Postgame Quotes - Pitt
November 15, 2014 | Football
UNC Head Coach Larry Fedora
Opening Statement
“It was a heck of a football game. We had a lot of guys who were very resilient. [They] persevered and kept playing when things didn't look good. We were really positive all the time on the sidelines. The offense, the defense and special teams…no matter what mistakes were made, there was a lot of encouragement and they just kept playing. We talked about it during the week, that it didn't matter what the adversity was. [We talked about] if we just keep playing and stay together we'd be all right, and we found a way to get the win”
On Marquise Williams' performance:
“'Quise today probably didn't – especially early on – didn't throw the ball the way he wanted to throw the ball. He made some dang runs today that were pretty gutsy. [The runs] were at times that we really needed them. Offensive line-wise I thought we did a better job. I thought that was the main reason we ran the football as well as we did today. That always makes 'Quise's job easier.”
On if there was any question in his mind when he made the decision to go for it on fourth down during the final drive:
“Oh, there was a lot of question in my mind. There was a lot of question in my mind. But I knew that I wanted [Marquise Williams] to have an opportunity to keep it if we needed to. That was a read, again, and he read it and got the first down.”
On the team's composure:
“Well, our guys don't panic. They really don't. They don't panic. Again, it's the same thing we said after the Georgia Tech game. Nobody was in a big hurry. Nobody was worried about…they just played. Our tempo was the same. There were three minutes, I think. Three minutes and thirty-three seconds. We had three timeouts, so that's an eternity for us. So it was more about making sure we go down there and take care of the ball and do what we needed to do.”
On T.J. Logan's performance:
“[His performance] was really good. He had 100 yards, and he had to, too. We were low on running backs today, especially with Khris [Francis] going down. We needed him very much, and he did a really nice job today.”
On Quinshad Davis' performance:
“For Quinshad, any time you go to him he's going to make a play. He made some plays today. There were two big ones that I can think of, and there may have been more than that. He was fighting, scratching and clawing to get into the endzone, and he came up short both times. That was something I was joking with him about. He's always going to come through. Let me tell ya'll, he wants the ball, but he is a team player. That's what he is. All he wants to do is win, and if he can contribute to [a win] he's happier. But believe me, he's happy if he doesn't catch a ball and we win.”
On the upcoming rivalry games against Duke and NC State and postseason implications:
“I'll be honest here, we haven't even talked about a bowl game. We really haven't. I don't have any doubt that our team is going to prepare and be ready to play on Thursday. I really do, I believe that. I believe that we will ready for that next one. For that, maybe it helps. We plan on being in a bowl game. There's no doubt about it. I don't know if it matters who we play, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did.”
Marquise Williams, Jr., QB
On doubts about scoring late in the game:
“Not in my mind. This whole day I had to find some motor to get me going. I think when the guy hit me late and I didn't get the call, it fired me up because I knew it was going to be hard fighting those. At the beginning of the game we were all chatting with each other, Pittsburgh and us, but at the same time I knew, 14 points in football is nothing. We still had like three quarters to go, and I found a way. The offense found a way. We just had to keep moving the ball. We've been doing this for a long time, even the two-man drill. We've been doing it for a long time and it felt great.”
On the offense's performance:
“T.J. Logan ran the ball really well today, and we did some good things on the offense. The receivers came out with competitive catches. It was just a back and forth, but they left us with some time. We practice the 2-minute drill every Wednesday. We didn't win this Wednesday against the defense, but we won today and that's all that matters. We're thankful to get this victory today.”
On being close to bowl eligible:
“It feels good because a lot of people write you out. When you lose a couple of games, a lot of people start writing the tickets off, but we're just going to keep winning games. We're excited to go on ESPN Thursday night and play Duke and play a heck of a game. I know it's going to be an unbelievable atmosphere in there, and we're excited to get back on the road and do what we need to do.”
Ryan Switzer, So., WR
On his 63-yard touchdown:
“I had two really great blocks that sprung me. T.J. Thorpe and Kendrick [Singleton] did an excellent job on the perimeter. They weren't set, so we knew we had the perimeter screen at the time. Once I caught it, I saw a crease and I was fortunate enough to hit it for a touchdown.”
On how injuries change the team:
“Fortunately, the running back has been our deepest position. Guys have done a great job. Damien [Washington] took a lot of reps at running back and so on this week. Hopefully Khris [Francis] is going to be okay after his injury, but T.J. Logan carried the load again today and did a great job running. [Charles] Brunson came in and spelled him a couple of times and ran hard. I was even in the backfield a couple of times today. They've done a great job all season waiting for their moment, waiting for their time and staying ready. It paid off today.”
On the feeling after the game:
“It's like a big relief for a lot of guys. We work really hard throughout the week. We've put in a really big two weeks of preparation to play this game. For it to pay off and get a W, it means a lot. It means a lot to the seniors and the coaches that work their butts off 24/7 to make sure we're ready to play on Saturday.”
Cayson Collins, LB
On the attitude of the defense:
“On the defense I feel like we all depend on each other, and we all rally around each other. We saw one person getting down and everybody rallied around the person and kept each other's heads up. We felt like some of that was going to be really important, especially when playing a team that's as physical as Pitt. We just felt like playing together was important.”
On Pittsburgh RB James Conner
“He's really strong. He's not as fast in the hole, but once he gets going he can move. He's definitely a really physical back. He's strong, and he can make you miss. Everything that I saw on film getting ready to prepare for this game definitely carried over into this game with his physical ability. I have respect for him. I definitely respect him as a running back.
Pittsburgh Head Coach Paul Chryst
Opening Statement
“Certainly you give North Carolina credit. They found a way to win. I thought going in the quarterback was a heck of a player and obviously he was. I thought there was a lot of fight in our group. Guys put it out there but didn't find a way to get a victory ”
On defense:
“We did a nice job [in the first quarter]. We had some missed tackles, overran a couple of things, and they executed a little bit better. I thought they did a good job on third down, kept drives alive. I thought that was a big one when we had a chance to get them off of the field and then we get the pass interference call and had roughing on that one. That was a long drive for them. We didn't make plays. They did. That was the difference.”
On defense affecting other areas of the game:
“You have to have it affect the kicking game and all that, right? There are not independent groups but I thought guys answered the bell. You've just got to play. Football is a game of momentum swings. If one team has the momentum, you have to get back. I thought we had opportunities in the 3rd [quarter] where I we missed key 3rd down conversions, one in the 3rd [quarter], one in the 4th [quarter]. When you are going against an offense that's in rhythm you have to be that much more precise. We had the one to JP (Jaymar Parrish) and the one to Tyler [Boyd], and your margin of error gets smaller.”
On Chad Voytik's play at the end of the game:
“He fumbled and you are hoping to get some more plays in that situation, spike the ball. I love a guy going and putting it out there and once he decided to run he was decisive on it, and I think those are things that certainty we didn't want to end on a turnover. Are you going to make a difference there? I don't know. It's going to be hard to hurdle someone. I thought he did some really good things in the game. There are always going to be those things that you want back, that you've got to grow from, that you have to learn from.”
On spread offense causing problems:
“Yeah, but you go back to third game and it's the anti-spread in Georgia Tech. Whatever you are playing, whoever you are playing, whatever style, we've got to be better.”
On James Connor's performances:
“You appreciate that. I think it is almost arrogant to expect it out of someone. I thought guys got after it up-front and certainly James [Connor] ran hard. I thought there were a lot of guys who did some good things. You really appreciate what the guys are doing and we just have to keep finding ways to change. We know we are going to be in close games and we just have to find ways to swing it our way.”
On the coaching staff keeping the team motivated:
“We will find out as they come back but I don't anticipate it (being a problem), as far as the motivation. There is a lot to play for. No question they have been hard losses, right? You appreciate when guys put themselves out there. It stings and there is a sting right now, but we will be resilient and we'll come back. I look forward to seeing them (tomorrow). Monday we will get going and I'll look forward to that.”
