Army vs. Rice Post-Game Quotes
11/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 8, 2008
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Rice Head Coach David Bailiff
"I'm excited that we scored 31 points in the first half, I'm excited that they only had 31 yards passing, but we've got to do something about that rushing. I was so excited for the Rice Owls to win their 7th game. I'm proud of the way [we played] - for us to score 31 points in the first half."
On Rice allowing 461 rushing yards
"I'll be honest, most of that was missed tackles, and most of it was the fact that we had to move some young men into the linebacker position that have not been there. Those kids did as best as they could. We will continue to improve our tackling. This open week will be paramount to us getting some of those guys back, and we'll finish this thing strong."
On missed defensive plays
A lot of those plays on the edge, you saw the missed tackles. We've got to make those plays, and we didn't do it. We work on tackling every day and obviously we've got to spend more time working at it."
On Army's second half comeback
"We'll learn from that. We're still getting better each week. We're learning that it's about four quarters, and that you have to play hard. That's the lesson we learned today, and we got out of here with a win. I'm excited about it. It's one of the things we're learning - that you can't go to sleep. It doesn't matter how many points you're up. Those guys are a good solid team and they're going to play hard for four quarters. I think we grew up tonight. We learned that and we got out of here with a win.
On reason for Rice's second-half lapses
It's because we're learning to win, and I mean that. We're in situations where we're not the old Rice, we're the new Rice. People are gunning for us now. People are playing hard for four quarters trying to beat us. I think there's a learning curve that programs have, and we got hit by it today.
On coping with injuries
That's the situation we have. We've got to deal with it the best we can. Fortunately we have an offense that's capable of scoring points and getting us out of trouble.
Rice Players Quotes
QB Chase Clement
On Rice's Offense
"We were able to move the ball. Then all of a sudden once we crossed the 50, it seemed like we just fell apart, whether it be turnovers or taking sacks. We just shot ourselves in the foot. We knew coming in that if we put ourselves in third and long, they're a tough defense in those situations. We just couldn't convert."
On Rice Offense
"I think it's great for our offense. We've come such a long way. It's a tribute to how hard we've worked. We have a great set of receivers that have done a good job for me. I wasn't the most accurate tonight, but they did a great job of making plays. Our offense is able to do so much now with CJ [Ugokwe] running the ball as well as he is. It's helped us so much."
On 61-yard TD Run
"I haven't had a run that long in a long time. That was oneofour first checks to see what they were doing and it worked out. It was awesome."
On Expectations at this Stage of the Season
"It used to be that when we got a win we were excited. We're striving for so much more. We have such a talented team. We've done so much, we've come so far that just winning isn't enough. We want to get better so we can continue to win. Once you start winning, you want more of it. Our guys know that they can play better. We want to continue to work each week so that we can continue to get better."
On Team's Thoughts
"We have to keep winning. We're 7-3 and that's awesome but we still have two games to go. Just saying, we're going to a bowl game, we can't think like that. We have to be thinking about winning our next game - going 8-3 then winning again and going 9-3. 7-3 is awesome, and we're happy about it but we have to continue to get better."
DB Joesph Leary
On Rice Defense
"The coaches talk about finishing every play. We went over that play and the whole defense flying around to the ball. We worked on flying around and finishing every play. From our coaching and us executing we ended up getting it out and I was able to recover it."
On Forced Fumble
"Just play full speed and good things happen when you play full speed. Try to get out of the block and I tried to get to the ball carrier and the ball was right there so I hit it out."
On Rice Defense
"We just have to focus and go to the next play. We can't stay set on one person going down. We have to step up."
WR Corbin Smiter
On Opportunity as Starter
"I can tell everybody is working hard in practice. When a guy goes down it becomes my opportunity to step up and make a couple of plays. I actually got the opportunity to start. I'm just greatful of the opportunity and I tried to make the most of it."
On TD reception
"It was a great throw. I don't know if I got as much separation as I could have. But honestly it was a great throw by Chase and I tried to make a play on it."
WR Jarett Dillard
On Army's Single Coverage on First TD of Game
"I actually jumped offsides because I was so excited that I was in single coverage. I knew the call was on two and I confirmed with Chase - it's on two. Then I saw the single coverage and I just got so happy that I jumped offsides. I was happy they stayed in the same defense because I thought they would go to a Cover-2 after that. They stayed in the same defense and I was able to be successful. I got a horrible release but Chase threw a great ball."
On Timing with QB Clement on Second TD of Game
"You just learn that threw any sport - even in basketball, finding the passing lanes. With Chase it was amazing that he scrambled out and I just sat in my spot. I actually told myself that I'd sit here for a few seconds then find a new hole and that's what I did. I sat there and then went to find a new whole. Then I ran around and found another whole and sat there while Chase launched a ball. It was a hard pass- probably one of the hardest passes I've caught from Chase."
On Offense Moving Forward
"We have a lot to work on, a lot to build on from this game. We let up in the second half. Our defense played well and our offense let up. Our defense kept us in that game and actually won that game for us."
Army Coach Stan Brock
Opening Statement
"The first half, and the whole game, was all about turnovers. I told the team at halftime that if we don't turn the ball over in the second half, we'll beat them [although] we came up seven points shy. We turned the ball over three times, in critical situations: one of them going in for a score, one of them was on a toss where we had one man to beat to get a long gain or could possibly be a score, and then on a screen that could have been a long gain or a score. It's disappointing that we played like that in the first half, but I'm very proud of the way they played in the second half."
On QB Chase Clement & WR Jarett Dillard
"They're incredible really. They're a great duo - everybody knows that's what is going on. They're a good group to watch on film; I watched them today. They are a tough group to play against. You have to throw [WR James] Casey in the [mix], as well. I think he's a very special football player and a special athlete. So, Rice has a heck of a football team. They've won seven [games] now and to hang with them - I'm proud of that. But, we have to start winning some of these games."
