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| Saturday, October 14 An upset is brewing By John D. Hunter ESPN.com | |||||||||
"Any time you lose it is always a hard loss. In every game there is a winner and a loser, so someone has to lose, you just never want it to be you. I think an upset is definitely harder to bounce back from then a regular loss. When everyone thinks you are going to win and you do not, it is a shock that is more difficult to deal with than if everyone thought the game could go either way. You never want to let one slip away. "I think winning a game like that (where you're the underdog) is a big advantage to the team for the rest of the season. When everyone is against you and you still come out on top, it is truly a team victory. Being in the underdog role is a huge motivation for me." Chris Lepore, free safety Navy "A loss is no fun no matter who you lose to, but if you lose to a team who you were heavily favored to beat, that is embarrassing. On the other hand, beating a team that is heavily favored to beat you, is great. It gives you the personal satisfaction of proving someone who thought you weren't good enough wrong."
"It's very disappointing and heartbreaking. You go into the game anticipating a win with no question or doubt in your mind that you can win the game. I try to go into every game with that mentality. So losing a game against a team you beat the year before or against a team that isn't supposed to be that talented is a definite wake-up call. An upset is harder for me to bounce back from because of the emotional aspect. It is emotionally draining after the game and most of the week after the upset, because everyone is still talking about it. I am trying to regain focus and I keep hearing people talk about it or I might read something about it. You start to second-guess yourself again and think about the "what ifs". "It feels really good to overcome the odds when they are stacked against you. I also think it gives you more confidence and courage to achieve other goals down the road. Being called an underdog is always from outside people who don't know the team's goals or their individual drive to win. So it's rewarding and it feels good to win a game that no one thought you could win." Chris Palic, punter Arizona "Any loss is devastating. Obviously, you don't like to lose because that makes for a short season. Winning (when you're a heavy underdog) is the best feeling in the world. But winning is the key. Nothing else matters if you don't win." Dylen Smith, quarterback Kansas "I think it is real devastating because the game can hurt you in the long run. When you lose to a team you are supposed to beat and later in the season if one loss can ruin your season, then that game is more important than any other game. It can be the difference between a bowl game or no bowl game. "The feeling of winning a contest when we are underdogs is the greatest feeling. When people don't give you the respect and expect you to lose and then you win, the feeling of having people respect you is a real good feeling." Jashon Sykes, linebacker Colorado "It's real devastating to lose a game your heavily favored in. You go into that game with the intentions of coming away from that game with a win. But I think at this level, a loss is a loss, no matter who you are playing. You go into each game like you're supposed to win it. "It's a great feeling (when your team is an underdog and wins). It let's everyone know never to underestimate you. Any team can win every game by executing and doing the things you're supposed to do. When you accomplish that against a team that is supposed to beat you, it really makes the whole week of preparation pay off." Avon Cobourne, running back West Virginia "Can I start by saying that no loss is easy to take. At least I haven't gotten to the point where it's easy for me. It's not easy, but you accept it more honestly, when your team is favored and loses, because you know a lot of the blame sets with your team. I think the hardest is when you come close to upsetting a great team but fall short, like we did against Virginia Tech last year. Even when you've played your best, a loss is not easy." Travis Dorsch, kicker Purdue "This is a great example of why wins in college football should never be taken for granted. The minute a team begins to look past a lesser opponent towards a bigger game, they are setting themselves up for a snakebite of an upset. Those are the ones that sting the most -- the games where you get sent to the locker room with a loss knowing the whole time that you were the better team. I believe, though, that if you leave your heart on the field and play the game of football instead of playing against the name on your opponent's chest it becomes easier to deal with and have no regrets about a loss, whether it be an upset or not. "On the flip side, I don't think the feelings of winning a contest where your team is a heavy underdog should create a sense of excitement greater than that of any other victory. If you go into every game with an expectation for success, it will not surprise you when you do succeed." Greg Cicero, quarterback Baylor "Any loss is a devastating loss when you play to win every game. Winning when you are the underdog goes to show that if you prepare to win on any given day, you can." | |||||||||
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