Pitt 30, Syracuse 7 Post Game Quotes
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Pitt Coach Paul Chryst Quotes
Opening Comments:
"We certainly appreciate the effort the players put in and the right kind of players helped get the win today. We made a lot of plays to get this team win. The last couple of weeks have not been easy. The players have remained strong and kept their focus."
On this year's group of senior players:
"We appreciate that the seniors, a small group, finished with a win here at Heinz Field. It was a big day for our seniors and their families. Our guys put a lot into it and it means a lot to their families. Every player has a different story and a different journey. It means a lot."
On the performance of the defense:
"Defensively, it was huge getting those takeaways. We didn't play great consistently on third downs, but there were lots of plays our guys made to get the takeaways."
On the rushing performance by the running backs:
"All along our running backs have been locked in. It was important and we needed all of them."
On playing against the Syracuse defense:
"We saw a lot of different looks from their defense. I have a lot of respect for the Syracuse defense. Nothing was going to be handed to us."
On the performance of quarterback Chad Voytik:
"I thought he did some good things. We've got to do better on third down, but overall I thought Chad did some good things."
On moving on to prepare for the Miami game:
"Each week is a new opportunity. No matter what happened the previous week, it doesn't carry over. It doesn't help you going forward. The win today was a result of our players staying the course. I appreciate the way they focused this week. At the end of the year, you want to play your best game. The focus of the game is that Miami is a good football team. The key is going down there and playing well."
Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd
On the team's mindset heading into the last game of the season:
"It's great. We have a whole bunch of guys on the team that are willing to put it all out there to win. If any guys go down, we have guys ready to come in and pick them up and finish their job for them like Chris James and Isaac Bennett did when James Conner went down. We have a lot of tough guys on the team. Next game I feel like everyone is going to battle too because it's win or go home."
On getting the win for the seniors:
"It was real big. Any senior around the country it's a real big win if you win your last game. You never know what you're going to do after the season, so it's big knowing you left here and won your last game."
On what he has improved on this season from last season:
"Just helping my team win. Anytime my number is called, I just want to go out there and make plays and help the team win. I don't really ask about my stats during the game, I just go out there and compete and do my job."
On his recent stretch of consecutive 100-yard games:
"I feel like everything is opening up with the run and the pass, me and James. As long as I continue to play my assignment, I'm going to get opportunities to touch the football."
Pitt safety Ray Vinopal
On if the defense came out with something to prove tonight:
"Yeah definitely. We were talking before the game about not wanting to be the unit that doesn't do their job. It's nice when both units do their job and you can see what we can do when we execute and we executed today. People were in the spots they needed to be and we have success when we do that."
On the team's mindset going into the Miami game next week:
"Just a one-game playoff. We have to keep moving. We didn't reach our preseason goals. We were talking about an ACC Championship, but just because you don't reach your goals doesn't mean you stop and we still want a bowl game."
On the big-plays the defense made today:
"Lafayette (Pitts) made that interception in the end-zone and you see guys creating turnovers. Any time you create turnovers as a defense, you're likely to win."
On running out of the tunnel one last time:
"It was awesome and I really appreciate the fans that were here. I transferred in from Michigan so I had to be accepted and everyone did a great job of that. I'm blessed to be here and it was awesome seeing my mom, dad and grandma out there today."
Pittsburgh Linebacker Anthony Gonzalez
On the defense coming out with something to prove:
"I think every week we have something to prove. We go out, play hard, and do our jobs; that is the only thing we can do."
On how it feels to have the defense cause turnovers:
"Causing turnovers are key. I believe whenever we can get two or more turnovers, we can win the game. We did that tonight and came out with a victory."
On how it feels to be on Heinz Field for the final time:
"It was great. It was emotional at first, but we stayed focused out there and got the win."
On how it felt for the seniors to lead the team onto the field:
"It was exciting and emotions were high for us and our families. It was a really great feeling out there and the feelings got even better once we got the win."
On having extra energy during the game because of senior night:
"I just wanted to fly around on the field and make plays for our defense to get a win.
Pittsburgh Running Back Chris James
On the importance of getting into a rhythm as the featured back:
"It is very important. After four or five carries, you get used to what the defense is trying to do. You learn to speed up or be more patient. I think it is a big part of the run game."
On the feeling of getting his first 100 yard game:
"It feels amazing. The offensive line dominated. Sometimes when I got the ball they made huge holes and I took advantage of it."
On the team mindset headed to Miami:
"We are all playing for a bowl game now. We had our last home game for the seniors today, and Miami is the next game and the next challenge for us."
On being a more patient running back today:
"I have been working on being more patient all year. Coach calls me happy feet in the backfield because when I get the ball I just want to take off. I told myself that I have to be patient and the holes will appear. During the first run I was being patient, I saw the hole and I hit it."
Syracuse Head Coach Scott Shafer
Opening Statement:
"Congratulations to Coach Chryst and Pitt for a good victory. They had nice control over the game and getting turnovers early--that was a big part of the momentum that gave them opportunities to score. Pitt was very effective on first downs. Their offensive line played extremely well; I thought they had good movement up front. It was a good victory for Pitt and a difficult loss for Syracuse."
On rotating Mitch Kimble and AJ Long in as quarterback:
"We have two freshmen who we think have ability. We felt both of them could do certain things and would give us the best chance of being competitive today."
On utilizing Ron Thompson:
"We've been practicing [the play] for a few weeks. We're trying to have some short yardage and goal-line power offense, with those defensive ends in the game. Ron is a very good athlete. We're running elite power with a stacked eye--we thought we could catch [Pitt] off-guard with it, and it did. It was a good call and a good play by Ron. It showed some athleticism."
On what he thinks of the team's past performances this season:
"I see that we're playing a lot of young kids. No excuses, but we're playing all freshmen quarterbacks. Across the board we're too young and inexperienced and you can't win games that way in the ACC. We need to get to the Boston College game and fight our tails off. We need to get healthy in the off-season. It's as simple as that."
On whether this season was "discouraging":
"No, not discouragement. Disappointment for sure. Discouragement. That's when you're giving up. Disappointment? No doubt. We got beat up pretty bad early [in the season] by a really good conference schedule. We had a very difficult schedule for nine weeks. The reality is, we didn't stay healthy and play good football. It hasn't been good enough. No excuses. We have to move forward and keep fighting. It's not discouraging."
Syracuse Quarterback AJ Long
On refocusing after halftime:
"You never lose it, you're never out of the game. I never really left the game mentally just physically trying to stay warm so that when I came back I was able to do what I needed to do."
On keeping mental strength after losing:
"What's the point of hanging your head and feeling sorry for yourself when you have another game? You don't want to go into a week and get blown out 59-3 or 59-0. Next week we have Boston College that just barley lost to Florida State. We all know that Florida State is the defending National Champion, and still undefeated. Boston College is a very good team, their defense plays very well. We can't hang our heads this week or next week or we will get thrashed."
On his personal experience after today:
"It's all about being prepared. Having a bye week to prepare for a team mentally is also a big help. There are a lot of things I will take from today's game, leadership, and bringing momentum, that's one thing I pride myself on. I'm never going to sit down, I'm never going to be quiet, and that's just not me. I'm just going to continue being the person that I am, and making sure that people around me are the same way."
