Post-Game Quotes
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2008
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Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening comments...
"Boy, that felt good. Naturally, I really felt proud of our guys today. We needed that in a big way. We faced a lot of adversity in the last couple of weeks, and for our guys to bounce back and win in dominating fashion, I am just really proud of them. We had a great team effort all the way around. I am really proud of Tarrion (Adams). He was a great warrior today. It was exactly what we needed and we just press forward from here."
On the game plan and running the football...
"The game plan is to take whatever they give us, and that is what they gave us so that is what we did. I think they were concerned. You have to pick what you do, and I think they were concerned about the big play. We hit them with some big pass plays early, and then our line played really well. Our line was able to get with them, and Tarrion actually was pretty motivated in how he was running. Our tempo, I think, was big for us. So we are just going to take what they give us. We really wanted to get back to that. We felt like there are some things you learn as you go. We wanted to make sure whatever they gave us is what we would take, period. So that is what we did today."
On Tulane starting out in a three man front...
"They had five and a half in the box early so we ran the football, and naturally, they went back to their four man front. Then we hit them on some big passes. We just played really well today. I thought it was back to the way we need to play. We still turned the ball over two times. We shouldn't do that. I am really proud of our defense and how our defense played. We played extremely hard. We did a great job of stopping the run. We had a dominating performance out there that we very much needed."
On David Johnson's one season as starting quarterback...
"I am really proud of Dave and what kind of person he is. He is a great leader on this football team. He has had a great season so far. He's a champion. He's from the same mold as Paul Smith. He's got incredible character and great leadership. I am just really proud of how he has played. It is a tough job to replace a guy like Paul Smith, and he has done a great job. I am really proud of him."
On the way the senior class finished the season at home...
"I think it was the same exact score as it was last year. I am really proud of them. I told them that I thought our faith was being tested as a program. When you have some things happen you scratch your head and go, 'Golly, what in the world was that.' Our guys pulled together as a group and came out and showed that we have a really good football team."
On Tarrion Adams' week of practice...
"You know, Tarrion runs hard every game. I think the deal was, that the match up today, our offensive line really dominated their front. And naturally, Tarrion is going to bring it. Tarrion is a warrior. That blitz pick up on the touchdown to Demaris, I do not know if you all saw that, that was vicious. Tarrion Adams is simply a warrior. He has always been a warrior every year that I have been around him. I can remember the '05 championship game and the Liberty Bowl against Fresno and that guy is a warrior. He brings it every single week, period."
On any trends in running the football...
"That is a planned trend for our program. We want to be a football team that can run the football. You have to be able to run the football to win. The things that we have done that have really hurt are that we have broken down in the kicking game and we have turned the football over in the passing game. But our rush offense all year long has been a strength for us and that was planned. That was something that we felt like we had to get better at. We felt like we had to get better at rush defense. We have gotten better at that. In those big games that we play in, we have to get better at not giving up cheap touchdowns like the vertical pass, and we have to take care of the football. Still, today we turned the ball over twice, and they were really bad turnovers, I mean really bad reads. That was the only negative today. I think that is where we want to be as a football team. I think that is where you progress to. Last year we threw the ball a lot more because we had to throw the ball. It is harder to stop, you know, when you are running over somebody. It is hard to fix that. Again, we are going to be a team that throws the football and be very balanced. Our whole philosophy of what we do around here, we are a no-huddle football team. It is all about wearing the opponent out mentally and physically, and mentally being the first part of it. It is about tempo and that is one of the things that I do. People say, 'Well you are a defensive guy. Why do you run what you run offensively?' I have very strict parameters, and we are going to be fifty-fifty run and pass. And if we can run the ball for six yards a carry, well, we are going to run it. I think we are learning to be more patient with that. You always go back and look at things, but I think in this game we were really methodical about talking about it in between the series and saying, 'Look. Let's take what they give us and if we can run the ball six or seven yards a pop then let's do it.'"
Tulsa Running Back Tarrion Adams
On setting a school rushing record with 323 yards. . .
" I didn't expect to have such a big game coming into it. We talked about running the ball effectively, it was something we saw on film and it was a goal of ours for the game. The five guys up front blocked hard and did a tremendous job. I thought Tulane might stack more guys in the box in the second half but they didn't. The record has not set in for me yet but I really just want to take my hat off to the offensive line for what we were able to accomplish today."
On having a dream ending for his last home game. . .
"I couldn't have wrote a better ending and what is beautiful about it is the offensive line wanted it more than I did. They talked to me the whole time, every time I came off the field they told me where we were at and how many yards I needed to break the record. When I broke the record it was the second team offensive line in there and they were just as pumped as the first team offensive linemen were and more pumped than I was about the situation. I want to thank them, because it was truly a blessing and we were all blessed today."
On bouncing back from two losses. . .
"Today was huge after suffering those back to back losses. They both hurt us a lot, but great football teams are supposed to bounce back and that is what we did. We know where we stand with Houston. They have to loose one and we have to win both of our games to make it to the conference championship. No matter what happens in Houston we have to go out there and do our part to make it there."
Tulsa Defensive End Moton Hopkins
On the defense bouncing back today. . .
"It was a good game for us. Those two losses hurt us, but we came back and worked hard in practice and refocused to get back to where we were and to where we know we can be. It was a great game for us defensively."
On the defense creating pressure in the Tulane backfield. . .
"We played excited football today. When we play excited football we play better and we made a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. Coach Graham made a lot of great calls on defense and the guys were focused and played hard for us seniors. I really appreciate those guys who put in the extra effort for the seniors."
On today being a special day for both sides of the ball. . .
"We are a very passionate team that loves each other to death, we are brothers. We spent four years of our lives up here so it was a very passionate game for us all. Now that we won I really hope we get a chance to play one more game on this field."
Tulane Head Coach Bob Toledo
Opening Statement...
"We told our team during the course of the week that they were very good at running the football. A lot of people think that they are just a wide-out throwing team, but they can run the football. They mauled us pretty good today and had a kid (Adams) rush for over 300 yards. They ran at will and we couldn't take it away from them. Then when we had the two interceptions, but we couldn't do anything on offense to capitalize on them."
On Tulsa's running game...
"They knocked us straight back and ran right through us. We thought coming in that they might run outside a little bit more and we put in a new 3-5 defense to combat that, so we were soft up the middle."
On offensive performance...
"We really couldn't get anything going. Early on we stuck to our game plan but when the score got to 21-7 we knew it was going to be a problem. We tried to run the ball and throw high-percentage passes, but when it got to the point where they could just tee off on us, they did."
On the official's spot on fourth down on the first drive of the game...
"They said they had only two cameras and they didn't have the spot. I thought it was a bad spot and I told the officials at the time, but they overruled it and we didn't' get it. We were moving the ball and that's why we went for it on fourth down in that field position. We knew they were going to score a lot of points and we need to score points too, but unfortunately we didn't get that first down."
On defensive stops late in the game...
"I think not letting them kick that field goal showed something for our defense, and I think getting those two turnovers were nice. Our kids played hard but we are just a beat up football team right now. They are trying to give everything they have but they just don't have enough juice right now."
