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Post Game Quotes
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Dec. 28, 2002
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Head Coach Al Groh:
“This game was about us making a statement and our players did that. What coaches have to say is overrated. We like to win, it makes no difference who we are playing. We viewed this like a playoff game, where if you lose you go home and don’t play for a long time. (About Billy McMullen’s injury)Whatever obstacles and adversity the team had it front of them, they were able to succeed. We lost one of the best players that’s ever played in this conference and our guys just went back out and played. That says a lot about our team. (On Marques Hagans‘ punt return for TD) That was a big issue. That really stretched the margin and gave us a greater level of separation. It really changed the momentum and helped us keep rolling. We were going to try to put them on edge a bit. But it all came down to our ballcarriers creating missed tackles. We emphasized that the inside line play would be crucial and their work speaks for itself. It was a marvelous experience and a dynamic atmosphere. The only thing better than having two second place teams would be having two first place teams.”
Running Back Wali Lundy:
“I always expect the best out of myself and I always think I can do more. I think I did a lot to help the team this year. (on trick TD pass) It was a good play call. I was just hoping I could catch the ball. When you’re that wide open, you have to concentrate and let the ball come to you.”
Quarterback Matt Schaub:
“It shows that we can play with anybody and that we’re a s good as anyone. We expect to win, regardless of who we play. Things worked for us. We didn’t need to make many adjustments since we played the same type of defense twice. (in Wake Forest and South Carolina) (On Heisman chances) That’s fine, but I don’t think much about it. All that matters is winning and what happens between the lines. All the attention can help the program, but it’s all about what happens on the field.”
Linebacker Angelo Crowell:
“We knew coming in what they were going to do and how they were going to try to attack us. The coaches were right and the defense stepped up big. Everybody was on the same page. Just like when we played NC State and Maryland. It’s big coming from 5-7 to 9-5. There are not many teams that can do that. We may not have as much talent as some teams, but we played big when it counted. It was big for me to try win a bowl game. This time the mentality was totally different. We were here to win and celebrate after the game, not before.”
West Virginia University:
Head Coach Rich Rodriguez:
“I was very disappointed in how we played in all three areas, special teams, defensively, offensively. But I don’t want to take away from our seniors. We moved the ball well at times. We had a couple of bad drives. Just a matter of execution. They kept us off balance. We didn’t tackle well and didn’t make the big play. Rasheed made a couple of bad decisions, misreading coverage. We never got them out of their rhythm. Lundy runs very well and had good blocking. We didn’t get off blocks and didn’t make plays. It is a bad way to end a good year. It’s a shame we didn’t show our true team today and did not execute well. We can learn from today and be ready for next year. We have a lot of work to do.”
Quarterback Rasheed Marshall:
“It was a long day. They played well. They did a great job stopping our running game. They did a good job preparing. I credit them. They were a step ahead of us. This game was sort of like the Maryland game, a step ahead of us. They did a good job getting to the football. I’ve got two seasons left and I have to keep learning. I take this as experience and just absorb it. We had a good year. One game doesn’t determine….we won nine games.”
Running Back Quincy Wilson:
“We couldn’t get the big runs today. They are a great team. They were flying around. The safeties came up and hurt you. We’re disappointed right now. Their defense was really good and physical with us. Our first two drives went well. I thought we were really ready, we had some great practices this week.”
Running Back Avon Cobourne:
“It seems like everyone knew what we were doing. We stopped ourselves. They confused us.”