Miami Ohio University Athletics
Miami Post-Game Quotes vs. Kent State
10/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Miami Head Coach Michael Haywood
On the game overall:
It was a really good game in the second half. I think guys came out and really played tremendous defense. We really played well on offense. The most important thing is that we won the turnover battle and we were able to get a victory.
On the defensive battles:
I think both defenses did a tremendous job. We made some midstream adjustments at halftime. It was like a chess game in the second half. No one could really get the ball moving.
On the key to generating offense:
On the sideline we were basically talking about gaining field position. Once we gained field position we were able to move the football down the field and score.
On his secondary:
What a great player Dayonne Nunley is. The most exciting part of his interception is how he kept both feet in bounds. And then Anthony Kokal comes back on their last two minute drive when they are trying to score. What a tremendous job by him (to get the interception).
Kent State Head Coach Doug Martin
His opening statement:
We did not play well enough in any phase really to win the football game, and that's kind of the bottom line. We made too many mistakes offensively and blew some opportunities to score. Of course the block punt was huge and defensively just entered the back end in what we did today. The positive about our football team is the way they fought and the mental toughness they showed coming back through all that adversely and put us in a position for us to win in the end so that was a real positive sign in what we can do. It's just a matter of rebounding from here.
On QB Spencer Keith's interceptions:
On the two interceptions he threw, one he was trying to throw away early in the game and just didn't get it far enough out of bounds and then the last one was mentally an error. It's second down, you don't have to have that play right there. But Spencer has proven he can play, and he made plays today, and we had to. In the second half particularly, he really made some key passes, and receivers came up with some great catches, and got things going there. So we will evaluate that as the season goes on, the week goes on, but Spencer's our quarterback.
On today's game plan:
The whole deal for us today was to get a running game going, which we did. We ran the ball really well and had some balance to the offense, which it kind of flipped the other way in the first half. We didn't have balance throwing it, but in the second half we made some things happen. On offense we had a couple opportunities to score, and we didn't get it done. We missed a field goal that was really a chip chop field goal. At the end, we certainly should come away with points.
On the blocked punt:
They (Miami) were in just a punt safety, and they had a defensive lineman rush and we just busted an assignment up front, we just didn't get it called right.
On the starting field position:
When the weather is like it is today, you are playing a field position game, which for the most part, we played very, very well. We did keep them ten back, and we got some short fields, and that's what I'm talking about you got to take advantage of that. That's why the two interceptions Spencer threw were so frustrating because one was on first down, and from what the 40 yard-line/30 yard-line going in, and the other one was on a second down. And that's the cardinal rule you don't turn the ball over on a first or second down interception.
On the difference in the Miami football team over the course of the year:
Miami has always had good teams, good personnel, good speed, good players, always had good quarterbacks. I think (Zac) Dysert is probably the best quarterback in the (MAC) East that I have seen so far. I haven't seen everybody though.
