“I just try to get better every practice. We had three scrimmages, including today, and I did good, really good. The second one was really upbeat and was a big evaluation for us. I’m never satisfied. I always want to get better.”
“In the summer, I want to work on my strength, get bigger, stronger, and faster. We’re going to be here all summer working out.”
“Everyone has their own goals, to win the BIG EAST and go to a big bowl game, BCS. Everyone has that in their eyesight, so we’re going to shoot for that and take it day by day.”
Senior Safety Anthony Smith
On today’s play and effort
“We competed, did our jobs, and came out with a nice win.”
On his bloody nose that he suffered in the first half
“No, I just was overheated and got a little nose bleed, nothing serious.”
Thoughts on how the defense is coming along under Coach Robinson, also the defensive coordinator
“We are coming together real well. The philosophy they have and the energy they have is – everyone is just being real positive right now. So, it is a good thing.”
On where Diamond Ferri goes in the NFL draft
“Yeah, I was just talking with him. I wish him the best of luck and all the other guys too.”
Senior Cornerback Steve Gregory
On if this is what everybody wanted to accomplish today
“Yeah I think so. I think everybody came out, they played hard and tried to give the fans a little taste of what to expect next year. Obviously, we did not show everything that we do, but we showed enough to show that we are going to be a good team.”
On his first game back on defense and coming up with an interception
“I know it felt good. I thought I was a receiver for a second going up for the ball. It was fun, it was definitely fun.”
As far as what he saw from everybody out there and if this is the feeling the team wanted to take out of here with three or four months off now
“Yeah definitely. It’s about going out and playing hard every play, giving 110 percent and I think that is what everybody did out there today. That’s all you can ask for.”
On what the record attendance fans for a spring game took out of here today
“Just some confidence that we are going to be a really good team next year. There is light at the end of the tunnel and we are going to have something to impress people with next year.”
On whether he thinks he will be pitted against the opposition’s best receiver next season like years past when he was on the defensive side
“I hope so. I want to be against the best receiver. That is just a mentality that I have. If I am against the best receiver that means they have confidence in me.
Right now we are really not doing too much match up stuff, but we’ll see what happens when the season comes along.”
On if he feels that he can be at that position (cornerback) again
“Yeah definitely. I feel that right now I am at the top of my game and I am looking forward to next season.”
On if he feels at home now being back on defense
“Yeah it was definitely nice. It’s fun to be out there again playing with the guys I was playing with a couple of years ago. I miss it a little bit seeing those guys catch those balls (on the offensive side), but it was a lot of fun.”
On assessing what he saw out there today
“Just everybody giving 100 percent. Everybody was out there playing hard and we are trying to do the right things, do the things that were taught and coached to do. As long as we do that, I think we are going to be fine and we are going to have a great season.”
On how he thought he did
“I think I did today. We’ll watch the film and see what happened. Overall, I think everybody did good.”
On what he thinks the strength of the team is
“It is hard to tell. Just the fact that we are going to be together, just everybody coming together and playing together as a team. I think that is going to be our strength. We have a great senior class that is leading us through this thing and it is about coming together everyday and giving it our all.”
Sophomore Quarterback Joe Fields
On how he feels with spring ball all over
“I feel good. I came out here today and had fun and had a chance to compete. Everybody was competing so that was good.”
On what he hopes the fans took out of this game
“I hope they see Coach Robinson’s energy and how it rubs off on us. I hope they see the energy and the effort that we are putting out in both quarters.”
On how different the attitude of this team is compared to last spring
“It is different. You had players knowing they were not going to play or have a chance to play. This year everybody is competing. Right now we feel like we can beat everybody on our schedule. And our coaching staff has not even coached one game. Right now we are just trying to show the effort and keep getting better.”
On if the offense feels good to him at this point
“It is just like any offense. Certain things feel good and certain things you continue to work on. I feel that the offense did get in a groove. I feel that I made progress in the offense. I like it.
On whether everyone is on the same page
“We had our mistakes, but for the most part everyone knew their assignments and we did a good job of executing on most plays.”
On the new sense optimism for which everyone seems to be excited
“It is fun, just Coach Robinson and his coaching style. How you saw him out there today is how he is at practice and meetings. He makes every player feel like they are special no matter who they are. Like the walk-ons out there playing today really feel like they have a chance to compete from the support he is showing them.”
On if he got what he hoped to get out of today
“I was just out there trying to have fun and keep getting better. That’s all I wanted to do.”
On what he plans to do this summer to get the edge on the quarterback position
“I just know what I am going to do to get better as a quarterback. I am just going to continue to work on my fundamentals and see my teammates try to be on the same page.”
Quarterback Perry Patterson on feelings about spring practice:
“A sigh of relief and just a good sense of accomplishment. The whole team, I think we really improved from last year. There’s a lot of excitement. I think we’re going to have a real good season. I’m just happy with the way the team is looking right now.”
Quarterback Perry Patterson on how his performance:
“I was a little slow in the beginning, but I knew I could shrug it off. Once I got going I’d be able to hit the open receivers and things like that. We didn’t throw too much at them. We just kept it real basic.”
Quarterback Perry Patterson on the upcoming season’s offense:
“We’re going to open it up. If we’re throwing the ball well, we’re going to keep on throwing it. If we’re running the ball well, we’re going to keep running it. It’s going to be a more balanced offense. I think its going to be really exciting.”
Quarterback Perry Patterson on the fans:
“I want them to be our twelfth man out there. We had a great crowd today, one of the biggest ever for a spring game. And I just want it to continue on the rest of the season, just packed houses and things like that. It would be more intimidating.”
Wide-Receiver Landel Bembo on his spring:
“I felt like this spring was a good spring for me. I didn’t have any injuries, no hamstring problems like I did last spring. I felt like a made a big progression with my catching ability and my route running, as coach emphasized on a lot. He did emphasize on a lot of little things: catching the ball, running good routes, and blocking. He said a receiver is not going to play if he can’t block. Which I strived for this spring was to pick up my blocking from last year to this year.”