University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Clemson Postgame Quotes
October 9, 2010 | Football
Oct. 9, 2010
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Postgame Quotes - UNC 21, Clemson 16
North Carolina Head Coach Butch Davis
Opening Statement:
"As I told the players in the locker room there are a lot of ways to win football games. Some of them don't always look like the blueprint you draw up sometimes but when the kids compete and play hard the whole game it gives you a chance. We tried to be as fundamentally sound as we possibly could and make plays when they presented themselves. I know there were some times on offense that were hit and miss. We moved the ball successfully and other times we did not. I told everybody that I thought Clemson was the best football team we played up to this date.
"They are very talented on defense and it is very hard to run the football on them. To be able to maintain one of our drives for eight minutes and five minutes at the end of the game, those were critical. There were a lot of times where field position was not very good from a defensive standpoint. There was one drive where there was a short field but the one thing that we did not give up was the big play. I thought our kids did a nice job of stopping the run, with Kyle Parker you can see his experience level and his ability to make plays outside the pocket. That was a hard fought game and I'm proud of the way our kids played."
On Johnny White:
"You can just see that kid is just running his heart out. It says an awful lot about him, he just keeps pounding and pounding and pounding. He finds a crease and bounces outside the tackle box and made some really big runs."
On White's 51-yard pass play:
"It's a tough catch because on that sideline he is looking back into the sun and he made a very nice catch on a difficult throw."
On closing out games in the fourth quarter:
"We gained a lot of confidence last week with our ability to run the football in the fourth quarter. When you can run the football late in the game it helps you close it out. You have to give credit to the offensive line, tight ends and fullbacks because they are the guys beating their nose against the wall. Certainly Johnny and Shaun (Draughn) have done a good job for us."
UNC Player Quotes
Deunta Williams
On first game back:
“Sitting out makes you a little bit homesick so it was nice to get back into the groove of things. It took about three plays to get adjusted. After the first series, we had a three-and-out and then after that I was pretty good.”
On the team's defensive progress:
“We understand that we need to continue to raise the level of intensity. Guys are feeling more comfortable and younger guys are getting more reps in practice and the games are becoming a little bit easier for them. Our older guys are also leading by example, making plays and doing what they need to be doing out there.”
T.J. Yates
On critical third-down conversion at end of game:
“I saw [Johnny White] for a split second and knew I had to get rid of the ball, but he did a good job turning around just in the nick of time because I know he wasn't looking when I threw the ball. He did a great job with a big third-down conversion to keep the clock rolling.”
On the first drive:
“I don't think anybody was even surprised by it. We were rolling and the confidence that Coach Davis has to go for it gives the offense a lot more confidence.”
Johnny White
On the running game in the fourth quarter:
“We just had a little momentum going and our offensive line just started digging in and blocking their tails off and I just ran behind them. It felt like we started to wear them down a little bit.”
“[The game] wasn't over and there were still five minutes left in the game. It's just never really over in college, something crazy can happen, like how they scored that quick touchdown and then we're right back out there needing to run the clock out.”
On the impact of the win:
“It's just a weight lifted off our shoulders. It just didn't seem like anything would go our way the first two weeks where we were a drive away from winning both of those games and now finally things are changing and starting to go our way.”
Zach Brown
On leading the team in tackles:
“Everybody did it all, one through 11. For me, I was just running toward the ball because coach made a big emphasis this week on running to the ball and stripping the ball and to just make big plays.”
Jheranie Boyd
“This win was really big. Our goal is to make it to the ACC Championship and this is just a step forward. We need to get prepared for next week and are just happy to have this win under our belt.”
On the touchdown reception:
“Actually it was supposed to be Erik's (Highsmith) touchdown but we were already in a three receiver set and I was in his spot and it was just a stop-and-go and I just went to the end zone."
Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney
Opening Statement:
"First off, I'm extremely embarrassed. This team deserves better, Clemson deserves better, the fans deserve better. This is just not a very well-coached football team right now and it's my fault. I'm extremely disappointed in what I saw today. I saw a team that wasn't very smart, I saw a team that wasn't very disciplined. I saw a team get a lot of critical penalties, right from the beginning of the game on the first play. I saw a team give up a huge play that led to a score right before the end of the half. I'm embarrassed. I'm extremely disappointed in myself. I'm better than this, I know I'm better than this, and it's my job to get it fixed, it's nobody's else's job. This football team didn't quit, the football team played, they tried as hard as they could, and it's obvious they're just not very well-coached.
"The only thing I know is that I'm not a quitter, I've never been a quitter. I'll show up tomorrow, I'll come back to work, and I'll do a better job. And I know the team will show up Monday, because we don't have any quitters on this team. But I have to help them. I've got to help them stop giving up big plays. I've got to help them be smarter when it's third-and-ten, third-and-nine. I've got to help them stop giving up pass interference calls. I've got to help them be smarter. But one thing I've learned all my life is that if you keep getting up, sooner or later you're going to bust through. That's what we have to do, we have to keep getting up off the mat. The team will come in and we've got to go back to work Monday, and we've got to find a way to win a football game. That's the only objective."
On what he told the team after tonight's game:
"Just what I just said to y'all. I apologized to them and said it was all on me. It's not a well-coached football team, not a disciplined team, not a smart team, and that's one person's fault. I told them show back up, don't quit on me, and I know they won't, and I've just got to do a better job. Unfortunately, we've been here before. We were 2-3 last year, came back and had a great finish and won our division. So anything is possible. Certainly you always draw on your past experiences, but right now the only objective is to win a football game and get this team to stop beating themselves. That is not the mark of a well-coached team. Again, I'll get it figured out. I know I'm better than this, and we'll get it figured out. We'll come back in Monday, and try to find a way to beat Maryland. That's all I know to do. And don't quit. As long as we keep doing that and keep putting one foot forward and everybody rallies together, team and coaches, we'll have a chance. Right now, we're not a very good football team, and that's my fault."
