Nov. 14, 2015
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Vanderbilt — Kentucky Postgame Quotes
Nov. 14, 2015
Vanderbilt Stadium
Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason
Opening Comments:
“I want to give credit to Coach Stoops and his ball club. They fought hard, but we played a bit better. Our kids fought hard… Our kids were resilient. Our clock management at the end of the game was important. It got us into a situation where we could rush the passer. The game ended on a sack. That’s fitting.”
On Vanderbilt’s passing game:
“Our offensive line protected [Kyle] Shurmur well… He was strong-armed and didn’t get rattled.”
On QB Kyle Shurmur:
“I like where Kyle is… He has a chance to become a good quarterback in the SEC… We’ll continue to try to build him up.”
“He’s still a young quarterback who is starting his second game… We’ll fill in the gaps and get him ready to go.”
On Caleb Scott’s trick-play touchdown:
“They did it to [our defense] in practice… We brought our team out and took them past the numbers, came back and lined up. They never saw him get lined up. I thought our defensive backs learned something: always look outside the numbers.”On Vanderbilt’s defense:
“They did a good job at standing up and anchoring down. These guys are very prideful about their red zone defense. We need to continue to forge ahead. These guys will get stingier and stingier.”
On Vanderbilt safety Oren Burks’ pick-six:
“He has gotten [pick-sixes] in practice. The quarterback looked at him the whole way… [Oren] stole it and [the play] ended in the end zone. I’m happy he got the monkey off his back because he does that in practice.”
On finishing the game:
“We talk about it in practice. When you have a young team, they don’t know how to finish… Finish the work you do. Let’s get ready to clock out so we can go home and eat spaghetti and root beer… I’m proud of how they finished.”
On Vanderbilt DE Caleb Azubike:
“He’s a work in progress. He started off slow, but he’s come on… He’s come back full bore and wants to make amends. They miss him. Caleb Azubike is a huge part of what we do up front.”
On Vanderbilt’s struggles in the return game:
“We have to get [Darrius] Sims to be more confident. He wants to make plays. We need him to make plays… I want to see him with the ball in his hands. He’s a dynamic player that we’re going to continue to feature.”
S Oren Burks
On his 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter:
“It’s just about trusting the process. It’s been a long ride, just trusting the coaches, executing and doing my job. I knew at the end of the day it was going to happen, so just keep pushing. I was determined to get into the end zone, that was the bottom line. There was one guy between me and the end zone, and I’m not going to let that stop me. We were in robber coverage, just reading the quarterback’s eyes and executing. It’s a routine play, you’ve just got to make it.”
On his first quarter interception off a break-up by teammate Torren McGaster:
“My teammate did a great job, just tipping it back to me. I knew he was going to tip it back because he was in perfect position to play the ball, so I knew it was going to come out somewhere, I just needed to be available.”
On the offense capitalizing on good field position after turnovers:
“It’s definitely a momentum swing, knowing that they’re going to do great things with the ball and move the ball. Just seeing them doing great things with the ball is awesome.”
On getting a win as a reward for great defense:
“One of the things we’ve been stressing is finishing. You can’t explain this feeling. We’ve been putting a lot of work into the process, but just finishing is the biggest thing we’ve been committed to.”
DE Caleb Azubike
On finishing off the win:
“That just comes down to what we’ve been taught and coached to do all week and all season. The coaches have always stressed to us the importance of finishing games and having no regrets after the game. The most important thing was, in the third quarter when they had a little comeback going, we dropped to the level of our training and understood that we’d been playing great defense all game. We just had to rely each other like we had been and everything was going to be alright. As long as I know that I trust the guys to my right and to my left, I have no worries about what’s going to happen.”
On missing time with an injury and coming back to have success:
“It was very tough, it’s unexplainable. Dealing with that injury, having this be my senior year and wanting to be out there fighting with those guys. I know for a fact that I wanted to be back a lot sooner than I was but, being smart and being wise about the situation, you want to make sure that, when you’re back, you’re full and ready to go for the team. It was just a learning experience for me, being patient. Unfortunate things do happen, so that’s what I had to understand, that that was just an unfortunate time in my life that I had to overcome. But now good things are happening because of that, so I can’t fault anyone.”
On goal line stands:
“I have full trust in our defense. Whenever we line up I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to stop whoever we’re lined up against. Whenever they got down there, that didn’t stop me. Our younger guys have to be composed and understand that our defense is made for these situations right here. Then we went out there and stopped them. There’s not much I can do other than give credit to those guys on defense who just continue to go out there and play, I can’t really say much else other than give those guys credit for that.”
WR Caleb Scott
On receiving a trick pass for a touchdown:
“We repped it in practice all week. We did it against our defense and it worked. I got down, no one was covering, so I knew the ball was going to be there. The ball felt like [it took] forever to get there.”
On practicing the trick play:
“When we first ran it in practice, my first job was to cross the numbers. Kyle and I would stay after and rep it 10 times, and practice makes perfect so it worked out. “
On whether the trick play would be used in the game:
“We knew that the ball had to be on the right hash and it had to be where I would be on our sideline, so there were only two quarters where it could happen. It was a perfect opportunity. Coach looked at me and was like, ‘all right we’re doing it’.”
On the difficulty of the play and the pressure to make the catch:
“I agree it was one of the toughest catches, because you’re just thinking so much. But like I said, we repped it so many times in practice, and Kyle and I were confident. I locked that thing in for three seconds and got running. It’s called the ‘Sneaky Pete’.”
On whether he thought he was out of bounds while running the ball down the sideline:
“I had a feeling that I might have stepped out, but it was actually closer than I thought. I let the refs take care of it and moved on to the next play.”
On the success of passing in the game:
“The whole receiving corps has been super hungry. We know our struggles in the pass game lately. We came out today ready. Kyle did a great job, our offensive line protected really well. That’s a team step.”
RB Ralph Webb
On breaking the sophomore rushing record:
“It is always great to celebrate with my teammates, and most importantly we got the win so it feels that much better to go out and celebrate with my team. It was a team effort, so we all broke the record.”
On the challenge of running the ball while trying to run down the clock:
“It’s not tough, it’s what we do. We run down the field, we just have to get the job done and stay on the field and end the game how we did today.”
On the offensive line:
“The offensive line has done a great job of pushing at the line of scrimmage. Credit to those guys because without them I wouldn’t be in the position where I am today. Those guys did a great job and established a line for us.”
OL Spencer Pulley
On if he wanted to look over during the ‘Sneaky Pete’ play:
“I try not to, but it’s pretty hard. We came over and you could see Kentucky’s defense was trying to look at their sideline for their call and substitutions, and I got a little excited. Then I saw the ball in the air and I was pretty excited.”
On being able to win today:
“Every week we have come back and practiced harder, and this week was a great week of preparation. I think we won the game all up until kickoff and then we went out and were able to do what we prepared all week. We played hard, and everybody executed well and did everything they could to get the win.”
On defense forcing a turnover and offense coming back on:
“It was awesome. A lot of times this season, our defense has made stops or has made turnovers and we haven’t been able to get the ball in the end zone. To be able to do that was great and to get those points on the board was awesome.”
On Shurmur’s confidence:
“He is a very confident guy because he has the skill and he has the things it takes to be a starting quarterback in the SEC. He has definitely gotten a little more confident, but right when he stepped on the field he was ready to go. I think everybody can see that a little bit when he makes throws and stuff you all can’t see. He is great on the sidelines and in the huddle, he can take control even as a freshman. All of the freshman hierarchy doesn’t really exist anymore, and he can take control and be a leader out there.”
On how he has seen Shurmur grow:
“He has gotten better as he has worked with us more in game situations. Some things take a little bit of game experience to get used to. But as I said, when he first started playing he was great and now he’s just more comfortable taking control and really leading us down the field.”
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops
Opening remarks:
“It was a very difficult loss — heartbreaking for our team. We thought our team played with a lot of energy, a lot of passion, a lot of heart. I thought we practiced all week that way. They put a lot into this game and we came up on the short end. The game comes down to a lot of critical plays — a few decisions with myself that could sometimes turn the outcome one way or the other.”
“We came up on the wrong end of the stick and so again I’m proud of the team, through adversity. I love the way they prepared, I love their attitude and I love their effort. It comes down to critical plays and critical decisions and it didn’t go our way tonight. I made a bad decision on one play in particular that sticks out in my mind and we didn’t make some plays.
“When you have the ball inside the two, and come away with nothing, obviously that sets the tone. That’s a big part of the game — had we gone up 10-0 that would have been big for us.
“We talked about playing aggressive. At times we were moving the ball and that was the mentality of the day, to be aggressive and get after it and put our team in a position to be successful. We did some good things but not enough.
“Give credit to Vandy and Coach Mason for battling through tough times and coming up with the win tonight.”
On 4th down calls:
“In hindsight, to do it over again, I’d kick it in a tight game down there, but I’m okay with the goal line one. I’m disappointed with the one at midfield.
“We thought we had them one-on-one and we could take a shot right there and it was a poor decision.”
On deciding the QB for tonight:
“I think we had the mentality all week that Drew was going to get some opportunities in this game unless Patrick just completely came out and lit it up. We came prepared to play Drew in this game. He came out, had a good first series and got it going and then we were just trying to see who would have the hot hand. I don’t know if that had an effect on the game or not.”
On if this is a low point:
“I think that’s fair to say. That’s what I just said to the team. We all need to accept it, starting with myself. I know I’ve gotta make better decisions and put my team in a better position to be successful. That goes with the territory. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going back to work. That’s the only way we’ve ever approached things. I love the way they prepare… We’ve got two big games left and we’ve gotta go out and get a victory.
“They play with passion and it hurts for them, and it should. When you invest a lot, it should hurt.”
On considering going for two on their final touchdown:
“I did, but I thought it was too early. I didn’t wanna go for two and not get it and then with a whole quarter and a minute to play, if they get a field goal, and we didn’t get it, then we’d be down eight. We were moving it… but we’ve gotta do a better job on getting in the end zone.”
On taking the delay of game before the field goal:
“I don’t know if we can get it corrected. We have guys with injuries and when those guys get banged up, they get a little confused for no reason… I took the penalty because I didn’t think five yards would make a difference, when in hindsight, it did.”
DL CJ Johnson
On if this was the toughest loss of the year:
“Yeah, definitely. The defense did outstanding in my opinion. It’s just devastating to lose when you know you fought your heart out.”
On what the mood in the locker room was like after the loss:
“Down. You could just imagine what the locker room is like. People are upset. Ready to get back on the road.”
QB Patrick Towles
On the fade in the corner of the end zone that was intercepted:
“I’m just trying to go out there and make a play. I mean the corner, made a real good play. That happens. I think I threw most of my interceptions when I was throwing at him, but he’s a really good player and I’ve got to give him a chance.”
On if he was prepared for the two-quarterback system in place tonight and how it affected him:
“I’m a teammate. I want to see this team win, and at that time the coaches felt like Drew (Barker) gave us a better shot. I made that mistake down here in the end zone. So, I’m his number one supporter. I told him if there was anything I could help you with please tell me. I want to see this football team win.”
On how deflating it was not to get any points when being on the goal line:
“Extremely. You can’t take any of those opportunities for granted in this league. That’s a really good football team that we went toe-to-toe with and played Florida in The Swamp last week. So, give a lot of credit to those guys and their defense. Like I said it’s not our preparation, I can promise you that. We are preparing well, and we are practicing well but we have to execute when the game is on the line.”
On what he would say to discouraged fans this point in the season:
“You know, we got two chances to go to make the postseason. Charlotte next week and then Louisville comes to town. I can tell you this every person in that locker room is going to give everything they possibly have these last two games. If we come up short we come up short, but like I said I can never fault our effort. We gave it everything we had, and we were fighting to the last minute and I totally expect that from my guys every Saturday.”
RB Stanley “Boom” Williams
On having the ball on the goal line twice and not coming up with points:
“We’ve just got to execute, and when you’re down there you got to get points. We came up short. You know, that’s one of the things that ended up costing us the game. Not being able to get those points, and it’s crucial. So, we just have to get back to work and find a way to win”
On how his elbow held up throughout the game:
“No problems. As you see, I had problems with the ball earlier in the game, but like I said we are not going to count on that. Mistakes, we’ve just got to correct those, and be able to capitalize on those plays that will help us win the game.”
LB Khalid Henderson
On the game:
“The guys are frustrated. There’s a lot of pandemonium but we know at the end of the day that we all got to go back to work on Monday and stick together because we out ourselves in this situation and the only way we are going to get out of it is together. As we told all of the guys, go back to work. I understand that we can do the same thing we did earlier in the season, come out on fire, but your character is being tested and if you don’t rise above it, this is the results you are going to get.”
On losing the game:
“You see the stats, you watch the game, you would be at a loss for words, how did they loose this game? But it comes down to situations. You can give up as many yards, as many touchdowns, but if you don’t play certain situations right, that’s the outcome of the game. You’ll lose every time.”
How do you avoid a split amongst offense and defense guys in tough situations?
“You just got to hold it in. You just got to remember at the end of the day this is a team sport. You got to understand that it is going to take all of the guys on offense and defense to win a game eventually. So we can’t do it by ourselves, they can’t do it by themselves, so that is how you stick together.”
QB Drew Barker
On the game:
“We put a lot of time and effort in the off season, training and conditioning. It is just a really tough loss. We really stepped it up this week and everybody brought in extra film and everything, stayed after practice working on individual things. This definitely hurts and it is going to have to be one we get over quickly because we have to get these next two wins, especially this next win. This is definitely gong to hurt for the next few hours.”
Can the team bounce back:
“Oh yeah, definitely. I have 100-percent confidence in this team and that we can bounce back. We are really talented, we just haven’t put it all together yet in a full game. We have spurts where we look really good but we haven’t put it together in a full game. I have 100-percent faith in this team.”
What happened on the pick six:
“All we can do is practice, we’ve gotta get over that play. He was open, I didn’t see the guy drop. That is on me 100-percent. If that never happened, we probably would have won the game, but you can’t really look back on things like that. It happened, I got over it quickly. It was just a bad read.”
How you stay optimistic at this point:
“We have a next game Saturday and that is all we really need. We still need two more wins to get to a bowl game and we got two more games left so if you can’t get fired up for two games and we have to win both, then I don’t know if you should really be on this team. Like I said, it was a tough loss, we are mad about it, but we just got to keep moving forward and go and get these next two wins.”