Louisville Cardinals College Football Pregame Quote, 10/21/2024

OPENING STATEMENT

“It’s a short week so we’re back to work, a lot of things to work on to find ways to improve. That’s what we’re addressing now, and you know that’s football season, you got to adjust to what’s happening, improve on weaknesses, and work through it. We are going to work hard to get better this week, we got a good opponent who is playing some good football.

“They started off really hot and had a couple close game that they didn’t end up winning, that they easily could have. So, we got to go on the road and find a way to win and that’ll be a really good ball game.” 

(Combatting lingering effects of the loss)

“Well, the only thing you can do is you know address this situation all year long. When you go through a football season, if you’re not prepared for the ups and downs going into it, then

it’s going to catch you off guard and you’re not going to be able to adjust. So, we talk about simple things: it’s got to be a one-game season once we get to the season, no matter whether we win or lose. You got to learn from it and move on and get better. You got to get ready for the next one, and no matter what your record is, you’re expected to win the next game. So, you kind of have to have that mentality going in. I think we have. We’ve talked about it. We’ve had chances to win the games that we’ve lost, and we have had chances to win a couple of games that we found a way to win. Being better each week is the goal. Improving on some things that show up every week that stand out is the goal. So, we will address it and continue to try to improve and try to win by one point this week when we go on the field. We want to try to play as clean a game as we can and be better at some of the mistakes we’ve made.”

(On Boston College)

“Well, they’ve done a good job, they’ve started hot with a big win against Florida State. They’ve played Missouri right down to the wire. They’ve had the lead on Virginia, and let it slip away. You know they’re well coached, Coach O’Brien has been there and done that and coached at the highest level. They play hard-nosed football; they’ve got a quarterback that can run and throw. That’s presented us problems. They’ve been better on defense than they have been in the past so it’s a good football team and you know a lot of guys we got to contain, and it starts with the quarterback, and we’ve got to find ways to have some balance on offense and score points.”

(Is there one thing that ties all three losses together?)

“Yeah, it’s a combination of a lot of things. A lot of things we’ve discussed already but I you know we want to make sure an offense, were being aggressive, were executing moving the football not having a bunch of negative plays and penalties and were trying score points and somewhat we’ve had some good points and we’ve been okay. Special teams I thought we’ve found a way to gain an edge we faked a punt we got a return for a touchdown it’s a huge advantage. Defensively you know what we didn’t play our best and I think it’s you know you’ve got to be aggressive in your calls and you’ve got to be line up and set when the ball snaps. You got to let those guys play and we got to be sharp on our shaper on our execution and we when do make certain calls, we know what it is, we need to be in the right spot at the right time sometimes that doesn’t happen we’ve got to have some vocal leadership on defense and some guys that are communicating taking the bull by the horn and saying were going to get this done. So, I just think all of us need to continue to work through some things that have not gone well. Address it, work hard at improving on it because every little thing matters and we just in some of the losses we haven’t been good enough overall to get it done and that fall on me, and we got to be better at it.”

(On playing a weeknight game)

“I don’t mind playing during the week, we did a lot here and we’ve had a lot of success with it, and it was a lot of fun. You’re on tv so it’s a fun time to play. For us, it’ll be a challenge going on the road on a short week, especially because we’re a little more nicked up in the last game then we have in a while. It was a physical game, and they (Miami) found a way to win. Every game is important, every game you have to try and win. Every win matters no matter what your record is, so this is an important game. You can judge all you want during the season, but you’ll be judged at the end of the season on what your record is and how you’ve performed. We have to continue to grind this thing out and perform. We’ll have to display some toughness to get it done, both mentally and physically. That’s why you play. That’s why you coach. This will be a good challenge and we’re looking forward to seeing how we stack up.”

(On Thomas Castellanos)

“He presents challenges so we’re going to have to have a really good plan and execute it. We have to be conscious of his athleticism with the ball the in his hands. They do a great job with him. He can run it, pull it down on a zone read and scramble. Even though we had one of our better games last year against Boston College because we were hitting on all cylinders on offense, but he still made a lot of plays. If the game would’ve been closer, it would have been a different story. He definitely keeps them in the ball game, and they rely heavy on his strengths. He’s a really good weapon and will be tough to defend. We have to step up the plate and play a good football game and try to limit his effectiveness. We have to limit how good he plays against us, and we have to get better on defense. This is a game that will challenge us to do that, and I’d like to see us improve.”

(On Caullin Lacy)

“We wanted to be a little cautious bring him back because he came back early from collarbone surgery. It was the Notre Dame game where he was cleared to play so we were a little cautious on playing him too much. We have him on kick returns now and he’s done a great job. He’s a strong runner who’s fearless and goes hard. He has a knack for catching the football when it’s around him and he’s someone we have to utilize every game. We have to make sure the ball is in his hands numerous times in a game. He can help us win. He competes, he plays hard, and I think he’s done a really good job, and I think he’ll continue to get better for us.”