Aug. 28, 2007
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More Coverage: Lafayette News Stand
EASTON, Pa. - The Leopards held their first football media luncheon Tuesday at the Pfenning Alumni Center on Lafayette's campus. The luncheon was catered by Big Woody's Sports Grille and Restaurant. Below are some excerpts from the luncheon:
Head Coach Frank Tavani:
On Lafayette's first night game in the history of the program: "It's certainly a great event. We feel privileged to be involved in it. It's of historic nature. I mean people will hopefully be talking of this."
"It seems like the student body is excited about it. I think that day and that time frame fits their day a little better. They can sleep in until noon and prepare. I'm sure there will be studying going on prior to the game but once the game starts we think we're going to close the library."
On being ready for the first game: "I think really we had the usual things happen in preseason camp but I think we came out of pretty healthy. We worked extremely hard. I said up front that this would be the most difficult camp, and I think the players can attest to that, particularly conditioning-wise. We really turned it up a notch on that. And just the surface quality gave us an opportunity. Their legs were tired but I don't' think we were nearly as beat up from the hard ground as is normally the case out at Metzgar this time of year. I think we're physically ready to go. It's a typical thing, you got to get in the first game and hope you can run a clean operation and not have all those little things that will drive the head coach completely crazy like pre-snap penalties and all the dumb things that can occur, which create a lot of problems. We want to come out and have a good operation and do our thing and we'll let the rest take care of itself."
On motivation: "Well the motivation is getting off to a good start, you know, winning the home opener. And certainly all the pressure is on us and certainly, it's no secret and we certainly know that, that we're expected to be better than this team and win the game. That being said, that means absolutely nothing. When you look at them, they've got some experience at all the key spots, particularly at quarterback and running back, and when you put some athletes together damage can be done. You look last year at Sacred Heart, I'm sure we looked a little by them, little rain situation. We looked like we couldn't even throw a pass 10 yards at one point. But you know, you've got to overcome those things so our motivation is to get off to a great start and certainly not looking ahead to anything or to any celebration post-game. We better be well aware that the Red Foxes are here and they mean business, so the Leopards better be ready to step it up."
On why he chose senior Michael DiPaola to start at quarterback: "I think with Mike, and he'll probably tell you exactly who the game was, the same thing that impressed me about him when we recruited him. When I finally looked at some film and he drove his high school team down the field in the last 30 seconds, and just took control and that kind of leadership. Plus, being a three-sport athlete, you know the guy is a competitor. And I think to his credit, a lot of people would not have stayed the course; staying around three years and only getting a few actual game reps. Certainly excitement about his opportunity to step up and lead this team, and certainly confident enough to do that. He's demonstrated the right to start out and see out how this goes."
Senior Quarterback Michael DiPaola:
On being ready to make his first start: "You know I really want to just go in there confident. I just want to play sound football, protect the football, make good decisions, and I think we'll be alright. We've got a great offensive line that with rushing the ball downfield, and great running backs behind me, and a lot of talent around me, so I'm excited."
Junior Fullback Joe Russo:
On the difference between blocking for Jonathan Hurt and Maurice White: "I don't think it's any different. Mo's doing a great job; Johnny did a great job. It's not really any different. They know the reads they need to make, the blocks they need to get. The unique thing about Mo is if he's one-on -one with any defender, most of the times the defender's going to miss. He's just a great running back - he's got great vision, great feet. "
Senior Free Safety Marcel Quarterman:
On the Leopards' defense: "I think the defense is going to be really solid this year. We have a great defensive line that's going to come up. And I think that's going to relieve some pressure for us back there in the secondary. When you've got a great D-line and they can get pressure on the quarterback, that helps things a lot. We've got a good linebacking corps with Andy [Romans] and Mark, actually two Marks [Plumby and Leggiero]. I think we're going to be pretty solid all around."
