Louisville-Cincinnati Postgame Quotes
October 16, 2010 | Football
Oct. 16, 2010
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Louisville Head Coach Charlie Strong
Opening Statement
We missed two field goals -- that was critical. We needed a good start in the conference but it didn't happen. So we have to go out and have to improve. We need to practice better and we have to correct the errors.
Learning process
Guys just have to go out and finish and execute. We had a chance to put a team away. We had a chance to go out and make a third down stop. We have to go and make that stop.
Stopping UL offense
If you look at it we had the ball down there twice in the Red Zone and we came away with no points. We have to score when we get the ball in the Red Zone.
On play execution
Well if you look at it, the one hurt us with the penalty. We got the ball down there and we got a penalty on second down. And for the third down, we were behind the chains. Then on the last strike, we had two throws down there and Bilal would come down with the wild card. He gets in the backfield and has a third or fourth down where we didn't make the throw to score
About kicking a FG goal on last series
No, I just didn't know if they had the ball and there were four minutes to go, could we go down and stop them? And offensively, we would have to drive and score. And as close as we were, I thought we could execute and get a score and go for two.
About Bilal Powell
Bilal goes out and executes and plays well. He just competes. And that was an unbelievable run, that long run he had. You look at one guy, and you hope
everyone else plays as well as he was playing.
About running the ball
We can run the football. We have a strong enough offensive line where we can knock people back. We have a really good running back.
About Bilal's TD run
It looked like he ran through a tackle and then once he broke away and a guy tried to undercut him and he stepped over him when he scored. But he did run through a tackle.
On final UC TD
No we were in Cover 2 and they ran four vertical and the safety knew the play beforehand. The inside receiver was open. So the safety saw him open and he kind of leaned. And he just didn't get in between the ball - to get over the top to help Bobby (Burns).
What did he tell team
We still have games to go play a conference. That is our first conference game. We still have games to go play.
Anything encouraging from loss
No, it is a loss. I can't look at that as encouraging. We had a chance to go win a football game. I tell our football team all the time that we have a chance to have a good team. We just have to go execute.
About BIG EAST
Well we are behind now. We just have to go catch up.
About interception in first half
It was a drop in coverage for him. Someone threw it right to him.
About the fans arriving before kickoff
The fans were there in the bleachers. They were great.
Louisville Player Quotes
Darius Ashley
On the loss It's very disappointing, they're a talented team. It's a game we could have won. The only positive is, at the end of the day, it's just one game and we still have the rest of the season ahead of us to play.
On coach Strong's message after the game This is our first (Big East) game and anything can happen throughout the rest of the season, just to stay positive and keep working hard.
On his interception He just ran a hitch route I read the quarterback and jumped it.
On if they've proven anything to themselves, or are they past that point? We're past that point now. Now we're looking to win games, not come close. We're not looking for moral victories, we want more W's. We didn't do that today, but there are more games to play. Our plan is to go out and win the rest of them.
On Johnny Patrick getting injured Honestly I was just hoping he was okay. He's a teammate and a senior. I wanted him to be okay so he could get out there and play. Johnny's a great player and a leader.
On Cincinnati's offense I said last week that they have a talented offense. They have a lot of talented players in different positions. We shot ourselves in the foot a lot. I personally made a lot of mistakes and didn't play as well as I would have liked to. A lot of what they did was us making mistakes. It wasn't them making spectacular plays.
On Greg Scruggs having a big game I was excited for him. I was happy to see that. He needed to have a productive game today.
Greg Scruggs
On his interception
It was fun and the first interception of my career. That was new for me, a new experience. I didn't really know what to do. I just took off running, that's what I see everybody else do. I try to get the offense the ball back and a chance to score.
On the interception
It was a defense that we drew up when I drop off into coverage and he just never saw me. I saw the ball and went and got it and I took off to the races. I couldn't believe the ball was in my hands. I actually think I hesitated before I started running. It was a good experience to get under my belt.
That spiral was tight, I ran my six yard hitch and I was sitting there waiting for the ball.
On the fumble recovery
I was just playing hard, hustling and trying to get to the ball. I've got to credit my teammate Malcolm Tatum. He's the one that forced the fumble. I was just playing hard, trying to get the ball back for the offense.
On being from Cincinnati - how frustrating was the loss?
It's really frustrating, being from Cincinnati, and not just because it's a league loss. We put so much time and preparation into every league game. To lose one is a killer, but we have to bounce back, and be ready to play another one next week. That's the beauty of it.
On whether the game got away from them
I don't think it got away. We just have to execute. Our coaches put us in great position to make plays. We need to do that. Three plays are the difference in the game. We need to execute better and do our jobs and come out with the victory.
William Savoy
Was Cincinnati offense effective?
I don't think they were effective, I think the defense hurt themselves. We left some plays on the field, and we made some mistakes
What were your thoughts on the way Scruggs played?
Scruggs played great today. He had an interception; he was everywhere out on the field. He really stepped up today and we really needed that from him.
Was there a difference with the way Scruggs was playing opposed to the first five games?
Definitely, he just stuck with it. He's been struggling for the first couple games, but like coach says `just stick with it and good things will happen.
On the up-tempo style of Cincinnati's offense
No, we prepared for it. It was just us making mistakes, it wasn't nothing we wasn't prepared for
Do you think this showed that you can play with everyone in the BIG EAST?
Definitely, we can play anybody. We just have to get lined up and put our feet in the ground and make plays.
What did coach Strong say after the game?
This is not the end of season, just keep going, there are more games. There are more conference games. Just keep playing and good things are going to happen
Watching Cincinnati celebrate on their home field?
It's definitely tough. I was talking to Malcolm Tatum in the locker room, and he said `keep your head up, the last thing you want to do is put your head down. You will mess up another game, you have one day to be sad, and then on Sunday let's come back forget it happened and play'.
Are you encouraged?
Yes, we are encouraged. I mean it definitely hurt, but you just have to keep playing. Eventually we will get to practice on Sunday and forget about it.
Adam Froman
On the rest of the season We got 6 games left in the league; this is not the end of the world.
How do you bounce back?
Our destiny is in our own hands, if we go out there and win the rest of our games we put ourselves in a good situation, like I said it is not the end of the world. It's disappointing to lose a game that we could have won. Give Cincinnati the credit they went out there and got the job done. Our season is not over, we have to bounce back and get ready for Connecticut and get back on the winning track and go from there.
On the last series of the game
We been moving it all night at will and then we would get done in the red zone and somehow sputter out. At the end of the game we had a good play called. We had Chichester up the middle, and we tried to be to perfect with the pass and tried to float it in right over the top of the guys and it landed right on the back line. Not scoring in the red zone comes down on me. I'm the operator of the offense, and if we don't score it comes down on me and I take full credit.
Cincinnati Head Coach Butch Jones
Opening Statement
Obviously this was a great win for our program. Most importantly it puts us at 1-0 in our conference. You know, we've suffered through adversity all year and there was absolutely no panic on the sidelines. I thought the key to the game was to make them kick field goals in the red zone. In the second half, we had the big play in the end. We still made too many mistakes but any time you come on the road in a hostile environment and get a win like we did and still turn the ball over three times, you know what, we overcame that. I really like our seniors right now and we knew that we were facing a very good Louisville football team with 27 seniors to our 12. The leadership that our seniors are giving us right now is extremely dynamic. And we are going to need that for the stretch run.
On being 1-0 in the conference
It means we are 1-0 and we still have a long way to go. Anytime you can come on the road and in this type of environment and come away with a win, it's a big win in a Louisville rivalry game. It puts us one step closer to our goal.
On three turnovers and coming away with a win
In order to do that you have to have leadership. You have to be able to suffer through some adversity. Like I said our kids never waivered and they executed at the end.
On DJ Woods
DJ is fine. We are going to reevaluate him a little bit more. I can't say enough about that catch in the endzone. He held on to the football and obviously it was a monumental play in the game.
On Armon Binns
Armon did a great job and I think Zach Collaros
did a great job of running the offense. He knew when we had some single coverage out there with him and then just going through his progressions as well.
On Louisville's offense
They are a talented offense. You don't have the success that they have had without a good offense. Their quarterback is very good. They have as good a running back as we have seen to date. The whole key was to do a better job of tackling and contain the ball a little bit more and we made them kick field goals and that's big.
Cincinnati Player Quotes
RB Isaiah Pead
On the difference in this game
There really wasn't a difference. We approach every game like we have to win. This being a rivalry game there was a little more bad blood, on top of this being our first BIG EAST game. We came in very confident. We knew we had a losing record, but we were confident knowing we were Cincinnati. We wanted to keep the Keg of Nails in Cincinnati.
On making a comeback from down 10
We just had to keep our composure. The little bit of mistakes we had got cleaned up. A little bit of adjustments we had been practicing on the scouts, they were running a little different. So we had to re-gather and play our football, not guess what they were going to be running. Defensively, we had to start getting stops. Their running back did a great job and their offense did a great job. We had to just bite down and get our thoughts back together.
On fumbling the ball
I think I might have grazed one of my lineman's butts. I didn't see the replay but I feel like that is what happened. I'm not really known to put the ball on the ground. It hurt but you have to snap it clear. That play is done. You have to get it back and continue to play, and that is what I did.
On elevating his play to premier status
I feel like I'm doing my part for the team. I'm just playing my role. Sometimes I get 5 to 10 carries; sometimes I get 10 to 20. I'll get catches or whatever. I'm just a role player. As far as the BIG EAST, we are looking as a team to be a third time champ.
CB Rueben Johnson
On Powell's 85-yard run
We didn't wrap up. Coach always preaches backside pursuit. Make sure the corner runs backside. So I was just trying to make it backside. I missed the tackle. I put that one on my shoulders. I told the team it was my fault. The next time he broke a long one he wasn't going to get it this time.
On the mood at halftime
The mood at halftime is just Louisville versus Cincinnati. We are the two time BIG EAST Champions, so we are going to come out and play like we're the two time BIG EAST Champions. So we came out and won and got it.
On what was said while down 10
It starts at practice. Don't ever give up. Basically we went down 24-14, but we weren't letting this one go. Back to the NC State game and the Fresno State game we didn't finish. Coach preached all week about going on the road and finishing. We went into halftime saying we were going to finish this ballgame. They were going to get our best shot in the second half and they did.
On how studying film helped prepare them for this game
Those boys came out ready to play. The first couple of game of the season they had a shutout. They have a new coach so they're fired up. They were just ready for a fight. We knew they would be ready to fight so we'd have to match their intensity level. We had to want it more than they wanted it.
QB Zach Collaros
On throwing 5 TDs
It felt great. It was kind of hard on us throwing those two interceptions but the defense did great for us shutting them down at the end. It all starts with the run game. Isaiah Pead had another 100 plus yard game and the offensive line blocked great, I barely got touched at all during the night. I thought we had a pretty good game all around.
On finding Armon Binns uncovered
They didn't show much cover two on first and second down but we knew the played a heavy dose of it on third down and the safeties were staying tight on the hash. He was telling me he could get by that corner and I just trusted him. I threw it up and he made a play but he always makes plays that is why he is so great.
On D.J. Woods going out
D.J. will be back. Anthony McClung is a freshman for us. He's done a heck of a job when he's had to be in the game. He's had great practices. Him and me work after practices, one on one, just in case anything ever happens. He really steps up for us when he's needed. He's going to be a great player.
On what they talked about after the 4th and goal with four minutes to go
We did our four minute drill. We have a lot of different alerts. If Pead were to break a big one to go down and run out the clock. Really, just protect to the football and keep getting first downs because they had no more time outs.
On added pressure from Louisville's touchdowns
We knew our defense would settle down. As an offense, you want to score every drive but you have to stay composed and poised when stuff goes the wrong way or when adversity hits. I thought we did a great job of that and everybody picked me up when I threw those interceptions and turned the ball over. We kept fighting and fighting and came out with a victory.
