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Virginia Player Postgame Quotes - Maryland Game
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Oct. 13, 2012
Virginia vs. Maryland
Oct. 13, 2012
Virginia Player Quotes
Junior Quarterback Michael Rocco
On his play today:
“I was waiting for my opportunity and I got it. My job is to win the game regardless of what situation I’m put in or my role on the team. We came up short. It’s disappointing regardless of the one successful drive I had. It’s just a disappointing thing when you lose, so it’s hard to come out of it. We are a strong bunch of guys, so we are going to turn the page and move on.”
On his incompletion intended for Khalek Shepherd on the final drive:
“It’s tough whenever it’s so open. If I could have it back and put it right on his numbers I would. It’s a game of inches, sometimes it goes your way sometimes it doesn’t.”
On switching quarterbacks:
“I’ve said all along that I trust my coaches and I trust our team. They make the decisions and we make the best out of them, that’s what we do.”
Senior Linebacker Steve Greer
On the run defense today:
“That was a point of emphasis in practice this week. We wanted to stop the run. We knew if we did that we would have a good shot of winning the game. I think that’s one positive we take away, our rush defense.”
On stalling Maryland’s offense after the first quarter:
“We just played assignment football. Everyone was executing and stopping the run. They couldn’t keep running the clock down and I think that was a big part of it.”
On Virginia’s slow start today:
“It’s tough when you put yourself in a hole like that but you have to be mentally tough and bounce back.”
Freshman Kicker Ian Frye
On the opening kickoff:
“The ball was five yards deep I believe and we had the feeling that he (Maryland WR Stefon Diggs) was going to take a knee, he kind of tricked us. We need to make sure that we don’t slow down and continue on to the end zone.”
On kicking his first field goal:
“I really enjoyed the experience. Coach yelled my name and told me to warm up. I did what I normally do and I have been kicking well in practice. The unit worked well.”
Senior Linebacker La’Roy Reynolds
On the loss:
“It’s pretty tough, especially when you prepare all week and work hard in practice. This week we prepared pretty well and focused up. I think it comes down to passion, energy, and playing with heart for four quarters. Unfortunately we didn’t pull this one off. We went out there and we played to the best of our abilities, but those little things, it’s those little things that always get us.”
On struggling as a team his senior year:
“It’s disappointing because I feel that we have worked to get us to a point where we should be winning. I think we worked really hard this offseason, extremely hard. I think we were challenged this offseason and it’s just not being shown on Saturdays. I’ve always been an optimistic person though so I tell the guys to keep going strong. At the end of the day you want to end on a good note, you always want to end fighting. You never want to show your opponent or the rest of the season that you quit early. When it comes down to it, you have to continue to fight.”
Sophomore Quarterback Phillip Sims
On being pulled out for Michael Rocco:
“I don’t think anyone wants to be benched; it’s disappointing. They just said that Rocco is in and there isn’t much talking about it in a situation like that.”
On starting next week:
“That’s not up to me. That’s up to the coaches, and they decide what’s best for the team. I have no say-so in anything that goes on as far as who starts, who plays, how much they play, anything like that. I just do what I’m told.”
On his personal performance:
“I just didn’t do a good job of getting the ball to my team. It comes down to me, I’m the quarterback. I need to get the ball into their hands, and I wasn’t doing it. Sometimes you’re hit and miss, and I was a lot of miss today.”
On this week’s strategy:
“We tried to get a lot of completions this week, and to get going early and often. I just didn’t do my job.”
Sophomore Tailback Kevin Parks
On the quarterback changes:
“There is no quarterback situation. We just see whoever is on the field. Whoever is on and making plays at that time is all that matters. It really doesn’t matter who it is, we just want to come out with the W. We didn’t do that today, and it hurts. It hurts real bad.”
On the difficulty scoring:
“That’s the name of the game; you have to put up points. You have to score to win, and that’s not what we’re doing right now. We’re going to keep working and striving every week to fix that problem. We go in each and every week and give all we have out on the practice field, and feel good coming into the game. But to come out on Saturdays and put an L in that column, it hurts.”
On the touchdown off the opening kickoff:
“It’s a big momentum swing there right off the bat. We came out before the game so hyped up, then kicking off, and the next thing you know the ball is in the end zone. It’s not a lot to say, but we have to go out and make plays right away. We have to make our team get out, get plays, and get us into the end zone.”
Freshman Defensive End Eli Harold
On his performance so far:
“I think that this is the most that I’ve played. I am just going to do what I can do to help the team come off victorious. Obviously we’re not winning right now, but we just have to keep working hard and doing what we’re doing. Eventually things will come together.”
On his preparation for the game:
“This is the most I’ve been prepared for a game. I just came in and I was really confident. I had faith in my team. I knew I was going to play a lot and I studied a lot in the film room. It all came together. We didn’t win, but we’re showing signs of progression.”
On the rest of the season:
“Coaches just keep telling us to stay positive, and that if we think it, it will happen. You have to speak things to existence. I often struggle a little bit with that, but the defense just needs to keep it up. We can’t give them a lot of opportunities. We didn’t get what we wanted, but we fought and we got on the ball a lot. That’s big, and we did what we could do.”