Post-Game Quotes
Nov 1, 2008 | Football
Nov. 1, 2008
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Tulane head coach Bob Toledo
Opening statement:
First of all, let me say that we lost to a really good football team. I think LSU is an outstanding football team. They're very physical. They took the first drive and went down and scored. We went down, and it looked like we had an opportunity to score, but we had some penalties. Then, we end up kicking a field goal. In the second quarter, they score a touchdown, and then, we're trying to throw the ball. We get sacked and fumble, and they run it in just before the half for a 21-3 lead. That was kind of frustrating for them to put that kind of pressure on us and to see the amount of penalties we had in a row. That took us out of a chance to score.
In the third quarter, obviously, they take the ball and go right down the field and score. It's almost like they could score at will at that point, but then, our defense got pretty physical and did a great job and held them. We go down, and we miss a field goal. We can't seem to make a field goal this year, so we are really struggling with kicking the football, and then, of course they wore us down at the end. They kept pounding on us, and we had a hard time stopping them. You have to give credit to them. They're a good football team. We're a team that's in transition right now. We've got a bunch of young guys trying to play. We were playing 12 true freshmen and nine redshirt freshmen and playing with some seniors who have a lot of heart right now and giving us good leadership. We were a little mismatched tonight, and it was hard to move the ball. When they wanted to run the ball, it was hard for us to stop them.
On not being able to capitalize despite winning the time of possession battle:
That's what is frustrating. We tried a few special plays, and we got a `PI' on one, and we tried to do something to give us a play. We're struggling making plays right now. They played some bump and run on us, and we couldn't separate from their defensive backs. Our receivers had a hard time getting open, and we didn't have a lot of time to throw the football. We didn't have the ball a lot because we couldn't convert and make first downs. I don't know what the time of possession was. It was around 29 minutes, so it was close, but I think we played as hard as we could've played. We just made too many mistakes, and again, that hurt us.
On if LSU's long drive for a touchdown late in the second quarter was the turning point of the game:
Well, I think it was a big part of the game, yes. I don't know if it was the turning point. I think the turning point was when we fumbled the ball, and they ran it in for a touchdown if there was a turning point. I hate to use one play as a turning point, but that play hurt us because we could have gone in at halftime and still had a chance. Then, of course they took the first possession in the second half and go down and score, and that kind of really put us in a bind. We just had a hard time moving the football. They're a better football team than we are at this point. We're beat up, and we were just not a good football team in this game.
Tulane quarterback Kevin Moore
On who would start as quarterback:
Whoever started did not have an affect on what system we would be playing. We knew in pre-game warm-ups who would start.
On working on keeping the quarterback position:
You cannot focus on that. Joey (Kemp) played well against Rice and coach said he would give him more opportunities. He was playing well and if it helps our football team then I'm all for that. I didn't look at it like he was taking my job. A quarterback never worries about that. I just try to do my job and get better in practice. I felt like we got the most out of practice this week.
On focusing during the game:
In Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night, I don't think I got it. Their defense played fantastic all night. They have an incredible set of guys who can run and they have so many guys on the field who can make plays. They're tremendously deep across the board. I had two chances to make it and I couldn't get a yard. That's my fault and they stopped me.
On the Tiger's defense:
It's hard to say if LSU is the best defense I've played against all year. The Tigers are up there with other good teams. We played Alabama at Alabama and they are good. It's tough to rank. LSU is one of the best defenses in the country.
Tulane cornerback Travis Burks
On if he was planning to make the interception:
I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I got a lot of help from the defensive line, especially linebacker Logan Kelley. They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, which caused him to throw a bad ball. I was where I was supposed to be and got a good break on the ball.
On what happened when he got the ball:
Just run. I just wanted to run as fast as I could. I know they have a lot of skill players who are fast. I knew none of the lineman would catch me, I was just worried about getting hit from the back and them stripping the ball from me. I didn't want to do all this running for nothing. I just wanted to get good field position and I ended up scoring.
On the emotions coming into the game:
Last night we had a town hall meeting. Everyone had the opportunity to speak and get everything off their chest. I am not that type of guy who always speaks in front of everyone. I like to let my actions speak for themselves. Tonight my focus was to play to finish the game.
On if he is looking forward to the next season:
No we don't. I have the slogan on the back of my shirt. It says `Finish,' and that is what we plan to do. We are going to take it one game at a time. We are not going to look to next year. That is not what we do.
