Coach Meyer: “It is great to be 8-1. Obviously we have some more work to get done, but overall I felt that our guys played well.”
UF Head Coach Urban Meyer
On the three interceptions thrown by Chris Leak:
“I thought our execution today was pretty good if you take away the three picks. But you cannot take away the three picks. It is something that he has got to work on. But we made a concerted effort to throw the ball downfield today. We matched up well at wide receiver today.”
On the two blocked punts by Florida on special teams:
“Ryan Smith and Reggie Nelson did a tremendous job. They are very fast players and they did a tremendous job today.”
On the Vanderbilt interception at the end of the first half:
“The last couple of minutes of the first half and the first couple of minutes of the second half are the momentum changers. But I am proud of our team that we were able to move on from that.”
On the performance of the Florida offensive line:
“There was not much experience there to begin with this year and they have been overmatched at times. And then we have been hit with some injuries. So it is tough to deal with.”
On the possibility of clinching the SEC East if LSU defeats Tennessee:
“It would be great for our program. We are going to get on the plane and we are big LSU fans right now. LSU is a very talented team by the way. Is Eric Ainge playing today?”
On the performance of wide receiver Dallas Baker, who made seven catches for 135 yards and a touchdown:
“Dallas played great today. A lot of the passing game is about matchups, and Dallas matched up very well today.”
On Florida’s ability to turn a botched snap on an extra point attempt into a two-point conversion:
“It was huge. Our long snapper snapped the ball with the whistle. He made a mistake. He is usually pretty consistent.”
On the performance of Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett, who made 13 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown:
“I think that he is an NFL wide receiver. It is a shame that he is only a sophomore and that we have to see him the next couple of years.”
On whether Florida is a championship caliber team:
“I think that winning is all that matters. I think that our punt return team is a championship level team. But are we at that level in all facets? No.”
On Vanderbilt scoring late to make it a close game:
“I felt that our guys at the end of the game on defense got pushed in a little bit. But I think that is a product of fatigue and of the schedule that we play.”
On whether a one-loss SEC team should make the BCS title game over an undefeated team from the Big East:
“I have my opinions on that but I have to be careful with them. A team making it through the SEC with only one loss is probably as good as any team in America… There is a correlation between having good offensive statistics and playing bad defenses. But I can’t worry about all of that. I just need to worry about our team.”
On the evolution of Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Nickson:
“The thing that is alarming about Chris Nickson is that he is becoming an accurate thrower. I don’t think he was all that accurate at the beginning of the year.”
Junior Wide Receiver Andre Caldwell
On the offense’s performance:
“We made a couple big plays. We’re just going to move forward and try to get better. Try to put up more points. We need to stop some of those silly penalties”
On the play of the UF wide receivers:
“We always plan on opening it up a bit. We used it a lot more today. Coach realized who his big playmakers are and tried to get them the ball. When we (Dallas Baker and Caldwell) are out there together we feel like we are unstoppable.”
Junior Linebacker Brandon Siler
On the team’s feeling after the win and potentially clinching the SEC East with UT loss:
“We feel good. We control our own fate. This was a big win. We haven’t been 8-1 in a long time. We’re going to play football and try to win the SEC championship”
Senior Quarterback Chris Leak
On his interceptions:
“We need to limit our mistakes. There were a lot of good things that we did today. It’s just the little things we need to work on. You always want to attack and stay aggressive. You don’t want the defense to dictate.”
On wide receivers Dallas Baker and Andre Caldwell:
“Those guys are great. Guys with speed that put a lot of stress and pressure on defenses. That helps us a lot. Give credit to Dallas for running good routes and reading the coverage. The offensive line had great protection and picking up blitzes and he was able to get to open spaces. When he’s out there 1-on-1 you have to be looking for him.”
Vanderbilt Quotes
VU Head Coach Bobby Johnson
Opening statement:
“I’m proud of our players for playing hard and not giving up. We just gave them too many opportunities early on and that cost us the game. At times we played well enough to win. Florida is a very fine team with outstanding athletes. They weren’t going to give you any gifts.”
On the play of VU’s defense:
“We were backed up the whole first half and Florida had good field position. Our defense minimized the damage as best they could.”
On special teams play:
“Two blocked punts is a disappointment, but we’ve been pretty solid in special teams most of the year.”
On sophomore WR Earl Bennett (13 catches, 157 yards, TD):
“Earl Bennett is becoming about as sure as you can be. If we protect the quarterback then Bennett has a good chance of catching it. We can expect him to get open and keep catching it.”
Linebacker Jonathan Goff
“I think we were inconsistent as a defense. I’ll have to look at the film. We have to come out and play every down.”
Wide Receiver Earl Bennett
“Offensively, we came out and played well. We had a few mental errors, but overall a good effort. Deep down I felt like we should have won this game.”
On Chris Nickson’s Play:
“Chris is a great player. He stayed composed, he was never rattled, and he’s athletic. He’s doing a great job right now.”
Linebacker Kevin Joyce
“I liked the intensity our defense came out and played with today. We just have to get rid of our mistakes.”
Quarterback Chris Nickson
On What He Took Away From Today’s Game:
“Today was our first game where we were down a lot and still had an opportunity to come away with a win. We learned how to deal with those situations today. We have to maintain our confidence and keep our momentum.”