Thursday News Conference Quotes
9/1/2011 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 1, 2011
Head Coach Randy Edsall
Opening Statement:
"We are two days away from getting started. We are all very excited and anxious to get out and play a game so we don't have to hit ourselves any more. I know the kids are very excited to be playing and I am as well. We get to see how good we can be and what we can do. We know we have a tremendous challenge on our hands on Monday night against a very athletic and talented Miami team. Hopefully we will go out and play to the best of our ability and minimize the mistakes and give ourselves an opportunity to win."
On the team's mindset:
"I think we are relaxed and beginning to focus in a little bit more. Today is a normal Tuesday for us and we have had our typical Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday routine before we play on Monday. I see a team that is anxious to play. I see a team that is eager to go out and play to the best of their ability. I don't think that we are uptight and nervous. Right now I like what I see out of our team."
On the importance of the opening game being a conference game:
"We are going to do whatever we need to do to win the game and game plan accordingly. Every game is important. But the conference game has a little bit more importance because of what goes along with those conference games. They aren't on our side of the division, but it's big. It's important to win the out of conference games but if you don't do well you still have a chance at the big prize, as long as you do well in your conference. It's not going to affect how we game plan. We are going to game plan each and every week in order to win the ball game."
On whether there will be parts of the offense the media hasn't seen yet:
"Not that we don't trust you (the media) but I don't want to show everything while you guys are there. We are going to do the things we need to do in order to move the ball on offense and stop it on defense. I think there are things that people will see that they won't expect. The media hasn't seen everything that's for sure."
On Justus Pickett's progression:
"He has shown a maturity and a confidence level beyond his age. That is the thing that has impressed me and our coaches with Justus as we have gone through the preseason. I don't see a guy that is going to be in awe out there on Monday night. I like his approach. I like his demeanor. I like how he goes about his business and his ability to pick up the play look and understand what he is supposed to do. He has had a very impressive camp."
On the lack of experience on the offense:
"It doesn't affect anything. As we are out there practicing, we see the young men do the things that we are installing and we see them doing it very well. We have confidence in the things that we are putting in. It is not going to affect what we want to do and our philosophy on offense with what we want to accomplish. We feel good about Tyler Cierski playing fullback, I feel good about Davin (Meggett), I feel good about Justus (Pickett), I feel good about Jeremiah (Wilson) and I feel good about Rashaan (Moore). I have confidence in all of those guys. They have to go in when they are called upon and they are going to go in and do a good job. They are who we feel are the best guys that we have. They might be young, but sooner or later they have to be able to get on the field and perform. Why can't they get that opportunity on Monday night?"
On Quintin McCree:
"Quintin is a young man who I am extremely proud of in terms of the situation he had put himself into before I got here. There are things in his life that are important and to see him put himself in a position where he has overcome some issues he had put himself into shows me a lot about the type of person he is. I think he has a chance to really go out and have a good year for us. This is his last go-round. The thing about Qunitin is he has a smile on his face all the time. He is having fun out there and enjoying himself. For me that is very important. He has a lot of ability and I'm anxious for him to get out there and play. I think that he is going to have a good year for us."
On Jeremiah Johnson:
"He has improved quite a bit. The thing that Jeremiah did is he took advantage of his reps. When Dexter (McDougle) was out it allowed him to go against the best that we had and for him to hone his skills. He is another guy who is out there and doesn't say a whole lot, he just works. He is just trying to get better all the time. He has made good strides from the spring to where we are today. Whether he is the starter or Dexter is the starter, I feel comfortable with whoever is in there. He is another young guy who, whether it is at cornerback or on special teams, is going to get out there and sharpen their teeth this year."
Senior Wide Receiver Quintin McCree
On overcoming off-field obstacles:
"It was ups and downs. Things weren't going right, and now with Coach Edsall, he's given me something to actually look forward to. Especially guidelines and things I need to do to be eligible. As soon as he came in, he met with the guys that were in academic trouble and he talked to us about what we had to do."
On facing a Miami team with eight suspended players:
"Regardless of who it is, they're still going to have good players. It doesn't matter. It's the same thing as if someone gets hurt, the next guy has to step up. It's no different; you can't go into a game looking at them differently, they're still the same team."
On the Maryland wide receivers:
"We've still got the talent, the speed, the size and the strength. We didn't fall off one bit, so we're not worried one bit."
Senior Offensive Lineman Andrew Gonnella
On the team slogan: (No Excuses, just play)
"The captains came up with that slogan, and we just wanted to bring that upon the team so we knew to stay focused and not get distracted by everything else going on. We're here to play football, so we have to constantly remind ourselves of that."
On the offensive line changes:
"Throughout spring ball and camp we really had a chance to click and I think that we've been able to develop some depth. I've gotten used to playing next to Max [Garcia] and I'm excited to play next to him, and [Bennett] Fulper's really matured as a center, so I'm excited. We have a lot of experience up front now, and we're ready to roll."
On being an ACC contending offensive line:
"I think the biggest thing is getting comfortable and communicating out there. I think for young guys it is getting used to the magnitude of some of the games, some of the crowd noise. I think the fact that we have a lot of guys with experience is actually going to be an easier transition for us than it was maybe last year."
Senior Linebacker Kenny Tate
On playing against the Maryland offense in practice:
"Our offense is pretty good. Definitely with our wide receiver corps, they're definitely making a lot of plays, and I feel that this season we're going to prove that our receivers can do it on the pass game. Definitely with our quarterback [Danny O'Brien] leading us, and the running game with Davin Meggett and D.J. Adams and the new freshmen, we definitely have a versatile offense.
"We bring a lot to the table. We have playmakers, a run game, pass game, we have a great quarterback and a big upfront."
On the opener against Miami:
"Under the lights, first game this season, definitely want to get off on the right hand, on the right foot. ACC play, that's just one of the biggest stages you can play on, and if you can't get hyped for this, I don't know what can.
"You definitely have to be focused. Coming into this game, the intensity is definitely going to be high in the stadium, everybody's going to be pumped up. You've got to remember that we're out to accomplish our goals, and if you can't focus and compete in your mind and play hard, then you got to bring it down a little bit."
On goals for the upcoming game:
"Just to play hard and run to the ball. Just give it all, like every play is your last, and ultimately just to have fun. As a defense that's what we come to do, and we play these games for the love of the sport."
On playing a depleted Miami roster:
"Miami's always going to produce great players, even if someone's suspended. They're always going to come and fight and play hard. The suspensions and losing their starting quarterback, that really doesn't affect us because they're still Miami, they're still our opponent, and we know that they're going to come with their best foot forward."
Sophomore Quarterback Danny O'Brien
On freshman running back Justus Pickett:
"Justus Pickett is a guy that's really surprised me, not necessarily from just a physical standpoint because obviously he's got all the tools, him and [Brandon] Ross, but Justus knows the playbook inside and out. He's not a guy you have to do a lot of explaining to. He really approaches the game with a hard-hat mentality. You don't see a lot of freshmen come in and know the playbook, and we're looking to him to produce, and he will."
On losing to Miami last year:
"That was probably the worst feeling of the season, that or Florida State. Just losing the way we did, starting the game off shaky and then picking it back up, having some big plays, and then to lose in the last minute of the game, it really stings. Had we won, who knows where the season would have gone from there. Any time you play a team that beats you -- and we have the luxury of playing all four of those teams from last year -- it's big, and we do talk about it."
On playing Miami:
"It's a huge game, and we'd be up for any team we play this year, but being a conference game, being Miami, being a team that beat us in the last minute of the game last year, there's no lack of motivation for this game. We're really focusing on taking care of our business first and then obviously game planning for what they're going to be doing, but we're pumped, we don't care who takes the field from a personnel standpoint on their side. They're going to be ready and we expect them to be.
"You want the spotlight on you because we're a team that not necessarily deserves better because we're all 0-0, but we're a team that potentially should receive recognition, and the only way to get it is to win these kinds of big games. We see it as a big opportunity, and it's really exciting to play in a game like this."
Junior Defensive Lineman Joe Vellano
On the Maryland offensive line:
"It's kind of a new offense, a new tempo. With the defensive line, you can start really fast, get off the ball and get into them. Offensive line takes a lot more chemistry and you've got to know who you're playing next to. Josh Cary stepped up a lot, and he's obviously gotten a lot better, just playing next to [Bennett] Fulper, playing next to R.J. [Dill]. They've gotten impressively better throughout camp.
"It's a different scheme they're running. Just getting used to that scheme, from running it in the spring to running it now almost into September, they've definitely got the hang of it a lot better."
On Andrew Gonnella:
"If you ever saw Gonnella when he came in here, you'd be like, there's no way this guy's playing. Now you can ask anyone on the defensive line, Gonnella is probably the best guy we play against. He's a real good pass blocker as well, a lot of people are one or the other, and he can run block and pass block."
