Tulsa vs Central Arkansas Postgame Quotes
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2010
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Tulsa Coach Todd Graham
Opening Statement
"It was good to get a win. I'm really proud of our guys. I feel like we came out and dominated a team that we should dominate. I'm really pleased with how our guys played defensively. I thought they really stepped up. Some of the guys that play up front--Tyrunn Walker and Odrick Ray--were really standouts for us. I'm really pleased with the overall effort. I really think our special teams right now is a strength for our program. I'm really pleased with our kicker and our punter and how they're kicking the football. Alex Singleton is a guy that stood out to me tonight. He really played hard and did some great things. It was exactly what we needed to come out and get a win going into conference play."
On defensive adjustments
"The way we stopped the vertical pass is one thing that we did differently. Naturally, we prepared and had less critical errors and mistakes. I think having Dexter McCoil back in the lineup helped us tremendously because it helped us get lined up. I thought Dexter played really well tonight for being his first game back since Week 1. We haven't had him since Week 1. He played a few plays last week, but wasn't really ready to play with his knee not fully healthy. I think that was probably the biggest thing in the backend was alignments and how we operated a lot smoother. I think him being back there really helped a lot. We challenged the kids to step up in their leadership and take control of their football team. Tanner Antle Odrick Ray and Charles Davis--I was really pleased with the leadership there and thought we played a lot smarter and a lot harder."
G.J. Kinne
On if winning can cure a lot of ills
"For sure. We worked hard this week in practice. It was just good to get out there, get on the right foot, and get a win."
On what Alex Singleton brings to the team
"Big Al is a powerful guy. In years past we've had Tarrion Adams and Courtney Tennial, and he brings that same mentality. He'll run you over. We always knew that he could help us. He's very talented."
On if it feels nice to know the offense doesn't have to score 50 points
"Oh yeah. The defense played well. The offense played well, but we had some misfires here and there, so give them (the defense) credit. They played well."
On how he deals with tough, bad-luck interceptions
"You just move on. I don't feel like it's anyone's fault. We've just have to concentrate more, but we got the win and that's what is important."
On spreadin the ball around to a lot of players
"This is to help us figure out who can do it. As we are getting to conference play, we will know who can do it. Now we just need to execute better."
Tyrunn Walker
On the team's play in the second quarter, taking over the game
"We've been in practice all week talking about how the defensive line needs to step it up. We believe we've got the most talent on the team. The loss to OSU really opened our eyes to get it right."
On the importance of this game after the OSU game
"Very important. Coach just told us to do what we had to do. We had to get our swagger back."
On allowing lots of points and yards on the road
"We have a young defense and we're finally starting to come together as a defense. We're starting to get our groove."
Odrick Ray
On the defense taking over the game
"I think we took over at the first snap. Coach really challenged us to step up our leadership and take over the team. Coaches can't be the ones to come out and inspire us, we've got to do that amongst ourselves, and I think we came out and did that."
On attacking up the field
"We trust our coaches to make the right calls. If the coach tells us to go up the field, we go. We do whatever we've got to do for the game. Statistically it was our best game, but I think we still have a lot of things to prove."
On conference play mentality
"We feel like we're the team to beat in the west. Case Keenum going down is tragic for Houston. It's going to be competitive."
On Charles Davis getting injured
"Charles is a tough guy with a big heart. But we have a lot of young guys to step in. We'll be anxious to get him back."
Central Arkansas Coach Clint Conque
On the team's 41-14 loss to Tulsa
"Well give Tulsa credit. I thought they came out very focused. This was an important game for both teams. We didn't play very well in the first half, and Tulsa had a little bit to do with that. The speed of the game and their depth throughout the game made a difference. I was encouraged with how we played defensively in the second half. I thought we played very hard and pretty well. We still missed some tackles and some alignments. We had the score at 27-7 and then we fumbled the ball on the three-yard line with two minutes left in the third quarter. If we punch that in there, it's a 13-point game. What I told the team is that if we could get it to a one-score game by the fourth quarter, than we would find a way to win. (Tulsa) refocused after they recovered the fumble and took the ball 97 yards for a touchdown. That pretty much put (the game) away. We lost our starting quarterback in the first half, and that hurt our continuity. We lost about seven starters in this game, and some of them are the type of injuries where they won't be back anytime soon. We'll know more later in the week. It's a violent game and we're a young team. We talked about the physical immaturity all year, and it showed out there. Tulsa was just too much for us tonight."
