Nov. 12, 2002
Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani
On victory over Bucknell: "It was certainly fun to go up there and play well and get a really solid win. I've been up there several times in recent years when it hadn't come out so well. I thought we came in with great intensity. I challenged individuals last week and I think those individuals responded very well. Our defense obviously had a tremendous game, not giving up a touchdown. Then finding out after the game that it was the first time in 55 games since 1997 that we hadn't given up a touchdown. I thought offensively we executed fairly well. I was not happy when we got the turnover early and didn't punch it in for a touchdown. But, the bottom line is we put points on the board and were able to do that when we had those opportunities. It's a tremendous win for us. It gets us back to .500. Now we get to come back home after a long six out of seven weeks on the road. "
On Holy Cross tailback Gideon Akande: "He's a strong kid, who runs hard. He has certainly had a great year for them. He's someone they are not afraid to feed the ball to. Along with Brian Hall throwing the ball vertically on everyone, he gives them a nice complement to their passing game. He's got pretty good quickness, a little bit like McCourt as a freshman. He makes good decisions and cuts well and could make some people miss. Obviously they found something in him that does complement their passing attack."
On Holy Cross: "Holy Cross has probably as good an offense with personnel at the skill position and a great quarterback as we have faced all year. I expect nothing less than another hard-fought battle that we know we have our work cut out for us. This will be a tough football game. Again, a team that's a lot like us, that has been in some tough games. They're trying to get their record back to even and make a few waves in the league. It's been a tough year for them. They do a lot of good things. They just ran by Fordham several times. Had it not been for a punt return late in the fourth quarter, they could have knocked off Fordham last week. That just epitomizes the league. Week to week you better come and strap it up because anybody has the ability to beat anybody else. We're very well aware of the dangers Holy Cross presents."
On keys to the game: "We're hoping to be able to run the ball effectively against them. Because I think the best defense against their offense is your own offense being able to control the football. We're putting a lot of pressure on our offense to control the football. We feel that against that kind of offense that is going to throw the ball and has thrown it extremely well, the less opportunities they have, the better. I think the key is that we just stay focused as a team. I still don't think that we have played our best game yet. We've got two games left to do it and there would be no time better than the present to come out and put a full game together. Turnovers in this kind of game will be key. I also think special teams play will be key. Holy Cross does an extremely good job with special teams. If it is going to be inclement conditions, then obviously turnovers and field conditions become major factors."
On Holy Cross receiver / kick returner Ari Confesor: "He's certainly the real deal. He just doesn't hurt you offensively. He hurts you on special teams. He's going to do it all on punt and kicks. You've got to be very aware of him. People will say that they'll just double up him, but then that opens up somebody else. To think you're going to shut out that offense is unrealistic."
On the end of the road swing: "I think the team has handled it very well. We had two very close seven-point ball games. I don't think we've been intimidated being on the road. I think they've handled it extremely well. You kind of get road weary sometimes. The bottom line is it's still a football game played on a field with the same dimensions. Once you go out there and the first snap takes place, who knows where you're at - it's just a football game."
Lafayette offensive lineman Kevin Moss
On last season's 63-53 Holy Cross win: "It was actually pretty fun. It seemed like we weren't out there too long because we scored so many points. We just got used to scoring touchdowns. You get to appreciate it, but you still want to win the game. It was just hard on the defense because (Holy Cross' offense) was really good."
On the end of the season: "Of course you think about Lehigh, but you definitely take it one game at a time. You can't overlook anybody in this league. I don't even think that far ahead."
Lafayette defensive lineman Chris Brungo
On road trips: "I have a little trouble concentrating on the game with all that other stuff going on. I find it easier to concentrate when I'm in my own room and I can just sit down and then go to bed at night and not have the hassle with the hotel room."
On being a freshman: "I take a little bit of flak, but not too much. They're pretty good to me. I'm also not the only freshman out there. I've noticed more and more freshman playing behind me. I usually have Blake Costanzo behind me or Larry Johnson in the backfield. I'm almost a veteran compared to those two."
On the help of Chris Holland: "I really appreciate what he did for me. He probably played two or three games that he really shouldn't have played. He wanted to let me get into the system before just throwing me out there. Especially in Princeton, which was the first game I started. I just got my butt kicked the first couple of plays, and he ended up stepping in. It gave me a chance to get some confidence and time to regroup. It was a real help that he stayed for the first four or five games."
Holy Cross Quarterback Coach Robert Griffin
On Holy Cross' season: "You say we've had some ups and downs and we certainly have. We started with a big win over Army. The season has flowed from that point. In the past three or four weeks, we think we're playing pretty well on offense. Defensively, we've been up and down. We made big plays at times, but other times we've struggled a little. Special teams has really been a forte for us up until last week when Fordham beat us in the special teams battle. We think we're getting a great effort from our kids. We're just going to keep fighting and come down to Easton and be the best we can possibly be."
On the potential for another high-scoring game: "You never know. It may end up being a 3-0 football game. We had what qualified as a shootout the other day with Fordham. There was nine lead changes in that game. Someone made the point that the ultimate shootout last year was Lafayette and Holy Cross. I guess you could always say that the potential is always there for it. Lafayette has a lot of weapons on offense. Certainly we have some kids that can make plays. But, whenever people talk like that, I think both defenses will take offense. Maybe one of the defenses will stand up and be the key factor in the game. We felt that with all the points scored in last year's game, it was ultimately our defense that won it for us. You just never know what's going to happen."
On freshman running back Gideon Akande: "Gideon has been a very pleasant surprise to all of us. He was one of the freshmen who came in that we weren't sure if he was going to play in the secondary or at running back. We looked at a couple of them and decided Darran Davis would go to the secondary, and the other one would go to tailback. We went into camp and what we did find out is that he's a great young man. Whatever you taught him or tried to coach him, he did everything he could to try to pick up on it."
