Sept. 22, 2008
Junior Offensive Lineman Kyle Jolly
On the injury to quarterback T.J. Yates:
"I am sad about it. I actually just heard the news a couple minutes ago. I am just going to try to get behind Paulus and Sexton. I feel confident in both of our backups, they are quality quarterbacks. Now it is time to get ready for Miami."
On the offensive line's performance against Virginia Tech:
"You can not blame anything on the officials and we did not play well enough to win. We have got to get our running game going. I think sometimes it is the offensive lineman not staying on their blocks long enough and other times it is the running back not making the right read or not hitting the hole. I think we need to study more film and realize where the holes are going to fit. Right now, we are blocking better in pass situations than rush situations."
On the pressure after losing the starting quarterback:
"Especially with any young quarterback, if it is Paulus, we have to give him more time to pass and get the running game going. I can see us coming together more as a team because of the loss."
On the upcoming game at Miami:
"They are young, fast and they bring a lot of pressure toward the quarterback. Any game is an opportunity for us to improve and get a win on our record."
Senior Linebacker Mark Paschal
On the injury to quarterback T.J. Yates:
"It is the nature of the game. It is not something we enjoy, but obviously it is part of the game. Anytime something like that happens, your heart has to go out to T.J. I wish him a fast recovery and he will be in our thoughts. I do not know if it adds any pressure to the defense, we are just going to play the best we can on that side of the ball. It is really unfortunate for the team, but as a defense we have to keep playing our game and step up. We have to have guys step up, individually, to counter the loss at any position."
On having confidence in the backup quarterbacks:
"I think it was almost a blessing in disguise to have T.J. miss the spring. Now that you look back, it was a great opportunity for Cam [Sexton] and Mike [Paulus] to get time under center. It will be a live game out there on Saturday and something they will have to feel their way through. It will not be an overnight thing, but we have confidence in them and we are going to be ready on Saturday."
On the differences between Sexton and Paulus:
"Cam [Sexton] has some game experience and has started in the past. From a defensive standpoint, Cam is fast and has a good arm. Mike [Paulus] it tall and big, also with a good arm too. We have two good guys that can compete and hopefully take us from here."
On the upcoming game at Miami:
"Miami is a good team, they beat Texas A & M soundly last Saturday. It is going to be another challenge defensively. They have a lot of talent and speed, but they are little young and inexperienced."
