Tulsa vs. UCF - Post-Game Quotes
10/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2008
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University of Tulsa defensive back James Lockett
On what was said at halftime ...
"It was just business as usual. It was about staying focused and staying positive."
On what was said in the huddle at midfield at halftime ...
"Coach Graham was just encouraging us and going over the game plan and telling us to stay focused."
On the pressure producing nine sacks ...
"We were able to bring pressure. The linebackers got there and the safeties got there and the defensive line just opened it up for us. We just try to get off the ball and get to the quarterback as quick as we can."
On George Clinkscale recovering fumbles caused by Lockett ...
"I guess we do. It seems like it has worked out like that every time. That's my roommate. So we give each other gifts here and there."
On being 8-0 ...
"It feels good. It feels like what we have been doing is paying off. We just can't get complacent and we got to keep working; work harder every week."
On having something to prove on national television ...
"Yes, we had something to prove, but we just try to play hard, play for each other and we know that everything else is going to work out."
On Arkansas next week ...
"That's a great program and this is a great opportunity. We just have to respect our opponents and go out there and play like we know we can play."
On Tulsa possibly being the favorites as opposed to underdogs against Arkansas ...
"You cannot really look at the record because I feel like we get everybody's best game. They are a great opponent no matter what their record and they are going to bring a good game for us."
On being since 1997 that Tulsa has beat a BCS conference team ...
"We just take it as another game. They are a great opponent, but if we play our game we feel like we can beat them."
University of Tulsa quarterback David Johnson
On the coach's encouragement at halftime ...
"He just told us to stay in there and keep playing together and good things were going to happen. We were real close to making some plays in the first half and we had a lot of adversity coming at us in the first half. Just to stay in there and stay with the game plan is basically what it was.
On being 8-0 ...
"It is pretty crazy. I am not going to lie. It has obviously been a long time since we have been where we are. Every team is trying to win every game that they can every week. I am pretty sure we have the same goal as everybody else. They want to win every game they can. We are just trying to stay focused and stay humble as a team. As long as we do that and we try not to get distracted by everything else around us and just focus on getting better."
On Tulsa being a BCS buster ...
"We try to let the polls and the pollsters and all that kind of stuff and the voting take care of itself. We are really just focused on football and focused on trying to get better as a team, working on our fundamentals and our technique. We are really trying to not focus on the polls. To be honest, I think that is a little bit of a distraction to us as a team sometimes. We just try to block it out and focus on getting better as a football team."
University of Tulsa wide receiver Damaris Johnson
On making up for the fumble with the 2nd half kickoff return to open the half ...
"On halftime I went in and I was really thinking about it. I kind of felt like I let the team down a little bit. Over the season the team has talked about recommitting yourself when you make a mistake, just recommitting and going on to the next play. I just felt the next kickoff would be my chance to help the team out and I got ten good blocks up front. I just had to do my 10 percent and I did my 90 percent so everything was real good."
Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham
Thoughts on the game ...
"That was an exciting game and a really big win for us, I am proud of our players for the team effort. I think the nation got to see what Tulsa Football is all about tonight. When you look at the team we totally dominated tonight, they took South Florida into overtime and was driving to beat Miami on the last drive. UCF is the defending conference champion last year. We faced some adversity in the first half making some mistakes but to come out in the second half like we did, I had a lot of confidence in our team. What I really liked about our football team is, I am not doing less of the talking and the leading and the players are doing the leading and the talking, that means we are maturing as a football team. Their wasn't any panic at halftime, I just came in and said hey we just have to settle down and execute the plan. Coach Patterson and Coach Randolph had an excellent plan tonight and we got after the quarterback in a big way and I think that was the key for us. We gave up only one big play on defense, but their was no panic we just settled down. I like how the team is interacting with each other. I am very proud of that and we went out here and dominated the game winning 49 to 19. I think that speaks volumes and makes a statement about our program and what we are doing."
On what was different in the 2nd half of the game ...
"We always do that. We hold our guys as the other team runs onto the field and I talk to our guys for a little bit before the second half begins. We have a big thing about recommitting this year about moving forward from snap to snap. We are also focusing on doing things right the first time and that is discipline. We had a lot of penalties tonight and I wasn't pleased with that. We had to face some adversity over things we could not control but we moved forward from that. James Lockett is turning himself into a premier player on our defense. He is absolutely incredible; Moten Hopkins and Mike Bryan up front were just awesome. We were worried about their kick returner coming into the game but we have a pretty good one ourselves. I am very proud of our guys in step eight. We are part of something really special at TU."
UCF Head Coach George O'Leary
Opening statement ...
"I thought it was a tale of two halves. We had a sense of urgency in the first half, but we didn't sustain that effort. I thought we stayed to the game plan in the first half by trying to run the ball, but in the second half we got away from that."
"We never got anything going offensively again and we gave up too many big pass plays that gave us bad field position. I also thought we allowed some scores in there that was a result of very poor tackling."
"I told them that on the ride home think about what they did the second half and how much better we could have got things done."
On the kickoff return to start the second half ...
"It changed the momentum. We were kicking with the wind and it was a poor kick. We didn't put it where we wanted to put it, which was in the end zone. The left side didn't maintain their lanes."
On quarterback Rob Calabrese's play ...
"I thought at times he showed his athleticism and at other times he missed getting the ball to some guys we should have got the ball to. He's a competitor and the reason he's out there is because he is the best one to help this football team win."
"He got hit too often. Our protection was very poor. They didn't do anything different than we practiced, we basically had guys who got beat one-on-one in protection."
