Louisville-WKU Postgame Quotes

Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino
(Opening Statement)
"Wow, that was a tough one. Obviously, we didn't go out and play well in the first half. I thought offensively, we weren't able to move the ball. Malik (Cunningham) did come in in the second quarter and gave us a little bit of a spark. We had a couple of good drives. I made probably as bad a call as you could ever make going for it on fourth down, which really hurt our team. It really hurt us, put us behind by more than we should have been. I appreciate the players playing their tails off in the second half. We had a good attitude at halftime, and we had our players that stepped up, showed leadership, competed extremely hard. We're not playing very good football right now, and we've got to improve on that. The competition gets tougher and it's really important to us that we get to playing better football on the game field."

"I did like the way Dae Williams ran the ball in the second half. I thought that had a huge positive effect for us, and the offensive line opened some really nice holes for him. Defensively, we've got to get off the field. We allowed them to control the ball, get in third and short too many times. But we did come up with some big plays when it was needed, like the blocked field goal, the third down sack, just enough of them to win the game. There's no question about it that we need to improve."

(What's the status of London?)
"I did get word from him afterwards that his arms are moving, his fingers are moving, he's doing good. He was nervous down there, but he should be okay."

(On the quarterback situation.
"Yeah, I think right now we got to look at Malik (Cunningham) and get him going. Two weeks in a row now where he's came in and did a great job moving the football, got us in the end zone, competed extremely hard. I didn't think that Puma (Jawon Pass) played very well when he was in there, and we had to make the change. He's not the only one, we had other opportunities to make plays and weren't able to make them. But it's good to see Dae Williams and Malik step up, and I still think we've got a good offensive line, and I still think we're going to get things right in the passing game, and we've got to get things right in being able to just hand the ball to the running back and get yards."

(Who will start?)
"It's a little early, we're not going to make any decisions on that, but we're just going to work hard at it."

(Bobby, you mentioned a couple times that it just seems that things are off. Can you kind of pinpoint where you think it is off?)
"When you look at it like that, it's one guy here, one guy here, one guy here, and what my dad used to say on that is 'that's when you're not very good'. So, we've got to improve. We need to get better. We've got to get all 11 guys doing their jobs together and moving the football, getting to third and short. We've been pretty good on third and short, third and medium, and converting plays. It was a really nice job down there on the goal line on fourth down running the ball in. Everybody did a good job on that, blocked well, and something that they weren't ready for, and executed extremely well. But we're a long ways away from being where we need to be."

(On London Iakopo)
"It's just an upper body injury. He's doing good."

(On Dee Smith)
"I don't know anything about Dee Smith. I haven't talked to the trainer about him. I just talked to the trainer about London."

(On the blocked field goal)
"It helped tremendously. Not only blocking but I thought we were going to scoop and score a couple times but the ball kept going backwards, had a lot of guys hustling trying to get it. It allowed us to get it in scoring position and get points on the board."

(What was the explanation given to you after that last punt?)
"They said that he got there before the ball did."

(It seemed like the wide receivers had some issues with some drops today, what do you all need to do to shore that up a bit?)
"We haven't been able to really get our receivers involved like we need to, it looked like we had a couple of opportunities for some big plays and we weren't able to make them. Jaylen makes that play just about every single day, so it must be something, one of those nights where it isn't clicking. But I'll call his number again and we'll throw it to him again and you know I've got all the confidence in the world in Jaylen Smith, no question about that."

(What did Malik show you when you had that big play that looked like it would've been a touchdown and then he comes right back with the completion that puts that drive together to give you the lead?)
"I thought that was a good job on his poise. He had the opportunity where the post was really number one on it, they went to a single high safety look and the guy got depth and took the post away. He made a really nice throw on it, because he had to throw it a little bit behind Seth (Dawkins) and slow him down so that he could make a catch. Seth made a great play for him on that. That was huge because you're second and 10 and had to go score."

(On Jawon Pass)
"He just wasn't executing like we need to get the offense going."

Louisville RB Dae Williams
(How'd it feel to get in the end zone?)
"It felt great. It felt absolutely amazing to get in there."

(That drive in the third quarter into the red zone. You didn't touch the ball, but you set up that. Did you feel like you missed opportunity there?)
"Not necessarily. I believe in the play calling, and I believe in my quarterback and everybody else on the field. I'm glad I could get us down there, but I definitely believe in us to get it in no matter what."

(What do you think were the issues with the offense in the first half?)
"It's just we came out slow, made a lot of mistakes, dropped a couple passes. Running backs weren't really taking care of the ball. We just can't let that happen, coming out slow. We've got to come out with energy, come out with focus. They came out and you could tell they wanted to play from the jump, so I think that's what it was."

(The offense looked like it wasn't executing for a lot of the game. It's three games in and you guys have some tough opponents coming up. What do you guys do to clean up some of these mistakes?)
"Just continue to come out and have great practices. We have great practices throughout the week. It usually shows on game day. Like I said before, we have to come out stronger. We come out too slow and a good team like Clemson or somebody would have made a big run on us, so we've got to make sure we come out stronger and play more physical in the first quarter."

(What did Malik show you in taking control of the huddle, and bringing you guys back from that drop?)
"It was beautiful how he came in and was a leader for us, gave us that big spark with his running and his passing. I know I'm very confident that he can come in whenever we need him to play. So, I loved to see him running around and keeping a smile on his face."

(On the offensive line)
"Big shout out to my O-line. I didn't give them a shout out. Those two touchdowns and however many yards I had wouldn't have been possible without their great blocking up front."

Louisville LB Tabarius Peterson
(They were driving down the field, getting in the red zone. How big was that to stop them and force the field goal and the block?)
"It was amazing, it felt great. It boosted our spirit as a whole. It just felt great for the defense."

(On the team reaction to the London (Iakopo) injury)
"It was really hurtful, and to see one of our teammates down got to us and made us push even harder to get the job done."

(WKU came out with a couple of different quarterbacks to begin the game. How much of an adjustment did you guys have to make because of that, and did that lead to some confusion and their success early on?)
"We didn't have to make adjustments, we just kept playing. No matter what quarterback was in, we did the best we could and we kept fighting. "

Louisville DE Jarrett Jackson
(On the team reaction to the London (Iakopo) injury)
"Yeah, we went over there to see if he was alright, but it really hurt us inside."

(Talk about your big sack and how the defense rolls up in that fourth quarter and shuts down the WKU attack)
"We just kept faith the whole time. Coach kept harping on us to keep going. What type of team do you want to be? I feel like we finished and it definitely boosted us to keep going. Like TP (Peterson) was saying about London going down, it just made us play even harder."

Louisville QB Malik Cunningham
(Last week you said that you didn't feel you were the starter, that was still Jawon (Pass') job. Has that changed?)
"No, it's still the same thing, whatever coach decides to do. It's up to coach."

(Did (coach) say he was going to open up the competition now?)
"I mean, it's still coach's decision."

(Coming into this game, did you think you were going to get a shot to play in this game?)
"The whole week they told me I would get a chance to play, so I knew when my time would come I had to make plays."

(What goes through your mind when you have Jaylen (Smith) wide open and you see that go through his hands, do you have to refocus?)
"No, in practice he catches those all the time. It's just a mistake -- stuff happens. He'll bounce back from it and catch another one."

(How did you bounce back to get that drive after that?)
"You just have to put those plays like that behind you and move forward."

(Talk about sparking the team coming off the bench. You really showed off your arm a lot more and passed a lot more than you did last week.)
"Well, that's my job. Come off the bench, and whenever my name is called, be ready. I'm going to be ready."

(Fourth and goal at the one, how much confidence did you have in the play call? What was it and what did you see?)
"I knew we were going to score on the one-yard line. I believe in our O-line and Dae (Williams). He made a good run and got it in both times."

(Were you shocked that coach pulled Puma (Jawon Pass) so quickly and didn't give him an opportunity to fight through it?)
"Yeah."

(What do you have to do to go from second team rest to ready to play?)
"Well, I just have to get better every week. I've been right with the twos every set. We've just got to get better. One and twos."

(What was Western doing defensively to frustrate your offense?)
"They were bringing some pressures. They disguised some things they had on film that we had to figure out and we did."

(Were they bringing more pressure, do you mean?)
"I feel like on third down, they just dropped everybody. They were just bringing three."

(What do you have to do to improve your timing with the receivers?)
"We just have to work on it, timing things to work. We'll be alright."

(What was coach's message to the team after the game?)
"After the game? We were just worried about London (Iakopo) and his family. That's about it."

(Did coach tell you in between the first and second quarter that you were going in? When did he tell you that you were going in?)
"No. Coach Galloway told me. I was already loose. He told me to just be loose and I could just go in anytime. I was just ready."

WKU Head Coach Mike Sanford
(Opening statement)
"Well, we went toe-to-toe with an ACC power in the state that we call home and we fell short, and there will be no moral victories claimed by myself, by our team, by any of us. Clearly, there were some improvements that were made from a week ago where our rushing game was non-existent against an FCS team to overall outgaining an ACC team by a hundred-something yards. But, at the end of the day, we've got to finish the game. I'm going to look long and hard at myself and continue to find tweaks in practice, to find moments that we can create to allow us to finish games at the end. That's two weeks in a row that we let them get away from us, and we as a team, we've got to start putting them away."

"I think Malik Cunningham was the difference in the game for them. We were watching tape. We were certainly concerned about preparing for number three. I made that very clear all week. He was the difference in the game for sure—allowed them to be more multiple just by virtue of his pure athleticism. Lot of plays broken down and he makes big yards on them. Overall, I thought our defense fought really hard. Very proud of the way our offensive line played. I thought our running backs looked really good. Josh Samuel, D'Andre Ferby ran as hard as I've seen them run and Garland LaFrance continues to be a dynamic player for us and we've got to continue to get him the football. "

"Quarterback situation, brought both guys in and stuck with a plan that we had if Drew (Eckels) was not going to be up and available. I was proud of the way Steven Duncan came out and played. He moved our team, got a little momentum. But, we've obviously got to take care of the football. The plan was to go two series with Steven and two series with Davis (Shanley), and based off of how they practiced, that was exactly how we wanted to go, and we were going to go with one. That's what we did, and it gave us a chance to win a football game, and at the end of the day, we fell short of that."

(It's like you're snake-bitten in the second half. That's two weeks in a row now that you've given up the lead in the second half. Was there anything you can pinpoint on? Just not finishing—what is it?)
"I think we've got to look at the film. Last week, we looked at it and I felt our mentality going into this game, the way we select plays on offense and defense and special teams as coaches, to the way that we execute those plays as players and as a whole team, we looked at it that we had to truly focus on that one play at a time, and not get caught up. We're beating an ACC team one week at halftime, and the next week, we're allowing an FCS team to hang around. You can't worry about the big picture, and that's a challenge in this day and age for everybody. We're all on our devices and we all get instant feedback about everything from a fan's perspective. Our players and coaches, there's nothing different about that. So, it's our focus this week, and we're going to continue with this going forward because we played better. We've just got to truly focus on executing that one play and not worry about the score, not worry about any executing factors, not worry about what everybody on the outside world's saying. We've got to get in the foxhole together and worry about just executing one rep at a time, one series at a time, one quarter at a time, one half at a time, and ultimately, we're going to win game. It's going to turn. There was a moment last week where it was close and there's a moment this week where it close. I've got a lot of belief in these players. I've got a lot of belief in these coaches, and it will turn. I have no doubt in my mind, and I'm going to keep fighting tooth-and-nail until that comes."

(You have eluded that you prepared for Cunningham, he obviously made a difference. Talk about that.)
"Yeah, he is like the previous guy they had. It doesn't matter what you call, to be honest. As a play caller, he makes it right. There's busted plays, protection that gives up, or defensive backs are covering down the field, nothing's open. He makes plays out of nothing, and that's exactly what Lamar Jackson did here and when you have personnel like that at that position, which I think we actually have in Davis Shanley, I really do, a little different, you know? I think it can cover the sins of coaching at times and that's exactly who Malik Cunningham is. I think Jawon Pass is a very talented player as well, nothing against him. But, I think just the dynamic athleticism is what Louisville has been used to. Certainly, what they got out of Lamar when maybe the right call wasn't made or they were covered down field. That guy made dynamic plays. I watched him on film, I studied the tape and I felt I saw in Malik Cunningham similarities to the previous guy."

(What'd you think about the way Davis played tonight in his first extended action in college?)
"I thought he fought his tail off, I thought he played like a warrior. I think he's a guy that we've believed in for quite some time. I think he's going to settle in even more as a passer and I think he was still 66 percent for 240 yards, no interceptions and touchdown pass. We also have to help him too. He's a freshman quarterback. He hasn't even started his first game yet, he's coming in out of relief. We're up here in a ACC environment, it's jammed packed and we got to help him too. We've got to make plays for him down the field. We've got to continue to give him schemes that fit his skillset, and I love the fight in Davis. At halftime, he got the offense together and he pulled them up together and told them we're going to finish this thing, and that's something we've been looking for on the offensive side of the ball is a vocal leader. He's going to step up, and it's not just us and that's great to see. That's going to carry us, as we keep saying, we have got a lot on the table for the rest of the season in the next nine games and I think you all saw that tonight."

(Mike, did you sense the relief and the confidence growing as the game went on as you guys were going toe to toe with them the whole way?)
"Yeah, I think one thing we tried to do today is not really care about what you said. Not care about our confidence and relief growing, care about the one rep. I know that sounds very coach-talk and coach-cliché, speak-all, whatever you want to call it, but we literally wanted to just focus on the defensive rep that we're playing and that's it. Don't worry about anything else. If you're a defensive player, support the offense when we're out there on a game-winning drive. Concern yourself with doing your job and doing it really well on that particular rep and I think we grew in that area a lot."

WKU QB Davis Shanley
(How did it feel to pretty much…)
"It felt good, really jumping into the ocean now instead of getting my feet wet. At the end of the day, the stats and all of the touchdowns doesn't really matter because the only stat in the book is that we lost tonight."

(Davis how about your offensive line tonight?)
"My offensive line played great. You know, we're young and you know we're learning a lot but I think they played amazing. All my credit. I couldn't do it without them."

(Do you think you did enough tonight to earn the starting job for the rest of the season?)
"I'm not going to take anything from Steve, from Drew or anything at this point because the job is always open, anything can happen."

(There was some points in the game, especially on third down, it got loud and rowdy. How do you feel you guys responded in that kind of atmosphere?)
"Personally, I don't really hear the noise. When I'm in there I feel really focused. I don't think it affected us that much, and I think we responded really well to the atmosphere."

(That first series you had, you all were playing with tempo, you were running the ball, converting third downs. Is that the way this offense Coach Sanford has been preaching for a couple of years is supposed to look, the way you all displayed on that drive?)
"We're a big tempo team and we knew coming into the game that they struggled a little bit with tempo. We knew we were going to use that a lot on them, but Coach Sanford's offense is very dynamic. We can run a lot of plays a lot of different ways. I think we put a really good drive together. I think it is a little snippet of what we can do."

(What was the feeling of the team after the game? Disappointed? Encouraged?)
"We feel a little disappointed. We felt that we just didn't finish tonight, and I thought we were in a pretty good position to win this game. I obviously have to do some things better. Everyone has to do everything better, but we're not taking anything away from this game, mostly in a positive light, but we know we have a really good chance."

(Coach said you got the team together at halftime, gave the team a talk, is that right?)
"Yes sir."

(Can you share what you said to the team?)
"Yeah, I just kind of gave my teammates some motivation; that we needed to finish, if we went one play at a time, which was our mentality this week. If we went one play at a time, we would be in a position to win this game tonight."

(Do you think that the fact that it was Louisville and there's so many guys on the team from Kentucky, gave you a little bit more motivation than it would have against some other non-conference opponent?)
"Louisville being in Kentucky yes, I think it did. Because we were talking all week, its rivalry game that hasn't happened in a long time, and we were really excited to play them, and we just came with the mentality 'why not us?' We can do this. We can beat them."

WKU DB Ta'Corian Darden
(How much do you feel like the team had something to prove tonight?)
"Coming from a loss, you have always got something to prove and coming into this game that was our minds, we had something to prove and we wanted to play, play-by-play, job-by-job, quarter-by-quarter and finish the game, which we got to do better."

(How much of a difference did Cunningham make? I know you all prepared for him and knew about him?)
"He's obviously a different quarterback. He's more mobile. On the backend once your wide receiver runs a deep route, he's going to run around him and you have to plaster and on the front end we got to get the quarterback down"

(How much did the team rally around Davis, once he became your quarterback tonight? How much were you supporting him?)
"We watched him all week in practice. We know what he can do. We have all the trust in him, and when he got in there, we saw he was making the right decisions, getting the ball out quickly, and we said 'lets go. Let's go Shanley. Let's win this game.' We had all the trust in him."

(What do you think you learned about your team tonight?)
"I learned we can click, we can make plays. I learned we need to learn how to finish games."

University of Louisville Athletics

Players Mentioned

Malik Cunningham

London Iakopo

Jarrett Jackson

Lamar Jackson

Jawon Pass

Tabarius Peterson

Dee Smith

Jaylen Smith

Dae Williams

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