University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes
November 30, 2013 | Football
Postgame Quotes • Nov. 30, 2013
Duke 27, North Carolina 25
North Carolina Head Coach Larry Fedora
Opening Statement
"First of all, I want to congratulate Duke and their staff on a win and a hard fought game. Disappointed for our seniors that played in Kenan and the Tar Pit for the last time. We didn't get to send them out the right way, but we didn't play well enough to win a football game. There's a lot of things you can look at in this game that we didn't do and we didn't accomplish and that's the reason you don't win a football game."
On whether there was a sense of urgency in the last drive
"Yeah, I mean, we had two minutes and two timeouts, we weren't worried about the clock, that wasn't going to be an issue for us - it was going to be making sure we picked up first downs. That last play, he's going to hit him for a big gain and he gets hit. So I mean, we had what we wanted in the coverage and had the guy wide open and we just, we didn't make the play."
On Duke's 8 of 15 third down conversions
"We weren't making any plays on defense. If they're converting third downs, we didn't get to the quarterback and they did a great job in their protection and receivers were getting open. That was a problem for us throughout the day, especially in the first half."
On the challenge of playing Duke
"You know they're going to be sound and when you have nine penalties and you miss a field goal and you drop a touchdown pass and you drop two interceptions, they're going to win a football game - and that's what happened today. So give them credit."
On whether knowing there's a bowl game salvages this result
"It will tomorrow. But today, you're awfully disappointed for these seniors and this football team that we didn't play better. But yes, we'll be extremely happy that we've got another game and we've got an opportunity to wash this taste out of our mouth and finish the year the way we want to finish it."
On the nine penalties
"The first one, guy lost his head, he got beat in coverage and then made it worse and the second one, I don't know. I didn't see the thing, I just saw it on the screen so I don't know what happened there. There was no whistle on the play - I'm not sure the offensive linemen knew when the play was over with - but it doesn't matter."
UNC Player Quotes
Marquise Williams, So., QB
On the final drive
"We were just trying to find a way to win. We were just trying to move down the field. We were just trying to find a way to win. We were just getting the play call in. I didn't really focus on [the time]. I was just trying to go with the speed and tempo of it. I was trying to speed the tempo up after getting the play call."
On the last throw
"I got a little pressure. I got hit when the ball came out. I tried to make a play but I got hit when I was trying to throw the ball. It's not going to turn out too pretty. A lot of people didn't see that. But give them [Duke] credit. They did what they had to do."
On his performance
"It was just one of those days. Things weren't clicking for us. It wasn't just me; it was everybody. I put a lot of this on myself I feel like I let the guys down with some plays that I want back. I just got to keep my head up and bounce back."
Kareem Martin, Sr., DE
On not being able to get to the quarterback
"It wasn't anything in particular. They were just getting the ball out. I got a lot of doubles, but they've got quick game."
On missed opportunities
"There were missed opportunities. They are things that you work on all the time that you don't expect to happen. There were a lot of things that happened throughout the course of the game. It just happened to be the difference in a close game."
On Duke being able to convert on third downs
"We didn't get them off schedule on first and second down. They were able to get good yardage on first and second down and create a lot of third and shorts. They had the option to run and pass so they did a good job of that."
Tre Boston, Sr., S
On the mood in the locker room
"Frustration. Guys are hurt. Guys put everything on the line. You can imagine how it is down there. The guys down there are hurt, but we'll get over it."
On summing up the game
"Yeah, you can sum it up with missed opportunities, personal fouls, dumb penalties...There's a lot of things you can say about this game."
On reflecting about this being his last home game
"[I did] this morning and maybe a little last night. It really hit me when I touched the field for the last time, but I don't think it sunk in as much as it should have. I think it's going to take a little time for me to realize that was my last time out there. I cherished it and played hard."
Eric Ebron, Jr., TE
On summing up the season
"To put it into one word, which is brotherhood. We started off young and we finished older. That's a good platform for them to start next year to get them to accomplish a bigger goal than we did this season."
On playing in a bowl
"We still got one more game to play. This one's out of the way, there's nothing we can do. The clock hit zero-zero, our time is up, and Duke won. We just have to move on. We still have one more game to play and the seniors still have one more opportunity to go out and do something big."
On breaking the ACC record for most receiving yards by a TE in one season
"I always seem to do something spectacular on a losing fashion. It is what it is. I'm happy, but I'll probably celebrate tomorrow, but right now we lost so I can't celebrate the way I want to."
Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe
Opening Statement:
"I'm very proud of our players, and I'm thankful to our players. The reason I'm thankful, and I told them, this is a week of Thanksgiving, obviously. You can't help but to be thankful for the young people, so many of them and not all of them here. Not just the people that were the travel squad. So many young men doing exactly what you ask them to do as well as they can possibly do it. When you get right down to what you want to train young folks to do, it's that: be where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing as well as you can possibly do it. That's our one team rule, and that means on the practice field, in the classroom and socially. I have never been around a group of young men that have done that better.
"That made them champions, that's part of who they are. They are good football players. We've got some better players than people might think...[we've got] some good athletes, some good speed, good ball skills. We've got a lot of weapons. We've got weapons in the kicking game, we've got weapons on defense and we have weapons offense. But all that said, the reason they're Coastal Division champions is who they are. [I'm] very appreciative of our staff and all of the support people that surround Duke football. It's the best group of people, including the entire Duke football family - best group of people I've been around. I'm not saying this now. I've said this, and those of you that knew me when we were 3-9 [know that]. The last thing I'm going to say before I let you ask questions...I told our team this: the beauty of what this team is right now regardless of what the results would have been today...it was a very close football game. North Carolina played very well. It could have gone either way. But regardless of the results, they still would be who they are. Don't get so caught up in the results in your life that you start doubting who you are. They would still be exactly who they are, so remain true to yourself in that regard as we move forward.
"We've got a big football game in Charlotte. We are honored to represent the Coastal Division. There are a lot of good football teams in the Coastal Division and we're very honored to be the representative in Charlotte, and we're very honored to be a part of our great conference's championship game in Charlotte. I am expecting to see thousands upon thousands of Duke fans in Charlotte. I'm calling you out right now -- take advantage of this opportunity."
Players Mentioned
