Louisville-Clemson Football Postgame Quotes
September 17, 2017 | Football
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Clemson at Louisville
Sept. 17, 2017 | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
Postgame quotes
Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino
(Opening statement)
“Well, we got beat in all phases. It's disappointing to me because, I really felt like we would be in the game and compete. In the first half offensively we just couldn't get anything going except for the one drive. We couldn't convert third downs and that was really the big part of the game and the big difference from a year ago. A year ago we were converting third downs and today we weren't doing it. I thought their front is very, very good. Their linebackers can run and tackle. It's a credit to their defense. Obviously we knew they were good coming in, but we didn't do the things we've been able to do offensively as far as blocking the front and making plays and completing passes, being consistent – it all works together.
Defensively, I thought we battled in the first half. We did some good things, couldn't get any turnovers. And in the second half they just beat us up. They ran the ball at us. What really hurt us is we didn't have guys running full speed to the ball and getting people to the ball. It was always one guy missing a tackle, long run for a touchdown. The key to defense is to get people to the ball. Be gap sound. We came out of our gap on the last long run and allowed him to run down the sideline, so we didn't set edges and we didn't put pressure on their quarterback to have to throw the ball at any time during the game. He just was able to be comfortable. He did a nice job for them, he ran hard. You've got to give them credit, they are a very, very good football team, but I'm really disappointed in the way we played.”
(What led to struggles in the passing game)
“The patience on the coverages. And then we did have some things, we had some pressure. I'd think it'd be interesting to watch the video and see how we worked together on the offensive front. And every once in a while we had an assignment error on the front. I think it really hurt us that they were great at linebacker and dropping deep in zone. And that's when you really have to be patient.”Â
(On the pick six)
“I didn't see the block - I don't know what the call was. Obviously we had a big play and brought it back. But, we really just tried to get some yardage to get in a manageable situation. He saw the linebacker. He thought to move forward but he really had good depth and he just needed to turn and give the ball to the running back. And then we didn't tackle. If the ball is intercepted, you've got to go make the tackle. There will be a lot to teach on that play for sure. That really did change the momentum. It didn't allow us to get any momentum, because they had the momentum the whole time.
(On what he will say to the team and how they will move forward)
“What we need to do is come back next week and practice… get better in practice. Go back to work. We have a couple of weeks here where we need to do a really good job in practice and improve.  Find out a lot about our team and how we come back on Tuesday and how hard we work and how hard we practice. Monday night we'll go through the video, which will probably be pretty tough on everybody, but that's what you do. Just come back and work harder. There's a lot of football out there to play, obviously, but we need to improve. We can't make mistakes and we need to play better. “
(On making adjustments to Clemson's defense)
"For a while there we were moving our front and did some good things. But then we just wore out and wore down and they continued. They were good at what they do."
(On any positives he saw)
"We need to watch the video and see that (positives) and when you first see this and how everything ended up it is hard to think of anything positive right now. We will come back. We'll get back to work.
(On fatigue factor)
"I think the fatigue was caused by, No. 1 not being able to execute on offense and us keep the ball and be on the field. The third quarter, I don't know how many snaps we had. We were rotating guys in and we were defending the run well going into this game. They executed and did a better job than we did. It is the offense's responsibility to not let the defense be on the field that long. "
(On Clemson TD in the third quarter by McCloud being a turning point)
"It was a big play obviously. He ran a great route and the ball was perfectly thrown. We jumped on it and the double move, they executed it very well. Pulled the backside guard and we gave him some time to throw it, but that is a touchdown play that we've got to be able to come back from."
(On Malik Williams limited numbers of touches)
"Sometimes the reads dictated how many touches he got. Some of it was the score on the scoreboard. We certainly did not run the ball the way we wanted to or the way we needed to."
Lamar Jackson, Jr., QB
(Lamar was that the best defense you've played against) “In my career in college, no we just didn't play our game today. We came out flat, we wasn't scoring points. The offense did a horrible job tonight. It's on all of us.”
(You guys didn't get a 3rd down conversion in the first half, what was the cause of that?) “Not doing what we were supposed to, their defense beat us to the punch. They did a great job I'm not going to lie. The defense played a great game for Clemson and we just didn't execute.”
(What led to the struggles on the passing game early on?) “I don't know, I really don't.  Just wasn't doing the right things I guess.”Â
(Malik seemed to be productive when he got carries but he didn't get a whole lot of carries, was it something that Clemson was doing to kind of take that away) “That's coaching, I don't know. We just weren't running the ball that way.”
(After you were able to comeback so well against Clemson last year, what do you think was different tonight?) “Like I said before, we weren't doing what we were supposed to. We kept getting off the field and kept putting our defense out there. Eventually you know they are going to get tired when you keep putting them out there with a fast pace offense. They did a great job on offense as well.”
(How frustrating is that for you when you have to watch the defense go through that?) “Well I get mad, you know I don't like to put our defense in that situation. We are suppose to score points, that's our job and we didn't execute on that at all.”
(What were those first four passes that you did, did you feel like you were pressing maybe a little bit initially?) “I think that I was too excited. I came out too excited. I wasn't calm like usual right before like the two games in the past. You know I just came out too excited. Playing Clemson again, reimagine, played a great game.”
(Moving forward from this what are you guys going to do in practice to kind of come back and kind of shake this off and move forward?) “Everything, we're going to grind hard. We don't have another choice. I don't like the way that we ended this. The season not over the season is far from over. I don't like the way that we lost at home, especially at home.”
(You guys talked in build up to this game how you guys came out too hype last year at Clemson, why do you think that happens?) “You know you are playing a national championship team, they ranked number three. You try to knock them off of they throne, you get over excited and it gets you out of the game.”
(What's the difference between the Florida State, Clemson Game) “We were focused the Florida State game, we came out angry we were a lot focused. Then we came out excited we were playing the championship team like I said before and we get out there and want to show everybody what Louisville is about and we didn't show it at all.”
(Your thoughts on the defense)
Stacy Thomas: “We have to do better. That is not acceptable, that is not what we practice and preach every day in practice.”
(When you're on the field that long, is that part of the issue)
“No, whenever we are out there we are ready to go as long as we are out there on the field. There is no explanation for what happened.”
(On the build up for this game)
Jaylen Smith - “I mean yeah, and no. At the end of the day, it is still a loss, it just hurt worst because it was at home. But you just have to pick up and move on, at the end its football. We are going to take loses. We just have to bounce back like we usually do.”
(Why do you think they were so effective running the ball)
Jonathan Greenard – “Sometimes we are off our technique. A team like that we cannot mess up a little bit, or they are going to capitalize on it. They showed that they are a championship team. You can't make those small mistakes so they will capitalize.”
(On what made their offense line tough to handle)
Jonathan Greenard- “Basically they just kind of forced out. They just kept going out at it. Coach Petrino said it was going to be a battle. We can't just play for a first half so they just kept going at it, they didn't do anything spectacular. We just have to make plays.
(Jaylen how frustrating was it for each quarter or so)
“It was frustrating not only for the offense but for me, I was having trouble tracking the ball early and I just did my best to forget about it and not have it carry over to the second quarter or the second half. Just make the mistake, and move on it was just one of those things, we just needed to get it going, to get the offense going. We couldn't do it early on.”
(On getting back on the practice field)
Jaylen Smith - “Same way as if we won the game. 100 miles per mile full speed, as soon as we touch the field on Tuesday, it's all about short term memory. This one hurts. It does hurt especially with the implications of the game and it being at home. But we have to sleep on it tonight, take a shower wash it away, and get right back at it.
(What's it like on the side line)
Jaylen Smith- “It can get frustrating but you can't let it. You feel like now you are pressing it cause its been four possessions we haven't got a first down or we haven't scored, so you feel like you're pressing it, but you can't let that get you off your game, or let you get that off your element. You can feel that tonight a little bit, we kind of let that get to us early on.”
(About defense not running full speed to the ball)
Stacy Thomas: “It means, we take man we got to that heart, on the defense man, that's what we have to do, we got to get to the ball. We have to go to watch the film and everybody has to get on each other, we are a team.”
(On defending the run)
Jonathan Greenard: “They just executed kept going at it. You know sometimes we expect another team if it's not gone work let's say they get two yards or three yards on the play, they are going to come back to it, as opposed to another team they realize two-three yards is not going get it done, they are going to stay with it they gone come back to the plays that work. So, they're a good team, it shows, I mean a team like that you can't fall asleep you have to still play with your technique even when you're tired. So, they capitalized on it, hey, you see the results.”
(About staying confident after the loss)
Jonathan Greenard: “At the end of the day we lost, as a team, we have been here before, I mean we lost the game last year, and the year before we just got to pick it up like any other team, we gone definitely bond, bond together, a lot stronger, we really going see what we really about, and you all will too. “
Jaylen Smith: It's called positive reinforcement, and critique the bad and emphasize the good. You know we spend all day talking about what we did bad, what we didn't do well, what we could've changed, what could've went this way, what could've went that way, but when it all boils down to it, at the end of the day, you have to replace that with positive reinforcement. We will be building the team back up, that's what we using from this.”
(About Lamar saying the team might have been too excited)
Stacy: I mean you can say that, I mean yeah we definitely were excited it's a big game who wouldn't be excited. Basically, I feel like we treated this game like we treated Florida State last year, the first big game at home. That's us. We play our best whenever we're amped up, and just playing to the best of our ability, when we getting to the quarterback, making tackles, fired up. That's what we do. I don't think that's an issue I mean at the end of the day we just got to execute.”
Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney
(Opening Statement)
“First of all, that's a great start for us in ACC play, obviously a huge division win. Any time you can go on the road and win, it's a big boost for you. We still have a lot of work to do and another big division game next week, but it takes a lot of mental toughness and focus to be able to go on the road and win. We had two goals tonight, one was to get the job done and the other was to leave no doubt. We felt like we left a little doubt in the past couple of years.
“Last year, against these guys, we turned it over five times. We came up here a couple years ago and gave up a kick return to the house. We just wanted to play good, sound, complementary football tonight and we did that in all three phases. Hats off to the guys, to our staff, we had great preparation, that's a great football team (Louisville), they're a big time challenge. We were able to possess the ball and limit their possessions, something we weren't able to do last year. We played great field position. Our punt game, we averaged over 50 yards a punt. Coverage was outstanding from a kickoff standpoint and we knocked down a couple field goals. But, it really was a great performance, we had 600-plus yards offensively. I love how we rushed the ball, we had some big throws and catches. Kelly (Bryant) was awesome, the big stat for Kelly was that he was 6-for-9 on third downs. We had some big-time third downs, we made some big scramble plays and that's something that he 's obviously got the ability to do. We ran the ball well, effectively and efficiently. All those guys were awesome. Big contributions in the passing game, as well. Ray Ray (McCloud) had a career-high 115 yards and a big-time touchdown. We had one touchdown called back and we missed a kick, so we had some things that we left out there. But, we just had a lot of contributions from a lot of guys, we brought 72 (players) on the trip and we played 70. It's a happy locker room in there. Defensively, we had one really poor drive in the first half, but we settled in and played pretty good football outside of a couple cheap ones that we gave up in the fourth, which was disappointing that we had a couple busted coverages where guys weren't where they were supposed to be. A lot of guys got some good experience and there's a lot that we can improve from. But, I'm just really proud of them, we had ten tackles for loss, six sacks. I hate that we lost Tanner (Muse), but to see Isaiah Simmons go in and play the way he played was really, really good. Just really proud of these guys, we're 3-0 and that's where we wanted to be, but we have a lot of improving to do.
“We have another opportunity next week within our division against BC at home, so we're excited about that. Our crowd was awesome, can't say enough about all the orange that traveled here. We appreciate the great environment that they gave us tonight. Health-wise, I think we came out pretty good. We've had a big time stomach bug the last few days that has affected like 15 guys. I love how some of these guys that were really sick pushed through tonight. Great victory for us and we'll keep moving forward.”
(On the team's improved turnover margin from the end of the 2016 season)
“Well, again, that's what I told our team. My exact words were, 'The tournament's Gods have got to turn in our direction.' If we could just find a way to win the turnover margin, we're going to move up in the polls. We had to put it together, have everything complement each other. Offense, defense, and special teams, not compensate for one another. Last week, we had to compensate. From turnovers in the red zone to short fields, we were able to compensate. And good teams have to be able to do that. We really want to play complimentary football. We were able to do that tonight. So to be plus-one on the margin and score on defense, hopefully that's a turn in the right direction for us and we can get something started.”
(On Kelly Bryant's road performance and his season progression)
“I mean, he was awesome. He had a couple of shaky moments early, he was high on a couple throws, and we missed a couple layups, to be honest with you. He just settled in, and the throws to Ray-Ray (McCloud) and Deon (Cain) got called back. The throw to Renfrow early in the game, he overthrew, he missed a few layups. Like I said, you've got to make the layups early. But, he settled in. He settled in and played a heck of a game. Made some nice scrambles with his legs, made some nice runs. And when you complement him with our backs, we really only need to get the ball to the edge. We can be tough to defend, especially when we take care of the ball. I'm just really proud of him. It takes poise, preparation, focus, confidence, and mental toughness to be able to stay locked in and just do your job. He made some big time throws, too.”
(On what factored into naming Kelly Bryant as the starting quarterback)
“He just won the competition. I didn't know what was going to happen this spring. I really didn't. He came out of spring ahead. I told y'all whoever came out ahead would be starting today. He had a lot of work to do this summer. He'll get better, and those other guys are getting better, too. We forget that there is development in this sport and that guys improve. Guys get better, and maturity matters. He worked his butt off this summer and just came to camp and what y'all are seeing is what we saw in him. All you do is practice, and like I said, you have to win the job. It was a competition in every sense of the word. He won it. It wasn't like, 'OK, every Thursday there's going to be a competition.' It's just where you are. I didn't know, and every week I'm learning something about him, just like y'all. I was hoping he'd take what I'm seeing in practice to the opening game, he did. I was hoping that he'd respond to the adversity, which we knew was going to come, like I've seen him respond against our defense. I was hoping he'd man up on the road and treat them like a worthy competitor, and he did. So I'm just really proud of him. It's awesome to see him having the success that he's having. He's putting the work in. No one's giving him anything. He's put the time in, he's learned, he has complete ownership in what we're doing. And that is just incredible because he has the experience to go with it. I'm just really proud of him. Again, we have a long way to go and there are a lot of things he could do wrong, but he got it done for three hours.”
(On reloading the offense as well the defense)
“We've got all of our linemen back, and I think we can improve. We're not playing quite like I want us to. We've got good depth, good skill, but people are quick to focus on who's not here and I never focus on who's not here. I always focus on who's here and who's coming. If you're going to be successful in college football, that has to be where your focus is.
(On having two punt returners late in the game)
“We go safe. When we have our safe punt team in there, we can't have two 34s in the game. So, Renfrow is our safe punt guy. When we go to our punt return team, Kendall (Joseph) is not in the game, so Ray-Ray (McCloud) is in there.”
(On how veterans and experience have helped the younger guys handle success)
“It's just the mentality and the culture that we have. We celebrate, we have fun, we enjoy it. If you're happy, you're consistent. This is our 11th road win in a row. That's a record since 1939, that's a long time, and it's hard to win on the road. We won 11 in a row and not all of these guys have been a part of that. There's a lot of these guys that have, but a lot of them haven't. This team has won one on the road, and that's how we look at it. Everybody just takes a lot of pride in doing their best each and every week. If you have that mindset, then you can build and establish consistency in your program. It's the same with our coaches. If we had a bad loss tonight, it would have been the same. Get our mind right Monday, refocus on what's in front of us. That's just the way we've always been. Last year, we lost to Pittsburgh, the world was over. Not for us. It was back to work. It's a culture and mentality that the guys buy into and that's just been in place for a long time. So, we just try not to get too high, not get too low and we truly move on.”
Kelly Bryant, Jr., QB
(On how his first road win feels) “It feels great. It feels good to get a road win under our belt. It shows a lot about our team. It was good to come out here and do what we did offensively.”
(On if he was the best quarterback on the field tonight) “I just did my job. I did everything the coach asked me and just tried to lead my guys out there.”
(On if Louisville's defense respected his arm as much as his legs) “I just made plays with my arm when they were there and I tried to make plays with my legs as well. I just took what was there and tried not to do too much.”
(On if he was excited to play in the environment) “Of course, it's a challenge. Coming into the game, everybody was hyping the game up about how it's a blackout. We blocked all of that out and we made plays.”
(On his first deep ball to Hunter Renfrow) “It was good. It got us in a rhythm on that first drive. The tempo was there, it was good execution and a good play call.”
(On the message in the locker room) “Good start to the division, ACC. We're 1-0, we're right where we want to be. We have a challenge next week at home, so we have to come ready to play each and every other week.”
(On how the defense helped him settle down) “The guys on the other side of the ball are going to come out and bring it every week. We just have to help complement each other, offense and defense. We can't compensate for each other. We saw them play hard and we have to step it up and bring it as well.”
Christian Wilkins, Jr., DL
(On tonight's game against Louisville) “I honestly love playing in Louisville. The fans are very welcoming, accommodating—great atmosphere always. I love playing on the road and they don't disappoint. This is where I had my first ever road game experience my freshman year (2015). That was my first one, so I'll always have something to remember here. So, it's cool coming back here. A lot of fun. They didn't make it easy for us. It was definitely a lot of fun.”
(On playing defensive end in tonight's game) “Just familiar. I played it for a whole season. Just the way rotations work out. Last year, playing against them, I didn't have to do a lot, just worked…just wherever I can fit in.”
(On defensive performance) “It just shows that when we have to finish, just regardless of who's out there on the field, you got to do a good job of finishing. We got to finish on defense. They've got a good scheme. They've got a solid offensive line and obviously, the Heisman Trophy winner.
Co-Offensive Coordinator Jeff Scott
(On the win) “We talked about that each week. We were coming out with some new guys week one. First start and how are you going to do? The next week we played a very talented opponent in Auburn, and now this week. This was a big step. Playing a great conference team in our division on the road at night and all those top defenders. This group on offense just keeps answering. Every new question they have they answer it the right way. We're really proud. Proud of those guys upfront. They have the balance again. We were close to 300 rushing, I think we had 291 rushing, and over 300 passing, and if we can keep that balance we're going to be in great shape. Those guys did a great job upfront. Kelly Bryant, what can you say? His first three starts he looks like a second or third year starter out there. He took some hits early. It took him a little while to get going, but man he led us. He made some big plays with his feet and also with his arm. He threw some great balls. We're really proud of where we are after three weeks. It's just that. It's a good start, and we get ready next week for Boston College.”
(Is it satisfying to see a lot of guys making plays?) “Yeah it is. It's really who we want to be. We talked about one of our strengths this year is our depth. We play a lot of guys. I think we played 70 of the 72 that were on the travel roster. That's great. It's going to be a long year and we're going to need a lot of these guys along the way. It's great to see a guy like Diondre Overton get in there on a big third down and be right where he needed to be on that scramble. That just pays a lot of dividends to the future because we're going to need those guys as we go. Also Tavien Feaster and Travis Etienne getting in there and just one after another. It's really who we want to be. We want to wear teams down and be able to put it away in the fourth quarter, and I felt like we did that today.”
(How important was it for Feaster to get a big reception after not having one vs. Auburn?) Â “It's been great. We've got nine guys in that room, and those guys are practicing very, very well. The week before against Auburn, just the way the game went it was not a week for a lot of guys to get a lot of reps. Those guys just came back to work this week, and to be able to see them go out there and make some plays in some critical situations was not surprising at all. I think it was great for them to get that opportunity and make the most of it. That's going to allow them to continue to play more like we need them to down the stretch.”
(Did you want to see how Kelly would perform on the road?) Â “We have a lot of confidence in Kelly mainly because of what he's done in practice. Then what he's done in the first two opportunities in games. Yes this was another question that needed to be answered. You can do what ever you want to do in practice and put those guys in difficult situations, but there is nothing like actually experiencing it so this was big for Kelly tonight. I wouldn't say that we're surprised or shocked or anything like that because we've had a lot of confidence in Kelly and our offense has. He's just gone out there each and every week acting like he's played for a long time.”
