Postgame Presser Quotes: UMass 17, Delaware 7

Oct. 4, 2008

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Head Coach Don Brown's Opening Statement

One of our goals was to come out and do a better job in the first quarter getting started offensively. Liam took us right down the field on five plays and 86 yards culminating in Jeremy Horne's catch to make it 7-0. They countered right back with a 79-yard drive and who would have known at 7-7 that it would turn into the type of game that it ended up being. It was one of those typical, hard-fought games. Delaware is a big, physical football team in both fronts. I thought we were pretty solid on special teams all day.

Liam proved today that he might be human, but the bottom line is we found a way to win the football game. I have answered more questions about our defense and the thing that I have learned is that with the guys that I am coaching to keep believing in them. We played aggressively today and turned in one of the best defensive efforts this season. I don't like to single groups out but this defense has been so maligned the last few weeks, it shows the type of character that we have in our locker room.

We responded well to the Texas Tech loss and I'd like another shot at them. The bottom line is we moved the ball well today, we just didn't finish. That will be something that we work on this week to make sure that we finish. I think we are starting to show what kind of football team we can actually be.

Coach Brown on defensive improvement

During this practice week our offense went against our defense. If you were out there, the sparks were flying. We focusesd more on the tackling teams but our defensive leaders are starting to shine, Josh Jennings. It was hard to say that against Texas Tech when you look at the final score. I thought that Josh followed up on that loss today. Jeromy Miles made the play of the day, from a defensive prospective. It separated us in the football.

Offensively, all the main stays continued to perform. There are a lot of things intact here. We know we can finish better. I am just really happy with our football team. This was a win that was solid in all three phases.

Josh Jennings on the energy level of the defense

I felt like when we took the field, it felt like it meant more because if we lost this game, it could be over. This game meant a lot more than the rest of the game. We took the field with a purpose today. We played every single play with 100% effort and we won a big game.

Jeromy Miles on performance of defense

I think we were just more focused and in tune with what was going on. Everyone got into their own zone before the game and we played together. We told each other every time we went out there that we wanted a three-and-out. A lot of times our offense takes care of us so today, when they were struggling, we felt like we needed to win this for them.

Liam Coen and Tony Nelson on turning the corner

Today there was a different vibe on the field. We prepared for this game more intensely. When we went down the field on the first possession and scored I knew it was going to be a good game, maybe not on offense, but overall.

They didn't come out and do anything special, it was all our doing. We just had to focus throughout the whole game. Coach is always telling us to make them earn it. When they scored, it took them 15 plays. We made them earn that touchdown.

Delaware Head Coach K.C Keeler thoughts on the UMass defense Well, we lost to a really good football team. I wouldn't necessarily say they handled us all day long, but they definitely had the upper hand. I thought we had a real difficult time handling their blitzes. Earlier on in the week and you're looking at their defense and they're just not playing a typical Don Brown defense, and there just was something that was missing. I talked with Don (Coach Brown) a little bit before the game and he thought he did a good job during this bye week getting some things squared away and they gave us some blitzes they haven't seen before. I know this, we had a tough time looking down the field and getting balls off.

On the play of the UMass secondary They have two great cover corners (Courtney Robinson and Sean Smalls). Those two cover corners are as good as anybody in the league. Again, I thought it was a great effort on their part. I love how are kids battled and how on every snap we went back out there and battled with them.

On where his team stands: We're just not as good of a football team right now. I think someday we're going to become a good football team. I really do. I think at some point in the season that there's enough there and that we can become a good football team. But we were not as good as UMass today, that's for sure.

Safety Charles Graves on how the defensive effort affected the game

I mean the outcome was that we lost. At the end of the day that's what matters. You'd like to win a turnover battle and you know if you win a turnover battle you usually win, but today we lost so that's all that matters. All the turnovers that you got, I guess you can look back at the end of the year and look at your stats, but right now you try to go out there and win a game and we lost.

On what made it difficult to shut down the UMass offense:

Like John said, they're a great offense. We would like to think that they're a good defense, so they just won the battle today. They came out, they put some things together to move the football down the field and the game is about adjustments, so I guess they made their adjustments to come out and move the football down the field.

Defensive End John Higginson

On coming home and playing in Amherst: I mean it's like any other game. You come out and try to win a game on the road, it didn't happen today and it's unfortunate being from here but you put so much work into it and to just come out with a loss really hurts.

On the way their defense played I mean, yea, we pride ourselves on making plays but you know, it came down to making a few that we couldn't get. Yeah, we were happy with the turnovers we were able to get but they're always things you can do better. We were playing a good offensive team and we think we're a pretty good defensive team as well and so it was a battled between two good teams.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

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