Last night NC State lost their second straight game, falling to Syracuse 41-51 on the road. Here are some of the postgame quotes from head coach Dave Doeren, Quarterback Ryan Finley, Wide Receiver Kelvin Harmon and Linebacker Germaine Pratt.

NC STATE HEAD COACH DAVE DOEREN

Opening statement:

“Heck of a football game. I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to get back into it and make it a three-point game there at the end. Three minutes left, we had an unfortunate interception. We were shorthanded with some injuries coming in, and a lot of our guys got their first starts. Teshaun Smith, a freshman corner, fought a hard battle. We needed to score on every possession because that’s the kind of game it was. We were one possession away from winning that game. I’ve got to give Syracuse credit. Those kids played really well.”

On the defense’s inability to slow down Syracuse’s offense:

“Didn’t make enough plays on the ball. We got spooked a little bit with all the pass interference penalties being called. We were afraid to even touch a guy, and that’s just the way it is. [Syracuse’s] receivers are really good players. We’ve got to have tighter coverage.”

On his message to the team during the game:

“I just told the guys to keep playing, run our plays, and not panic. We’ll play ourselves back into the game, and we’ll get it. It played out how you would want it to in the end. We got the ball with three minutes [left], but they stopped us.”

NC STATE QB RYAN FINLEY

On what the team will learn from the loss:

“I think we have to put it behind us. The defense gave us a shot down the stretch there. Down three, we had a drive to win it, and we just didn’t make it happen.”

On if it was hard to gain momentum when Syracuse kept coming back:

“Yeah, give [Syracuse] credit. Obviously, they put up some points. They have an explosive offense, and they played well, so give them credit.”

On if the slow start in the first quarter had an impact on the outcome of the game:

“No, I don’t think so. We were behind seven at one point and had an opportunity to win. Obviously, on the last drive, we were down three and had an opportunity.”

NC STATE WR KELVIN HARMON

On his emotions after the loss:

“I’m mad that we lost because it was an ACC game. We just have to bounce back, go back to the lab and execute.”

On whether the loss is more painful because it came against an unranked team:

“I feel like a loss is a loss no matter who it comes against.”

On if he felt that the game was out of reach at halftime:

“No. We always have a four-quarter mentality, so the game isn’t over until the clock hits zero. I know that my team is a great team, so I know that as long as the clock is running, we have a shot to win.”

NC STATE LB GERMAINE PRATT

On what went wrong defensively:

“We have to get back to playing NC State defensive football. Everybody just has to do their job and compete.”

On the difficulty containing Syracuse’s offense:

“It’s so up-tempo. They did great job.”

On the defense’s performance:

“I think that the whole defense played poorly. They picked up how many points? The whole defense has to look at themselves and play better. You cannot put it on one unit or one position. The defense as a whole has to improve. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and compete.” (Cuse)