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University of Massachusets Athletics
Post Game Quotes vs. Eastern Michigan
October 18, 2014 | Football
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UMass Post Game Quotes
Head Coach Mark Whipple
Opening Statement:
"It was a good day for us, I thought we overcame some things. They had a nice drive the first quarter... we bounced back and we hung in there. We're running the ball a little bit better. Shad had a nice day. We were solid on the special teams. We just got to get a little bit better; we're still learning how to finish. I was disappointed with the three turnovers in the fourth quarter, but it was great that our defense stood up."
On momentum carrying over from last week:
"We had some confidence, they were certainly challenged by the quarterback. We could've backed down after the first drive, he threw the ball well, but they didn't. They kept stepping up. We worked hard on blocking field goals in practice, I see us improving as our team; our defense has made a couple good steps, big steps. We're still a work in progress but we're getting there."
On week of preparation for quarterback Reginald Bell:
"They really didn't change their offense, there weren't any new plays, that was their offense. It's nice when you can get a lead and take the read option out of the game."
On defense's fulfillment of the game plan:
"Yeah, I think. They held the one touchdown after the first drive. I thought there was great energy and some leadership. I was happy with Thursday's practice... we're improving, some guys are getting in the system. A lot of times now we've got 11 guys on the same page where earlier in the year it was 9 or 10. Our guys have played hard now they're playing smarter. The turnover by Khary gave us some momentum. We've got some guys playing well."
On progress of running game from beginning of season:
"We've worked hard, our guys in front have taken pride in it. We knew Shad was coming on, I was happy with Lorenzo. It was nice to see Jordan there at the end. We've worked hard on it... It makes for a solid offense when you have the balance we have."
On Shad and Lorenzo:
"They're talented guys... They're a little bit different in their style so I think that can cause a little bit of a problem for the defense. Sometimes Shad can hit a little bit quicker and Lorenzo's a little more patient. We're getting to know those guys better."
On Shadrach Abrokwah:
"He's a compact, solid guy... he can hide behind some of our guys, he accelerates, he is touch to bring down, he is physical. He was like that in the spring. I think he's gained some confidence, he's worked hard. He had a nice day."
On Tajae's availability on the field:
"We try to move him around I think that's his ability to play in different spots. Try to confuse them. He certainly made some big plays."
On progress; "turning the corner":
"We're heading in the right direction, we've got a long ways to go. But it felt more like when I was here before. We had two good wins. I told them this was the biggest game yet, they handled it and played well, which just makes the next game even more important. People can see we're moving in the right direction."
On defense:
"We stepped up, everyone stepped to the plate. The d line came to play, the d backs came to play, the linebackers came to play. When we all play together great things can happen.... We built off last week, we hope to just keep building off of it.... The old UMass would've just let a touchdown in when we were winning. It's a new mentality we really come out here every day take this seriously."
On winning atmosphere:
"It shows how far the program has come. These two wins this year are the same amount of wins we've gotten in the past two years. It's such a great feeling. Winning with these guys, greatest teammates I've ever had in my life. It's just so fun. This is a whole different team, a whole different demeanor, everything about us is different. We know how good we really are. We want everyone else to see how good we are. We put in the work we could've pulled out a couple more wins, but that's in the past now."
On the offense:
"I enjoy being on the sideline watching them play. You never know when a touchdown is going to happen. This offense is explosive. It's just so exciting as a defense... they're doing some great things out there and it's exciting to see."
On 3 turnovers and no points in fourth quarter:
"I can't stress how great the d line was today. And the secondary, they made it easy for the d line by shutting the receivers down. I think everything's really clicking."
On offensive success:
"We knew that we had a lot of talent on offense. We had a lot of guys who had to learn the system. I think right now, things are clicking well."
On season progress:
"I would say that getting the taste of victory in our mouths was really the biggest thing. We had a lot of frustration before with really learning how to win. Still in the second half, for offense, it was kind of an ugly half. We turned the ball over three times. But learning how to win going to Toledo, I'm sure we'll be prepared.... There's still a little frustration on what we did wrong.... We have to continue to learn from our mistakes and not really focus on whether we win or not, just improve every time."
On progress as a walk on in past year:
"I'm just trying to look towards the future and what I can produce for the team."
On health today:
"This week I was at 100, in the game I got hit on my shoulder a lot. But I just fought through it, I fought through the pain. I think I had a pretty good game."
On momentum and recent success:
"With my linemen I feel safe, I feel protected, I see the holes. I think the key is just to run hard. "
Eastern Michigan Head Coach Chris Creighton
Opening Statement:
"Biggest disappointment of the year. I'm responsible for having the team emotionally ready, the intensity, the fight, the energy. To be honest, I think we were flat and for whatever reason couldn't muster up the passion and the energy, or the intensity necessary to play this great game. We knew that UMass's offense was explosive and they had a fantastic passing game. We went on our first series and executed our plan and felt pretty good about it, but just couldn't get it going. I don't know that we handled the pressure very well. They got to us pretty good and we weren't able to consistently manufacture drives. It's frustrating because I think things were there and we just weren't able to put them all together. The turnover ratio ended up getting it done at the end, and that just saved us from the score being more than it should have been. We have to take care of the ball and we have to force turnovers. We have to play with passion, energy, and intensity and failed to do that today."
On UMass offense:
"Well, we couldn't get to the quarterback, for one. We got close but I thought that they protected him and they had some long receivers like that tight end. He put the ball on the money. There was only a couple times that the coverage was off. Those guys just went and got it. The ball was thrown on time and right at the breaks and they did a great job executing."