Oct. 4, 2008

Recap |  Final Stats

Ashland, Ohio -

POST GAME QUOTES FROM THE WAYNE STATE LOCKER ROOM

Wayne State at Ashland

Head Coach Paul Winters

-- thoughts on the game

"It was a total team loss. I think we didn't play very well on special teams today. We didn't cover very well, we didn't return very well. I thought defensively we played this team pretty well and I can't take anything away from our defensive effort. I just thought offensively it was poor. It was extremely poor and it was extremely disappointing."

-- on the quarterback change

"Kevin is stronger than that. I'm not worried about a mental breakdown. I wanted to change our momentum. We didn't have anything going with Kevin; he was pressing. It was a situation where I thought I had to make a change."

-- on whether Mickey Berce earned a start

"I think Mickey did what we expected him to do. When called upon, he was prepared. He got banged up a bit; I'm not sure how healthy he is right now. I've got a lot of time and a long ride to think about this."

-- on Ashland

"They're a good football team. Their quarterback is a special player, their running back is a special player. They played well; we didn't play well."

-- on the dropped passes

"Are you asking me whether the five-to-ten dropped passes were too many? We've got good football players who didn't perform. We go back, we practice, we get better at it. Just catch the ball. This isn't rocket science. The ball is thrown there, you catch. It's that easy. Their guys caught it, our guys didn't. They won, we didn't. I'm not saying our receivers lost the game; like I said, it was a team effort."

Starting Quarterback Kevin Smith

-- on his performance

"I just played horrible. That's all I can say. It was embarrassing. Two interceptions -- it was embarrassing. I didn't help our defense out at all with the turnovers. I wasn't into it today. It was a horrible performance."

-- on his ability to rebound next week

"Yeah, I know I will be able to rebound. I've got to put this one in the past and look forward to next week."

Senior Quarterback Mickey Berce

-- on what coach Paul Winters said before he made the quarterback switch

"He just told me to get ready and stay ready. He's told me to stay ready ever since he decided to put Kevin in there. I've just been staying ready, staying focused and staying within the game plan."

-- on whether he played with more intensity since his benching

"I've stayed thirsty throughout my time being out and just being focused. I don't really question what coach Winters does; it's to help the team and that's all we are here to do -- get a winning season and get moving. I've had a chip on my shoulder since I've been here. It was great to get back out there and make some throws."

-- on one reason the Warriors lost to Ashland

"I think it was just a collective team loss because we didn't execute on offense as well as defense, (though I can't really speak for defense because I don't play it), but on offense, we just didn't execute the gameplan the way coach Winters set us up to do it."

Senior Defensive Tackle Jason Thomas

-- on why the defense faltered

"We just made some small mistakes. I just think we need to play harder. We just need to play our game like we have been."