University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Miami Postgame Quotes
October 24, 2010 | Football
Oct. 23, 2010
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Postgame Quotes - Miami 33, North Carolina 10
North Carolina Head Coach Butch Davis
"I thing we lost to a pretty good football team tonight - one that's got a lot of talent and played well. I thought that one of the most significant factors in the ballgame was we never ever really got a real good handle on the running game. They were able to really kind of keep us off balance with the run and the play action pass. They played well and I thought our kids got off to a good start. We had a chance to play a little bit better early in the game to put some points on the board when Anthony Elzy, unfortunately, fumbled in the end zone. It could have been a huge big play. Obviously, one of the formulas for playing against Miami is to try to take the run away by keeping the score to such that it makes them have to play a little bit more pass oriented and a little bit less run oriented. They're a good football team. I was proud of the way our kids competed, the way that they played and we will learn something from tonight's game and we will play better next week."
On if Miami's running game helped protect Jacory Harris:
"We knew going into the ball game that they had several personnel packages that included six offensive linemen - where they use a big offensive lineman as a true tight end along with tight end and multiple backs in the back field. They kept us off balance with it. They had some success and they did a good job. Their running backs ran hard."
On injuries taking a toll on the team:
"It's a challenge. As I told the players in the locker room, coaches always say that you're one injury away or one something from somebody having to go into the ball game and step up. I would venture to say that probably cost us every single kid that we thought we were going to redshirt. We probably won't be able to redshirt any of them. We probably have to end up playing all of these kids before the season is over."
UNC Player Quotes
On the game:
"We did a good job coming out, and when we had the chance to build some momentum and go up on them, we shot ourselves in the foot and fumbled into the end zone. That kind of killed our momentum because early we should've been up 17-6 and it's tough to play a team like that when they get momentum. When they start doing well defensively and offensively they have a lot of motivation to keep playing well. We can't get in holes against a team like that and beat ourselves because they will take advantage of mistakes."
On continual poor field position:
"That definitely hurt us. Once we got the ball we were so unsuccessful on third down because we were so unsuccessful on first down, which led us to get behind the count with second and long. We gave up some sacks and negative runs on first down and it killed the start of our drives. We couldn't build any momentum after that."
On not defending like they have been:
"I just think it was the scheme we had going into this game. We needed our corner to have support on the edge and we got a young secondary. They (Miami) did a great job coming in and finding our weakness on defense...they're a great team with great athletes."
On struggling to move the ball:
"We couldn't really get a routine going. We had some plays get us off schedule, sacks and negative runs that got us off schedule."
On not scoring touchdowns on the first two drives:
"That's deflating to any team. When you're playing a team as good as Miami, you need to take advantage of every opportunity you get in the red zone and can't leave points out there on the field."
On missing starters this game:
"Well I think it was obvious they tried to pick on us in the secondary tonight. But at the same time, we haven't had Kendrick or C.B. all year. So it wasn't like that was anything new for us. We were just down one corner and we have young guys that can play. I was telling them how when we were freshmen we would get picked on too. The only way to get them to stop picking on you is to make them go away from you. We encourage them...[and they] just need to go out and play."
Miami Head Coach Randy Shannon
"Real big win for us tonight; it was huge. We're taking the next step in the Atlantic Coast Conference, playing North Carolina really was a big victory for myself and this whole University. Being 0-3, playing against North Carolina, and having an opportunity to come back on national TV and respond in the way we did tonight was unbelievable. A lot of credit goes to these football players who are responding to this coaching staff, doing a phenomenal job of really getting this team ready to play. You watch the game defensively, they came out of the gate and we gave up a big, long run, which is inexcusable, but the guys responded back. They didn't go in the tank, and I think that's part of playing football. You get a negative play - how quick you're going to respond until you have as good a defense that you can have. And with the turnovers and the sacks by Allen Bailey tonight was unbelievable."
"Offensively, running the football was key. We pounded the football and that opened up our passing game. You see some guys, besides [Leonard] Hankerson, you see some other guys step up and make some plays, and I think that's part of what this team is about. I thought the biggest play of the game was Tyrone Cornelius' hit on the kickoff... It was a good game, it was an exciting game, it was fun to be around with those guys and see how they would be challenged."
On the verbal exchanged between players earlier in the game:
"It was good, because what it was doing was challenging each other to step up and make plays. I think that's the one thing about this football team is that guys are starting to develop a mentality of what we're trying to get done. The great teams and the great players step up and challenge each player, and I think anytime you can challenge a player the right way it becomes a positive."
About where this team was against Florida State:
"That's too long ago to think about. We got to go about what we did this week, and then we have to move on. We can't keep worrying about Florida State - that week is gone. We can't change it, we lost, it's a loss in the column, we got to move forward. After tonight, tomorrow we'll grade this film and move on to Virginia."
On whether the fumble in the first quarter changed the momentum:
"That one, yes, it definitely changed the momentum because it stopped them from getting up ahead. It kept the game within one score, and then once we got up the guys started thriving."
On what the win means personally:
"It a big win like I said earlier. It's the first time that I beat North Carolina and first time in a long time that we've beaten North Carolina, so it was big for the University and for the fans that we showed up."
