Oct. 5, 2009
PHOTO GALLERY
Bronx, N.Y. - The second weekly Monday Night Quarterback Coaches Show was held tonight in the Marketplace in the McGinley Center with appearances by Fordham head coach Tom Masella, offensive line coach Eddy Morrissey and players Jason Caldwell and Clifton Stuckey.
WFUV announcers Gregg Caserta and Alex Middlesworth led off the show with audio highlights of last Saturday's 34-28 Homecoming win over Old Dominion and then went into an interview with Masella on the game. Here are some quotes from the questions:
On allowing Old Dominion to come back from a 25-7 deficit
"We talked yesterday about not finishing the game the way we wanted. That's why we are what we are record-wise. But it was nice to see the guys regroup, play hard and make the big plays down the stretch."
On the big catch by Brad Pierre on the final drive, his only catch of the day:
"Brad opened the season as a starter for us but he didn't have that success right away. It's a long season and it's important to stay positive which is what Brad did. He hung in there and made a big-time catch and run."
On John Skelton's career-high 402-yard passing day:
"After that game we're expecting 600 or 700 yards of offense this week. Seriously the good thing about John's performance was that he did it within the system. He wasn't trying to force passes and he took what the defense gave him."
On the performance of the defense:
"It was probably the best performance by the defense this year. There were nine straight Old Dominion possession that ended with a punt. You don't see that too much at this level."
On the offensive explosion Saturday when the Rams recorded a school-record 687 yards of offense:
"I've been coaching a long time and haven't seen many games that compare offensively to the one last Saturday. And the thing is I thought we could have had more yards if we held on to the ball. But it was great to see the offense get going, both the running and passing games."
On the difference between last week and the previous week with the offense:
"I think we played a young team and they had a long trip to get here. So we were really trying to play a fast-paced offense and Coach Volk put in a great game plan that we were able to execute."
On the overall offensive effectiveness:
"The guys are doing a good job at adapting to the fast-paced game with want to play. It takes a while to get used to it but they get better every week. I think they did a tremendous job moving the ball downfield on that last scoring drive to take the lead for good."
On the offensive line:
"The leadership on the offensive line is great. We have Frank Rizzo, who started the year on the defensive line, back and that's a big help. Other guys like Andrew Tyshovnytsky is working hard and getting better and that is contagious. The line does everything I ask of them."
On this week's opponent, Bryant College:
"Bryant is coming off a 6-2 win over Wagner last week but a few weeks ago they gave Hofstra, a team that beat a top-ten James Madison squad this past weekend, all they could handle. They play hard, are disciplined, are bigger inside and are well coached. We'll have to work hard all week to get ready."
Next up was Caldwell, the team's leading receiver.
On only have five catches against ODU:
"They were playing me tight but I knew that would open things up for the other guys. I don't care if I don't score or catch a pass as long as we win."
On the receiving corps:
"Most teams have one go-to guy at receiver but we don't. Coach Patterson says that we don't know who will be the go-to guy at each game which makes it harder to defend us."
Stuckey followed Caldwell:
On the defensive effort against ODU:
"Personally, it was one of the best defensive efforts I've been associated with. As Coach Masella said, there aren't many games on this level where you will force an offense to punt on nine straight possession."
On the loss of some defensive players to injury:
"It's part of the game and we can't worry about it. You just have to go out and do your job and contribute."
Masella then returned to the headset and wrapped things up with some questions from Caserta and Middlesworth while praising the play of Caldwell and Stuckey.
"Jason is in great shape and has worked very hard this season to get himself at the top of the receiving group. Cliff had some injuries over his first two years but he kept working and has played his way into the starting lineup. These two guys will have a lot to do with our success the rest of the way this year."
If you couldn't make it to the show you can listen to the archived shows at wfuv.org.
