Louisville-Houston Postgame Quotes
November 17, 2013 | Football
Nov. 17, 2013
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Louisville Head Coach Charlie Strong
(Opening statement)
“We had a disappointing first half. We jumped out to a 10-0 lead and we felt like we could continue to play well and then add more points to it. We kind of got complacent and got comfortable. Offensively we didn't do a good job of continuing to move the ball. We had too many loss yardage plays. I was very pleased with the way Dominique (Brown) ran the football. I told him we were going to ride him and that's what you like to see happen. There's a guy who just ran for 130 yards. Defensively our team played really well the second half. We were facing a team who was averaging around 40 points per game and 400 yards and we held them for less than 200 and only 13 points and shut them out in the second half. Our defense came alive and they made some plays. On special teams we have to get better. We have to get better as an overall football team. This is a good win for us but we know we can play much better than we did tonight.”
(What made Dominique Brown so effective today?)
“The line did a good job of blocking early for him and he was able to run through blocks. The thing he doesn't do is get knocked back. He runs physical and strong and as the game goes on he gets stronger and stronger.”
(Has he been doing that all year?)
“It really started in spring practice because we didn't have Senorise (Perry) so he was the lead back in spring practice and he ran very well. When we got Senorise back they were kind of splitting time and we got (Michael) Dyer. We weren't able to just get one back going so we finally made a decision that whoever gets hot is going to be the guy who is going to carry us and that's what he's been doing lately. You can't please three guys, you've got to find one and just run it.”
(What did you learn about your team today?)
“What I learned is that we didn't play well in the first half, but the second half I saw a team who came out and showed some toughness and resiliency. I told them it doesn't matter what we do on offense, if we go out there and not allow a team to score we have a chance to go win the football game. So let's not talk about how the offense is playing, all three phases need to pick it up. Even on special teams we didn't do a good job. You saw a guy run into a punt returner and it caused the one turnover that we had.”
(On using a lot of players on the offensive line)
“Well what we do is we play eight players. We started off with three down and we were trying to slant and they were blocking onto us and it opened up the seams. So we went to four down and we were a lot more effective in four down and it allowed (Lorenzo) Mauldin and Marcus (Smith) to rush outside. Inside (Roy) Philon and (Brandon) Dunn did a good job of holding a point. That's what we need to do. Just hold the point with those two guys and let the other two guys go rush.”
(On Philon getting hurt and coming back to get two sacks)
“I told my man he can't lie on the field like that. I walked up and asked him what's wrong. He said it was his shoulder and I said 'Oh no, nothing's wrong with you.' Then he jumped up and I told him if you're going to lay there I want to see something more than you grabbing your shoulder and running off the field. He did and it's good to see him bounce back.”
(When did you know your defense came to play tonight?)
“If you look at the start of the second half we took the ball on offense and we moved it and then we went out there on defense and you saw guys start to make plays. The drive right before the half I think they ended up getting three but it could've e been a drive where they got seven. We were able to stop them and then we got a personal foul for hitting the quarterback and then they were still marching the ball and we were able to still hold them to three points. So we felt pretty good that we were able to come back defensively and finish the game the right way.”
(What did you tell the defense before the last series?)
“I didn't want to remind them of the last home game when they got the ball back with three minutes. I told them that if we are the defense that we think we are we've got to go out there and stop these guys and we need to go make some plays. I told them that upfront, we were going to turn the guys loose and make sure we covered the guys on the back end. If they did run the ball we wanted to get the guy on the ground. We wanted to make sure we got pressure on the quarterback and not let him pick us apart.”
(On future bowl possibilities)
“We're 9-1 so where we end up is our fault. We feel like we're BCS but if we don't get there we'll be comfortable wherever we go. If we end up with a great record, that's fine with me.”
(On the negated interception)
“Well, that is the one that we had the personal foul, so I really didn't say anything. They called it so, I kind of had a few words for the officials and I just let it go.”
(On using towels to block the signals)
“I don't know, I said the same thing to myself. I said they don't know the signals guys, and even if they do, it really doesn't matter. I coached with a guy one time, he told me he would tell me the play, and tell me to stop it, so no I really don't know.”
(On whether he was afraid they knew the team's calls and were listening to the calls)
“Yeah I think because a lot of times people do, but we don't do it. Some teams will take a guy and just see who is signaling in the plays, and see if you can pick up the signal, but Shawn does a great job of mixing it up, so it is really hard to get a beat on it. There are so many and signals and so much is said, it is tough.”
(On breaking out the black jerseys next week)
“No, we have a jersey and we are who we are. I don't need black jerseys to play sure I can play better, run faster or see how high I can jump. The guys think that, but I don't need that. We are going to play the way we are going to play, and we are going to wear what we wear at home. We wear red at home and white on the road. That's who we are. I don't know where they got it from. The bad part about that is one of our coaches tweeted that, that's the bad part about it, a coach. Are you more interested in the uniforms than coaching our guys, a coach tweeted that.”
(On the progressions on offense and whether there were there times when things didn't go as expected) “In some aspects, but I think we pretty much ran them out of [their] defense. They started doing different things, so we had to adjust the same way they adjusted. We made some adjustments in the second half and had a lot of success.”
(On how Dominique Brown was so effective today) “Well, you know he's one of those guys who bought into the system. He believes everything the coaches are telling him, and he's waited his turn, so he just took advantage of the opportunity. He ran with his pads low. He trusted the offensive line would open holes, trusted that the coaches would call the right play and he had a ton of success tonight.”
(On whether Brown ran like he did today during preseason camp) “Oh yeah, it started back in the spring. Dominique is a work horse. I'm proud of him, for him being able to bounce back after sitting out last year and play such a huge role in this offense this year.”
(On what was the difference in tonight's game) “Just running the ball -- we knew that they were a fast defense and they rely on their speed, but we played a physical game up front. We played with violent hands and kept our pads low and it made a difference in the game.”
(On the play of the defense tonight) “The numbers don't lie. I believe those guys are one of the top defenses in every category. Those guys bought into what we're trying to do here and they're having a ton of success this year.”
(On what he was saying to the defense in the huddles late in the game) “I was telling those guys, 'just get us a stop, and we're going to finish it on the field.' Those guys played a great game overall whether it's stopping the run, stopping the pass or getting to the quarterback. I take my hats off to those guys because Houston was a spread offense and for our defense to go neck and neck with them, it takes a ton of effort for that.”
(On whether the team has played its best game yet) “I always say, 'The best is yet to come.' Each game, we learn something new. Who knows? Our best game may be next week or the week after or maybe the bowl game.”
(On whether there was better protection up front in the second half) “We made some adjustments in the locker room at halftime. Coach Borbely, he's the mastermind behind it all, whether it's the run game or the pass game. He just gave the guys a pep talk and told them to continue fighting because we're not playing bad football. We were just stopping ourselves.”
(On the approach going into the final two games of the regular season) “We're only going to worry about what we can control. We have to focus on ourselves. We still have a season and something to play for so we're not paying attention to that at all. It is college football and anything happens, so we'll just continue to focus and shift our focus to Memphis.”
(On dealing with additional pressure as the season moves forward) “Well, you know the more success you have the more pressure that's added. But we know we have a group of guys who bought into the system and we trust our preparation. We trust our hard work, so we never sense any pressure. We just continue to take it day by day, one play at a time.”
(On whether today felt like a battle for a bowl game) “Not at all - It just felt like a battle for another conference win and that's the way we approached it.”
(On whether he feels like he's taking more hits because of the offensive line) “Not at all. Tonight, they probably did some things that we just have to come back and fix. We'll have to clean up tomorrow at practice and correct our mistakes.”
Roy Philon, DT
(On the keys to success for the defense in the second half) “When we came out for the second half, we knew they were going to try to spread us out, so we basically said all we need to do is make a stand. We just really wanted to put our foot in the ground and stop that offense.”
(What does today's performance say about the defense) “It says that hard work pays off, and just to pay attention to the little things. It also says we need to take heed to what coach says and to believe in the system. “
(On whether the defense made a statement tonight) “I think we did make a statement. I feel like we really worked together as one today out there on defense.”
Dominique Brown, RB
(On whether he got stronger as the game went on) “Yeah, playing the running back position is one where you have to get in a rhythm.”
(On whether he was asking for the ball) “Not really. When you have a back just running downhill, you got the offensive line coming off the ball and receivers playing physical, it really sends a message to the other team.”
(On his mindset while he was waiting for his chance to play) “You just have to take advantage of every opportunity. When your number gets called, you just have to go out and show out.”
(On whether it was frustrating when Michael Dyer joined the team prior to the season) “No it wasn't really frustrating. We have three good backs that could play at any university, so you better get ready when your number is called. You just have to be game ready.”
(On how it feels to playing well this season after sitting out last year) “It's felt great. I was rehabbing and trying to get my knee back 100 percent. We have some of the best trainers in college football.”
Houston Head Coach Tony Levine
(Opening statement)
“We knew it would be a game like this going in. There were two great football programs going toe-to-toe. I certainly give Coach Strong, his staff and his student-athletes a ton of credit. He's been here four years and has done an absolutely outstanding job in his time here. He has recruited extremely well. They're very disciplined. They're very athletic. They're one of the top teams in the nation on offense. They're one of the top teams in the nation defensively. I give them credit. I thought our kids played hard. We didn't get into a rhythm at all offensively in the second half. I thought our first down execution was poor and got us into second and long calls. At the end of the day, we certainly didn't make enough plays to get enough points on the board in the second half to win the game.”
(On the choice to not kick the field goal on the opening drive)
“The wind was too much of a factor. I think somewhere around a 48-yard field goal into the wind - we were not in field goal range from that distance going that direction.”
(On if the weather played a factor in the game and the play calling)
“It really didn't. The two plays for us it had an effect on was my decision not to attempt the field goal because we were not in field goal range on the first drive due to the wind. And then my decision in the second half to come out and kick into the wind to begin the third quarter. Otherwise, it did not affect our play calling at all.”
(On what changed their offensive rhythm in the second half)
“I think a number of things. It goes back to what I said about first downs. We get the ball first and 10 and we'd have either an incomplete pass to give us second and 10 or we run or throw a swing pass to get tackled for a loss and now we're in second and 13. Even on that long yardage if we picked up seven or eight yards and it gave us a third and five we didn't convert on third down. Again, part of it was Louisville's defense. They're a talented defense and they get tackles for loss, they get sacks, and again, they give up 10 points a game. I certainly give them credit as well. With what we do offensively we're not trying to score a hundred points. We're trying to move the chains and get first downs. The points will take care of themselves. When you get in second and long and third and medium to third and long, we weren't successful in those down and distances tonight.”
(On Dominique Brown's performance and why they had a hard time stopping him)
“They've got a physical offensive line and he's obviously very physical as well. They've got great side up front. I thought we tackled well as a whole. We missed some tackles in the first half and a couple in the second half as well. He would hit a couple guys and spin off and we felt like we had him for a gain of one, and the next thing you know it's second and five and he had picked up five yards. Again, they're very physical among both their offensive and defensive lines and they were able to establish the line of scrimmage and establish the run game.”
(On the frustration of Louisville taking time off the clock and not being able to get the ball back)
“I would say the scenario you just mentioned is frustrating, but I don't see it necessarily that way because I felt like we had the ball back offensively with enough opportunities to go down and score. You know, if we're going to hold an opponent to 20 points I feel like offensively - I mean we're averaging going into the game I think like 37 points - so if we can hold an opponent to 20 points I feel like we're going to have a good chance to win the game with what we do offensively. I felt like we had opportunities. We had possessions offensively to get that done and we just didn't.”
(On back-to-back losses against ranked conference opponents)
“Well, you know, those are situations that, while certainly I don't want to say right now 20 minutes after the game that those are going to benefit us in the long run, but they are. We've got a true freshman at quarterback. We've got one of the best receivers in the country in Deontay Greenberry. We lost him for the game in the first quarter. That certainly affected our production as well. Being in these type of close games, these type of situations where you put yourself in the opportunity to win it against back-to-back opponents, but also back-to-back top 20 opponents, sometimes - I don't want to say that's all you can ask for because we're trying to win by more than a field goal at the end or overtime - but, on the road, a sellout crowd, hostile environment, true freshman at quarterback, lose one of the best receivers in the nation in the first quarter, going forward I think it's going to help us.”
Efrem Oliphant, LB
(On trying to contain Dominique Brown)
“It was tough you know. Our team had a hard time getting into a rhythm especially with the quarterback they have. So we were more focused on if he was going to air a long pass or what, but they brought the run and we had to buckle down a couple times, but they kept us on our toes with the run pass.”
(On the defense stepping but offense strolling the last two games.)
“It hurts when you have close games like we've had. We were not able to execute and win. We don't point fingers and say that the offense didn't come through. The team lost. It's the same when it's a team victory. It's more things we could've done on defense to stop them from scoring where our offense didn't have to be in a bad spot. I don't look at it as in it's our offense's fault.”
(On moving forward and finishing the season strong)
“We just have to look forward it's a loss. We're going to put it behind us. We have to focus on next week and the week after that and finish off the season on the right note.”
