Louisville Football Postgame Quotes vs. Boston College

Boston College at Louisville
October 5, 2019 | Cardinal Stadium
Postgame quotes

Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield

(Opening statement)
"Great win for us. It's been a long time for our players to get a conference win. As you look at the schedule, they're not ever going to be easy. None of these wins are going to be easy. A lot of them will probably come down to something like this. I told our guys in the locker room that we're defined by how we finish. And you have to finish games like this, and they were able to do that. All the way to two seconds to finish the game and get the win. A lot of positives we can take away from this game.

Offensively, we had a lot of yards, we were able to establish the run, Hawkins had a big day for us. We had three receivers over 100 yards catching. Two different quarterbacks coming in and you really couldn't tell. We didn't miss a beat whoever was in the game, quarterback-wise. We didn't turn the ball over offensively. Just a lot of good things on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, we gave up too many big plays, it was a big issue today. If you look at it stat-wise as far as their passing stats, they were under 50 percent in completion percentage, but there were too many big plays that went for touchdowns, and we have to eliminate the big plays. We talk about it all the time, staying on top, and we just let too many guys run free there. I thought we contained (AJ) Dillon for the most part. He had 118 yards, but I think that's probably containing Dillon. He's good. That's the first time I've seen him in person. He's a Jerome Bettis-type looking running back. Very powerful. He had a couple of big runs there. But for the most part, they were tough yards he had to get. And I was proud of our defense in that respect. But we've got to continue to get better. Too many mistakes, still. And that's something that we're coaching, man. We're coaching hard to eliminate those mistakes in our players are taking ownership. But again, we've got to get a lot better with that."

(This season hasn't been ideal in terms of the rotation of the quarterbacks and injuries. But in some ways, do you feel like this is a product of Evan Conley getting reps and all those other guys getting reps because of what happened?)
"Yeah, absolutely. I think it was really big in the bye week, because Malik (Cunningham) couldn't go… I mentioned this last Monday, but Evan Conley got every single rep. I don't know how else you could say that. He got every rep. What happened with him doing that, he gained respect from his teammates. I think that's huge. You can have respect from your coaches and all that, but you have to get it from your peers, and the guys you're throwing to and your O-Line who's blocking for you. Because he works his tail off the whole week. And this past week. And we went into this game, Malik was healthy, he practiced all week. But we knew we were going to put Evan in early. I think it was the first drive in the second quarter when Evan went in, and did good. Did some good things. Malik came back, then he gets dinged up again a little bit, and Evan comes back in there. So, we've got all the confidence in the world in Evan Conley, because of his work ethic. Last week, this past week, he stayed every night until 9:30 or 10 on his own watching film. This is a true freshman and that says a lot about him and we got confidence in him. I've told you guys, I don't care who plays quarterback. I really don't. I just want whoever's going to move the offense. And both guys moved the offense today. Big-time plays by our wide receivers today. I was so proud of those guys. And it wasn't just one, it was three different guys had over 100 yards. Big plays. They got us the opportunity to score. Very efficient offense today. I think we averaged eight and a half yards per play. That's very efficient. I think we were 8-for-16 on 3rd down, 1-for-1 on fourth, so a lot of good things we did out there. Particularly in the first half, the only time they stopped us was when our center twice had a false start. But other than that, I thought we were moving the ball great, so I was very pleased offensively."

(On difficulty getting pressure on the quarterback. Do you think that was one of the reasons you gave up so many big plays today?)
"Well, it could've been, but I think more so was our alignment and our assignment. We were lacking there. We were maybe not aligned right and/or did the wrong thing in the call we had. I think that had more to do with it. Anytime you're playing a team like this you may not get as much pass rush because you've got to stop that run. They have some really good tight ends. Their tight ends can play in the passing game and running game. So there's times where they leave the tight end there to block, and if you worry about the run, the play action sometimes gets those guys to run laterally instead of rushing the passer. It's a good scheme. I think that's why they've been a very good offense too, all year. It's a difficult offense to stop, particularly with when your quarterback's playing efficient. And we got our first pick today. That's unbelievable, man. We've got to celebrate that. I think it was us and Rice that didn't have a pick all year, so now it's just Rice. So now they've got to try to get one. But that was awesome to get that. But yeah, it's a difficult offense to stop. I kind of compare it to ours. If you're able to run the football like we were today, it opens up the pass. It just kind of goes hand-in-hand, so it becomes an efficient offense.

(On Malik Cunningham's injury, was it tweaking the same injury from the Florida State game, could he have gone back into the game?)
"I'm not sure. I think he tweaked… I'm don't know if it was the same leg or not. It was a lower leg injury. They pretty much tell me when they can go and can't go. I don't ask a lot of questions. I just find out who's available, it's Evan (Conley)? You're going – and Evan was out. I don't think that Malik was ready at the end, I think it was Evan, so that's why he was out there the last drive."

(How big of a drive was that from a freshman?)
"That's huge. Like I said, the respect he's gained from his teammates, that's just amplified even more now. Here's a true freshman, when the game is on the line, he took us down and got us into range to make that field goal. It speaks a lot about him. He's a calm character. Nothing fazes him. He sees the defense, when he comes off he's easy to talk to – he's a good football player. I was proud of him, the way he played."

(Did you say anything to Blanton Creque before the kick? What's your confidence level in him?)
"I love Blanton. He's awesome. He's like a swing machine. I don't know if you've seen that in golf. It's like Vince, our AD, he's like the same thing – a swing machine. If you watch Vince Tyra swing his golf club, he can do it and it goes right down the middle every time. Well that's the way Blanton is, when he swings his leg it's like… man, and when he misses one, it's like he's human. Like today, I fully expected him to make the first one today. And he was mad. He came out at halftime and kicked some more and we were fully confident he would nail it. I don't talk to the kickers. I'll allow them to do their thing. All kickers are a little bit different anyway. So allow them to be in their space, let them get their mind right and then let them go kick. We love him. We think he's one of the better kickers out here. He nailed it right down the middle. So proud of him as well for making that kick. We're going to need him again. There will be some more games in the future when we know it'll come down to right to the end of the game and you have to make those, so it's critical to have a good kicker."

(On the opening drive from Boston College, they were making it look easy and then Montgomery with that strip and recovered fumble – how big was that?)
"That was huge. Particularly in that first drive. They hit a big third down on us… the bottom line, I don't care how many yards teams get, just keep them out of the end zone, and we did on that particular drive. That was huge. And we almost had another one on fourth down with a quarterback sneak, which was a little questionable there. But again, our defense continued to play. It's never over. You have to have that mentality. If they get down to the one, you have to keep fighting until the very end. We held them just enough there in that game to be able to win."

(In the last two minute of the game, you had an illegal substitution coming out of the timeout and also, two plays before the field goal, the ball is on the ground. What's your anxiety level?)
"I'm going to have to go from the visor to a hat… Obviously we don't like it, particularly out of a timeout. That is ridiculous. That right there… I need a punching bag on the sidelines, so I can just punch it right there and let out my frustrations. That's really unacceptable quite honestly. In the time out, we called base defense and one of our players ran out thinking it was nickel defense. Once you get out there, you realize, oh, it's base and then run out… it's fourth down. That's unacceptable. And the other one, we fumbled an exchange, that's a zone read. We work on it every day, just ball handling. It was one of those deals where Evan (Conley) held the ball a little bit longer than he probably should and he tries to get it… and it was a huge play in the game – Tyler Haycraft, he's one of my favorite players on this team because of the way he plays. He plays his tail off all the time. He's always near the ball. It just so happened he was near that ball too, so he fell on it he got that ball which secured us to be able to kick the field goal. He's one of the ones who got a penalty because he was blocking his guy through the end of the end zone into the goalpost. I kind of like that actually. I kind of like that. I wish we had more guys doing that. Now, I don't want the penalty… when the whistle blows, just stop. But I want guys where we have to say 'whoa instead of go.' And he's that guy and I love the way he plays. He apologized and I said 'listen, you play tough. Keep doing what you're doing.' But it's his hustle that enabled us to get the ball back in order to kick the ball to win the game. So I thought that was one of the plays of the game right there."

(What was going through your mind when the ball was on the ground?)
"Get on it. Just get on the ball. I saw Evan there and I saw Haycraft and I thought just get on the ball. You can't let it affect you. I've got to think about the next play that we're going to call to try to run the next play. It put us in a long-yardage situation, I think it was 10 or 11 yards at that point. I try to stay even-keeled. You guys asked me before the season if I ever get excited. I get really excited out there, but I try to stay even-keeled. I'm like the duck analogy with the legs under the water going crazy. Inside that's what's happening, but outside I want that calm demeanor. Because I want our kids always to know that we're in the game. We're always going to have a chance to win this football game. I don't care what the score, what the situation. We've always got to fight and when we do that, we're going to win a lot more than we're going to lose."

(About overcoming adversity)
"It is going to be huge. We have learned a lot about our football team in the last two weeks. Going back to Florida State being down 21-0, a lot of teams fold right there, we didn't. We got the lead back in the fourth quarter but we just didn't finish. We said we have to find a way to finish. We learned from that and I think it helped us today in some of those scenarios. Today is a back and forth game and you get frustrated but you come back and battle. I love it. Winning games like this helps your football team. You aren't going out there winning by 30. These really help because you find a true character of a team when you face adversity. We know we have a long ways to go. We have to get a lot better at a lot of different things. But, man, we can build off things like this and be a lot better football team because of it."

(On Evan Conley)
"Everything was happening fast. He (Evan Conley) committed to us in the summer, he was going to App (Appalachian State). Then when all this stuff happened, we knew we needed a quarterback. We had a great relationship with him we knew he could throw and play. We just went to him at school and said, 'hey would you want to come up' and he said, 'okay' but was a little reluctant. His mom and dad come up and the thing they really wanted to know was will he have an opportunity here? Absolutely you will have an opportunity. It is just like the quarterbacks we have committed for next year, to whom I said the same thing. You absolutely have an opportunity. Again, I don't care who plays quarterback because I am going to play the best one. Evan is pretty daggone good. He's earned himself a spot to get some playing time and that is why he played today. If his number is called then he will make the play. And so will Malik (Cunningham). I was proud of Malik. He battled back from an injury. I am proud of Puma (Pass) whenever he gets back. I hope he gets back next week. Those guys are a part of your team and we have to have them at that position. That position is one where you better have some guys. We will continue to develop our guys and hope they continue to thrive."

(About the long span of no ACC Wins)
"It is hard to believe. I told them that I am proud of them. We ask so much of these guys and hold them accountable every single day: going to class, going to study hall, showing up on time for weights, going to practice all the little things we ask them to do – we want them to see the fruits of their labor. I am so happy for them. A couple of the guys mentioned they had been here two or three years and said, 'I haven't won an ACC game since my freshman year. That is a long time ago in the ACC. I want them to get used to this. I want them to get used to this feeling. It is fun. This is where the fun is at, when you can celebrate and you have a 12:30 kick. I don't care who wins any of these games the rest of the day but we are going to have our feet up and relax. I don't care, man, that is the beauty of a 12:30 kick when you get a big win. I am happy for our guys."

(About being happy with the progression of the team defense)
"It is a tough ask of our guys today with both of their backs. I joked about the fact that they have AJ Dillon and then the small back comes in and he is 240 pounds (David Bailey). Those are two big backs. It wears on you defensively. They want to wear you down. Making you make those tackles. We gang tackled well today. We got after it and guys were chasing the ball. The biggest thing today was the big plays. We just have to eliminate those big plays. Overall, we were gang-tackling well, running to the ball, playing hard because those are things we talk about every day that we have to get better at. We did a good job with it today."

(About where the team is at halfway point of the season)
"I would love to be better than where we are right now to be quite honest. We had an opportunity to win two weeks ago. That was very disappointing but we wanted that but we could have gotten that one. I am happy with our effort. I told you guys that in the beginning of August, to me, success for this season will be effort on game day, how we go out and play, the consistency that we play with and the product we put out on the field so our fans will want to come out and see us play. I am happy with that. That part of it … absolutely … 100 percent."

Tyler Haycraft, R-SR., OL

(On how important the fumble recovery was.)
"It never really dawned on me until after the game. I just take each play as it comes. I do what I can on each play and move on to the next."

(How did you feel when you looked down at your feet to see the football?)
"Scoop and score."

(Take us through the fumble on the last drive, and what you saw and what you thought as you were going after it.)
"It kind of worked out. I don't really know how I turned my head back, but I just saw it and tried to make it a play and make sure we got the ball back."

(Coach Satterfield said he would take more guys (like you) that would block a guy out of the back of the end zone. What did he tell you in that moment?)
"I was blocking to the whistle and the referee didn't think that was right."

(Beyond the win today, what do take from this for the season going forward? Does it raise your expectations? Does it reinforce anything that you already believe?)
"I'd say we celebrate the win and tomorrow we move on to Wake Forrest."

Michle Cunningham, R-SO., QB
(Can you explain the name change?)
"So yesterday, or I mean this week, Rocco and I were talking about it and then I thought about what people can pronounce, it's about my middle name, which is Malik. So like every time I go to class they call 'Michelle' and 'Michael' or something like that. So, I just tell them to call me Malik. But, I just thought about when I talked to a reporter yesterday and she asked me about it and I was like you all can pronounce it. I am fine with it. That's my name.

(Can you spell it for us?)
M-i-c-h-l-e

(Did Coach know about your name change?)
"It's just a habit. He used to call me Malik. I go by both of them. It doesn't matter to me."

(How are you feeling? You saw Evan [Conley] out there - what are your thoughts on the way he played?)
"Evan played great. He did exactly what we needed him to do, come in and make plays."

(Is it your knee, I'm guessing?)
"Yeah."

(On getting an ACC win.)
"It's good to get a win against an ACC team. It's good for us going forward."

(Did you kind of feel the progression of the passing game?)
"Yeah, I mean Coach Ponce broke their defense down to a T this week, which helped us excel."

(Beyond the win today, what do take from this for the season going forward? Does it raise your expectations? Does it reinforce anything that you already believe?)
"I mean we just got to go into every game with the same mindset as today, just finish. Just do what we know how to do and play Louisville football and that's what we did today and got a dub.

Seth Dawkins, SR., WR

(Is there more satisfaction when you come back in the fourth quarter and win?)
"Yes, this is what we trained for all summer. We had intense training during the summer. We pride ourselves on the fourth quarter. We don't want to go all four quarters for nothing. Like I said, this is something we pride ourselves on. We knew that coming into this game that we were going to have to maybe come back from behind when the game is one the line. That's what we work so hard for."

(How comfortable are you guys in being able to go out and make plays?)
"We have confidence in all of our guys. Throwing the ball and making decisions. It really doesn't matter who is back there. We know that they can get the job done. We are going to make plays."

(What does it mean to get another ACC victory? What does it feel like to go into that locker room after you lost to Boston College the past couple years. What does this win mean today?)
"696 days. It was a party in the locker room, and we haven't partied in a minute. So, it was a good experience. A lot of young guys got to experience that party in the locker room like we just had. It's good to get back to it."

(You've been here for so much, and I know you've waited for that type of game this year. What was it like to have that first half?)
"It felt good. It was a relief. I knew it was coming. The running game has been strong this year with [Javian] Hawkins and Malik just running the ball. I knew it was bound to come and that it was going to happen, so we just had to wait our turn."

(You've been here with Blanton (Creque) forever. When I walked in, you guys were chanting Creque. What was that like in the locker room and what was it like to see him get that attempt to win the game?)
"I mean Creque has been put in so many positions to win games since I have been here. Cold blooded Creque is what we call him. Man, he hit one at Florida State a couple years ago to seal the game. He hit one today to seal the game. I am sure he has hit maybe another one or two that I just can't recall. But, he is cold blooded and has ice in his veins. So, it was so cool seeing that, I'm happy for him."

(Beyond the win today, what do take from this for the season going forward? Does it raise your expectations? Does it reinforce anything that you already believe?)
"Yeah, I feel like we have a tough schedule coming up and you know with some ranked opponents. We go on the road a couple times, so this was really a confidence booster us. We didn't want to go into tough games on a losing streak. We had a player only meeting Monday and said we know we have to get this one. You know, just to boost confidence back up and get it rolling."

University of Louisville Athletics

Louisville Football Postgame Quotes vs. Boston College

Players Mentioned

Evan Conley

Blanton Creque

Seth Dawkins

Tyler Haycraft

Related Videos