Oct. 2, 2007

EASTON, Pa. - Head coach Frank Tavani and members of his team came to Lafayette football's weekly media luncheon ready to talk about having a week off and the upcoming game against Columbia. Below are a few excerpts from the luncheon:

Columbia Offensive Coordinator Vinny Marino:
On this week's matchup against Lafayette: "They have a great facility and it's a night game so I'm sure the people at Lafayette are excited about their football team, so we're going to have to do a good job of handling the environment and the situation, and then obviously we are going to have to be ready to play a good football team. We're going to make sure our kids are prepared and are ready to play a very physical football game. I know Lafayette is physical on both sides of the ball so we're going to have to be able to handle the physical nature of the game."

On the success of the football team over the last year: "We're just changing the mentality. We're going to try to outwork everybody, we talk about that everyday. We don't want to be the same old Columbia. We're trying to do a good job recruiting players - I think we have some really good players but we have some good young players through two recruiting classes so I think that has helped, to be honest with you. We're trying to change the mentality. If they play hard every game, they have a chance to win. Our kids saw that last year when we were in every game, just by playing hard. And I think we're holding them to a little bit of a higher standard than what was done in the past."

Head Coach Frank Tavani:
On bye week activities: "After the bye week we're looking forward to getting back in action, particularly because we have a bad taste in our mouth leftover from the Princeton game. We took three days of practice last week and returned to basics. We really didn't put any Columbia game plans in, or even start to look at Columbia at all. We wanted to get back to basics and fundamentals and had three hard days of full-pads in practice and some contact. Then they had three days off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then we got back at it yesterday and got a day ahead to start focusing on Columbia."

On the fact that the teams Lafayette has beaten are 0-13: "I had no misconceptions of where we were at. They were good football teams despite their records. There are a lot of good football teams out there that have had a lot of close games. I don't place too much emphasis on that. The bottom line is I'm only concerned with us and actually the emphasis is about us this week. Certainly we're looking at Columbia and what they do - you have to be prepared. I'm more concerned with where we're at and getting a lot more consistency on both offense and defense. I think our special teams are playing very well and we need to continue that, but we need better consistency."

On facing Columbia: "We know this is a very solid Columbia team coming in here at 1-2, but a very different Columbia team than anything any of us have been used to in the past."

"Putting up 32 points against Princeton, which we were unable to do, is a cause for concern. Now they gave up 42, but nonetheless, they've got a returning quarterback that is very solid, big strong kid. Very solid at the running back position, I think that's really a strength for them; good offensive line, solid receivers, and a physical, aggressive defense. We have enough film at this point to know that if anybody is looking past Columbia that would be a major issue, and we're not doing that at all."

Senior Offensive Lineman Greg Lippert:
On having a weekend off: "The season is long and it's grueling so it's good when you get the time off to just literally take the time off and not do much of anything. Rest, recover, watch some good football games - take the time when it's given because there's not much of it during the season. It's just a good chance to recharge your batteries and focus and recover."

On whether the break helps more physically or mentally: "For guys who are injured, it's a good time to rest up. It depends on where you are at and what you need. Some guys need the mental break from it. The season isn't that far along, but you have to remember we had that month of preseason camp on top of it. So we've been here for a long time, playing football for a long time, and I think the bye week came at a good time where we could really get refocused, get healthy, and then have as many people back for the Columbia game as we can."

On how he helps the team cope with the loss: "Being a senior, you've been there before and you know what to expect and what a loss means. No one really got too down, which is a good thing, and I think as a senior all you can do is come back to practice - practice hard, and try to keep everybody as motivated and as positive as you can. You just have to let them know that it was one game and it's a long season, and you just have to play as hard as you can."

Sophomore Defensive Back Nick Oliver:
On having a weekend off: "I took Coaches' advice as literal as he gave it to us. He said to get off your feet and be smart over the break that he gave us. We did have a hard three days of practice and the break did give us time to recuperate and recover."