Sept. 12, 2009
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
UCF FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
SEPTEMEBER 12, 2009 - AT SOUTHERN MISS
Head coach George O'Leary
Thoughts on the game:
"I expect our defense to play much better than they played. I think they played well. I just think we had too many missed tackles and too many yards after the catch. You've got to play better than that."
Thoughts on the affects of the returned fumble for a Southern Miss touchdown:
"That was hard because you are playing away and you give up momentum right away. I thought the kids hung in there on the first one and then they missed the field goal. The second one they took in for a touchdown. That's the difference in the game really."
On opening up the offense:
"I thought that was the game plan all the way. We still made some good plays. We've just got to make more. I think you have to be able to do both, as far as our finesse game plan and getting the ball down field. I don't think they is any one formula for success. You need a bunch of them. Most of the good teams do that."
On Conference USA "big wins":
"I think (Houston beating Oklahoma State) is good. You just have to continue going. I've always said that there are some very good football teams in the conference and this is one of them. As I told our players when we got done, there are a lot of conference games left to play and we just have to continue to get better."
On feelings about the loss:
"It's disappointing because it's the first conference game. I think the players know that we gave up some points that you can't give up. I think they understand that. Close only counts in horseshoes. I think the big thing is that we just have to re-coup. We've got a bunch of games left to play and continue to basically get better in some areas we need help in."
Quarterback Brett Hodges
On the 18 play drive:
"We were all working as a unit and we were converting third downs, my running game was working which opened up my passing game, and the passing game working opened up our running game. We had 11 guys every single play working as one on that drive. It was just a successful drive, 18 plays will run down the defense and we got points on the board but we need to start doing that more consistently, one or two times isn't good enough to win a football game."
On opening up the offense more:
"I don't know if we really opened up the game plan, I think coach Taft called the game based on what the defense was going to give us. Yeah we did a little bit more stuff than last week but that was based on what Southern Miss was showing us. There were a lot of things that we didn't practice that they were showing us that we had to make adjustments to, and the adjustments went well so we just do what coach Taft wants and he will call bases on what he sees from up in the box."
On the running game:
"Southern Miss has got a great D-line. They're fast and they all run to the ball. I think we had some good runs today but overall I think consistently we did not. That's something we need to work on coming into next week is being consistent."
On what coach O'Leary said after the game:
"They won we lost. We fought hard but sometimes fighting hard is not good enough to get a victory. But this is only one conference game. We have a lot more coming up and we just need to look at the film come Sunday and Monday and understand what we did wrong and go ahead and fix those mistakes and prepare for Buffalo."
Defensive End Bruce Miller:
On the sack against Austin Davis:
"It was fourth down and I am not sure how much but we needed a big play and fortunately I was able to make a move and get inside and make a play for us."
On the defense's overall performance tonight:
"I am not really sure we need to go and watch the film. We had a chance to make a lot of plays and we didn't make them and get off the field. In a game like this when it is on the line in a loud and crazy environment you have to do what you got to do. You got to make plays and I am not sure we made a whole lot of them. And our defensive line, we probably should have dominated a little bit more than what was out there."