University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Postgame Quotes from East Carolina Game
11/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 15, 2008
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11/15/2008 vs. East Carolina
Opening Statement:
This was a good complete win tonight. We played well in all three phases and did not have any critical errors except for one turnover. The guys played well tonight and played hard, it was important for them to send the seniors out from "The Rock" the right way and they did. I am proud of the way they played tonight.
On the Defense Tonight:
"I cannot say enough about the way those guys played. They came out and were ready to play and played the entire game. They forced ECU to kick field goals and I am not sure how many they missed. We had the short field several times and they stood up to them. The big thing going into the game was be the most physical team and to stop the runs and make No, 15 (ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney) throw the football. I think they only rushed for a little of 60 yards so I would say they stopped the run, you do that now a days and that's good defense."
On running back Damion Fletcher:
" I will be honest with you even before the game he was not 100% and he is still not 100% but you guys saw what he did out there. He willed himself to play like that. All week he was telling me that he wanted to play. He wanted to play last week. He loves the game and has a passion for playing the game. We have said it all year, the guys means a lot to the offense. He carried 23 timed for 121 yards, that's a good night when you are healthy."
On the Seniors:
"One thing I can saw about this team is they have played hard all the way until the final whistle whether we have won or lost and that says about the seniors right there. They have kept believing the entire time, I guarantee you three weeks ago there was not anyone outside of that locker room who thought they could get bowl eligible, they believed they could get bowl eligible, really believed it. That's another tribute to those seniors. They believed in what we were doing, have had great attitudes and have continued to practice hard every day. There was never a time when they came out there any practice with their heads down, even though a lot of people expected them to. Again that is a tribute to those seniors because they did not allow this to happen.
On the 97 yard touchdown Pass from Austin Davis to DeAndre Brown:
We were running the football there, we did not alike the look they were giving us and saw the one-on-one match up. Earlier in the night when DeAndre ran the hitch the DB jumped him so we tried to put the nail in the coffin right there. I have said all year how well DeAndre can run, he ran away from the guy.
On DeAndre Brown:
"He is the only true freshman in the country that has 1,000 receiving yards I think. That says a lot about Austin Davis, the offensive line, the running backs, the offensive coaching staff, everyone in getting him prepared. I promise you we are only seeing just the tip of the iceberg right now. He has a long way to go and if he keeps improving like he has done throughout the year he has a chance to be a great one."
On This Team Not Giving Up on the Season:
"It is a great feeling to see the things that we have been preaching to these guys about believing and not giving up finally paying off. It is hard to believe when you are not winning. Losing magnifies your problems and winning solves them all."
On Leroy Bank's Touchdown Reception:
"It was not a delay, it was a thing where we saw in film study that in short yard situation they were going to put a lot of people up there and try and stop you. In fact a lot of people have had a hard time picking up third and shorts on them because they have great inside guys and they do a great job of getting the push. All the linebackers and safeties get involved so. It was fourth-and-one so we thought we would throw it up and see what happens."
Southern Miss Player Quotes
11/15/2008 vs. East Carolina
Damion Fletcher on his overall health:
"As a football player you learn to push through pain and hats what I had to do tonight. I felt I was at a high enough percentage I could still make plays and help the team win and that's what I did. I was at about 90 % today. I could still move and do all the things I normally would do I was just missing that little burst I usually have. It took my legs until about the third quarter to warm up but once you get out there and get in the game you forget about the rest of the things going on."
Damion Fletcher on the Possibility of Playing in a Bowl Game:
"It feels good to close out the season on a high note, there is so much more that we have in store for next year we just want to finish on a high note and carry it on over to next year. I think everyone on this team is a fighter no one gave up or held their heads when we were down, we still came out and practiced hard and did not worry about out record and it has turned out for the best."
Quarterback Austin Davis on ECU:
"They have a really good football team, you can tell by what they have done the past few games and what they have done all season with some big victories early in the year and the last few games."
Austin Davis on the feeling of the team three weeks ago:
"We were defiantly frustrated because we were so close, we had lost a couple by a touchdown where a couple of plays here or there change the game. We just kept believing I think that's the main thing that Coach Fedora and the entire staff would not let us get down on ourselves. The past couple of weeks we just found a way to win."
Austin Davis on the Southern Miss Defense:
"You have to give them a lot of credit, they just held a very good team to three points. They have really stepped it up the past few weeks."
Linebacker Tokumbo Abanikanda on playing his final game in "The Rock":
"It came very fast, everyone's time comes to an end but mine just came sooner than I though it would be. We all had a lot of emotion built up in this last home game."
Linebacker Tokumbo Abanikanda on the defense the past two games:
We have held two good teams to nine points in the last two games, that's pretty amazing. Coach Fedora has done a really good job motivating this team. We had lost five straight games and it is hard to motivate a team at that point but he makes up go hard at practice, he has said it would pat off and now the snowball I rolling."
East Carolina Head Coach Skip Holtz
On the penalties and mistakes:
"The first half, two players went out, and then in the second half, five more went out. It just seemed like tonight if something could go wrong, it did. I certainly won't take anything away from these player's efforts. I thought they worked their tails off and played hard. We missed too many field goals."
On depth chart problems:
"There are some positions that are down, way down. Losing some of the guys we lost tonight certainly isn't going to help at all. I don't know the extent of the injuries at this point though. We certainly aren't going to complain about it. We're going to rally and circle up the ways and whoever is fit to play is going to play. We've got to find a way to move the ball and find a way to score some points."
On his team's effort:
"I thought the players competed extremely hard. I thought they played physical and came in ready to play. We just couldn't capitalize on some field positions, and normally, we are at least able to line up and kick field goals. The attitude was really good in the locker room at halftime. Players were confident and knew we had some things to build on. We went out and drove down where we had two 3rd-and-1 situations and got penalties. Then we had to move the ball back and just couldn't overcome (the penalties)."
On execution: "I don't think we executed well enough, especially late in the game, as an offensive football team. We're making too many mistakes right now to put points on the board. It's unfair though because these guys are playing extremely hard. We're just not executing. We're too much hit-or-miss. It's great to see a guy like Joe Wommack, who wasn't even going to play at the beginning of the season and redshirt, getting all the reps that he is. It's great to see all these young guys step up and it bodes well for the future. It certainly isn't comforting though for where we sit now."
On the youth of his team and not making excuses for it:
"It's affecting us greatly on both offense and defense. There were some things in the second half that we wanted to go to, but we weren't able to because (players were out). The injuries have been hard. Some of the timely penalties are killing us right now. We aren't good enough to move the ball down the field with the injuries we have right now."
On thoughts of Southern Miss:
"They are a very talented team, and DeAndre Brown is one of the most talented receivers in this league. I thought Emanuel Davis did a phenomenal job over there on him all night where he was challenged, I think, three deep balls. Emanuel went up and made plays on him."
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