TicketsUConn at Cincinnati
Nov. 25, 2017
Nippert Stadium
Postgame Quotes
Cincinnati Head Coach Luke Fickell
Opening statement:
"We have never talked about the future. You guys ask me about it, maybe even last week, 'Hey, where is the program heading and what can people get excited about?' and I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to overshadow those kids that have been here for four or five, and some just two years; the guys that are the seniors. We really wanted to do this for them. This week, we actually put it on their shoulders and said, 'Hey, we will go as you guys go. Not just how you play, but how you handle yourselves, how you speak, how you walk, how you talk, your body language, your demeanor and everything about you. I can tell you that was one of the best wins we have had from that group of guys. Not that everything was perfect. It is really hard to win and there is a fine line. It doesn't just happen because of luck. It happens because of the demeanor, the body language and the energy of guys like Mike Boone and Jaylinn Minor. Those guys, to me, put it on their shoulders and I think it showed today. I am really excited about where we are headed. At this point in time, we are getting ready to talk about those 'energy' things. If it is a one-point win, it doesn't matter. It gives us a chance to push ourselves into the off-season. I think I have brought it up; we are disappointed we don't have an opportunity to play in a bowl game and disappointed we don't have those 14 practices, but I know this team is going to get a hell of a lot better and that is even outside of practice. I am not as worried about the practices we are going to miss because I think there are so many intangible things we can get so much better, even without practice, and it's that stuff in the locker room that lasts a really long time."
On his what he was feeling after seeing the extra point attempt miss:
"I have to celebrate a little more. You don't want it to be relief. You want it to be joyful. All I could think of was the seniors and how they had an opportunity to take that jersey off for the last time and have that emotion and energy. That is really all I could think about. It's not about where we are headed and looking forward, but about the struggles, the ups and the downs these guys have had and, it was almost fitting it ended that way."
On the ups and downs of the final series:
"There was a lot of gamesmanship. They have been doing it a long time. Using your time outs, trying to get a look at the formation and trying to assume what is going to happen. We might have lost one there without having a time out left for the very last one. You try to remind them (of what they will do). They took three shots at getting a PI (pass interference) or a jump ball and it ended up paying off for them in the long run. It comes down to how you truly finish and, since the day we walked in here – January 9 – we addressed the guys and told them it is going to be about how we finish. Not about how we start, but how we finish. We are going to finish because of the care and the way things are inside this locker room. It has nothing to do with talent."
On QB Hayden Moore leading the charge at the end:
"You have to be able to take some of that (rebounding from a strip-sack). That is the maturity you start to see throughout the season. I think that is what I am most proud of from those seniors and the offensive line and Mike Boone – we can get frustrated when we throw a pick and Mike Boone wants the ball in his hand and why don't we run the ball – but, what stands out is we had the ability to push past it, which we haven't done. If you really look at us in the past few weeks, when bad things happen, we have not been able to recover. Last week, we miss an interception, we miss a deep ball the very next set and the next thing you know the ball is rolling and we couldn't generate any energy. That happens to us and, even late in the game, it happened to us and you have to give the credit to our leaders, our seniors, because they didn't drop their heads. It has a lot to do with Hayden (Moore) and his ability to push past it and the ability of the people around him that had a chance to pick him up."
On his assessment of his first season at Cincinnati:
"We have a long way to go. To me, the play on the field is easy to assess and it is not where we want to be, by any means. The trust and the respect in that locker room is something that people don't really understand. When you are trying to build a program, it is not just about talent. People say, 'I bet you can't wait to go and recruit and bring in your own talent.' or, when you talk to somebody and they try to make you feel better by saying, 'when you get your own guys…', no, these are our guys. These are the guys we have and, the ability to build those types of things in the locker room, is so important. The end of the season, this isn't how we planned it and how we wanted it to end. Not that we didn't want to end on a win, but we didn't want to end without an opportunity to play in a bowl game. But there are things we can build upon and there are a lot of things we exposed of ourselves, too. I think the greatest thing about being a first year (coach) is you have a big vision on where you want to go to bring this thing to the next level."
On the role momentum plays in the off-season:
"It is everything. It is an instant world now. The biggest issue we have had the entire season is being able to handle some adversity. We would give up a sack or have a penalty. People would say, 'you know, you had 11 penalties a week ago…' actually, it was 13, but the reality is being able to handle those things and move past them takes incredible maturity and an incredible amount of trust in the locker room, so, we still have a ways to go, but I think, from things like this, we have a chance to truly build."
#5 Mike Boone, RB
On how it felt to end senior year with a good game and a win:
"It felt great. It was my last game and to leave with a win in Nippert, it felt great."
On how it feels to touch the ball for the last time as a Bearcat:
"We finished with a win. Of course, I've known that (it's my last game) all weekend. Of course, I'm going to go out and give it my all."
On what it was like emotionally competing in the game going back and forth at the end:
"Just continue to fight. That's what we know. That's all Coach Fickell instilled in us. Just fight to the end."
On Cincinnati's two-point conversion, did you know that ball was going to you:
"It was designed. It could have went to me or (Tyler) Cogswell the tight end, but it came my way and I just tried to help the team make a play."
#71 Korey Cunningham, LT
On it being a long, hard season and how he feels on the aftermath of winning his final game:
"It's been a long, rough season, but it feels good. Being my last home game here at UC to come out on top. The energy right there in that locker room, that's what I'm going to miss the most. I love those guys. It's good for the rest of the team to go into the off season with a win. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the future."
On how big it was to win on your last game at UC:
"After the season we had, I was talking to the senior offensive linemen at halftime, and I said, 'We gotta end on a win.' That's probably the best feeling I can have, despite having the season we had. Leaving here on a positive note. I'm trying not to break down. First, I need to say this: Thanks to everyone here at the University of Cincinnati for taking me in five years ago. A young, small 225 pound tight end who would fall over when the wind blew. I would definitely say it was rough here at first, but I definitely would say I got a home now at UC and I will forever bleed red and black and I'll be back here every chance I get to see what Coach Fickell does with this program. It's going to be great."
On if he ever looks back to his freshman year and ever wonder who that guy was:
"I was in the hotel room last night and I scrolled to the bottom of Instagram and there was a picture of me and Garret Campbell in his car. We were about to go fishing. And we looked like fourth graders. We looked just like fourth graders. We're just like, 'man we came a long way.' We got emotional. We saw old pictures of us and our old teammate Ben Flick. And we saw that and just it was a good time and I'm glad to leave on a win and a positive note and get this program in the right direction."
On what it means to him to have Coach Fickell care so much about the seniors:
"It could be so easy for him after the rough season we had to start looking towards next year. He always has been like, right since he walked through the door like, 'this is all for the seniors, all for the seniors.' Usually, when a coach comes in here, they are preparing for the future. He is all about the seniors. Everything he's done has been all about the seniors. Especially this last week, 'all about the seniors, do it for the seniors.' It's all love. I love that coach to death. He's one of the best coaches I've definitely had."
#33 Jaylyin Minor, LB
On having to talk after tough losses, what it is like coming here and talking after a win like that:
"It feels amazing. Finishing on a win and doing it with all my brothers in Nippert Stadium. It couldn't have been any better than that. I'll have this feeling in my stomach probably for the rest of my life."
On if he had to prove himself this season:
"That's part of football. It's a waiting game. You have to wait for your chance and once you get that chance you have to take advantage of it. I've been waiting really four years. I've only played a full season this year out of my whole college career. I was a backup for the past two years. I only played about 27 percent of the snaps and only had maybe 60 tackles for both of the past years. Now, I have double that. Me being the person that I am I've learned to go through the hard time and keep driving no matter what and that's what I've been doing the past five years I've been in college, just waiting on my chance and I took advantage of it."
UConn Head Coach Randy Edsall
Opening statement:
"I'm proud of the way they played and how hard they played and all those things, but the thing that…you give yourself that opportunity and you can't do anything there. Just hand the ball to the official. We were going to go for two, I was going for two, I was going for the win. I thought we had momentum. I thought we would've got two. And then we lose that opportunity to do that and unfortunately, we miss the extra point. It's disappointing. But I'm proud of the way the kids fought and got after it. I won't really say what I feel, but it's not a good feeling right now."
On if it's an important learning moment for Hergy Mayala moving forward:
"I would hope so, but you shouldn't have to have that learning moment. We talk about that stuff all the time. That's what's disappointing. Things like that are individualistic acts and that's not what this program is all about. When you do you an individualistic act like that, now you see how it can cost the team. Catch the ball, hand the ball to the official and now we can go and play another play. But when you do that, when you try to do something that's not what the game stands for and represents, that's what held us. It was a selfish act.
On the play of David Pindell:
"I thought he did some really good things out there today. There's things he can get better at. I was disappointed with his decision there at the end of the first half. When it's third and seven, throw the ball away and we punt it and all that – don't try to make a play. That's the thing that we have to continue to get better at. These guys have to understand the situations that they are in. We had a man make a great play and intercept the ball in the end zone and try to run it out instead of just going down. We had a play down at the other end when they scored a touchdown, we made a check and we shouldn't make a check in that part of the field. There's just things we need to work on and continue to get better at with these young men. But like I said, I'm very proud of these young men and their effort in there and how they kept battling right to the very end. We just came up short.
"I think David has a chance to work hard and get better, and I think he will do that. And you have to do that, because if you don't you have other people that are going to be competing to try to take his job. That's the biggest thing. The more competition that we can create, the better we are going to be. And that's what we have to do. Now the season's over, we have to get a lot bigger, stronger, a lot faster, most especially stronger and faster. They have this week off because of the time management plan and what you have to do, but then the following week we are going to get going and get right into it before they head home for the holidays and finals and all that stuff. We expect to get better. I know we are losing a lot of seniors. Those guys, I appreciate everything they have done in their time here. I was very sorry we couldn't go out with a win here today, but we'll be right. We'll get it right."
Nov. 25, 2017
Nippert Stadium
Postgame Quotes
Cincinnati Head Coach Luke Fickell
Opening statement:
"We have never talked about the future. You guys ask me about it, maybe even last week, 'Hey, where is the program heading and what can people get excited about?' and I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to overshadow those kids that have been here for four or five, and some just two years; the guys that are the seniors. We really wanted to do this for them. This week, we actually put it on their shoulders and said, 'Hey, we will go as you guys go. Not just how you play, but how you handle yourselves, how you speak, how you walk, how you talk, your body language, your demeanor and everything about you. I can tell you that was one of the best wins we have had from that group of guys. Not that everything was perfect. It is really hard to win and there is a fine line. It doesn't just happen because of luck. It happens because of the demeanor, the body language and the energy of guys like Mike Boone and Jaylinn Minor. Those guys, to me, put it on their shoulders and I think it showed today. I am really excited about where we are headed. At this point in time, we are getting ready to talk about those 'energy' things. If it is a one-point win, it doesn't matter. It gives us a chance to push ourselves into the off-season. I think I have brought it up; we are disappointed we don't have an opportunity to play in a bowl game and disappointed we don't have those 14 practices, but I know this team is going to get a hell of a lot better and that is even outside of practice. I am not as worried about the practices we are going to miss because I think there are so many intangible things we can get so much better, even without practice, and it's that stuff in the locker room that lasts a really long time."
On his what he was feeling after seeing the extra point attempt miss:
"I have to celebrate a little more. You don't want it to be relief. You want it to be joyful. All I could think of was the seniors and how they had an opportunity to take that jersey off for the last time and have that emotion and energy. That is really all I could think about. It's not about where we are headed and looking forward, but about the struggles, the ups and the downs these guys have had and, it was almost fitting it ended that way."
On the ups and downs of the final series:
"There was a lot of gamesmanship. They have been doing it a long time. Using your time outs, trying to get a look at the formation and trying to assume what is going to happen. We might have lost one there without having a time out left for the very last one. You try to remind them (of what they will do). They took three shots at getting a PI (pass interference) or a jump ball and it ended up paying off for them in the long run. It comes down to how you truly finish and, since the day we walked in here – January 9 – we addressed the guys and told them it is going to be about how we finish. Not about how we start, but how we finish. We are going to finish because of the care and the way things are inside this locker room. It has nothing to do with talent."
On QB Hayden Moore leading the charge at the end:
"You have to be able to take some of that (rebounding from a strip-sack). That is the maturity you start to see throughout the season. I think that is what I am most proud of from those seniors and the offensive line and Mike Boone – we can get frustrated when we throw a pick and Mike Boone wants the ball in his hand and why don't we run the ball – but, what stands out is we had the ability to push past it, which we haven't done. If you really look at us in the past few weeks, when bad things happen, we have not been able to recover. Last week, we miss an interception, we miss a deep ball the very next set and the next thing you know the ball is rolling and we couldn't generate any energy. That happens to us and, even late in the game, it happened to us and you have to give the credit to our leaders, our seniors, because they didn't drop their heads. It has a lot to do with Hayden (Moore) and his ability to push past it and the ability of the people around him that had a chance to pick him up."
On his assessment of his first season at Cincinnati:
"We have a long way to go. To me, the play on the field is easy to assess and it is not where we want to be, by any means. The trust and the respect in that locker room is something that people don't really understand. When you are trying to build a program, it is not just about talent. People say, 'I bet you can't wait to go and recruit and bring in your own talent.' or, when you talk to somebody and they try to make you feel better by saying, 'when you get your own guys…', no, these are our guys. These are the guys we have and, the ability to build those types of things in the locker room, is so important. The end of the season, this isn't how we planned it and how we wanted it to end. Not that we didn't want to end on a win, but we didn't want to end without an opportunity to play in a bowl game. But there are things we can build upon and there are a lot of things we exposed of ourselves, too. I think the greatest thing about being a first year (coach) is you have a big vision on where you want to go to bring this thing to the next level."
On the role momentum plays in the off-season:
"It is everything. It is an instant world now. The biggest issue we have had the entire season is being able to handle some adversity. We would give up a sack or have a penalty. People would say, 'you know, you had 11 penalties a week ago…' actually, it was 13, but the reality is being able to handle those things and move past them takes incredible maturity and an incredible amount of trust in the locker room, so, we still have a ways to go, but I think, from things like this, we have a chance to truly build."
#5 Mike Boone, RB
On how it felt to end senior year with a good game and a win:
"It felt great. It was my last game and to leave with a win in Nippert, it felt great."
On how it feels to touch the ball for the last time as a Bearcat:
"We finished with a win. Of course, I've known that (it's my last game) all weekend. Of course, I'm going to go out and give it my all."
On what it was like emotionally competing in the game going back and forth at the end:
"Just continue to fight. That's what we know. That's all Coach Fickell instilled in us. Just fight to the end."
On Cincinnati's two-point conversion, did you know that ball was going to you:
"It was designed. It could have went to me or (Tyler) Cogswell the tight end, but it came my way and I just tried to help the team make a play."
#71 Korey Cunningham, LT
On it being a long, hard season and how he feels on the aftermath of winning his final game:
"It's been a long, rough season, but it feels good. Being my last home game here at UC to come out on top. The energy right there in that locker room, that's what I'm going to miss the most. I love those guys. It's good for the rest of the team to go into the off season with a win. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the future."
On how big it was to win on your last game at UC:
"After the season we had, I was talking to the senior offensive linemen at halftime, and I said, 'We gotta end on a win.' That's probably the best feeling I can have, despite having the season we had. Leaving here on a positive note. I'm trying not to break down. First, I need to say this: Thanks to everyone here at the University of Cincinnati for taking me in five years ago. A young, small 225 pound tight end who would fall over when the wind blew. I would definitely say it was rough here at first, but I definitely would say I got a home now at UC and I will forever bleed red and black and I'll be back here every chance I get to see what Coach Fickell does with this program. It's going to be great."
On if he ever looks back to his freshman year and ever wonder who that guy was:
"I was in the hotel room last night and I scrolled to the bottom of Instagram and there was a picture of me and Garret Campbell in his car. We were about to go fishing. And we looked like fourth graders. We looked just like fourth graders. We're just like, 'man we came a long way.' We got emotional. We saw old pictures of us and our old teammate Ben Flick. And we saw that and just it was a good time and I'm glad to leave on a win and a positive note and get this program in the right direction."
On what it means to him to have Coach Fickell care so much about the seniors:
"It could be so easy for him after the rough season we had to start looking towards next year. He always has been like, right since he walked through the door like, 'this is all for the seniors, all for the seniors.' Usually, when a coach comes in here, they are preparing for the future. He is all about the seniors. Everything he's done has been all about the seniors. Especially this last week, 'all about the seniors, do it for the seniors.' It's all love. I love that coach to death. He's one of the best coaches I've definitely had."
#33 Jaylyin Minor, LB
On having to talk after tough losses, what it is like coming here and talking after a win like that:
"It feels amazing. Finishing on a win and doing it with all my brothers in Nippert Stadium. It couldn't have been any better than that. I'll have this feeling in my stomach probably for the rest of my life."
On if he had to prove himself this season:
"That's part of football. It's a waiting game. You have to wait for your chance and once you get that chance you have to take advantage of it. I've been waiting really four years. I've only played a full season this year out of my whole college career. I was a backup for the past two years. I only played about 27 percent of the snaps and only had maybe 60 tackles for both of the past years. Now, I have double that. Me being the person that I am I've learned to go through the hard time and keep driving no matter what and that's what I've been doing the past five years I've been in college, just waiting on my chance and I took advantage of it."
UConn Head Coach Randy Edsall
Opening statement:
"I'm proud of the way they played and how hard they played and all those things, but the thing that…you give yourself that opportunity and you can't do anything there. Just hand the ball to the official. We were going to go for two, I was going for two, I was going for the win. I thought we had momentum. I thought we would've got two. And then we lose that opportunity to do that and unfortunately, we miss the extra point. It's disappointing. But I'm proud of the way the kids fought and got after it. I won't really say what I feel, but it's not a good feeling right now."
On if it's an important learning moment for Hergy Mayala moving forward:
"I would hope so, but you shouldn't have to have that learning moment. We talk about that stuff all the time. That's what's disappointing. Things like that are individualistic acts and that's not what this program is all about. When you do you an individualistic act like that, now you see how it can cost the team. Catch the ball, hand the ball to the official and now we can go and play another play. But when you do that, when you try to do something that's not what the game stands for and represents, that's what held us. It was a selfish act.
On the play of David Pindell:
"I thought he did some really good things out there today. There's things he can get better at. I was disappointed with his decision there at the end of the first half. When it's third and seven, throw the ball away and we punt it and all that – don't try to make a play. That's the thing that we have to continue to get better at. These guys have to understand the situations that they are in. We had a man make a great play and intercept the ball in the end zone and try to run it out instead of just going down. We had a play down at the other end when they scored a touchdown, we made a check and we shouldn't make a check in that part of the field. There's just things we need to work on and continue to get better at with these young men. But like I said, I'm very proud of these young men and their effort in there and how they kept battling right to the very end. We just came up short.
"I think David has a chance to work hard and get better, and I think he will do that. And you have to do that, because if you don't you have other people that are going to be competing to try to take his job. That's the biggest thing. The more competition that we can create, the better we are going to be. And that's what we have to do. Now the season's over, we have to get a lot bigger, stronger, a lot faster, most especially stronger and faster. They have this week off because of the time management plan and what you have to do, but then the following week we are going to get going and get right into it before they head home for the holidays and finals and all that stuff. We expect to get better. I know we are losing a lot of seniors. Those guys, I appreciate everything they have done in their time here. I was very sorry we couldn't go out with a win here today, but we'll be right. We'll get it right."