Nov. 16, 2004
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
Head coach Frank Tavani
It looks like success does breed a little company. We've got almost all of the tables filled and I appreciate the turnout today. We're just that little guy down the road trying to gain our identity. We're happy to be in this situation. It's terrific for our seniors, and particularly four years ago it was a wish and a dream to be sitting here in this situation and we're happy to be here on behalf of our entire football family.
In terms of the game last week, people had mentioned to me that I seemed a little angry but when you get to this point you want perfection and we didn't play a very good half. We played well offensively but certainly not defensively, and the way we responded is a credit to our football team. We've been doing this nutrition thing that we got some advice on early in the season, so at halftime we eat these fat-free Fig Newtons and bananas and pears. I keep sending the secretary out to get those things at the last minute and it's a $45 investment each week so hopefully our Maroon Club account helps us out with that. We seem to come out and play even better and harder in the second half, and as much as I was displeased with the first half, I was pleased with the second half. We played our kind of football, and we took care of business and came out and executed.
In terms of the week ahead, as I talked to our football team already on Sunday, all of the hoopla and everything in this room, lets be honest, this room would be half as full if a championship and a I-AA playoff spot wasn't on the line. With all of that aside, I want our football team to understand that I feel honored and blessed that this will be my 18th time to be involved in history, and that's what on the line here. This is much more than a Patriot League championship, at least to us, and I hope it should be that way for both schools involved. This is a rivalry, it's about school spirit and pride. Some things are lost today, when you look around and see what's going on in college football, you're looking at two schools right down the road, in the same conference, that does college football the right way. I don't want to see that lost in all of this.
Now, it's unbelievable and just the way you like it, a championship, a playoff bid, all those things but that's just added icing on the cake to make something that's already very, very good something more special. It might sound crazy, but I personally root for Lehigh except for one game a year, or any time that Lafayette's involved in any contest against them. They've set a benchmark for excellence and done a great job representing the conference. When I took this thing in December of 1999, I said we would do it 24/7. I'm just happy for our community and I can guarantee you that regardless of the result, I'm going to be very proud of this football team because of how hard everybody has worked.
senior co-captain, linebacker Wes Erbe, on his mentality this week:
I'm really disappointed that I can't play. I wish it was my ankle or something that I could tough it out, but I had surgery. I still have to prepare the way I would if I was playing. I have to help Dion Witherspoon out and the other guys out, and just keep our guys heads screwed on straight. There's a lot at stake. But at the same time we can't lose focus. It's another game and we have to win it.
senior co-captain, guard Stephen Bono, on his career nearing its conclusion:
It's bittersweet since we're coming to the end of playing college football, but it's sweet since we've worked so hard in four years to get to where we're at. We've been lucky enough that a couple games have gone our way and we've put ourselves in this position. I'm just grateful to all of the guys on the team who have worked so hard to get us to this point.
Erbe on the turning point of the season:
The Princeton game was a point where we could have gone back to where we were last year, and lose focus. It was that week going into Richmond to see how we were going to react. They were 2-0 and looked really tough. Going down there and playing a great game was definitely the turning point in our season.
Coach Tavani on goal number 11:
At the beginning of the season I said we would evaluate at the end, and hopefully the evaluation includes goal number 12. I couldn't have been more redundant throughout the season, with "Pride, Purpose, Passion" and "One goal at a time", but it's worked for us.
on the progress of this year's team:
Our coaching staff does a tremendous job. We have outstanding coaches and fortunately for us they've stayed together for a while. A major difference has been our defensive line play, just their aggression and their all-out energy. A lot of that credit goes to the guy who coaches them on a daily basis, and that's Antoine Smith. I've always said my job is to motivate the team, and the each and every positional coach's job is to motivate his players and each one of them does it differently. That position particularly, and I saw it from the first day in practice and I think everybody did if they got out to Metzgar Fields for preseason, they took on their coaches personality somewhat. He scares some of our opponents, and it's nice when you have a coach while he's coaching it up to put a scare into your opponent, so you could see why the kids want to go out and play and that was our goal.
At the quarterback position, starting out with two guys and watching that develop was a fun thing. It's easy when you have a guy in Marko Glavic, and somebody says well who's your quarterback, it's Marko, and what's he going to do, throw for a couple thousand yards. We came in with a couple guys who hadn't played two minutes between them, and they played great.
Joe McCourt, I used a different type of motivation with him and you can call it what you want, but it's a great story. He came into his senior year and then had the injury, but he has given everything he has to this program. It isn't fair but we've learned that in life. But as we thought, when we came down the stretch, he was in his best shape and ran like a guy possessed. Our offensive line came together once we had the same five guys for more than three days. I will say that I think our offensive line is the best in the league. Make no mistake, we'll pound it. Strap it up, that's no secret.
on scouting Lehigh:
Unfortunately, the first thing you look for is the weaknesses, and this isn't coach talk, but straight up, they have no weaknesses. They have a quarterback who's making great decisions, protecting the football and not turning it over. They have two outstanding running backs who do a lot of different things, wide receivers who just make plays. A tight end, that is a legitimate pro prospect, he's a man child. Defensively they've just played so solid all year. As a good football team does, they've overcome adversity. They lost their best defensive lineman and they lost their safety, but they're just playing good football. They don't make any mistakes. But I think they'll see some things that they haven't seen yet. Our offensive line, like I've said, has to control the line of scrimmage. And they're going to see a team that has more heart than they could have thought.
