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UTA Post-game Comments from Andy Benoit

Oct. 31, 2009

UNO Head Coach Andy Benoit answered questions from PrivateerFootball.com following the Privateers 44-7 road victory at Texas-Arlington.

Injury report?  Did Robert Jones go down with an injury?  Anyone else?

Coach Benoit: "Robert Jones had a cramp and was fine. We are fairly healthy this week. We do have a couple of guys out with the flu right now, but that should improve before Saturday. We still have a few guys out – SS Mike McNamara, LB Matt Marin, FB Lino Castigliola, FS Deric Augustine. All of those are out for the year. Other than that, we are good."

Chris Brady had an impressive game.  Each week he seems to be getting better.  How important is he to this offense?

Coach Benoit: "The entire offense is clicking. We have seen them get better each game. UTA was our best game of the year. Chris had his best game of the year, even though he says he could have had a better game. I was proud of what he did at UTA. Chris is our offensive general out there. So goes Chris, so goes our offense. He’s a captain and a leader and I am always proud of his determination and toughness."

Your team obviously responded well coming off such a disappointing loss to Miami.  Did you have any indication that they were going to come out so ready to play?  Did you prepare them any different this week?

Coach Benoit: "Coming off that disappointing loss against Miami, the team rallied around each other. We said what we should have as coaches, but the players – especially the leaders – really stepped up. Last week, we had a couple of practices with the off week schedule. This week, it’s back to our regular schedule."

The Maverick frustration level was pretty high and they started drawing penalties late in the game.  Is there bad blood between these two teams?

Coach Benoit: "No bad blood, just a level of competition. That’s going to become a good rivalry game for us. I understand their frustration, we have seen that a few times on our side. We had a different perspective this time however. Their coaches and the core of their players will make that team grow and get better. We look forward to more games against them in the future."

How will you approach the bye week?

Coach Benoit: "The bye week helped us to heal and enhance our focus. It also allowed our guys some time around mid-terms to strengthen their position in the classroom."

Looking forward to Xavier, what kind of game do you expect against the Musketeers? 

Coach Benoit: "Xavier is a good team. They have lost a few more games this year than they are used to, but they are by no means any less of a threat than we saw last year. Coach Powers and his staff do a great job of getting the players ready to play. What we can expect is a very physical game. This will be a game in the same fashion that we experienced against Miami. They know how to win and will give us a good contest. This will be a great Homecoming game – some quality football and it will definitely worth the price of admission."

The Xavier game will represent the first time UNO has officially held Homecoming during a football game.  How special is that for you and your team?

Coach Benoit: "This game means a lot to all of us. The student body voted to have homecoming with football for the first time. It’s going to be special. I cannot say enough about how hard the University community has been working to make this game special. Tailgating will be awesome. Bag o’ Donuts will be great. The entire night should be something that all of us will remember for a long, long time. The guys are ready and extremely excited about this opportunity – I think everyone will see this at the bonfire on Friday night and during the game. For all the loyal Privateer fans, we will all be able to share in a historical night for our University."