Nov. 5, 2002
Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani
On loss at Colgate: "For the second week in a row we were in a hard-fought football game and came up a touchdown short. Obviously, it's frustrating, but our kids continue to play extremely hard. We don't make excuses. The only thing that was a little disappointing is that we were a little too hung up in the beginning about the field conditions and type of shoes and worrying about footing - particularly our secondary. I thought we played a lot better in previous games than certainly we did on Saturday. As fate would have it, we end up with one of their receivers having a career day. To their credit, they felt they had to throw the ball a little more this week, and they came out throwing it. We didn't react very well. We were unable to utilize our opportunities to put the necessary points on the board to get back into it. Protection-wise this was probably our worst outing. Particularly disturbing to me was our last drive where we couldn't get the quarterback sneak for the first down because we didn't have time outs. Then on the last play of the game, having the quarterback be hurried and not have the opportunity to get the ball into the end zone where you have a chance to win the game. Two weeks in a row we're playing in a championship-type atmosphere. We had opportunities to do something and we came up short."
On Bucknell's team: "I'm extremely concerned about this game. Bucknell, despite its record and everybody saying, 'Georgetown beat them.' I've already had people say to me, 'You'll win this week.' I can tell you, I'm more concerned about this football game coming up than maybe any of them to date. Coming off two tough losses, seeing how we recover. I'll have a better sense of that today when I get out to practice. They're a football team that year in and year out has been one of the best defensive teams in the league. We've seen all their games on film and no one has really run the ball very effectively against them."
On the Bucknell game: "This is going to be a very pivotal game for us, prior to coming home for the last two weeks. It's a win certainly that we need desperately. It's a game that has turned into a bit of its own rivalry over the years. We've had some hard-fought games both at their place and at our place. They have two of the best defensive players arguably in the conference in Adam Lord and Joe Massey. I'm very concerned about that. Offensively, they've struggled a little bit with injuries and changes at quarterback, but they are starting to really come on. They give you an awful lot to prepare for. Anybody that has any thoughts of this being an easy game or an automatic 'W,' really ought to think again because it's going to be a very tough game. We've got two teams that are very similar in that we're at a high-level of frustration and a lot of close ball games. I think it's going to be hard-fought and it won't surprise me to see it come right down to the end again."
On Lafayette's slow starts: "It's hard to put your finger on those things. Just have to come out of the gate a lot faster. If I had a prescription for it, I'd certainly issue the prescription. I think it's a matter of maybe we're just a little tentative. Maybe we're not playing with the kind of confidence that you should be playing with to some degree. I know we're charged up to play, and we're ready to play. On Saturday morning, you're preparing for war. People are going to bleed out there. People are going to get hurt. You've got to have a mental attitude. It's like you have to get up and put war paint on and really have the attitude that you're going to war. This week when we leave that hotel, people are going to know we're going to war. And, that I'm ready for war. This is what it's going to be. It's going to be a battle. We need this game desperately and this is a major turning point in my estimation. The good news is that this team has a never quit attitude. They keep working their tails off. It's tough week after week to come up a little short like we have. As hard as the team has worked, now you have to go back to the drawing board again and get ready for the next one."
On Lafayette's pass defense: "One of the points of emphasis we talked about going into the season was not getting beat over our heads. Last year too many times, we got hit on big plays. Sometimes, when you do that, you're going to give things up underneath. I thought both of our corners mentally just struggled a little bit, worrying about the footing. You can't allow that to happen. When that happens, you're just a little bit off. We were draped on (Luke Graham) several times and just didn't make plays on the ball, which really concerns me. We're going to put a little pressure on those guys this week to get the job done."
On Bucknell's defense: "Well it's a totally different front. You're now facing a 34 defense with three down-linemen and four linebackers. It's a whole different scheme. Everyone, including ourselves has gotten into the zone blitz theory. Those two outside linebackers can bring some pressure, and have done so all year. Joe Massey has the ability to make a tackle whiff and go right by him. And you have Adam Lord, who is a preseason Defensive Player of the Year pick, and for all the right reasons. He has the ability to grab a hold of your center and deposit him in the backfield. There are some things you have to do to slow those guys down. It again creates preparation issues."
On Lafayette's focus: "My focus now personally, and the team's focus is to send our seniors out winners. They owe that to themselves, and we owe that to them. They have been through an awful lot here and started to make that move to go out with a winning season. There is every possibility that everybody could end up with two losses. There are a lot of things that could very well happen here that are not out of the question. Our focus and maybe to my fault, emphasizing a championship atmosphere the last couple of weeks - and maybe overemphasizing it. My emphasis this week is strictly on Bucknell and getting this last win on the road to set the tone. Because I know we'll take care of business on Fisher Field. This is a pivotal game on the season. To our program to some degree, this is a statement about where we are at and where we're going."
Bucknell Acting Head Coach Dave Kotulski
On the Bison's QB situation: "At the present time, Cole Cisenolevicz is still our quarterback. Todd (Wenrich) is not fully recovered from a shoulder injury that occurred during the season. We'll go with Cole and see how Todd progresses this week. It's been an ongoing deal. We thought we needed a spark to be able to do some things, but Todd is still on a limited basis right now."
On Bucknell's mindset: "The positive is the attitude of the players. They fought through harder times. About everything that happened against Holy Cross happened in the first quarter, but our kids came back and competed very well in the second half. Hopefully it's part of that growing process. You lose some ball games over time and it takes a little bit of a toll on you. I think we still have a great attitude among our players."
On Bucknell's struggles: "There have been some problems, no question about that. We're not hitting on all cylinders with the inexperienced offensive line, I think they are playing better overall. We had some very positive things occur. Between injuries and not executing, those are the biggest things. Probably the most glaring weakness is being prone to turnovers. We have had penalties and turnovers. We corrected most of the penalties situations, but the turnover bug really jumped up and bit us again last week against Holy Cross."
On defensive lineman Adam Lord: "They've come from doubles and triples and different angles. They definitely make sure that they have at least one body, if not more, on Adam. He's a great competitor. He's a great kid. Physically, he takes a beating back there, but he's fought his way through it. I can't say enough great things about him, not only as a player, but as a person. He was voted one of our team captains this year."
On Lafayette's squad: "I think they're markedly improved. You start with a key cog in Marko Glavic who is a heck of a player. That's a great starting point. (Kevin) Moss, the tackle is very good. (Joe) McCourt has been a very physical runner. He reminds me a lot of the Towson running back and the kid at Holy Cross. He's not the flashiest, but he is a very good running back. (John) Weyrauch has caught the ball very well. They have excelled defensively. The image that comes to mind is the athleticism that they're playing with now. They've gotten better and they've got kids that are playing hard. They definitely come at you from different angles. (Chris) Partridge has had a great career there at middle linebacker. (Herb) Kennedy is as good a corner as there is in the league. They definitely pose problems for you."
On the Patriot League: "I think it's been tight for a lot of years. We were a pretty good football team last year, and we had to battle tooth and nail against Lafayette to win that game last year, 17-16. Through the years, the equity of the league has really come on. It's been noticeable in terms of how far Fordham has come the last few years. Lehigh has had a great run and Colgate has always been tough. Unfortunately, we have taken a step back this year. Hopefully in the last three games, we can make our presence felt - especially this week against Lafayette, in terms of the homecoming game for us. The one thing is that in whatever shape or form, I think everybody has stepped it up. I think the overall scheme is much more athletic on both sides of the ball throughout the league. That makes it challenging from week to week."
