After losing weight in the off-season, junior LB Shaq Quarterman says he’s never felt fresher at a midway point of a season than this year in 2018.
“I feel amazing. It’s night and day from last season to even my freshman season,” Quarterman said. “I feel great.”
When watching film on UM’s next opponent Boston College, their gameplan for every game is pretty obvious: run the ball.
“They do what they do very well. There are no disguises. They want to run the ball,” Quarterman said. “The game is going to be fought in the trenches and it’s going to be fought there often, every play. We can’t get tired of playing the power or playing the stretch because they will run it back-to-back-to-back until we stop it. So, that’s what we have to look forward to.”
Quarterman will be counted on even more this week to stop the power run game of BC and will be asked to help plug up the middle of the field.
“I’m very excited. Just getting the chance to play again, I’m very excited to be playing with my guys,” Quarterman said. “I love away games personally. I’m looking forward to the whole deal.”
On the attitude of the team after the UVA loss: “It’s been great. Honestly, we’ve had really great practices after that. We practiced a couple of times last week, came back yesterday, got back to work and had a great practice and today we had another one. We’re just adding fuel to the fire in that regard.”
With already one conference loss to a divisional contender, Quarterman knows that Miami will have to win out to realistically have a shot at winning the Coastal.
“We cannot, we cannot (lose),” Quarterman said. “The plan is to win every game, but we take them one game at a time. Every Saturday, Friday, we take it one game at a time… It’s all about execution. If we do what we’re supposed to do, at least on defense with the turnovers, this game is a game of momentum and once we get the momentum in our favor, it’s going to be a good outcome usually.”
“The last thing we have is a loss going into a big away game. I think [the bye] adds more positive than people might think, especially giving us a chance to heal up quite a bit. I think it’s been good for us.”
Quarterman nicked up his ankle in the UNC game a few weeks back and had to leave the game. However, the third year linebacker said he’s fine heading into BC.
“I’m feeling good,” Quarterman said. “Our staff does a really great job getting us in the position to be ready to play and nobody plays 100 percent. After the first game of the season, you’re going to have a bump or bruise or this or that, that you just have to play with and I’m here.”
**Redshirt senior DT Gerald Willis feels that the challenge presented by BC’s offensive line will be the toughest he’s faced all year.
“There are some big boys up front. We haven’t faced an O-Line like that, a physical O-Line like that,” Willis said. “D-Line, we’re up for a challenge and we’re ready for it. I know I’m ready just to be facing a physical O-Line because we haven’t faced any all year.”
On Boston College running back AJ Dillon, who was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2017, Willis said “he’s great. He’s a good back. He runs downhill great. If you don’t tackle him low, he can bounce off. I think this going to be the first big back we’ve faced all year. Like I said, I’m looking forward to it and I’ll make sure I hit him low.”
Losing to UVA just before the bye week made the extra time off seem like an eternity to Willis, but now he is pumped to get back on the field.
“It was tough. It’s a nasty taste in our mouth that we’re not used to,” Willis said. “Defense, as a team, just forgot about the LSU game and that nasty taste in our mouth. We just needed to be punched in the mouth again. The defense will hold it down and be ready ball out in [BC’s] stadium.”
What has Willis seen from the offense since the UVA game?
“I see progress. I see more they’re playing with each other. They’re having fun out there. This is probably the best practices we’ve had in a couple of weeks. I’m really excited for the offense. They’re getting things together and they know they have to do better… Execution, just the team being with each other, a lot of excitement going on and I’m on the other side of the field and I just hear a lot of screaming over there. I just hope guys can get it together so we can win out.”
On what the defense has to do better to stay such a highly-rated stop-unit, Willis pointed to “hitting run blocks better. That’s something we really have to focus on. The Virginia game we had a little hiccup, we weren’t hitting the run blocks. We really have to hit the run blocks better because we’re facing a big, physical offensive line and all they do is pound the ball.”
**Sophomore CB Trajan Bandy has been effective in run support this season coming in from the secondary, and he’s going to be relied on to make sure Boston College doesn’t break any big runs to the outside on Friday with their high-powered running game.
“We’re going to have to tackle,” Bandy said. “We know the ball is going to spit out to the sideline and we’re going to have to come up, make a lot of tackles and be physical this game.”
On BC running back AJ Dillon: “I haven’t really watched a lot of film on him. We just know he’s a big guy, we have to come with our A-game and we have to get that guy on the ground.”
How did he spend his fall break in which the team got three days off?
“I think every team needs a break. I think every team needs a break from football just to get around their family,” Bandy said. “I just laid back, chilled, hydrated, rested my body and prepared my body to take on the long rest of the season.”
Miami played poorly in their first cold weather game of the season against UVA and will face similar temperatures at night against BC this week.
“I just know it’s going to be really cold. It’s going to be different,” Bandy said. “Down here, it’s always 100 degrees. It’s going to be different for us, but I just think we have to stay tuned in on what we have to do and go out there and perform well.”
**Senior S Sheldrick Redwine is putting the UVA loss in the rear-view mirror and is ready to focus on the task at hand.
“It’s the next week. As soon as we got in there, it was a little down time, but we’re coming on to this week now and forget about it now. It’s on to the next opponent,” Redwine said. “There’s nothing we can do, can’t just sit around and mope for the rest of the season. We have another opportunity this week and we have to take advantage of it.”
Does Redwine ever try and pick up the offense when they’re struggling?
“Always. We try and uplift the entire team,” Redwine said. “Everybody can get better. No unit on this team is perfect. We understand that. It’s a game of football, sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it’s not. It’s never 100 percent going to go your way. I’m constantly trying to pick everybody up, from the young guys who are still struggling to find things out. It’s not just on them, it’s as a team and a whole, we have to build together.”
UM’s offense put the team in an early hole against UVA in their last game with two turnovers and giving the defense even less margin of error. According to Redwine, it’s no problem.
“I don’t feel, we don’t feel any pressure at all,” Redwine said. “If we have a sudden change, like if the offense turns the ball over, the defense, we crowd around and all I see is smiles in the huddle. Coach Diaz is clapping. He’s happy because it’s another chance for us to go out there and prove why we’re the best.”
“I feel amazing. It’s night and day from last season to even my freshman season,” Quarterman said. “I feel great.”
When watching film on UM’s next opponent Boston College, their gameplan for every game is pretty obvious: run the ball.
“They do what they do very well. There are no disguises. They want to run the ball,” Quarterman said. “The game is going to be fought in the trenches and it’s going to be fought there often, every play. We can’t get tired of playing the power or playing the stretch because they will run it back-to-back-to-back until we stop it. So, that’s what we have to look forward to.”
Quarterman will be counted on even more this week to stop the power run game of BC and will be asked to help plug up the middle of the field.
“I’m very excited. Just getting the chance to play again, I’m very excited to be playing with my guys,” Quarterman said. “I love away games personally. I’m looking forward to the whole deal.”
On the attitude of the team after the UVA loss: “It’s been great. Honestly, we’ve had really great practices after that. We practiced a couple of times last week, came back yesterday, got back to work and had a great practice and today we had another one. We’re just adding fuel to the fire in that regard.”
With already one conference loss to a divisional contender, Quarterman knows that Miami will have to win out to realistically have a shot at winning the Coastal.
“We cannot, we cannot (lose),” Quarterman said. “The plan is to win every game, but we take them one game at a time. Every Saturday, Friday, we take it one game at a time… It’s all about execution. If we do what we’re supposed to do, at least on defense with the turnovers, this game is a game of momentum and once we get the momentum in our favor, it’s going to be a good outcome usually.”
“The last thing we have is a loss going into a big away game. I think [the bye] adds more positive than people might think, especially giving us a chance to heal up quite a bit. I think it’s been good for us.”
Quarterman nicked up his ankle in the UNC game a few weeks back and had to leave the game. However, the third year linebacker said he’s fine heading into BC.
“I’m feeling good,” Quarterman said. “Our staff does a really great job getting us in the position to be ready to play and nobody plays 100 percent. After the first game of the season, you’re going to have a bump or bruise or this or that, that you just have to play with and I’m here.”
**Redshirt senior DT Gerald Willis feels that the challenge presented by BC’s offensive line will be the toughest he’s faced all year.
“There are some big boys up front. We haven’t faced an O-Line like that, a physical O-Line like that,” Willis said. “D-Line, we’re up for a challenge and we’re ready for it. I know I’m ready just to be facing a physical O-Line because we haven’t faced any all year.”
On Boston College running back AJ Dillon, who was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2017, Willis said “he’s great. He’s a good back. He runs downhill great. If you don’t tackle him low, he can bounce off. I think this going to be the first big back we’ve faced all year. Like I said, I’m looking forward to it and I’ll make sure I hit him low.”
Losing to UVA just before the bye week made the extra time off seem like an eternity to Willis, but now he is pumped to get back on the field.
“It was tough. It’s a nasty taste in our mouth that we’re not used to,” Willis said. “Defense, as a team, just forgot about the LSU game and that nasty taste in our mouth. We just needed to be punched in the mouth again. The defense will hold it down and be ready ball out in [BC’s] stadium.”
What has Willis seen from the offense since the UVA game?
“I see progress. I see more they’re playing with each other. They’re having fun out there. This is probably the best practices we’ve had in a couple of weeks. I’m really excited for the offense. They’re getting things together and they know they have to do better… Execution, just the team being with each other, a lot of excitement going on and I’m on the other side of the field and I just hear a lot of screaming over there. I just hope guys can get it together so we can win out.”
On what the defense has to do better to stay such a highly-rated stop-unit, Willis pointed to “hitting run blocks better. That’s something we really have to focus on. The Virginia game we had a little hiccup, we weren’t hitting the run blocks. We really have to hit the run blocks better because we’re facing a big, physical offensive line and all they do is pound the ball.”
**Sophomore CB Trajan Bandy has been effective in run support this season coming in from the secondary, and he’s going to be relied on to make sure Boston College doesn’t break any big runs to the outside on Friday with their high-powered running game.
“We’re going to have to tackle,” Bandy said. “We know the ball is going to spit out to the sideline and we’re going to have to come up, make a lot of tackles and be physical this game.”
On BC running back AJ Dillon: “I haven’t really watched a lot of film on him. We just know he’s a big guy, we have to come with our A-game and we have to get that guy on the ground.”
How did he spend his fall break in which the team got three days off?
“I think every team needs a break. I think every team needs a break from football just to get around their family,” Bandy said. “I just laid back, chilled, hydrated, rested my body and prepared my body to take on the long rest of the season.”
Miami played poorly in their first cold weather game of the season against UVA and will face similar temperatures at night against BC this week.
“I just know it’s going to be really cold. It’s going to be different,” Bandy said. “Down here, it’s always 100 degrees. It’s going to be different for us, but I just think we have to stay tuned in on what we have to do and go out there and perform well.”
**Senior S Sheldrick Redwine is putting the UVA loss in the rear-view mirror and is ready to focus on the task at hand.
“It’s the next week. As soon as we got in there, it was a little down time, but we’re coming on to this week now and forget about it now. It’s on to the next opponent,” Redwine said. “There’s nothing we can do, can’t just sit around and mope for the rest of the season. We have another opportunity this week and we have to take advantage of it.”
Does Redwine ever try and pick up the offense when they’re struggling?
“Always. We try and uplift the entire team,” Redwine said. “Everybody can get better. No unit on this team is perfect. We understand that. It’s a game of football, sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it’s not. It’s never 100 percent going to go your way. I’m constantly trying to pick everybody up, from the young guys who are still struggling to find things out. It’s not just on them, it’s as a team and a whole, we have to build together.”
UM’s offense put the team in an early hole against UVA in their last game with two turnovers and giving the defense even less margin of error. According to Redwine, it’s no problem.
“I don’t feel, we don’t feel any pressure at all,” Redwine said. “If we have a sudden change, like if the offense turns the ball over, the defense, we crowd around and all I see is smiles in the huddle. Coach Diaz is clapping. He’s happy because it’s another chance for us to go out there and prove why we’re the best.”
