University of Louisville Football Post-Game Quotes
September 18, 2008 | Football
Sept. 17, 2008
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe
"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. I'm proud of the way we played tonight. We played efficiently on offense, defense and special teams. After we watch the film, we'll know what we need to improve on, but there were a lot of things that were really, really positive. We didn't play a complete game, but we're striving to do that."
"We were going to be aggressive and take our shots down the field. They had that holding call on Doug Beaumont or it probably would've been a touchdown, but that was a smart play on their part. We were also aggressive running the football and we made some plays down the field."
(On Victor Anderson) "Vic was really good again tonight. He did a good job of catching the ball and breaking tackles and you can see the speed when he has it. What Vic brings is the total package. He's not just an outside player. He may be small in stature, but he can run it inside."
"Overall, the pieces are there, we just have to continue to find more guys to make plays."
(On the punt return for a TD for Kansas State) "We've got to get the guy on the ground. It was a great punt by Cory and we had guys there, but we've got to tackle. Other than that play, for the most part, we did a good job on our kick coverage."
(On the play of the defense) "The biggest thing for us was getting them off schedule. They wanted to run the ball too, but we did a nice job of getting them off schedule on the down and distance. We got to Josh a few times and we made some plays."
"We have a lot of potential, but we're not there yet. We still have a lot of work to do as a football team, but there are signs of improvement. Whether we're coming off of a loss or a victory, we have to temper our emotions and focus on what we need to do in order to improve."
"We're starting to turn the cover, but we haven't turned it yet. We're not satisfied. We have to continue to improve and put our nose to the grindstone. We had an excellent week of practice this week and today's game was the icing on the cake."
(On the play of the offensive line) "I thought they played well. We ran well against what I thought was a quality front. They're tough to block and they move well. Our guys did a good job of getting targeted and a good job of smothering them."
(On the play of Hunter Cantwell) "He had a big throw to Johnny Burns on a big third down situation, and some nice throws to Josh. And he had another great one to Troy (Pascley). I thought Hunter was very good and efficient. His feet were good and like most quarterbacks, when his feet are good, he delivers it well."
Louisville RB Victor Anderson
(How badly did you need the win?) "We need a win just like everyone else needs a win. We are just going to keep working hard and marching forward in the season. We are going to keep reaching for our goal."
(on gaining experience) "We came in this game the underdogs. We just had to come out and play. We stayed together as a family. We worked hard and we came out and got a big victory."
(on the success of the run) "The offensive linemen prepared very well. They worked all week in practice and they came out and played like they knew how. We just wanted to keep our legs fresh and prepare well and come out and get a big victory. I think we came out and got the big victory."
(on the running back combinations) "I think it's a good combination as well because Brock comes in and he wears them down and Bilal and I can come in and run around them. Brock keeps pounding it down their throats and the offensive line keeps getting that push and we are just going to keep running the ball."
(on Connecticut) "If the running backs keep running, the quarterback keeps throwing, and the receivers keep catching it, then we will be able to get another big win."
Louisville CB Woodny Turenne
(On his 2 INTs) "In being prepared for the game, I go out there with good confidence. By being ready, fundamentally ready I am prepared to play a good game. I have to set a good example. I have to be a good leader. I try to do everything I can and hold myself to a higher standard. I work hard, I care about the team."
Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell
"We played a really good defense. We knew watching film the first two games of the year and watching them previously. They have a very good defense. They run a good scheme. Two years ago we went up to Kansas State and played them and they played really good against us then so we knew coming in that they were going to play really good defense. We played well, we ran the ball extremely well. I've got to give credit to Greg Tomczyk and Josh Byrom, they were filling in on the left side of the line. They played outstanding - to be able to run the ball, they deserve a compliment."
(How much validation in the win) "We aren't out to make any statements or anything, but this was a good win. We are just going to take it one game at a time and not get too high on ourselves, because the UK game is still in the back of our heads. We played well tonight, we still have a long way to go. I feel like we can be a good football team."
(On the improvement from the Kentucky game) "We had great scrimmages and a great camp, we just didn't come out and play like we needed to against UK. That was surprising. We knew we had the talent to play well, we're just going to have to play well on offense. We can't get the big head - working hard, listen to the coaches and keep executing and continue to do our best."
Kansas State Coach Ron Prince
"What we did accomplish tonight is that we were able to take our team out on the road in front of a big crowd, a national audience and face a really good running team and a good defensive team. Obviously, with the outcome we failed miserably. We had our moments at times where we showed that we could do some things in all three phases, but we couldn't put enough consistent plays together. I want to give credit to Louisville because they have terrific coaches, and players they had a great plan. I don't want to sit up here and lament what we did wrong without saying that they did an awesome job. The truth is we had the opportunity tonight to have some tackles for loss and have some consistent plays and it just didn't happen because their players did a terrific job."
"We need to do better, I need to coach better and I need to make our team understand how these teams need to be played. I'm not happy about it. The game plan was pretty clear coming in and we knew what we had to do. From the first drive it looked like we had some things going positive, then we go down and snap the ball over the quarterback's head. We obviously can't do that if you want to go on the road and win. With that said, we tried to coach very aggressively tonight, even faking a punt in our own end. We thought we had the look, thought it was there during the week. We had it earlier in the game, Jeff asked me earlier if he had the green light and I said absolutely. I want the players to understand that we're going to coach aggressively, try to coach smart, but we're not going to play and coach scared. I thought tonight we didn't play the kind of football that would reinforce that kind of approach and that's unfortunate. In one single play, we missed five or six tackles. So, it came back to bite us. They did a good job of running the ball in a variety of ways, multiple ways. Not just the traditional inside and outside zone and really break the defense down. We know we'll face a lot of those looks in the future. Offensively, I couldn't be more disappointed in our inability to protect the quarterback. I thought in the kicking game we were very average."
Kansas State WR Brandon Banks
(on stretching the defense) "He felt he did a very good job but obviously I didn't do enough for us to win the game."
(Preparing for conference play) "Tonight really helped us because now we have a game under our belt against a very good BCS team. I felt that we needed to face an opponent of this caliber after our first two wins. We are going to use this game to try to get better and win more ball games."
(what they need to improve on) "We need to improve our running game, but we need to play better as a team. We need to improve on reading coverages and on blocking."
Kansas State QB Josh Freeman
"Today's game really helped us prepare for a team that we will play in the Big 12. The pass rush that Louisville played will prepare me for the same pass rush in the Big 12."
