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Note: These are not transcripts. They are selected quotes pulled from each interview.
Head Coach Steve Addazio
Opening Statement
It is great to be sitting here and being bowl eligible for the fourth time in five years and we had a hard fought game against a good UConn team. I have a lot of respect for Randy Edsall for what he has done at the University of Connecticut in the past and what he will continue to do in the future. We came out and they were well prepared and put up 172 yards in the first quarter. We were able to get ourselves back together and hold them to 8 in the second (half). We played sloppy early on both sides of the ball and then I thought we anchored ourselves back down again. We had a pretty good day... I thought it was a hard fought game, I thought it got sloppy at times early and a little sloppy at the end trying to substitute everyone out, but in between was a lot of pieces of good football in there.
On players stepping up for injured players and getting the win
Yeah it was very gratifying for all of us in that locker room. The beautiful thing about it is that we know what an unbelievable future that we have. Most of all those players will be back. We are forcing ourselves to play a lot of guys right now that would have never would have played but now they are and they are quality players. It is going to bode very well as we go forward. Right now our biggest thing is get ready for a great week, we are playing our rival Syracuse. We got such a big challenge ahead of us there.
On the offensive line
I think the line is really glued together right now. I am really proud of them, they lost Elijah in the spring and that hurt us. Then we lost the leader on the offensive line, Jon Baker. I know everyone rolls through that and it happens across college football, we are not the only team, but that was our leader, our captain, and we lost Shane Leonard. These guys have worked really really hard together, they take an awful lot of snap together.
On AJ Dillon wearing down the defense
Yeah. I thought early on we had a couple opportunities that we didn't hit on, but that's the run game. We also had a couple great opportunities down the field throwing the ball. First half it was raining so much, but in the second half we pulled it together. I think we still have yet to have the right mix with the exact personnel right now.
On Dillon's success
Yeah. He's a 200-yard runner. If we can feed him the ball and do a good job blocking for him up front, I think we're going to be able to run the football.
On winning with adversity
It makes you a tougher football team. In this conference, you have to have confidence that you can beat those teams and win week in and week out.
Running Back AJ Dillon
On running into the end zone with UConn defenders hanging on and his mindset
Definitely. That started to kick in once I started to get more towards the end zone. I go out there every offensive play and try to get in the end zone, so I did whatever I could to try to get in.
On wearing down the UConn defense throughout the game
I've always been told even in high school just playing running back, over time, you start to wear down defenses and that's no matter who you are and what defense you're playing. One thing I try to work on coming into bigger games like this is not getting discouraged when you get a negative yard carry. You just have to take advantage of the opportunities that you get.
On changing his approach when UConn stacked the defense against him
It is definitely more of a challenge when there is more guys in there, but I take it as a sign of respect. It forces me to go harder. If there's more guys in there, I want to be able to break those. I guess it's just a mindset.
On improving after the first quarter
There were some runs that I kept telling myself that I just have to keep going. That's been instilled in me for a very long time. I just kept the faith and kept my coaching in the back of my mind, just kept staying focused and kept trying to do my job.
On his mentality with Anthony Brown out
The coaches do a very good job getting the game plan all together. I mentioned last week, there is no drop-off in trust when Darius is called upon. I feel like something that is really special about us is that we all genuinely believe and trust in one another, whether it's linemen, quarterback, defense. Whoever is getting called upon is going to get the job done. Darius was a great leader today.
On being a freshman with two 200-yard games
I'm not going to say that it doesn't mean anything. I have respect for all of the guys on top ACC list. I don't have a goal in mind going into each game. I just try to help out the team however I can. It is a good feeling to know the work that I've been putting in and the team has been putting in, is coming together.
On playing at Fenway Park
This is an experience I'll never forget. I'm from Connecticut and I've been at Fenway before to watch games. I was at the Notre Dame game two years ago, thinking it must be amazing to be on that field. Today I got that opportunity. I just wanted to soak it in. The history that's here for BC and baseball and the city of Boson – definitely a special venue to be playing at. You have to take advantage of the time that you have here.
On if he pictured himself playing here two years ago
I did think about it. Coming into this week, I remember being in the stands watching that game and I imagined myself run through tackles and go score. It's been an amazing opportunity.
On being the first player in 12 years to rush for 200 yards against UConn
Definitely. I have a lot of respect for UConn. It was a cool experience. I have friends on that team. This game had a lot of special meaning for me on top of it being at Fenway. It was nice to wish everyone good luck after the game.
Safety Lukas Denis
On the secondary's three interceptions
We practice very hard. Everyone in our lineup is prepared to play their best possible game ever. Losing Kam (Moore) was devastating; that's my guy and it hurt me a lot but I knew that we had to come out here and do something for Kam.
On becoming bowl eligible after losing nine starters this season
I think it just shows how resilient our team is. The way we prepare and our mindset is to always fight. We have lost some key players this season but that has just made us want to go harder for those guys. They put a lot of time into this game. Most of these guys are seniors and we owe it to them to play like we do.
On what it would mean to win at Syracuse to finish the season
Especially as a DB, they throw the ball a lot and they are pretty successful in the pass game. That will be the ultimate challenge. I just can't wait for it and I know and all the guys back there are ready to prepare for this game. We have been waiting for this game for a long time. We are just going to go out there and try to dominate.
On the adjustments made between the first and second quarters
(UConn) had a good scheme going and they caught us not looking. We made some adjustments and put some guys in the right spots and we were able to stop those plays from happening.Defensive End Zach Allen
On Addazio telling the team it has been his most fun year coaching
Just coming in every day, it's always fun. We come in pretty early for morning practice. No one is ever tired. No one ever complains. We all just love each other. It's a lot of fun to be around and it's the most fun I've had playing football since I've been here. We are just trying to finish up the season strong and make it a special season for our seniors. Hopefully we can do that next week with a win over Syracuse and continue onto the bowl game.
On the adversity of losing so many starters and still making a bowl game
It's a testament to our "next man-up" attitude. We had some guys who really didn't think they would play this year and they have come up and done fantastic. We are really proud of those guys and we are going to continue on. We are just really excited to hopefully finish out our season strong with some wins.
On playing at Fenway
I am a Connecticut guy so this is the mecca for New England sports. During the summers, (the BC players) are here for workouts and whenever we can, we try to come (to Fenway). it's really an awesome experience. My freshman year we lost to Notre Dame in a close game but this year to get a win over UConn was really good for the program and good for everybody.
On stopping dual-threat quarterback David Pindell
He is a great athlete and a great quarterback. He makes great decisions. If you watch that UCF film, he is doing some really special things. UConn is a great program so we really gave them the respect they deserve. Luckily, we were able to stop them and get to a bowl game.