Opening statement:
“Tough game tonight. With all of our seniors going out, it’s just tough because for awhile there it looked like we were going to get something going and it slipped away from us late in the third quarter and early fourth quarter. You could feel that we just couldn’t get back on it. I was proud of the team. I thought they competed. There are a lot of things that still have to get fixed, obviously. All-in-all I like the competitive spirit. I thought that part was there. I think, most importantly, that it was really the seniors who were out there playing it out and a lot of them left it on the field. I’m proud at the way they handled themselves. We got to get a few guys in there at the end of the game. So many of those other people who got into the game are people – and I mentioned this the other day – who so often we forget about who don’t get to play much. I just think they sacrificed, as well.”
On taking more chances on fourth downs because it’s the last game:
“I think that’s really what it was. There were certain situations where we were on the 40-yard line, 35-yard line and I felt defensively we were doing some good things and we were going to go for it. We converted a fourth down and made a touchdown. It was what we needed to do. We tried throwing that ball down there. That was a good football team we played.”
On Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk:
“He is a good player. He is such a nifty athlete. He just has a knack and he really is a good player. He is not very big. I didn’t realize that last year when we played him. He’s maybe listed 5’11, but he plays big and I give him a lot of credit.”
On if there is a sense of relief that the season is over:
“I don’t say that. I don’t know about relief, but I’m disappointed because I wanted us to win for our team and for our seniors. I just as soon not be done. I would just like to keep working and see if we can get any better.”
On the momentum shifting after the fumble in the third quarter:
“I never really felt that. I know there was a set back. Those temporary set backs sometimes sting on you a little bit, but I thought we got back out there and still tried to fight. There are times when you have a set back that you have to regroup and that’s part of life. I felt like our team laid it out there – they really did. Even on the last touchdown, they were sick that they gave that up. They were battling too hard and they have a lot of pride.”
On giving up 11 sacks:
“When it’s that much, I’m not real fast to blame the players that they didn’t pick this up or they didn’t drive this guy. I say we have work to do. We have to do a better job at taking some of the pressure off those guys upfront. I really think until they become an experienced, strong, protecting group we have to find a way and that isn’t that we didn’t try. We did try to do a number of things that obviously were not enough. At the same time, when your down a little bit you want to get the ball down field some. When you get the ball down field some you have to protect a little longer. Now you are caught in a catch 22. Those situations get tougher as you fall behind.”
On if he can wrap up the season in a nutshell:
“I’ll leave that you guys (the media). I don’t have all that figured out yet. The bottom line is that we are 2-10. That’s the bottom line and the rest of it is that we evaluate and go through it all. You try to figure out what you have to do to improve. I’m not ready to assess all that right now.”
On the state of the program:
“I can’t think about all that stuff right now. It’s pretty nebulous stuff.”
On if he is worried about his job right now:
“No I’m not worried about my job. I’m never worried about my job. I just work everyday. I go to work everyday and do the very best I can do. I just worry about things I can control.”
On if he is satisfied with the final game of the season:
“I don’t know if I can start assessing anything like that. We have to grow. That’s the key. We have to grow from everything we’ve been through. I’m going to tell you this, too, the bottom line is that you don’t quit. You don’t quit. You keep working to get it better. If that means you have to tweak this and you have to do this and you have to do techniques better or you have to get a better guy to do this or he has to work harder – or whatever it is – you have to fight it out. You keep fighting the fight. There too many stories of how you overcome it. That’s really were I am. That’s what you do when the season is over. You go and assess and you figure it out and you work to get better.”
On sophomore receiver Mike Williams:
“I’m really trying to remember in a football game that I coached or played in where I’ve seen a wide receiver – I’ve coached against Randy Moss and some of these guys – have a performance that included the things he did. The most impressive thing to me is that he was rattled and he came back in the game. Let me tell you a little story – when he got hit and he was down and his head was spinning, all he wanted to know was, ‘Did I catch the ball?’ I told him, ‘Yes, you caught it, Mike.’ Then he came back in that football game and caught another pass. I really liked that. It was an outstanding performance by an individual. Mike is a fine young man and he did a lot of growing in a lot a ways and I have to make sure that he keeps growing. I don’t mean in football. I mean everything – school work and all that. He has so much to offer. If he keeps maturing, he’ll begin to figure that out. I really look forward to seeing what he is about two or three years from now.”