Oct. 30, 2007

EASTON, Pa. - Bucknell head coach Tim Landis:
On their 0-3 record in the Patriot League: "We're coming off two close losses in our first two league games at Colgate and then with Georgetown. Then we had Holy Cross come into our place this weekend and they're a really good football team and we just didn't have a lot of answers to their offense. Our offense wasn't able to be on the field a whole lot and it translated into a 45-21 loss."

On whether the losses affect his ability to motivate the team: "The coaches will probably tell you that they go at it hard everyday and that's what we see on film. Is their psyche a little bit fragile? Yeah. I think if you struggle the way we have and you're not winning as many games and you've got some tough losses, it's going to affect you. What you have to count on is that these young men are resilient and they have pride, and they're going to continue to come each week and work as hard as they possibly can and try to win football games on Saturdays. That's what we continue to do."

Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani:
On the tough loss to Colgate: "Unfortunately it was a tale of two halves: the first half was our half and the second half turned out to be theirs. I thought our kids gave a tremendous effort and fought until the bitter end. We put ourselves in the position to tie the game and go to overtime and then the attempted onsides kick went awry. It's obviously frustrating but you go out and play hard, the kids are working hard and that's all you can ask for as a coach. We've got to overcome the adversity that we're going through right now. We're getting a lot of questions about what's it like now, the season is basically over and there's nothing to play for. That's an absurd statement, comment, thought....As I said after the game, there's a fine line between winning and losing and the last three years we have found ourselves on the fortunate side of that and this year we're finding ourselves on the tougher side of that. We've still got a lot to play for. This football team can send these seniors out with a better record than last year. The last game of the year always takes care of itself, and we need to take care of business."

On looking towards Bucknell: "We're not looking at anything but Bucknell. All we have to do is look at Bucknell's game against Colgate where Colgate had to come from behind to score late in the game. So our football team is very aware that despite their league record and overall record, they are very capable of coming in here and will come in here hungry for their first league win. They'll be looking to see if the Leopards are limping, and I can guarantee you we won't be limping."

On Rob Curley's performance in his first start: "I thought he did very well. He did exactly what I told him to do. He played smart, played to win. I told him not to worry about making mistakes. I knew there would be mistakes and there certainly were but he'll learn from those things and move on. All in all, that's a tough position to be put in but the whole time while he waited for his turn, to his credit, he stayed close to where the plays were coming down on the phone to Coach Heffner and being sent in. That tells me he was staying ready to go while he was waiting."

Senior defensive back Marvin Clecidor:
On the Leopards' defense sliding from first to fourth in the nation: "We never really fed into the label of having the number one defense. We knew we played well coming into the season, and unfortunately the past few games we've struggled a little bit defensively. We know we have to come out and play better than we did the last game as far as tackling and everybody running to the ball."

On what Bucknell brings to the table offensively: "After watching film we know they run a triple-option type of offense. They'll chip at you a little bit and then they'll hit you with a big play. That's why they are leading the league in rushing, because they'll hit you with those big plays. They have a quarterback that can run and a fullback and running back so everybody has to tackle well and everyone on defense running to the ball on every play."

On how the defense has stayed consistent this season: "As a whole, our consistency lies in us being able to play hard. We pride ourselves in coming out and trying to play hard, trying to run to the ball and giving 110 percent effort every game. We figure if everyone gives 110 percent effort and does their job on every play it's going to be pretty hard for teams against us."

Sophomore quarterback Rob Curley:
On how the changes on the offensive line have affected him: "Guys like Jesse Padilla and Greg Lippert on the o-line really keep that line together as seniors and leaders. I feel like it's not that much trouble when D.J. Brown comes in or when guys like Leo Plenski go down, because everyone is working hard together, so I don't see it as being too much of a problem."

On how the pace of the game slows down as you get more experience: "The Fordham game was moving very quick for me. Coming into the Colgate game, I felt a lot more confident in my reads and in things I had done because I had prepared so well. Coach Faragalli did a great job in getting us prepared and I felt very comfortable going through the game."

His take on Bucknell: "Bucknell has some athletes on their defense who are fast and are going to fly around to the football, so we need to execute our game plan because every game is important whether we are in the hunt or not."