Opening statement…
“Obviously disappointing evening and outcome. At the end of the day credit to them, certainly they played a good game, but we didn’t coach well enough we didn’t execute well enough, and certainly came up short — just not good enough. A lot of different aspects, certainly ourselves with some penalties, but really again, our guys played with a great effort and all the way to the end. We gave ourselves a chance to tie it and win the game, but did not overcome all the issues that we caused ourselves, and again, it’s really good play by the opponent as well.”
On the last offensive play of the game…
“Well, with over 30 seconds left in a couple timeouts, we’re still at 48 yards [out] for the field goal. We’re still going try to move the ball to make it closer, and try to win the game, which is a regular process for us.”
Zechariah Poyser, Defensive Back, Redshirt Sophomore
On the team’s effort after falling behind early…
“We were down by 11, but we just kept fighting. The main thing was to keep the effort up and keep playing through adversity. Sometimes things don’t go your way, but we stayed locked in and kept competing.”
David Blay, Defensive Lineman, Senior
On defensive adjustments throughout the game…
“They did a good job getting the ball out quick and setting up the run, but we just went back to work. We made some adjustments to slow them down, focused on our assignments, and tried to finish strong.”
Carson Beck, Quarterback, Senior
On the challenges Louisville’s defense presented…
“They did a good job lining up to stop the run and playing zone behind it with eyes on the ball. They made some really good plays, and I was probably a little too aggressive at times. That’s on me. We have to protect the ball better. It’s unacceptable, but credit to them, they played hard. A lot of those mistakes didn’t have to happen, and there’s a lot we can fix starting with me.”
Malachi Toney, Wide Receiver, Freshman
On the comeback attempt…
“The game’s never over until the clock hits zero. Coach (Cristobal) preaches that we need to be the better team, and that’s what we are focused on, just keep fighting to the end.”
