Sept. 9, 2017
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Vanderbilt – Alabama A&M Postgame Quotes
Sept. 9, 2017
Vanderbilt Stadium
Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason
Opening Comments:
“I ran across the field afterward and talked to Coach Spady. I’m excited for what they’re building there. I thought we played a good first half. For the second week in a row, [Kyle] Shurmur started fast. I like the way he played. He looked comfortable in the pocket. He went through his progressions and saw what he needed to see. Our special teams showed up tonight. It was good to hit on all three cylinders.”
On Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb:
“Ralph ran strong in the first half. Then, we shut him down in the second half to get other backs time and experience. We’ll need our young guys to play well for us at some point in the season … It’s a great opportunity to get guys playing time in these games. Now, it’s on to Kansas State.”
On starting off 2-0 for the first time in his Vanderbilt career:
“You can’t tell it from my face, but I’m excited. It’s what you’re trying to do, but you have to keep your feet on the ground … Let’s put our foot on the gas and go from here.”
On Vanderbilt’s defense pitching a shutout:
“That’s always the goal. The goose egg is what you shoot for, and they’re tough to come by … These guys getting a goose egg means a lot, but after the clock strikes midnight tonight, it’s time to move on [to the next game].”
On Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur’s hot start:
“It’s about his footwork when he delivers the ball. When you look at his footwork from last season and his footwork this season, he’s throwing the ball from a much better platform and that’s leading to better accuracy. Of the [throws] he missed, a couple of them were dropped.”
On Vanderbilt’s difficult schedule ahead:
“We have some tough games, but you have to like it that way. Now you have to prepare for some good football teams to come in and see how good you really are.”
On Vanderbilt’s defensive depth:
“It’s solid. After we play Kansas State, I’ll let you know more. I like that some of our younger guys are getting experience.”
On playing lineman Cole Clemens:
“He was playing all summer long. If people were on the field for us, they’re playing in 2017. Cole Clemons has a big frame with good feet. He’s very athletic.”
On Vanderbilt running back Jamauri Wakefield:
“He’s young. He made some big cuts to show you what his career will be like here at Vanderbilt.”
On Vanderbilt quarterback Deuce Wallace:
“He came in and worked well to manage the offense. I think he’ll go back and take a look at the tape and see some things he could improve on.”
On Vanderbilt’s ground game:
“It’s been about teams stacking the box. But, when [Kyle] Shurmur starts off 12-for-12 for 175 yards, we’ll take it. We threw the ball the way we needed to, kept the clock moving, and put points on the board.”
Vanderbilt linebacker Emmanuel Smith
On his career high in tackles:
“That was all because of the D-Line. They made my job easyâ€â€if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have gotten my career high in tackles. ”
On the upcoming matchups against ranked opponents:
“We stick to the grind. It doesn’t really matter the number on the jersey or their ranking, they put their pants on just like we do. We’ll come in on Monday and set our focus on Kansas State.”
Vanderbilt safety Ryan White
On how Vanderbilt’s first shutout in the last five seasons:
“I didn’t know it was the first one since 2012, but anytime you get a shutout you’ve got to be proud of it.”
On starting the season 2-0:
“We just go into each week trying to go 1-0, we’re not looking at our record like we can do this, we can do that. We just look our opponent and try to go 1-0 against that team.”
On Vanderbilt’s pass rush and how it affects his duties:
“It’s a lot easier. When the quarterback is dropping back and he has people in his face, that makes it easier on us. When he’s not able to throw it down field, it’s a big deal. Kudos to our front seven.”
Vanderbilt Quarterback Kyle Shurmur
On how he has started the past two games so accurately:
“It’s us as a group, everyone’s on the same page. I think it’s just us as a team executing.”
On his improved footwork, as mentioned by Coach Mason:
“Everything comes from the ground up, so I need to have great footwork. For the running game too, so that we can give our running backs the best alleys.”
On the wide receivers getting open:
“I think that the receiving unit is awesome. We’ve been clicking. Our chemistry has grown so much. Seeing them open was encouraging.”
Vanderbilt running back Khari Blasingame
On whether he knew any of the opposing players, being from Huntsville:
“Yeah, I know a lot of those guys. Played high school ball against and with some of them.”
On what Alabama A&M did to stop the run:
“Middle Tennessee ran some blitzes to stop the run, and we saw some of that today. We expect that a little bit, but at the end of the day we’re going to go with the game plan.”
On the difficult matchups coming up on the schedule:
“We try to play at the same level every game. These two games prepared us pretty well.”
