Tulsa vs Tulane Postgame Quotes
10/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2010
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Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham
Opening Statement
"Naturally, we're really excited about how our guys responded tonight. We really challenged our guys to come out with a renewed spirit. We played a really good football team. Tulane is coming off of a big win over Rutgers. We had a little letdown last week. We came out and really dominated a team. I thought we played really well. I'm very proud of how we played. I think we had over 300 yards rushing. I'm very excited about that. We were really balanced. There were some great performances in all three phases, so I'm really proud of our guys."
On Tulsa's rushing yards...
"We were taking what they gave us. They really have played really well statistically and have been very good defensively. We had a specific plan to do a lot of different misdirection plays to keep them off balance and slow them down. We felt like they could really run to the ball well, which was the strength of their defense. We wanted to loosen them up and spread them out with a lot of misdirection."
Tulsa Junior Quarterback G.J. Kinne
On running the ball in the game...
"We ran the ball very well tonight. We don't care how we win, whether rushing or throwing."
On being a different team at home as opposed to the road...
"I'm not sure. We've played really well at home and that's a good thing because we have a lot of big conference home games coming up. Hopefully we can continue that streak."
On the team's rushing success...
"They were covering us very well in the secondary, so that just opened up the run lanes. We were able to run the ball well."
On the offensive line being the team MVP through seven games...
"I would say so. They've been tremendous and I am very proud of those guys. They are my best friends."
On the long touchdown plays in the game...
"Going in, you think long plays are long passes, but tonight it was long runs. Coaches actually made a deal with us that if we make big plays we get pizza if we have a couple plays longer than 30 yards, so we definitely got pizza. I don't really care about pizza, I'm just happy we got the win."
On the initial drive with a quick strike from Ja'Terian Douglas...
"Ja'Terian is something special and every time he touches the ball you know something special is going to happen."
On what it means to go to Notre Dame (Oct. 30) and play in one of the most historical stadiums in college football...
"We've got a chance to get the biggest win in school history and we are very excited about that."
Tulsa senior middle linebacker Tanner Antle
On the importance of this win...
"Every week is important, but being a conference game makes it even more important. A win is a win."
On the attitude of the defense since giving up 65 points at Oklahoma State, then giving up 65 points total in the next four games...
"OSU is in the past. It's behind us. The big change is passion, playing as a group of guys that care about each other. We're a family. We have to come out and play like it means something. It's not about going out there to play for myself, or even for coaches. It's about going out there and fighting for the guys fighting next to you."
On whether he is surprised the TU offense rushed for 300 yards tonight...
"Not at all. We have a great offense and a great offensive coordinator. Our offensive line has been making some big strides and they work hard every day. I'm not surprised at all."
On the importance of going into halftime with a big lead...
"It's good to go into half with the other team only scoring seven points, but we would rather go into half with no points scored [against us]. I know it might sound ridiculous, but why wouldn't you want to be perfect at what you do? It's not just about football; it's about life. You want to shoot for perfection."
On the opportunity to play Notre Dame in two weeks...
"I'm excited about every game, but Notre Dame has some tradition. They've got some fans and it's going to be a tough game. I've got respect for them and it's going to be one of those things I will remember for the rest of my life."
Tulane Head Coach Bob Toledo
On Tulsa's offense...
"The thing they do well is their quarterback is so mobile that, even when you have him pinned, he all of a sudden makes a play with his legs. He threw the ball well. He is the gasoline that makes that machine run. The two receivers really hurt us. They just have really skilled athletes, and in space they are really dangerous. We fumbled the ball and they got a field goal, and we're down there with a first and goal and we throw an interception. You can't do things like that. That's a mistake by a young sophomore that has to learn to throw the ball away. The kicking game hurt us a little bit, too. All in all, our kids battled and that's all we can say. We didn't run the ball as well as I would have liked. Orleans Darkwa got a concussion in the second quarter, and Payten Jason got a hip pointer so they were both out."
On the play of sophomore quarterback Ryan Griffin...
"He made some nice throws tonight, but unfortunately he made the one bad throw. He was under pressure a little bit and he had a few sacks. He's also hurting a little bit, too, with that shoulder injury. I thought he performed as well as he could under all the duress."
On a positive aspect to take away from the loss...
"Our guys didn't give up, they kept battling. They didn't give up, they kept trying to stop them and they kept trying to score points."
On Tulane's offense...
"It's the most yards we've had all season, and we were able to score 24 points. We have not been able to score a lot of points and getting a lot of yards this year. Unfortunately, we dropped some balls that we probably should've caught, as well. Casey Robottom is just a clutch performer. I was pleased to see Cody Sparks catch as many balls as he did from the tight end position. He did a nice job. Albert Williams did a nice job while he was in there. He ran as hard as he could."
On what the team has to do to bounce back...
"We have to get healthy with some of our guys. We're beat up in some positions. We just have to play a complete game. We make too many mistakes to be successful right now. We don't have a lot of margin for error. We're not good enough to overcome some of the mistakes we make."
Sophomore linebacker Trent Mackey
On the defensive effort...
"Tonight wasn't our best night as a total defense. They ran the ball well on us. Our linebacker corps didn't tackle well, especially me. I couldn't wrap up on a few tackles because of my elbow. We need to tackle well and defend the running game better."
On Tulsa's offense...
"We got sucked up on the speed sweep the other way, and they hit us with the reverse twice. We just have to be disciplined and read our keys right so we can stop those kind of plays."
On the elbow injury...
"I'm hurting - I'm in pain, but it's nothing that's going to stop me from playing. It's a hyperextension in my ligament, but I'm not really sure what's wrong. I'm definitely ready to go next week."
On whether Tulsa's offense is the best he's seen this year...
"They're pretty tricky. As an offense, they did the two reverses that hurt us for touchdowns. It's hard to defend those kind of things when you're trying to get sucked up in the run. That one time down at the goal line, they ran a play-action pass, but they pulled the guard around. I was reading the guard, and I got sucked up on the play action because I thought it was a run."
On whether Tulane's offense gave them enough time to rest...
"As a defense, we're trained to be out there the whole game. Our defensive coordinator, Steve Stanard, stressed running to the ball at practice and getting conditioned to play. We could've been on the field for 30-45 minutes. We should've just handled our business and played better football."
Sophomore Wide Receiver Ryan Grant
On getting a couple catches early to build up his confidence...
"I got more comfortable as I started catching the ball more, and I just kept telling myself to focus on my game and I ended up having a good game."
On the Tulane offense having a successful night...
"I feel like we can do much better. We missed some plays and we made some, but we have a lot of room for improvement."
On the continuity building with the receivers and sophomore quarterback Ryan Griffin...
"As long as he put it on the hands, I'm pretty sure our receivers can make plays."
Sophomore Quarterback Ryan Griffin
On his play tonight after throwing for a career-high 412 yards...
"I didn't play well enough. It's a team game, not an individual game and we lost. It was definitely not good enough."
On what improvements need to be made offensively...
"I thought we moved the ball well. I had one big mistake in the redzone. That was completely my fault. Hopefully we can continue moving the ball throughout the rest of the season, but we have to capitalize when we get opportunities in the red zone."
On the interception pass...
"We ran two in routes and a corner behind it. I knew the corner was pretty covered, so I tried to throw to one of the in routes. I saw they were covered, but I tried to throw it so my guy could catch it and no one else could. The DB made a great play to tip it up. The other guy ran over there and picked it off. I just wish I could have that one back."
On how he feels...
"I feel good. I'll take a couple of Advil and I'll be fine."
