Louisville-Houston Postgame Quotes

Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino

(Opening statement)
"It's a bad day for us. I thought we got outplayed and outcoached. It's my responsibility to get us prepared during the week for the field. We always say around here that you earn the right to win on the practice field and we didn't get that done. Offensively, we weren't able to move the ball early; we turned it over and made mistakes when we got in scoring position. Lamar (Jackson) struggled, there's no question about that. When Kyle (Bolin) came in, he did give us a lift and we were able to get back to a normal offense and move the ball, but it wasn't enough. Defensively, I'm very disappointed. We didn't tackle well. We didn't run full speed to the ball like we normally do. In critical situations and critical plays, we didn't make the play and they did and I thought that was the difference in the game. Then we gave up 100 yard kickoff return where they made the play and we didn't. We had good coverage on them and he just broke the tackle and went for a touchdown."

(On what he saw during the week at practice)
"We just didn't have the same focus or the same energy that we normally have and that we need to have. We tried to get it going, we tried to work on, it but I didn't do a good enough job."

(On Lamar Jackson's play)
"I think he was trying to do too much. When your strength is your ability to run, make plays, and scramble around and throw the ball deep, it's something he needs to learn. That I have the ability to take off and run and get positive plays and don't try to make the great play and don't throw the ball deep over the middle. The first turnover was deep over the middle late and the backside safety got there and made the play. There's a lot to learn there. "

(On going to Kyle Bolin)
"We felt like the part of our offense we could expose for them. Kyle operates the best. His ability to drop back, throw the ball, and mix it up is something that he's show is his strength. We felt like that's what we needed at that time."

(On how the team will address the quarterback position in the following week)
"That's a great question. We'll have to get to work tomorrow night and see what we can figure out."

(On whether the quarterback position is still an open competition)
"That's a great question. It's something I can't answer right now, but we'll work at it, get it figured out."

(On if the timeout before Louisville's last field goal attempt was used to make the decision to kick)
"Yeah, that's what we were talking about. We had a lot of wind behind us. (Kicker John Wallace) had been knocking them in right around 51, 53 (yards). He felt good with the wind. It's fourth and 11. It's a tough call. It's a tough call. He had a great practice the other day, kicking the ball. I think it got tipped. I think it ended up getting tipped. Do you go for it on fourth and 11 or do you kick the field goal? I had confidence that he would make it."

(On the holding penalty against Louisville that halted momentum on the team's final drive)
"I'm not sure about that one. I thought (Geron Christian) did a nice job of cutting the guy, but we had more penalties than we did in the first game. Some of them caused by discipline. The one that killed us was the one on our own sideline which was just being selfish. Not being a team player. That was a big one. You're going to have some penalties during the game, but those are the ones that you can't have."

(On how much the team's youth factors into the mistakes that were made)
"I imagine it factors in a lot. There's a lot of freshmen out there. There's a lot of new guys on offense. But defensively we should play better than that."

(On if third down defense will be a point of emphasis in the coming week of practice)
"Definitely. That's what I meant when I said that when the pressure was on, we didn't make the play and they did. (Houston's Greg Ward Jr.) moved around either he ran or did a good job keeping his vision downfield. It certainly was a clear advantage on third down. Normally we do really well."

(Is this one of your more disappointing losses?)
"It is a disappointing loss, yeah. Houston is a good football team. They did a great job of coaching them."

(Defensively, was it intensity or schematically?)
"Again, you've got to watch the video to really know that, but I know we can tackle better than that. I know we can run full speed with the ball better than that. And normally we do what we are coached to do. So we've got some work ahead of us in a very short period of time."

(What should Lamar Jackson's focus this week be?)
"We've just got to get on the game plan and work at what we want to operate on the game plan. There are a lot of things that we are going to have to focus on."

Micky Crum
(Did you sense a different attitude this week in practice?)
"Coach Petrino told us we didn't have a good practice, so I kind of sensed that we weren't ready for this game."

(Why do you think that?)
"I don't know … no answer for that. Something we have to do as a team."

(Coming off the last loss, did that not motivate you?)
"No, I guess not."

(How do you get motivated going forward in a short week?)
"Forget about the past, focus on Clemson, and don't focus on the two losses we just had."

(How did it feel to get some reps and catches?)
"It felt amazing, I felt real comfortable in there. You know I like getting the ball."

(Have you seen that the other three quarterbacks are ready, or whoever they might call on to give you a spark?)
"I mean we have four great quarterbacks; they could throw anybody in there."

(What did Kyle Bolin bring to you guys that was able to get the offense moving?)
"Just confidence; that kid has a big heart. I just knew with him in there we were going to keep the ball rolling."

(Do you think you could be a big matchup problem?)
"I feel like I can, just use my body and my size and my ability."

(How big is a game like that for you to get the monkey off your back?)
"It gets a lot of pressure off me, now I feel like I've been here and done it now after that big game."

Keith Kelsey
(How would you describe this game?)
"Just a bad feeling right now letting them come into our house and get a W. We can't blame anybody but ourselves."

(Did you see this coming because of how Coach Petrino said practice went this week?)
"There were things that we could have done better. We just have to go back in the film room and the practice field and fix those things tomorrow. There's no excuses, they just came in here and beat us."

(Did you feel like you guys were just a play away?)
"I just feel like we were a play away, then again we have to execute. I mean there are just no excuses, we have to go out there next game and execute."

(Does it seem that big mistakes are setting you back?)
"It's just attention to detail, we have to go out there and do what coach asks us to do. We have to take it upon ourselves during the next game to do that."

(What was going on during third downs?)
"Just breaking down, we have to get off the field on third down. There's no excuses; third down is the money down and we have to get off the field."

Kyle Bolin
(On coach putting him into the game)
"Coach was making sure all season that we are prepared and when your number is called go out there and perform."

(On what he saw from Houston in order to go out and execute)
"I knew Houston was a very good team with a lot of speed and they execute very, very good. I understood that coach Petrino has a great offensive mind so he would put me in for the right plays."

(On how he impacted the rhythm of the game)
"The main thing was to get yards, make the right run check, or complete a pass. It was ours to take the momentum. When the offense believes in you, you will be able to move the ball efficiently."

(On lack of focus in practice)
"We were all coming off the loss against Auburn and that didn't sit well with a lot of people, so they were still thinking about that. We tried to turn the focus up late in the week. Coach would always tell us, you earn the right to win in practice and we just didn't earn it. We just didn't put the loss behind us. You have to do that in a football season."

(On if he was surprised to get in the game)
"No, I wasn't surprised to get in the game. I just saw that if something would happen with an injury or maybe if he just wanted to switch something up and I needed to play, I just tried to be ready."

(On how to get ready for Clemson in a short week)
"You just have to put the game in the past, just think about how bad it feels tonight, and when you wake up tomorrow it is a new day and we have a new opponent ahead of us."

(On his approach for Clemson game as a starter)
"I try to approach every game every week as if I am going to start the game."

(On how to enter games from now on vs last year)
"I guess my confidence has changed compared to last year. My confidence built up all through camp. I understand that when I go into the game that I will complete passes and simply knowing where the ball needs to go. I'm not going to throw the best passes every time but I think the rest of my team will help me perform. I think I have gotten a lot stronger. With the experience I gained last year and having the trust of the team during this off season it puts you in a better mental state. If you're not there mentally you will get exposed."

Houston Head Coach Tom Herman

(On the win and the national relevance it gives his team)
"We trained for nine months for this moment. None of us in that locker room are surprised. We expected to come in here and use our training to the best of our abilities and we figured if we did that, we'd have a chance to win in the end, and we did. To talk about national relevance, that's for the nation to decide. Not for me. That would be unfair for me to comment on it. We're a really good football team on the road, that was a heck of a crowd they got there, they're loud and it was a very up and down ball game. What a team win. If there was a definition of a team win, that would be it. Offensive, defensive, and special teams always had their ups and downs but never at the same time. We always found a way to pick each unit up."

(On the game-winning touchdown)
"Greg (Ward Jr.) got us into that play. We had seen them in a bear defense and we had talked about it on the sideline that if they had shown us bear – we were awful in the red zone up until that point. And so, credit to the offensive coaches for making some adjustments throughout the game. So we told him the next time we were down there if we saw a bear cover zero, to get to that play and Greg did and him and Demarcus and the offensive line executed great."

(On the kickoff return for a touchdown by Brandon Wilson)
"Really bad decision. We'll do a better job coaching him up. We had a field return call there. Credit to him, he made a great individual effort. We didn't block very well for him, obviously very hard to sustain those blocks when the ball is pinned that far in the corner. That's a mistake that he will make again but obviously one that if you're going to make a mistake, you're going to have a great individual effort and he did that."

(On forcing Louisville into turnovers)
"I think anytime you're dealing with a freshman quarterback you want to challenge him. Of all the positions on the field to play as a true freshman that's definitely the one that is the most challenging. So we wanted to put some pressure on him and force him into making some quick decisions. He played. He had some big plays against us too now so let's give him a ton of credit for that. I think our defensive staff and the players executing on the field, that's kind of who we are by nature. I think we kind of ramped it up just a little bit knowing that a freshman quarterback was back there but again hats off to the kid. He hurt us a bunch and we did force him into a few mistakes but boy he made us nervous at times too."

(On Dunbar and Bonner)
"Well Dunbar played, it feels good to see. Bonner did not start the game off very well. We wanted to play in 10 personnel which is no tight end and we felt like that gave us the best opportunity. As good as they were up front to kind of spread them out a little bit and not play so much football in a phone booth. So we challenged Linell (Bonner) all week, we kind of knew that was the game plan going in. He didn't play well early but credit to him he responded well late. The rest of the guys really stepped up, I don't know that we had a drop I don't think we did, and then we like to get better. We got to get better on the perimeter blocking a little bit but they gave good effort."

(On Kenneth Farrow )
"He averaged four yards a carry again I think he's pressing a little bit too much. I thought the offensive line did a fantastic job fantastic job of opening holes for him. We'll get it fixed. I mean were going to run inside zone. Each run on inside zone is different based on how the defense moves, so he'll continue to get better running that football play but it was really good to get him settled in and get him going and being productive for us."

(On Ward's play)
"He made some silly, silly decisions in the middle of the game and we challenged him and at times. I think he was inventing looks back there if that makes any sense, kind of not laying what he says but playing what he thinks the defense is going to do and when they don't do what he thinks they're going to do he kind of freezes a little bit. So we challenged him in the middle of the game and he responded. Obviously he's a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands. And then to check us in the right play there at the end for the final touchdown. He made some big third down conversions both with his arm and with his feet. He was really a bright spot there for us late in the game."

(On the opening drive of the second half and if they made a lot of corrections at halftime)
"No, we kind of jotted down some ideas that we thought would be beneficial to us. I don't know if that is corrections more than it is just adjustments to what we were seeing in the first half. Credit the offensive staff, (they) did a great job. Derek Warehime got those offensive lineman really schooled up to play today and they drove the bus, so to speak, for us up front."

(On the comeback on the road)
"Again, and this is certainly not to sound coy, but we train that way. That's how we train and we've trained that way for nine months. We train that way for moments like this. That's just the culture of our program, is to battle adversity, respond when adversity hits very mindfully and on purpose, with really good thoughts and actions, and not to panic and not to try to do anything outside of ourselves. We talk all the time about going back to our fundamentals when things get tough. Effort and fundamentals are the easiest way to battle adversity. It's not freaking out. It's not trying to make the superhuman play. It's going back to your fundamentals and giving a superior level of effort. Hats off to our strength staff and his crew, prepared us physically and mentally for this moment. He's our culture coach. He's around our guys a lot more than I am, a lot more than our assistant coaches are. He's in total alignment with what we believe in as a football program and instills that culture in our guys on a daily basis. And so, I'm not trying to make it sound easy. It certainly was not easy. It was in fact extremely, extremely hard. But, that's why we train so hard and that's why we push our guys so hard, is for moments like this."

(On the atmosphere of the postgame locker room)
"We have a tradition where we call up the offensive coordinator and he brings up a few different players that played well and they say a few words. One of those was not one player, but the entire offensive line. It was neat to see little old Houston, little old finesse bad offensive line-play Houston. To call up the offensive line is one of the bright spots of the game. And then we do the same for the defense and the same for special teams. Hats off to the defense, man. I think we had four turnovers. Really, really kept us in the ballgame for a bunch of stretches there. And then we say a prayer, voluntary prayer, and then we sing the fight song. Which is really fun."

(On the progress of the offensive line since spring practice)
"Light years, light years. They're not a finished product. Let's not go heaping too much praise on them just yet. They're kind of like mushrooms, we like to keep them in the dark and feed them manure. They understand their role and they understood in order for us to win this game we were going to need to lean on them and they responded."

Demarcus Ayers
(What did you see on the last touchdown?)
"I noticed that it was the press-cover man. I looked at Greg (Ward) right way and checked the play. The play we were in was pretty good, but I had a shot at beating him. I knew once he went to press coverage, it was going to be a quick score for us."

(What's it like to have the game winner and how you have started this season?)
"It's a humbling experience for me; this is the role I really been waiting for since I got on campus. Now to see that these guys really believe in me and trust me after only knowing them for five months. The chemistry me and Greg have is unbelievable. To be on the same page with everyone on offense and have the opportunities that they are giving met to make plays I feel very comfortable in this offense, it's just been a blessing for me. Like I said I went out there and made a terrific play I was struggling throughout the game to make a play and I knew I had to come through for the team."

(You were one of the guys that said give it time at receiver and (Linell) Bonner had a big game today and (Steven) Dunbar had a touchdown, (Isaiah) Johnson was in there, (Chance) Allen was in there. Is that just now we're seeing what the receiving core could possibly be?)
"Yeah that's exactly what I told you a couple of weeks ago. Everyone is starting to get on the same page – we're really gelling at receiver. Last week we had a big game blocking. We didn't have as many catches. Me and Kyle Postma were the only receivers with catches and Chance. This week the focus I knew was going to be on me. The guys in the receiving room really stepped up. Steve (Dunbar) scored on the first possession of the game. They jumped my route and he was wide open. That really sparked the receiving room. Once we noticed some mismatches outside we started taking shots and Chance made the unbelievable catch on Greg's scramble and really kept the game alive for us. So you see the improvement from the receiving room and all the guys are really starting to make plays."

(What was that celebration like in the locker room?)
"It was exciting. We knew all week we had a chance to come in here and win. Two years ago that taste was still in our mouth when we lost in 2013 to those guys. But coming here and playing in this tremendous stadium and with the stadium being sold out, we knew we had a chance to get on the national radar. Coach Herman prepared us very well. The defense went out there and played a great game, and offense just kept pushing. We knew it was going to be a nail biter. The game wasn't perfect. It was a roller coaster game. Just to come out and win that game by three points and go in the locker room and celebrate with your brothers that you been working hard with for this moment since nine months ago. Just to come out on top against a big ACC opponent is really tremendous and big for us."

Greg Ward, Jr.
(What's going through your mind there late in the game when you guys are driving for that potential game winning touchdown?"
"The defense was giving us great field position, as well as the special teams, and they were playing great ball. And we knew we could drive, and we knew we could score on these guys. So we just believed in each other, and we made it happen."

(What's it mean to come on the road and beat a team of that caliber from a 'Power Five' conference?)
"It means a lot, it means a lot to the team, to the University of Houston period. We all believed in each other, and we were just thankful to come out and get the win."

(Was there an original play on that last touchdown?)
"No, it was a different play call. I saw the defensive structure, so I changed it. Just luckily we practiced we've been practicing that."

(What did the receivers do for you guys today?)
"We all are just leaning on each other, and trusting each other, and just believing in what our coaches are calling. So whenever we're out there, we are just trying to make a play and help each other."

(You more than anybody knows what the offensive line's been through. To see what they've done the last few weeks in how they continue to get better, how big is that for you guys?)
"I'm grateful to have those group of guys in front of me, blocking for me. Those guys have been through hell and back, so I'm just happy that we were able to come out here and get this win, because we've been grinding. Every week, all week, every day. This was just a great win for us."

(With the win like today is it good to have a bye week so early?)
"We all played hard. Our bodies are broke down but if we had another game I know that we'd all be prepared so it doesn't matter if we had a game this week or the week after that. We'd always be prepared for it."

(You said you called a different play and you said we're lucky we practiced it. Explain that.)
"It's not that I called a different play, it's just a check. It's just a check depending on what the defense gives me and I checked the right thing. We always um practice that since day one since spring ball and that just carried over."

(Who was your first look or first read?)
"It was Demarcus (Ayers)."

(Can you send a message this early in the season with a new coach and a big win like this?)
"We're really not worried about all that. We're worried about the circle that's in this win for our specific group. We proved it to ourselves. So we're just ready for our next opponent and get back on the field and ready to work."

University of Louisville Athletics

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