University of Louisville Football Post-Game Quotes
November 30, 2007 | Football
Nov. 30, 2007
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | AP Action Photos 
Louisville Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe
"To be honest with you, I didn't really know we had it until it went through the pipes. After the game, it was pretty neat to look at it and see that you had Brian Brohm completing a big pass to Harry Douglas to set up Art Carmody for the game-winning field goal. That's a great way for our seniors to go out. We talked about it all day long that we wanted to send our seniors out on a positive note. And to do it against a good team like Rutgers makes it even better."
"We gave the seniors an opportunity to address the team and we talked about it all day long. We did Senior Day a little different in that we didn't send the rest of the team back to the lockerroom. The entire team stayed out. We wanted them to see the seniors and support those guys. To talk about it all day long and to finish it the way we did makes it a very special day and almost two days as long as that game lasted."
"Brock ran it well. We used some different formations and Bilal was really a spark. There were a couple of times when we didn't block anybody and he still got 12 yards. We had good run production on first down which set it up with good down and distance and I thought we did a good job of managing the game on offense."
"It's probably a pretty fitting ending (to the season). We kept fighting and scratching all season and tonight. We never seemed to be able to make a play through the season to put us over the top, but we did that tonight. Our defense got some stops and our offense went down and made plays on those final drives. We did a nice job of managing the game on that last drive and forced them to use all of their timeouts."
(On getting Bilal Powell) "We tried to get him in there earlier in the year, but he was always a little banged up. We've been waiting for his health because we could see this coming. Tried to get him in there in the Kentucky game but we weren't able to with the way the game played out. We saw a little bit of what he was capable of in the South Florida game and tonight he saw how explosive and talented he is."
"Obviously, we didn't start the game the way we wanted. We gave up that first drive and then we had a nice drive. We just missed Mario on a fade and had to settle for the field goal. After that, we didn't play real well on defense and we just didn't go on offense. I think the biggest play of the game was Pat Carter's catch and him taking it down the field for the touchdown right before the half. And what really helped that was Rutgers calling the timeout to set it up."
"We hope to play one more game, but this is a great spring board into the offseason. Whether you win your bowl game or win your final regular season game, it helps you go into the offseason with some momentum."
"We'll have a team meeting tomorrow and then we'll head out recruiting. We'll see how things land and where they fall. We'll have the seniors on hold right now and we had already planned to give the whole team some days off. Hopefully, we'll have the chance to play another game this year."
Louisville Senior K Art Carmody
"I knew it was good. It started going to the right, but I knew it was good. You've just got to put it through. I knew from where it was, it was going to be in."
(Similarities to last year's game) "It was kind of odd to me. The way we kept coming back and back, and the confidence on the sideline was just unbelieveable. It was something that we haven't had in a while and it was an awesome way to come back. It was a good job by the seniors to get the win."
"I couldn't ask for a better ending than this. One of my goals when I came here was to kick the game-winning field goal."
(When did you think it would come down to a field goal?) "When we cut the lead to 14, I started to feel the momentum shift in the game. I had a really good feeling especially when we tied the game up at 38. I knew we were going to get the ball down there and I was going to get a chance to kick it."
"I couldn't have asked for a better snap. It was a great hold by Harry and the line did a great job. They gave me time to get it off. It made my job easy."
"Things aren't going to go your way all of the time. We had a team meeting and all the seniors got up and each had something to say. It was a real emotional time. A lot of heart was poured out in that meeting. The game didn't go the way we wanted. We got down early and then we had to battle back. It shows a lot of character from this team. It will be a good spring board for next season."
(on the NCAA record) "It's an honor. It shows consistency. I've been very fortunate to be with a very good football team to put me in position to make those extra points. I'm just happy that I was in a position to do that."
"The only time I kicked a game-winner was in practice by myself."
Louisville Senior QB Brian Brohm
"This one ended very nice. To go out on a win in Papa John's feels good. That's the way you want it to end. We came into this room this afternoon and every senior talked. We talked about taking back our streak at Papa John's, restoring the 20-game winning streak. It was a very exciting night. All the excitement that was in the stadium and we just wanted to get it back just one more time."
"I knew that was in (Carmody's FG) as soon as we got into field goal range. I told him since the summer that we were going to need him for one. We were going to get him a winning kick. He put it right down the middle and I think the laces were even in. That is why he won the Lou Groza Award (last year)."
(When did you feel the game swing your way?) "Middle of the third quarter, we were running the ball really well. We had a little trouble with the D line on some pass protection and some blitzes. We did a great job running the ball. We had two guys nearly go over 100 yards. With Powell, you see flashes of the future. Going over 100 yards and making some big runs he did a good job executing the running game."
(Why did the game get off to a slow start) "The game didn't start out too well. They went right down and scored a few times. We got sacked a few times then we got pressure on the quarterback and then we got to their running game and then we found out we could run the ball."
(on his ankle) "I got rolled up on a sack. We went in and got it looked at and the x-rays were good so I said I was going to keep playing."
Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano
(On the second half play) "I'll watch the tape on the plane ride home. It looked like we had a break down in a couple of different areas. I give credit to them, they got us blocked and they moved the ball hard. Had it not been a tale of two halves, it would have been different. It was a very different feeling in the first half as opposed to the second half."
"We had several different things happen on the offensive line. Pedro (Sosa) started and looked for some plays, but then he was having some trouble. Kevin (Haslam) came in and then he got hurt. Pedro tried to come back and really couldn't. Then we had to shift Jeremy (Zuttah) up to the other side and Mike (Gilmartin) had to come in. We started getting pretty deep into our options. That, in itself, could be handled, but there was a mental shift in there. It played a part I'm sure."
"You have a quarterback like Brian Brohm and you have those receivers - at no point is it ever out of reach for those guys. In the second half, we just never really had a feel. I was a step behind, it felt like. We were a step behind as a defense. We keep fighting, keep trying, but it didn't come out our way. We had five sacks in the first half. We left five on the table in the second - and we just couldn't get significant pressure on them in the second half. It's frustrating, it's tough, because we're scoring points. We were moving the ball, it just wasn't to be."
"Right now we need to look at this game and evaluate where we need to get better and what we need to get better at. Certainly we'll have plenty of time to improve. The only thing I'm excited about is that we get another chance to send these seniors out as winners. One last game, they certainly deserve it."
"Athletes always have something to play for. It's an easy thing to say if you have any personal pride, you have something to play for. You've invested a lot of time, effort and sweat to prepare to be a football player. Those guys (Louisville) were playing their rear ends off as much as our guys were. There are folds when kids stop playing and that's a shame. I didn't expect it from this team. They're a very proud football program and they have very good players. It's frustrating, but hats off to them, they found a way to win when we didn't. That's the way it goes."
Rutgers QB Mike Teel
"We got what we expected as far as coverages. They were going to play what they showed on film. It held true for a lot of the first half. We were able to get their guys going a little bit. In the second half, they changed things up and we still got to make plays."
"It's our job to score points and we didn't score enough points today. It's disappointing."
"You make one play here or there, throw a better ball here, catch it, whatever, it seems it's been that way all year long. It's frustrating."
"They changed a lot of their looks, but we have to execute. That's our job."
"You can look at it two ways - get down on yourself, or come back ready to work."
Rutgers DB Ron Girault
"I feel like we stayed focused throughout the game. In the second half, we didn't execute as well and made some mistakes."
"We came into this game not looking to the future or a bowl game. This game was important to us to win. "
Rutgers RB Ray Rice
"I can't tell you what went wrong in the fourth quarter. It's just a different kind of feeling. I see guys out there not giving up. I just can't tell you what went wrong in the fourth quarter."
"We've got to try to put this behind, as hard as it is. We've got one last game for the seniors. We've got to give them a good farewell."
"I'm sure Louisville would love to take a bowl game, so it's something to look forward to. We just fell up on the short end tonight."
"I've never been a part of something like this. You put up 38 points. But we know how talented their offense is, so when you put up that many points, you usually come out on the winning end."
