University of North Carolina Athletics
Post-Game Coach and Player Quotes
September 7, 2002 | Football
Sept. 7, 2002
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North Carolina Head Coach John Bunting:
"I said from the get-go that there was something special about them and this day is something that probably that no one expected. Our staff worked long into the hours of the mornings to get ready for this game. When we got up here we continued to prepare."
On Dan Orner's field goals:
"The guy that kept us in the game is obviously Danny Orner. He made some unbelievable kicks for us to give us a lot of points, which wins the ballgame for us in my opinion. He just kept everybody's spirits alive with those kicks."
"It was an incredible effort by that young man. He is so happy and the whole team is happy for him because he's worked really hard."
On the offenses production in the second half:
"Offensively in the second half we just moved the ball. We wore them down a little bit and defensively we were able to come up with some plays to stop drives."
"Gary Tranquil does a great job coaching these guys up and we have big play receivers who can catch the ball on the other end and we also had a couple runs that we were able to make some plays on the last series. The big thing was with Darian (Durant) and the receivers coming out and making some big plays."
Importance of the first win of the season:
"I think getting this first one for this football team, this very young football team, under very difficult circumstances ... is really significant. We asked them to sell out for one another tonight and they certainly sold out. They held the rope all night together. It was really a great team effort to win this football game."
On Darian Durant's performance:
"We all know what Darian Durant can do. At any given time he can find the receivers and the receivers have to make the catches and make the plays."
North Carolina Player Quotes
"We just caught our second wind and from there we just took off."
"This is a very big win for us, to come into the Carrier Dome and beat Syracuse. They are a very good team and not too many people come into the Carrier Dome and beat Syracuse."
"My father and my mother were in the lobby this afternoon and my dad made a perfect prediction. He said, 'Three field goals today Danny. You are going to kick three field goals,' and he was right on the money."
"I'm just doing my job like Darian (Durant) did his job today and Malcolm Stewart did his job on defense. If we win on special teams then we have a good shot at winning this game so I was just trying to keep us in the game as long as we could."
