Nov. 2, 2009
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ORLANDO, Fla. - Here are comments from head coach George O'Leary and several UCF football players following the team's nationally-televised win over Marshall.
UCF HEAD COACH George O'Leary
Thoughts on the game
"Anytime you win a game it is great. It was not pretty, but it was a good team win. We hung in there. As I tell the players, it is a sixty-minute game for a reason. We got the good strip for the fumble and executed the last series to get the winning score. I am happy for the players. Any time you get a win against a 5-3 team I think it is a good win."
Where does it rank as far as wins?
"I think it is a big win from the standpoint of the players having a never-say-die attitude and playing hard for sixty minutes. I thought the players hung in there and played with great attitude, effort and enthusiasm. As far as the players enjoying themselves, that is the loudest I have heard the locker room after a win since I have been here. I think that does wonders for the chemistry of the football team."
On converting four of five fourth down conversions
"I think we are leading the conference in fourth down conversions. We executed well and made some good plays, and it worked out well. Anytime that happens you have to give credit to the offensive call, the quarterback and everybody else doing what they have to do to get it done."
On throwing the ball for the game-winning touchdown
"I was worried about running it and not making it and the clock. We had not timeouts left and only twenty-six seconds. It was a good call. There was no one on him. It was a pretty good call by Coach Taaffe."
On Bruce Miller's forced fumble
"I think he is exceptional. He is like every good pass rusher, because they are always great second-effort players and they come to play. He was saying on the sideline, `Just hold him up and I will get it out,' and he did."
On offensive maturity in come-from-behind wins at home
"I think it shows team chemistry and maturity. I think once you have been in the program for a while, they understand it is never over until the whistle blows at the end of sixty minutes. I think the score was in range and I think the players had a great fighting attitude as far as getting things done. I like this football team from the standpoint of effort and attitude and their passion for doing things right. They understand mistakes are made but they handle them well. They do not worry about the setback, they worry about the next play."
On defense vs. Darius Marshall
"They do a good job with [Darius] Marshall by putting him in a lot of different formations to stretch out the defense. He is a good cutback runner. I think he is a good player. I think the tight end was a good player. I thought they were two good players who made good plays. We were draped all over the tight end when he caught it. That is what a good player does, makes catches in tough traffic."
SENIOR LINEBACKER Derrick Hallman
On the emotional win and fighting back:
"The locker room was very emotional. This is the best game I have ever been a part of. What a big comeback. We have been down 10 before at half, but nothing has been bigger than this. The end of the game drive was a great catch by Rocky [Ross] and a great play call. It was great plays all game, and the defense just never quit."
SENIOR DEFENSIVE TACKLE Torrell Troup
On the victory:
"It was a great feeling to come out with the win. We fought our butts off. Coach always tells us to play with effort and enthusiasm, and I feel like we did through the whole game. The guys were so excited at the end because we played so hard."
On playing for a full 60 minutes:
"They were up on us and we kept fighting. Towards the end we fought even harder and came out with the victory. Like coach says, we have to fight for sixty minutes and never give up because you do not know what play is going to change the game."
On stopping the run:
"We knew we had a great challenge tonight. He is a great running back and they have a great offensive line. We were ready for the challenge and we really stepped up big time."
JUNIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN Bruce Miller
On this big win and gaining momentum:
"It is huge for us, especially going in this weekend against Texas and three big conference games after that. It is a huge boost for us. That is a great football team we just beat."
On the strip of quarterback Brian Anderson in the fourth quarter:
"Somebody just had to make a play and fortunately I was in a position where I could get the ball out, and that is what happened."
On the keys to slowing good running backs this season:
"I have always talked about the inside dominance that we have with Travis [Timmons] and Torrell [Troup] and Corey [Hogue], Lawrence [Young] and Derrick Hallman. Those guys are awesome inside and they put so much pressure on the middle that they make them run laterally. We just run to the ball and get them to the ground."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Brett Hodges
On how proud he is of the win:
"It is a huge win for us. There was a lot at stake tonight for both teams in conference play. Marshall was up there on top with ECU and we need to keep winning on our side to give us a chance. Both teams knew this was a big one, and we got a great win. The good thing about this team is that everyone is involved. As far as the team atmosphere goes, it is great coming to the sideline after you do something great."
On the touchdown pass to Rocky Ross at the end of the game:
"It was a little play action sprint play. I walked up to the line at first and nobody was guarding Rocky. It confused me a little bit and I was wondering if they were tricking me. We sent A.J. [Guyton] in motion and Rocky was still open so I just put a nice little touch pass out there for him."
The thoughts after that play:
"It was a great feeling to come back. We have really been a second half team this year, and to come back and come back late like that is a definitely a good win for us."