Quotes From Monday's Football Press Conference
October 04, 2004 | Football
Oct. 4, 2004
Audio Clips
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Head coach Bobby Petrino and selected players made themselves available to the media for the weekly football press conference on Monday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. They discussed U of L's 59-7 win over East Caroina last Saturday and the 20th-ranked Cards' upcoming road showdown against No.4 Miami on Thursday, Oct. 14. Kick off between the Cardinals and Hurricanes is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in the Orange Bowl and will be the first of four straight U of L games to be televised by ESPN.
Following the Miami game, the Cardinals return home to host Conference USA foe South Florida on Friday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
On whether he has looked at any film on Miami as of yet:
"I came in a little early this morning and started watching them. They are really good on defense and very big on the defensive front. They are very active and play a lot of very tight coverage. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get ready for them. We are going to have to find a way to run the ball...its certainly a very big challenge ahead of us.
"Offensively, they run the ball well. They have a power running game, which is a little bit different than some of the things we've seen. We're going to have to put some pressure on Brock Berlin to be able to make him have to throw and then get some pass rush against him."
On what a win against Miami would mean to the program:
"I think it's a big opportunity for us. I know we took care of our business so far this season, going 4-0, which is a good thing. They are certainly a great program and they've been very dominant and they're going to be a big challenge for us. I think it will be a good measuring stick to see where we are...we're going to have to play really well to win the game."
On the need to talk to his team about how good Miami is:
"Well, we'll just turn the video on. They are very fast and they are very well coached.
On the possibility of replicating the speed of the Miami defense:
"That's (duplicating Miami's speed) going to be the hardest thing to do in practice...I think our defense is fast and have been playing very fast because they understand what they're doing but it will still be hard to get the exact look that you need to see."
On the condition of injured So. OT Renardo Foster after the E. Carolina game:
"Renardo is not doing good. In fact I found out this morning he does have a torn ligament. They're going to let the swelling go down and he'll have surgery in a couple of weeks, so that's a big loss for us...I really feel bad for Renardo. He was really doing well...it's real unfortunate."
On the style of Miami coach Larry Coker:
"He has a winning style. They just do a good job. They've got great players, they are well-coached, and understand the situations in a game. They've been able to win games in the fourth quarter and come from behind. They have a lot of tradition going for them. When you look at program you'd like to emulate, we would certainly like to grow up and be like Miami...
On whether his players will have the confidence to believe they can win at Miami:
"I think we'll go in there really confident. We are going to have to make sure that we play to our ability and don't do things that are unusual. Sometime you get in a big game and you get out of your element. We're just going to have to stay focused and keep our poise and be in it for all four quarters. We're going to have a good time and go down there and go out and do the best we can and enjoy it. It's something that we're excited about doing. They are certainly a very fine football team and there's a reason that they are. But we're certainly going to enjoy the preparation and take it very seriously."
On what a win would mean to the program:
"It would certainly help us a lot. It would help us a lot in recruiting and help our ranking go up a little bit. Some one told me today that we have the third most players from the state of Florida (of any team in the country) on our team, so we're definitely going to recruit down there. A lot of our players are of from down there and I think we're going to have a real good number of fans from Louisville going down to the game. So it would be nice to go down and do well."
On Miami DB Antrell Rolle:
"In the first games of the year he played corner and in some of their nickel and dime (packages). Last week they kept him out at the corner. I would think he would come back inside and play some of the nickel and dime position against us. When they blitz, they man (coverage behind the blitz), and say beat us. So we're going to have to find a way to do it."
On Miami's play so far this year given their personnel losses on defense:
"I think it is. They had all those guys that got drafted high and went to the NFL. They do a great job of coaching. They know how to take runs away..and they do a great job with their line games, and their defensive ends and they are certainly going to be a tremendous challenge.
On how he believes Miami will attempt to stop his team:
"They just do a great job with their linebackers (against the run) of taking on the blocks with the correct shoulder. You watch some teams on video and you think you have a pretty good chance to pop some different runs...but they really coordinate the front coverage and the linebackers out together for the running game first....but they are very well coached."
On whether he will play one or two quarterbacks against Miami:
"We'll stay on the path we've been on and see what happens."
On any areas (with his team) that he is concerned with at this point:
"Well we're going to try and improve on everything. But I'd like to see us cover our kickoffs and punts much better than we did the other day...and they have a great return game, so we're going to have to kick the ball where it needs to be kicked and cover and make sure we're in the right lanes...in the Houston game they made a lot of plays on special teams to get their lead, with the blocked punt and a couple of real nice punt returns. So that's a real concern for us right now and we're definitely going to have to spend a lot of time on that from now until a week from Thursday."
On his teams speed on defense versus the Miami offense:
"Well I like our speed. I think that they'll probably challenge us more than any other team has as far as the power running game...our guys have done a real nice job when we've been able to shut the run down on first down and make people have to throw the ball. And the thing I like is that we've been able to watch with our defense it that guys are playing fast and we're getting a lot of red jerseys to the football and our effort has been good. And I think that's why we've been able to make a lot of plays...along with the fact that we are pretty fast."
On the most critical part of doing well against their defensive backs:
"It's really a three part deal. First it's the protection, because they know that you're not going to be able to hold the ball real long, because they have really good pass rush with the ends...we're going to have to get our receivers off the line of scrimmage and get quick releases and the quarterbacks going to have to stand in and deliver the ball against guys that aren't going to be wide open..."
On the sustained success of the Miami program:
"Well I think the tradition, the area...the majority of their players come right from the state, and of course they always get a few guys from other states that just grew up wanting to go to Miami. And they've certainly had great coaches and they just keep going."
On recruiting in the state of Florida against the Big three (Miami, Florida, Florida St.):
..it's hard to get a young man out of the state of Florida if Miami or Florida of Florida St. want them. It's just a hard thing to do. It's not going to happen a lot. It would have to be a special case for any school, not just the University of Louisville, but for any school to beat those three."
On if the believes Miami will intimidate his team:
"Not really. I think you just go down and play. They play extremely fast and they hit hard. But on video you don't see that trash talking...it looks like they're very disciplined. We had a crew come in here last week that wanted to talk but they didn't want to play. These guys are just the opposite. They know how to play and how to hit..."
On the `Louisville name' in the state of Florida.
"It's (the Louisville name) is really good. The players that have come from the state and had success here and the fact that we've been on T.V. so much (has helped). Our name is good down there and we recruit it heavily. If we get a chance to go in and win this game it will help us a lot."
