Post-Game Quotes: AU vs. LSU

Post-Game Quotes: AU vs. LSU

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Opening Statement ...
"I think it was obvious in the beginning of the game we did not respond very well to the elements and to the crowd. We kind of found ourselves in a hole. I am proud of our team coming back in the second half. They came back and battled. We did make some mistakes. We have been talking about improving each practice and each game, and even though it hurts right now I think there were some good things out there that we could improve upon for the rest of the year."
 
On quarterback Nick Marshall ...
"Nick [Marshall] never really got in a rhythm. It was his first road game. That first quarter it was raining pretty good, the ball was wet, we just never got in a rhythm in the first half. During the second half we kind of calmed down and got into our rhythm."
 
On running back Tre Mason ...
"Tre [Mason] is definitely a good back. He is a tough guy. He always wants the ball. I think whenever you want the football that is always a good thing. He had a very solid night."
 
On the playing conditions ...
"There were some missed opportunities, without a doubt. You have to give LSU some credit. They are a good team, but you just cannot miss the opportunities that you have. You have to seize the moment. It is frustrating. We did not execute like we can. The way LSU plays has something to do with that. At the same time, we have high expectations for our team, and we could have played better. But again, you have to give LSU credit. I can tell you that we will improve moving forward."
 
On the second half ...
"Our team is not going to quit. They play together; they like playing together. They have bright eyes. Even toward the end when we got that motion penalty that set us back, they were fighting until the end. I am very proud of our guys, and with the attitude they have we have a chance to get better and improve. Even though it feels bad right now, we have an off week, and we can clean some things up and move forward."
 
On the team's improvement from last season...
"I am happy with where we are heading as a team. A lot of guys that were here last year are back. They know how it feels from last year to give up or lose badly. That feeling can carry over to next year, and we didn't want to go through that again. None of my teammates quit tonight."
 
On the difference between the first and second half...
"We kind of beat ourselves in the beginning. The fumbles, our punter dropping a snap, and putting the ball on the ground on offense cost us. Those things will lose the game for you. We have to go back and correct those things. We have to figure out ways to play in weather like tonight."
 
On moving on from tonight's loss...
"I am not happy with the loss, and I'm pretty sure the team isn't either. We are going to try to continue getting better from here on out. We can't look at the past. What is done is done. We just need to continue getting better."
 
On the difference between the first and second half...
"Coach gave us a speech at halftime. Second half we came out able to execute and make plays. We were able to make plays and score touchdowns. He told us to never stop fighting and go out and play relentless football. We did that and we were able to execute."
 
On moving on from tonight's loss...
"We are still confident going into our bye week and then into the next week. We are going to go in and correct what we messed up tonight. We will get better after that."
 
On learning from tonight's mistakes...
"I will grow a lot from this. I learned a lot from tonight. I learned from the mistakes I made and how to execute the ball like we did in the second half tonight."
 
On his missed assignments...
"Just people not filling their gaps. We really just go back and execute. It's really just going back out there and everyone just doing fundamental football."
 
On if he improves after a loss...
"Definitely, tomorrow when we watch film, we just have to go out there and next time we have the opportunity to get on the field and adjust we have to show everyone that we still can compete. "
 
On if the fist quarter was shocking to him...
"Definitely, we let the game get away. It's just kind of tough playing from behind."
 
On the interception he made...
"It was a great play. I think the quarterback saw me and I think he wanted to try me a little bit. It was a great 'bang-bang' play. If my hands were a little slower he would have made the play."
 
On LSU RB Jeremy Hill...
"In my opinion he got all his yards in the first half. We had a lot of new stuff, and we did what we did and it hurt us in the end."
 
On if he was caught off guard in the first half...
"It's college football. You have to put in the stuff from the last week, then you have to forget that and come back to the new stuff. That's the whole part of being a college football player.
 
Opening statement ...
"In the first half with the inclement weather, the important piece was to start the game with the certainty that we were going to do certain things and take care of the ball. We were going to get our feet and our footing squared away and we were going to run the football. So we had taken an early lead, 21-zip. It's a really interesting thing from that point forward. We have to finish this. Anytime that you play a conference opponent and anytime that you play Western division opponents like Auburn, it's going to be a competitive game. We took such a strong lead initially, but I just didn't like how we finished. We certainly can play better, and offensively we can run the football and finish the game in a fashion that controls to the end. Offensively, we threw for 230 and ran for 230; a good balance. We had big plays in both. Defensively, we put them on the field for 85 snaps and you can't do that. It's victory. We're pleased to a point, but we're not satisfied. We can play better, and we need to control these games. I see a lot of schools in this conference having difficult games. Frontward, we need to take care of our business and do that, and we'll be pretty good. We're undefeated and looking forward to the next one."
 
On making adjustments for inclement weather ...
"We have the flexibility in our style of play that allows us to put two tights in and pound the football with a big fullback. Certainly, in inclement conditions, it would be far for me to say that it never rains on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. But, it was very close to rain, if not a very stiff dew out there. Again, we had some flexibility in our offense that allowed us to do the things that we needed to do."
 
On his feelings about the game...
"I'm disappointed because I know how good we can be. I know the potential of this offense and I want us to do better. At the same time, we've got some good things to look at from the film and it's going to be a learning experience to look at it."
 
On the first run...
"It just set the tone. We realized we can execute against anybody we play. Auburn is a very good and capable team. Then again we need to learn to keep our foot on the gas pedal and finish games."
 
On today's game...
"I wish we would have finished a lot stronger than we did. We put our defense in tough positions but I think we started off well, we just have to finish."
 
On letting up after the big lead...
"I don't think we let up. I think those guys just adjusted. That's what SEC teams do. That's the biggest difference when you play against non-conference teams."
 
On how he felt about the game...
"We left a lot of points out there. We put ourselves in a few situations with a few penalties early on, kind of killed momentum."
 
On his scoring opportunities tonight...
"I think one. It is [frustrating] but also for a guy like myself to see it still pay off with a Jeremy Hill touchdown on that same drive, it kind of made me smile about it afterwards."
 
On the overall defensive performance...
"I thought we came out very dominant in the beginning and played real LSU football. That's something we've got to be able to do for the rest of the game and maintain that throughout the season."
 
On the second half...
"I feel like everybody probably mentally may have gotten a little down. We had a few calls that we felt were questionable, but we have got to be able to shrug that off. We are not communicating on some things, and we will get it straight."
 
On Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson's performances...
"They did what's expected of them. Them being the two leaders on the team, they did exactly what we expect of them, what the coaches expect of them and that's something that we look up to. They are prime examples of how LSU defense is supposed to play."
 
On the effect of forcing two turnovers...
"That helped out a lot. If we can keep that up and make sure that we get a couple of turnovers every game, anything to help the offense, that's what we are going to do."
 
On how he feels about the linebacking core...
"I think Kwon [Alexander] got a lot of good work in, Tahj Jones, D.J. Welter, and myself, but you never know. Next game it could be a different group out there."