Nov. 2, 2004
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
Head coach Frank Tavani
on this week's Patriot League showdown with Colgate:
I thought it was good timing for us to have some time off, we had been going after it pretty hard. We're returning to our normal schedule today and tomorrow, preparing like we normally do. We're looking forward to moving on to goal nine at Colgate. Our staff is very appreciative that despite the fact that the league championship was decided a week ago, that everybody has agreed to continue to play the rest of the season, so we have three more contests. Regardless of the outcome of that game this past weekend, there's still a lot of things that could go on in this league. We knew we had to go to Hamilton to play Colgate regardless of whether they won or lost.
I'm sure it's not going to be a fun practice week up there, that's normally what happens after a game like that. After looking at the film I wasn't sure which team I was watching, and that's a credit to Lehigh. I'm sure we'll see a steady diet of Jamaal Branch, and some of those things that I was expecting to see on film. This is their seniors' last home game up there and as I told our team yesterday, this is a very good football team and the defending league champs. They've been knocked off their pedestal a little, and their only shot now is to beat us and then turn around and be cheerleaders for us so they still have a chance. I said weeks ago that with one league loss you could still be in the hunt and I still believe that. I think our football team is as healthy as we've been all season. Our boys are ready to come out and keep going, work hard, stay together and believe in one another, and play to the last second and more if necessary.
on Colgate quarterback Chris Brown:
He's in the same class with the rest of them, week to week, and that's a credit to the teams on our schedule. He's an athlete, he's big and he's throwing the ball better than he has before and it makes them more multi-dimensional. With Branch in the backfield and Luke Graham, who's probably the best wide receiver in the conference, he catches anything that comes near him and he made a couple circus catches last week. They're a balanced football team running and throwing and I'm sure they'll have an attitude and be waiting for the Leopards to arrive. They might want to play us on Friday when we're up there to practice and they'll be fired up but I guarantee you the Leopards will be fired up as well.
on Colgate's performance in the Division I-AA Playoffs last season:
They set a new standard last year for the Patriot League, not just getting into the playoffs and winning a first round game. That was the standard that was set by Lehigh, Fordham, and themselves to that point. To get to the second round, the semifinals, and play in the championship game, that's a new standard set to their credit for this conference. Sometimes it's hard to get kids refocused. They're sitting there with the ring and the semifinalist trophy, and they lost to basically a I-A Delaware team, that's not a I-AA team. Now they have a huge target on them, everybody has your name tattooed on their forehead from the time they start offseason workouts. In every game, somebody says we want to beat the team that went to the national championship.
They lost four All-League players, and Tem Lukabu, he was like another creature running around out there. They lost some key people, but offensively basically everybody's back, particularly the tailback, quarterback and wide receiver. They're a really, really good football team.
on the bye week after playing Fordham:
I felt we really had to use the bye week, we had a lot of guys banged up and it was great to see some of the guys bouncing around yesterday like it was the first day of preseason. We're feeling good physically now. The evaluation whether it's good or bad comes after the result of this game. If you win, it was perfect, and if you don't win, we got out of our rhythm. I think we needed it and we were ready for it, so it was a good thing regardless of the outcome this week.
