University of North Carolina Athletics
Alge Crumpler Ready For Heels To Bounce Back
September 19, 2000 | Football
y: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
TarHeelBlue: First, what the heck happened last week?
Alge Crumpler: "We got beat, and we got beat badly. You have to pick yourself up and move on, that's the only thing you can do.
"You can't wallow in your own misery. When you do it spreads, and it spreads fast. That's kind of what happened last season, but we're not worried about last season at this point.
"We're worried about bouncing back. We've got some good guys who've got good heads on their shoulders, guys who know how to deal with things, myself included. I'm just going to be a positive force on this team to make sure things like that don't happen again."
TarHeelBlue: Do you think you guys are intimidated when you play Florida St.?
Alge Crumpler: "I personally don't feel intimidated by anybody that we play. That's my mentality. I respect a lot of people that I play against, but I'm not intimated by anybody."
TarHeelBlue: What can you do as a team leader to help make sure things don't go south like they did last year?
Alge Crumpler: "Lead by example. I've said a lot of things over the last couple of years, because I'm an emotional person, that may have helped our team or may have hurt our team.
"I mainly just try to lead by example. There were a few positive things that came out of the FSU game, and we were shown those things when we watched the film, but we've basically put that behind us."
TarHeelBlue: I was going to ask you if you watched much film, or did you just try to put it behind you?
Alge Crumpler: "We watched the film and were shown what happens when you make mistakes. We had a lot of mental errors that occurred because, frankly, I don't know why. I can't tell you what goes through certain guys' heads.
"You just have to pick yourself up and move on."
TarHeelBlue: How's the team's confidence?
Alge Crumpler: We're confident. We've got a lot of warriors on our team. We play a lot of good teams coming up next. Why think about those guys that beat us.
"You never know what's going to happen at the end of the season. You never know."
TarHeelBlue: You've had one reception this year, and Dauntae's (Finger) had just one. Is that because you need to be back blocking to help the offensive line out?
Alge Crumpler: "That's the main thing. I've had to block a large percentage of the time.
"We try to match our skills with other people's skills. When you've got guys on the edge that come at you as fast as FSU's, you've got to put your best guys on those guys.
"When we start running the ball better, things will open up more for myself. It's not an issue of my not getting open, it's an issue of having to stay in in maximum protection.
"The only thing that is frustrating is that I have a lot more fun when I'm catching the ball, when I'm a priority in our offense. I've just got to be patient and do my job.
"I know I'm getting my job done, I'm doing what the coaches want me to do. When I'm not doing my job, I'm not happy."
TarHeelBlue: Your blocking made you All-ACC last year. Do you feel like you're blocking as well this year as you did last year?
Alge Crumpler: "Yes. I don't care who sees it. I have enough confidence in my ability that when I'm working out for the NFL scouts next spring, they'll know what I can do.
"They're (NFL scouts) going to look at everything you do. There's a lot of All-Americans out there who don't necessarily make it because they're one-dimensional, not two-dimensional.
"It's very easy to show the passing side. It's real hard to show the blocking side."
TarHeelBlue: What do you know about Marshall?
Alge Crumpler: "I know that they're a bunch that loves to destroy teams on the road. They'll be bringing in a lot of fans.
"They haven't lost two games in a row since '91, so we're going to have to play very well to beat those guys.
"We're hungry right now, because we're not where we want to be. We've just got to play hard.
"I know they've got a solid bunch of guys on the defensive side of the ball. The thing about those guys is that they know how to win games, and that's what makes them such a good team.
"You can have a bunch of great guys, but if you don't stick together and learn how to win games, that's when you're in trouble.
"You can't help but respect a team like Marshall."
TarHeelBlue: How important is if to you guys for there to be a really good Carolina crowd in the stands on Saturday night?
Alge Crumpler: "I was thinking about that earlier today. This may be the most critical part of our season. We need to have a good crowd to help us put up a good showing and win this game.
"Then, if we win this game, the crowd will be that much better the next week, and we can feed off of them again.
"We've just got to go out and win the game."
