WMU vs. Buffalo Post-Game Quotes

Western Michigan

Head Coach P.J. Fleck

Overall thoughts
“Thank you to our fans. Thank you to our student section. Thank you to our community. You all deserve a winner. I feel bad for you. I do. You're all hurting here at homecoming and with alumni. I know you're hurting and I am the guy to blame. I promise you this, you deserve a winner and you will get a winner. I can't tell you when, or promise you when but you will get a winner. You will get a solid winner year after year after year, but I just can't promise you when. I wish I could. I believe in this community and I love this community, and that's why I'm here. I believe in this program and I believe in what we are doing. I believe in our players past, present and future players. I am so darn proud to be your football coach, even though some of you aren't proud to have me as your football coach. I am still proud. I promise you this, you all deserve a winner and I am going to give you a winner eventually. Keep rowing the boat. You're not going to win many games when you don't execute. I think we were in the game for a long time but then things would happen and we couldn't get anything going. That comes from a lot of things like experience, camaraderie, different people playing, and youth; those are all the excuses but it is what it is. We didn't play well enough to win the football game. We've just got to get better. I have told you that from day one. There is no depth in our offense. We need some guys to step up and make plays. It's not a mystery why we lost this football game. You bet there are positives to take from this. It sounds like a broken record from me but how they played and their aggression was a positive. But that's not what the fans and media want to hear, they want a “W” and I get you. But if this is what has to happen to get what this program wants then it's worth it. It falls on my shoulders 100 percent, and it is my responsibility.”

Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Zach Terrell

On first career start
“Honestly, I thought I did some things pretty well, and some other things not so well. There's a lot to learn from this game. Obviously I would have loved to get a win and the best way to come out for my first time. We just have to get back to work and get better.”

Senior DT Travonte Boles

On Buffalo's performance
“They are a really good team and I give them a lot of credit. They made adjustments just like we do. They came out in the second half with a little more fire. They were a lot more sound in the second half. They made more plays than we did.”

Junior SS Justin Currie

On defensive performance
“Coach put together a great plan. We always talk about knowing what we have to do but we have to go do it. Sometimes we were solid, and others we had our gaps. It just came down to us needing to go out and doing what we were supposed to do.”

Buffalo

Head Coach Jeff Quinn's opening statement:

“Well, as always, you know when you go on the road in this league, you really depend heavily on your leadership, and I thought our leadership did a great job today defensively, outstanding performance. To get a shut out on the road against a very good football team, says a lot about our leadership, and the takeaways in the second half obviously made a difference, not really the best or well executed first half that I would have liked to see, but I just thought our kids did a good job, our coaches did in the half and coming out in the second half and getting some takeaways, capitalizing on them, I thought our defense was tremendous. Colby Way, Khalil Mack, Redden, Lee Skinner, all those guys, I mean, Beau Bachtelle, tremendous group of young men.”

Colby Way on the satisfaction of a shut out on the road:

“We haven't seen a shut out since we played Rhode Island a couple years ago, and it just feels good to have that satisfaction, and not only the defense, but as a whole team. You know, the offense played phenomenal in the second half. You know, the better they play the easier, or the more it keeps the defense off the field and keeps the momentum going, so a shut out just feels great and it will keep the momentum going into next week”

Branden Oliver on establishing the ground game:

“I just want to give my glory to God, first and foremost for having me here, but that was the game plan, to come in and run the ball. We knew we were going to run it. I mean, first play of the game we ran last year, it was the same play this year. So, that's what we want to do and we control the game like that.”

Joe Licata on the TD pass to Mason:

“We had a route for Mason break into the corner, he's a big 6'5” kid and you put the ball up there, he's going to go get it. So, I liked the match up, pre-snap. He got his feet in bounds, I don't know how close it was but I guess he did it. He did a great job getting his feet down. He's a heck of a player. He's a young kid, I'm excited to have him for the next couple of years.”