University of Louisville Football Post-Game Quotes
October 01, 2005 | Football
Oct. 1, 2005
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Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino
"I was proud of way the team prepared this week and that was the biggest thing. We had great leadership all week in practice and we played hard today. I thought we showed a lot of heart and character this week. We didn't get in the end zone as much as we like in the first half and we played a little tight. There wasn't any yelling at halftime. I think we were a little stressed and we just needed to focus on playing one play at a time."
(On Michael Bush's 73-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter) "That was huge for us to make a play like that. Michael had a good first half with over 100 yards and that's something I always look at. That was a tremendous run and not just for Michael, but for the receivers who did a nice job down field with the blocking. Montrell Jones and Mario Urrutia were hustling for blocks and that was a great run for our offense."
(On what he said to Howard Schnellenberger before the game) "I went over and said thanks for what he did for this program. It was an honor to be on the same field as Howard. He's done a heck of a job everywhere he's been and I'm really thankful for what he's done here because it's made my job easier."
(On the play of Adrian Grady and Earl Heyman) "We were able to get Adrian and Earl in the rotation and they played well. Adrian is one our stronger guys and anytime you get Earl in the game, you get great effort. In practice, he gives everything he has and he's going to be a great player."
(On the Cards' big plays) "I think that starts with our running game because it's the key. They tried to sit on our short passes and we were able to open some things up with our running game. What I would prefer is to be able to run the ball and throw it deep and we were able to do that today."
Louisville junior RB Michael Bush
"It was a good day on offense and defense. Our offensive line did a great job and I give them credit for doing such a good job."
(On his 73-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter) "I saw a big hole and once I got past the linebackers, all I saw was two safeties. I just cut back and after that I could see the fans and I knew I had to get to the end zone for them."
"Last week, we were down, but there's not too much we can do about it now. We knew that all we could do was come back from that because we have a lot season ahead of us. We can still win the BIG EAST and that's our main goal."
"We were just coming out to win the game today. We wanted to have a good offensive day and put up 500 yards of offense. Our goal is to be the No. 1 offense in the country and today was another step in that goal."
(On what was said in the locker room at halftime) "Coach Petrino just came in and told us that we were playing a little tight. He told us to loosen up and play our game. In the second half we did that."
Louisville senior DE Elvis Dumervil
"We needed a spark today and our offense gave us that spark. Our coaches did a great job of preparing us this week and getting us back after the loss last week."
"Last week was tough. Whenever you lose, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Our coaches kept our heads up and we responded today. That was a tough loss for us last week and we knew we needed to redeem ourselves."
Florida Atlantic Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger
"As you can tell, we're still a long way away from being able to play a team of this magnitude. That was a given before we played. There's no easy way to advance a football program. They (FAU) know the probability of us winning any of our first four games was unrealistic. Our team feels terrible for not playing the second half as we did the first half. It would be really easy for me to get mad at these guys and wear them out. Even though I'm disappointed with the way we played the second half, I've got to give them (Louisville) credit for that. We've got to get home as fast as we can, get to sleep as fast as we can and get up as fast as we can to get ready to play Louisiana Lafayette."
(on Louisville) "They move on two fronts -- running and passing the football -- about as good as anyone I've seen. I expect them to regain their status and be there at the end of the year."
(on the building being named in his honor) "This university and the people around it are certainly adept at keeping a secret. I got a call a while ago that they wanted to induct me into the Hall of fame the night before the game. After considering it for some time, I felt better about it, didn't see any ambushes, and decided it was Tom's (Jurich) way of letting me come back and say a big thank you to everyone who was involved in this historic transformation. That's what I tried to do last night (at the Hall of Fame induction banquet), to let all of them know how priviledged we were to lead this insurgence. The coaches that came in and worked me, with the plyer we recruited and the fans that fell in love with this program. It exploded when we went 8-3 and later when we went on to a 10-1-1 season with a Fiesta Bowl win. But they never said a word about what was going to happen on Saturday and that they would kick our ass."
"I reluctantly said yes when they asked me to do something during pregame. It wasn't until I saw J.D. Nichols, Jim Patterson, Bobby Clarkson and Neil Huffman walking out that I knew something was up. When they dropped the curtain on it, it was breathtaking. It was a wonderful thing first for the donors that make it possible and then for the university to want to put my name there. There's not many prodigal coaches that have this kind of thing happen to them. It's was touching when they asked Beverlee and I to come back for the groundbreaking. It was touching when they asked us to be here for the first game. I've always been treated better than I should have been treated."
Florida Atlantic QB Danny Embick
"Obviously the first half wasn't quite as bad as the first half. They (Louisville) did their job pretty well in the second half. Everybody played their best. We've got really young guys filling in. Blocking (Louisville DE Elvis) Dumervil is a hard task for any team."
"We were pretty excited at halftime that we were playing with these guys and the game was within reach. The passing game was working well and the defense was doing their job. I thought we could throw on them in the second half, but we had some problems up front. They put Dumervil on one side and stayed with it. We had a pretty good mismatch there. We had a true freshman in there. I'm not dogging him at all. That's just how it was."
