t force the ball and was very careful. We moved down the field and we were scoring points, but we had some plays in the second half that I really liked.”
On how the weather delay impacted the atmosphere today:
“It was weird. We don’t typically get delays from thunderstorms in Southern California. I thought our guys responded well, though. We came out in the second half - and even in the first half when the ball was a little slippery - and made some adjustments on offense and defense and made it right.”
On what transpired in the locker room during the delay:
“I got some extra work on my shoulder to keep it loose. I put my feet up, put on my headphones, took my pads off. I knew it was going to be longer than 5-10 minutes. We were just resting our legs to make sure we were ready.”
On the difference Marqise Lee and Robert Woods had on the game today:
“I thought our running game complemented our game in the air today. They were on fire. We threw up some big balls, which forced the safeties to play down field, which puts Marqise and Robert alone with the corners. If I know that it’s one-on-one with them, I bet on our guys at the end of the day.”
On Xavier Grimble’s touchdown reception:
“I think that’s also a testament to how we practice. There’s always a collision, but there’s also always a finish 20 yards down the field. That was a perfect example of a guy who never stopped running. He got contact, but kept his legs moving. It was a cool translation from the practice field to the game.”
Dion Bailey, R-So., LB
On the atmosphere in the locker room during the weather delay:
“We just tried to stay focused on our objective. It’s something we are not used to, but we handled it well. We came out hot in the second half. It was a great experience for our football team.”
On the mindset of the defense when Syracuse had a chance to take the lead:
“I am one of the leaders of our defense. We huddled up and got the message across that we had to come up with a stop and put the ball back into our offense’s hands. We have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. And they exploded in the second half like we thought. “
Robert Woods, Jr., WR
On his 67-yard run:
“Coach Kiffin was calling a reverse in practice all week. It went well. I hit the edge and had a great block from Marqise (Lee). I just made two cuts and raced down the sideline. The defender had a good angle.”
On responding to SU’s comeback bid:
“We all have that mindset that this is our time to make a difference. Every player on this team is trying to take over, so when the game is that close, each player had that mindset to take over. Fortunately, we started with that at the beginning of the game. Our defense started to play better. Our offense started executing better.
“In practice, we go against the top guys. They challenge us each and every day. So when we get to the game, it’s nothing new.
On Xavier Grimble’s touchdown reception…
“I was pretty excited. That’s my roommate. He broke four tackles . That shows how big and strong of a player he is. Not only the broken tackles but to also get it into the end zone, that shows the type of player he is.”
