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University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes
9/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Sept. 26, 2015
Ohio at Minnesota
Postgame Quotes
Jerry Kill, Minnesota Head Coach
On the his overall impression of the day…
"We played better on offense. They controlled the football pretty well. I think the first quarter there were situations where maybe we could've run the ball and got a first down and maybe got us another score. But our defensive kids, I mean I've never ever been decimated by injuries like what happened today. We lost KiAnte (Hardin), we lost Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Cody (Poock), Antonio (Johnson). We lost (Drew) Wolitarsky toward the end. It's just unbelievable. We didn't have anyone left in the secondary to play. Those kids did a heck of a job. Just finding a way to win, that's all you have to do at the end of the day. Just find a way to win. I've been coaching a long time. I've never seen anybody go through all the stuff that happened today, from an injury standpoint, shift in the game and all that, just hang in there and keep playing. Laurence Maroney summed it up in the locker room with me: 'Just play 60 minutes, coach, 60 minutes.' It's good to have him in the locker room."
On if this game gives the offense more confidence…
"We have to go back and look at the film. It must've been pretty good because we went down and scored. I think that offensively, playing (Shannon) Brooks made a difference. I think there are a lot of things he will be able to do. Playing Isaiah (Gentry), he had a catch or two. I think we need to get some of the young guys in shape and learning what to do. Jonah Pirsig is a tough sucker because he's playing with a bad shoulder. He knew we only have five so he hung in there. On Mitch (Leidner) I would have to go back and watch the film. He did what he needed to do. Everyone is going to make three or four mistakes playing quarterback but bottom line is, the kid finds a way to win and he found a way to win today. That should carry on going into Big Ten play."
On development and resilience of young players after making a mistake…
"I think it's great. We are playing two freshman running backs. One's a redshirt freshman. We have two or three freshmen out there at wide receiver. It's kind of amazing to watch the growth of what's happening. I look forward to the growth throughout the season. Now we have to grow up real fast because we are into the Big Ten schedule. Probably the most important thing is what we find out tomorrow."
Shannon Brooks, Minnesota Running Back
On seeing the success of Rodney Smith…
"Seeing Rodney run out there and looking up to him, and watching him in practice, and learning from my mistakes-he goes first and I watch him and see what I can do better. I'm coming in and I'm still learning. It's good to have a back like Rodney in front of me."
On his fumbles…
"I wasn't going into the game that nervous. We practice a lot. It's one of those things, mentioning what went wrong on a play. But you can't let one play define you as a player. You've just got to bounce back and keep a positive attitude about it."
Rodney Smith, Running Back
On Mitch Leidner's leadership this week…
"He was very upbeat. He stayed positive. We never held our heads down. We practiced on Sunday, and we practiced with tempo. We preached that we be productive this week as an offense. We were productive for the most part. We went out there and we executed, and I believe it showed on the field today."
On the mindset…
"We are a very confident group. We've done it before, gone out and had a game-winning drive. It's always a good feeling when you know nobody on the field is nervous, and you can count on people to make a play. It really showed because no one in the huddle ever got down, never showed that they were nervous. And when we got out there, we made plays when it was time to make plays."
Mitch Leidner, Minnesota Quarterback
On how it feels to see offense move like that after putting in hard work this week during practice…
"It feels good. It feels good. We are confident offensively. We repped a lot of times throughout the summer and in camp."
On the strategy for the offense going into the game…
"I don't really know. You just kind of get in the groove of things and just kind of roll with it I guess. The coaches did a good job play calling today and giving our offensive line a good chance up front. I thought those guys did a great job of creating a pocket for me to step up into today."
How it feels to perform well after the pressure he has faced …
"It feels good. That's the biggest thing. I talked about it earlier in the week: Never lose confidence in yourself. I have been a competitive kid my whole life and at no point was I going to back down from any type of competition."
Eric Murray, Minnesota Defensive Back
On losing players in the secondary to injury…
"First and foremost, I just wanted to say that I was proud of all the young guys and all the people who stepped in for Damarius (Travis) and Antonio (Johnson), because it was a 'next man up' mentality and that's something we preach for everybody. It's a team thing."
On if there was a lot of anxiety with all the young kids who were forced to play…
"Personally, there wasn't a lot of anxiety. I didn't feel any anxiety standing around looking at new faces either. I think it was a big moment for us as a defense and for them as well because they don't have a lot of experience, and for them to step in, in that big moment, that was huge for us."
Frank Solich, Ohio Head Coach
On if he considered going for a 58-yard field goal after Josiah Yardzani made a 53-yarder…
"Yes, that's my fault. I should have gone for the 58, because the ball carried enough to give him a shot at the end."
On if he thought the team played well enough to win the game…
"Yes, of course we could have played better. That's always the thing. There are plays we'd like to take back. Both teams played very hard and both teams were competitive."
On the heart of Derrius Vick, who was playing on a limp ankle…
"We couldn't call some plays because he couldn't run. There were times where he had to scramble now and then and he did what he could. The other thing that hurt us really bad was our linebackers and their injuries and how that played out. Chad (Moore) broke his thumb and got that casted and did come back in to play for some snaps. Jovon (Johnson) went out right away. We were bent up. Linebackers were beat up pretty good."
On whether he felt his team proved its point about what it will be like the rest of the year…
"No. This is one game. We stepped out on the field thinking we were going to win the game. We know that there will be tremendous challenges. We are going to have to play really well to get it done. And we know we are capable of getting it done."
On the offense...
"We found ways to move it on the ground and make some explosive plays. That gives us the capability of doing that in the future. If you look right now at our plays, this team is far ahead from any football team I've coached here. We are that kind of football team and we can make those kind of plays."
Ohio Defensive Back Devin Bass
On how the team took the loss...
"You know, it feels like there was one left on the table. I don't think there was a single person in that locker room that didn't believe we could win this game. And what hurts...is that from the beginning of the game, even to the end, it was in our grasp."
On how injuries affected the team today...
"There were definitely people missing, but as a unit the whole goal is to get off the field and win this game. I don't think in terms if we would have had one guy, if we would have made one play. You know that was a full ball game...and you know, we just wished for a better result."
On if the Bobcats made a statement in today's game...
"This is the type of game that sets the tone for us. This type of loss leaves a lot of bad taste in our mouth, but I think we'll be able to find a lot of positives."
