University of Louisville Football Post-Game Quotes
December 02, 2006 | Football
Dec. 2, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino
"I'm very happy with how we played today. I feel like we're playing our best football right now. Against USF, our defense had its best game of the year and against Pitt, our offense had its best game since the UK game. Today was the time to put it all together. The defense really did a good job in the second half of shutting them down, but I wasn't happy with our punt game today. I think our seniors showed today and all season long what kind of leadership they have. This team has a tremendous amount of character."
"To me, it was a great season and the most enjoyable for me as a coach. The players came to work each day with a great attitude and great leadership. We lost Michael and a lot of other guys early on to injuries, but our guys kept going and kept working hard. We didn't have a lot of bad practices, and that's a tribute to our coaches and our leaders on this team."
"If you look at that senior group, with the guys that played as true freshmen and the guys who were already here, they all bought into what we were teaching them. They have a lot of character. After the Rutgers game, we told them that moments like that don't build character, they reveal character. They love football and they know what it takes to win. The seniors wanted to keep the home winning streak alive because they're the ones who started."
"It was a tough, physical season. Most of the games were pretty tight and they were all very physical. We're very, very proud to be at least BIG EAST co-champions."
(On quarterback Brian Brohm's decision to return for his senior season) "I wasn't sure (that he had announced it), but I'm happy about that. He's a great player and he's as tough as they come. His toughness shows through every day, and it comes out in everybody on the team."
(On the possibility of his 11-1 and No. 6 Cards not earning a BCS bid) "It probably wouldn't be fair, but there are a lot of things in life that aren't fair. It isn't always about the best teams. It has a lot to do with tradition and favoritism."
(On UofL building a strong football tradition) "We're working hard at it. Since I was here in 1998, it's amazing to see all of the special things that have been built around here. You look at what (UofL athletic director) Tom (Jurich) has done for football and this entire athletic department, it's really nice to bring a recruit on the campus. And not only with athletics, but with everything on our campus, it's special."
(On the importance of UofL earning a BCS bid) "That's what we want. The next step is a BCS bowl and the chance to compete for a national championship. We missed on the national championship opportunity, but we hope a BCS bowl is out there for us."
UofL Junior QB Brian Brohm
"It felt good out here we did a great job offensively. Everyone played pretty well tonight. I definitely expect to be back next year. I definitely expect to be back."
"We had a lot of adversity it was real big, we had Mike go down, and then I went down for a few games - we had some adversity to overcome. We did a great job of overcoming that adversity and just pushing through."
(Not getting a BCS bid) "It might be a little bit of a let down. We will go ahead full speed ahead and accept it and go on. I think we are definitely BCS worthy. If we don't get a bid, we will just pull together and move on. We have done a great job all year. I think we are peaking right now. We are playing good football and we can play with anyone out there. It is out of our hands. We will be watching with interest. We will also be watching the Cards basketball team."
"The resilience of this team, is what makes it so great. We were able to put whatever it is behind us and move on to the next play."
(On Harry Douglas) "Harry is a great receiver the more we play together the better we get. He has great speed and I know he will be there when I throw it to him.
"We can't look behind us. We have to put it behind us. People later on down the road might think of what could have been but we can't do that right now."
UofL Senior DT Amobi Okoye
(On Brian Brohm returning) "I am just hearing that for the first time. I asked him a few weeks ago and I thought he would come back. Hopefully with him coming back I get to see some more showtime out there."
"I think it went both ways, defensively last week we had to elevate our performance after last week."
"I definitely won't be happy but whatever game we are going to be prepared and get the trophy back. And bring home a win. I think we have a good case for a BCS Bowl because we have a big crowd and we find a way to win."
"I just hope the dice rolls our way and we get this thing going. We hope to be in Miami. A couple of guys are coming over but I am not going to watch that, because everytime a cheer for a team--they don't win. I will probably just go to somebody else's house and if they have it on I will just leave. It will probably be hard for me to dodge it. "
"I think it would be a great game for us to go to play. A lot of players are from the south. "
UofL Senior QB William Gay
"I would be happy. It is eight hours away from me and my family would be able to come. It is hot down there and I get back to the weather that I am use to. It is a BCS game and it says a lot for this program. I plan on watching it. I will try to stay relax because I might become intense if West Virginia isn't doing what I want them to do. It is two great BIG EAST teams and I hope the best for both teams."
(On senior day) "It was hard for me to hold it in before the game and during that game. I just had to focus and depend on the younger to bring that win. It has been the best four years of my life and I cherish every moment of it."
(On Brian Brohm returning next year) "I am happy for the program and for him. For him to come back and be a leader again, its being his senior year, that is great for him. That is great for this program. I am always going to be a Cardinal and I will represent them where ever I go."
(after the Rutgers game, coming back) "Coaches talk about adversity and how we react to it, we just came together as a team. When one soldier falls down another soldier steps in. That is the approach that we took when all those things started to happen."
"I wouldn't be disappointed because it is a bowl game and a lot of teams don't get to go to a bowl game. It would be a great thing for us to try to be 12-1. It will just be another game it just won't be a BCS game."
UofL Junior WR Harry Douglas
"The thing I saw the most is that they played a lot of man. But they changed up their coverage today to try to stop our passing game."
(On Brian Brohm) "It started a long time ago when I was on the second team and he was on the second team too he use to throw to me a lot and he knew I would be there, it hasn't changed since then--just the same thing happening. He's been throwing to me for a long time."
(On this season) "It is real special to me, it means a lot. It reminds me of a lot of things that hard work pays off, you can't slack and be satisfied with what you do."
"A bowl game is a bowl game, it doesn't matter which game it is. All you need to do is play the season and hopes everything works out. To make it to a bowl game is exciting."
"Once you get here, you have to understand your role. You have to learn that you can't be the guy as soon as you get here. You do what you need to do. You need to learn to get better at your position and at the same time work and earn the spot. We use to throw to each other a lot I had a lot of speed and I got better and he use to throw to me deep routes and we got comfortable with each other.
"Motivation was the big thing after Rutgers."
UConn Head Coach Randy Edsall
"To start off you have to give Louisville a tremendous amount of credit. They are just an outstanding football team. They are a team that is deserving of a BCS bid. If for some reason they don't get the automatic bid from our conference, they're a team that should be included as an at large team. They did a great job. I don't think we played our best today, but I think Louisville had a lot to do with that."
"Today has been kind, what do you call it, it's something that you see all season. We don't capitalize going in to score when we get the ball on the eight yard line, we end up having a procedural penalty that hurt us. We get the game back a little bit, we go down, we make a 20 yard play, we get the ball stripped away from us. Just things that happened today are things that took place all happened today are things that took place all season long. It's disappointing. Now it's over and tomorrow we start looking ahead to next year."
(On Terry Caulley) "I talked to him coming off the field. I told him I was very thankful for what he has given this program, for what that young man has been through. He's going to get another opportunity I'm sure down the road. He should because he's a good enough player to be able to do some things. He's a guy who when we were getting this thing started really stepped up big for us. The he had the setback with the injury. Then really came back and did a great job in setting himself back in shape and doing the right things. I couldn't be more proud of Terry Caulley. What I am right now is sorry he and the senior weren't able to reach some of the things we wanted to reach in terms of having the kind of season that would allow us to play another game."
(On Louisville) "They are a good program. They were a good program under John L. Smith. Then Bobby came in and he's done a great job. Their leader Tom Jurich is an outstanding athletic director. They've got the facilities here, in an area where they're in close proximities for recruiting. They are a talented football team."
UConn K Matt Nuzie
(On the season) "It's been frustrating. Since I've had this new role for the last four or five weeks I've really kicked the ball well. There are some things that haven't gone well, but that's in the past now and I'm just moving on."
(On current emotions) "It's weird. It's a weird feeling. I've the peaks and I've had the valleys. It's an experience that I can really take a lot away from. I've learned a lot. But, right now it's weird, something I really can't explain."
UConn QB Matt Bonislawski
"We had opportunities. Especially with their offense, we couldn't afford to miss any opportunities because we knew they were going to put up a lot of points with the guys that they have. It was tough fumbling and not converting inside of the ten."
(On the team next year) "I think they are going to be fine next year, with all of the guys returning. I think the offensive line is going to be the best as it's been since we've been 1A. They are going to be very experienced up front. They're going to have good receivers. Two young guys have been playing all year, and their going bring in other guys who can step in too. Donald Brown has been spectacular."
"It hasn't really hit me yet, but I'm sure that now that it's done I'll be thankful for everything that has happened and getting the opportunity to play and just going out and enjoying myself."
(On Terry Caulley) "It was good. I told him after he scored that he deserved that moment right there to score one last touchdown for everything he has done for this program.
(On the missed field goal) "I felt when we missed that field goal it kind of put us down when they went and scored. It was already a 17 point game and that would have cut it to 14. But we really needed to score touchdowns instead of field goals, so I'm not sure how much of a difference that would have made. We knew we pretty much needed to score every time in the second half."
(On Louisville) "I think as a complete team they are the best team I have ever played against. They are definitely in the top two defensively and Georgia Tech was awesome last year. Their (Louisville's) defensive line up front leads the nation in sacks for a reason. Those guys are really tough up front. The offense takes so much of the spotlight that their defense kind of goes unnoticed."
