.png&type=webp)
University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Postgame Quotes at Penn State
September 20, 2014 | Football
Recap | Box Score | Notes
Massachusetts Head Coach Mark Whipple Postgame Quotes
Penn State vs. UMass
September 20, 2014
Opening Statement
This was certainly our worst day. I don't really know what happened. We played scared and frightened from the first snap. We have to go back to work. We couldn't have beaten their JV's today.
Q: How do you go about fixing this?
A: We're going to league play. It's a new season.
Q: Did you think your team would come out scared and frightened today?
A: No. Our best players didn't do what we thought. They didn't do what we needed to do or make plays. You can't miss touchdown passes. You can't miss field goals. We have to tackle better. We didn't tackle anybody. There are a lot of things to address. It was the whole team and the coaching staff. I'm the head coach so we just have to go back and keep working. We'll look at it and move forward.
Q: You said it's a new season going into conference play. Do you try to use that as a clean break?
A: I used it at halftime and then we went three-and-out. And then [Penn State] went right down the field. We'll give them some time and see them tomorrow.
Q: How was practice leading up to this game?
A: Really great. It was the best week we've had.
Q: Can you talk about your running game today?
A: The offensive line needed work today and I don't think the quarterback was very good. Then, our best receiver drops the ball and fumbles, which broke the game open. The defense held [Penn State] the first couple times. It was a myriad of things. Marken [Michel] did some good things but he dropped a wide open pass. [Jean] Sifrin dropped a couple. There were a lot of things.
Q: What's the difference between Penn State and the other three power five conference teams you've played?
A: Their defensive line is really good. We knew we weren't going to be able to run the ball that well, but I thought we'd be able to do something. We tried to get a couple throws and tried to keep it so that someone could make a play. I don't think we had a turnover again. I don't think we took the ball away and we didn't sustain many drives. [Penn State] has a good team. They put their JV in in the second half and we couldn't stop them.
Q: What do these last four games teach your team going into the MAC?
A: I think today could be one of those ones you just throw out and move forward. I'll look at it on the plane and make a decision.
Q: Playing these teams has to make them better in some capacity going into MAC play, right?
A: I did not see us hit anybody and I saw us take a lot of punches to the mouth without responding. I don't think it had anything to do with who we played. We weren't as physical or as tough as we needed be. That was probably the biggest disappointment. We didn't stand up. That's disconcerting, for sure.
Q: What are your thoughts on how Christian Hackenberg played?
A: Well, their receivers are pretty good, too. And I thought they blocked us in the run game much better. [Christian] Hackenberg didn't start out great - we had him a little off-kilter - but it's only a matter of time before the ball gets out. He can throw it and we don't match up too well with their two receivers. You have to pick your poison. What broke it open for us was Tajae's [Sharpe] fumble.
Q: Do you think your team is worn down a little bit?
A: No, I didn't see that this week. We practiced well. We had good energy. I think Penn State had something to do with it. I'm not taking anything away from them, but my concern is that I didn't like our response and our fight. It was not good at all.
Q: Do you think it had something to do with the size of the stage here?
A: A lot of our guys played against Wisconsin last year. To me, it doesn't matter because we're not playing in front of 100,000 again. We're not going to play in a stadium like this. We're going into the MAC. The biggest thing is to move forward.