Nov. 26, 2011
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Postgame Quotes
Norfolk State
Head Coach Pete Adrian
"I was pleased with how our season went, obviously not pleased with the result today. You can't be anybody with 18 penalties and we have nobody to blamed but ourselves. Converting just three third downs on the day isn't going to get it done either. Old Dominion is a good team, there is no question about that. Our game plan was to make them throw deep and we just didn't play well defensively. We were fairly good against the run, but Taylor Heinicke has the uncanny ability to find guys open down the field on the run and we just didn't have an answer for that. I think this series is going to be great for both teams and for the city. I know our players, coaches and fans are looking forward to it."
Quarterback Chris Walley
"It was a good start for us no doubt. We have to be able to maintain that offensively and defensively. We were confident as a team early and throughout the game really. It was no secret that this game was going to be a challenge for us. The fans definitely showed up and made some noise today, but we have been in hostile environments before this season, especially at West Virginia early on in the year."
Linebacker Hasan Craig
"We focused on the pass game for ODU. There were a lot of miscommunications and blown assignments today that led to points for them. He (Heinicki] is a very good quarterback. Things got mixed up in the secondary too many times."
Old Dominion
Head Coach Bobby Wilder
"What an incredible atmosphere here today for this game. We are very excited with the win and how we played. I felt like we overcame some adversity early on with the long touchdown play for them and then nearly losing the kickoff immediately afterwards. I thought we played solid all around after that with special teams and the blocks, the defense shutting them down and then the offense really clicking through the air. Our run game wasn't great, but credit Norfolk State for that, they are exceptional against the run. We wanted to play fast on offense and were able to do that to induce pressure on them. I thought Heinicke was very poised, he made good decisions and the pressure was on him with the running game stalling. We played more perimeter defense to prevent them from running too many screens which they do an excellent job of running. We are a little banged up defensively and have a tremendous challenge ahead of us in Georgia Southern."
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke
"I thought we had a good chance to excel with the athletic and intelligent receivers we have and the man coverage that Norfolk State was playing. They dropped eight guys most of the game and they're athletic and fast so I just had to be patient and wait for the holes to open up and find our guys."
Wide Receiver Prentice Gill
"I misjudged the first touchdown a little bit. I was able to recover and get past the defender and pull it in for the score. Taylor's touch was great today. He put it in a spot that only I could get to on several occasions."
Wide Receiver Nick Mayers
"It was a blessing for us local guys to be able to play in front of our home fans for both teams. There were so many friends and family able to watch it in person so it was terrific for our players and theirs."
Defensive Tackle Ronnie Cameron
"We had the mentality on the defensive line that we were going to get off the ball quickly and stop the run. After that, we knew they had a good quarterback and that we would have to disrupt his rhythm to be successful. I think the noise had an affect on their offense. It was tough to hear over there for them. We had to move past that opening big play, it was unfortunate for our guys to collide into one another. Part of being a good team is moving on and not dwelling on one play for the rest of the game. It was all about being resilient and responding. The fans were great all season and came out in full force again today which got us pumped up."