University of Richmond Athletics
Richmond Football Postgame Quotes -- Sept. 30, 2006
Sept. 30, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Justin Forte
On blocking Northeastern's first punt:
"The block was just an amazing setup. We had been working on it all week. Coach kept saying if they do this, it's going to be open. Coach called it for the first punt return out there so we were all excited and our eyes lit up. We came out there and everyone was talking back and forth and it just happened beautifully. Everything worked according to plan and [Michael] Ireland picked it up for a touchdown. I was just pleased to get the block but scoring the touchdown really changed the momentum of the game. That's what having a good special teams unit can bring as a big momentum changer."
On later forcing the punter out of the endzone after a bad snap:
"We have specific assignments on the field and mine was the punter himself and to clear that. When I saw him miss the snap I had to rush back there and contain him. He was about to try and make a play on it but luckily I was there in time to cover it up and get him out of bounds."
On his own contributions coming in different roles each week:
"It feels really good to be out there and make an impact on the game. Last year just watching I really wanted to get out there. Now just being able to make an impact makes it very exciting and a lot more fun."
Tim Hightower
On the offense only getting 17 snaps in the first half:
"They were trying to slow our game down by running the ball, controlling the clock and keeping our offense off the field which wasn't good. The second half we got a chance to get the ball back and control the clock."
On the Richmond drive which started in the middle of the 3rd quarter and lasted until the middle of the 4th quarter:
"This was the first time anyone challenged us all year and we knew what we had to do. Coach Clawson put the ballgame in the running backs and the O-line's hands. I just thank God I was able to have the opportunity. The offensive line created holes, covered people up and I made a couple people miss. We just kept running and running and I think we just wanted it more than they did in the second half."
On his heavy workload in the second half:
"As a running back that's something that you dream of. In the offseason you work hard, get up and lift weights. In the third and fourth quarters it's a time where you want the ball on every single play. You want to be a leader on your team, you want to step up. You want to carry the team on your back, make plays and lead your team to victory. I just wanted the ball and wanted to do everything to help the team win."
On encouraging the offensive line late in the game:
"I told them: `Keep fighting, keep digging. This is where we see our character and our heart.' In the third and fourth quarters they showed why we were the better team. I just kept telling them: `Keep digging, keep digging, keep digging and we're going to win this game.'"
On playing at New Hampshire next:
"Whether it's the No. 1 team in the nation or the No. 20 team in the nation, we go into each game with the same mindset. It's a playoff game, it's a championship game, it's a one-game season. We're excited for the opportunity. They're a great team and we're a great team. We have to prepare, watch a lot of film and then go out there and play Richmond football."
Lance Gray
On playing at New Hampshire next:
"We start preparing tomorrow. We'll start watching film and breaking it down and just seeing what they've got. They've got [Ricky] Santos and the [David] Ball kid. They're two great players and probably two of the best players in the nation. We're going to have to do some big things to stop them. We're going to come out and do what we do and play our game and hopefully it will work out for us."
Richmond Head Coach Dave Clawson
On only needing the 12 points scored in the first quarter:
"It's about the bottom line. We found a way to win. I told our guys all week long how important it is to get off to a fast start. I guess I should have talked a little bit more about them finishing fast."
On the opponent performance:
"I thought Northeastern came out ready to play. You've got to give those guys a lot of credit for the four-game stretch they've had, five-straight games on the road. To come out and play the way they did. I mean they played well. They flew around and they were physical. That first half they controlled the clock. We lost the second half on the scoreboard but we controlled it every other way. We had control of that game. If you take away their one trick play for a touchdown I think we feel we controlled the line of scrimmage and we did what we needed to do."
On the punt block and the field goal block:
"We love blocking, we bring guys off the edge. The bottom line on a field goal and a punt if there's a good snap and it's on time and the timing's right then it's hard to get there. I think it's a credit to our defense and this has kind of been our thinking all year -- even when guys give up plays we step up in the redzone. Going back to the Duke game we came out and blocked the first field goal. Today we blocked a field goal and blocked a punt and then after the block, the center snaps it over the punter because he's thinking he has to go quicker. Those things create momentum in a game. Again, I'm proud of our guys because they found a way to win. It certainly wasn't our best effort and it wasn't our cleanest effort but I'm going to take the glass half full approach on this one. This is the first time we've been tested in a month and our defense stepped up. This is certainly the best team we've played since Duke and our guys found a way to win."
On the offense's strong clock management:
"The thing I'm most disappointed about today is how often we turned the ball over. We threw an interception and we fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. The number one goal we have is to win the turnover battle. Throwing that interception was a big momentum swing and not only do we turn it over but we also give them great field position. You've got to give our defense credit because when you talk about sudden possession changes, we handled all of those situations great."
On not opening up the offense after multiple turnovers:
"The wind was pretty hard. We threw the ball on the opening drive because we had the wind. In the first quarter Eric (Ward) played really well and made some good throws. In the second quarter, we were going against the wind. Then in the third quarter, we were going against the wind. In the fourth quarter we have a 12-point lead and then a five-point lead with five minutes left. There never seemed like a good time to open the offense up. On the first drive we opened it up. I thought we looked good and we went down and kicked a field goal. With the way our defense was playing and after a couple of turnovers, I really felt, `Hey, let's put the game on our O-line and on our defense.' In a lot of tight games that might be our formula.
On Tim Hightower workload and strong performance:
"Tim (Hightower) is just a reliable, dependable, downhill guy. This was his type of game. I think it shows when you have an 150-yard game with your longest run being 13 yards. The great thing is he rarely loses yards. Very rarely do we give him the football and end up second-and-12 or do we get off schedule. He might not always hit one for 30 but very rarely when we give him the ball do we get off schedule. This was his type of game."
On playing at New Hampshire next:
"It's fun to play in a big game. We had to find a way to get this one to make that a big game. Now we have a chance to play a national game. I think our team knows that we can't play this way next week and win, but it's a lot easier to teach and correct mistakes after you win a game. If you don't take care of business today you're going up there fighting for your life. I told our team: `Don't let anybody feel that they didn't play well today. You did what you needed to do.' I thought Northeastern really played well."
Northeastern Head Coach Rocky Hager
On Richmond's offense:
"Our defense played reasonably well, you have to give them credit because they did move the ball some in the late portions of the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter to burn up a lot of clock. To be honest I think they are going to have to throw the ball more as they get further into their schedule. Opponents are going to start identifying things, but I know Coach Clawson will see things and make the proper changes."
On Northeastern's offensive performance:
"Offensively we didn't play as good as we are capable of playing. We were somewhat limited because of (Anthony) Orio's ankle. (John) Sperrazza was actually not going to play because of a jammed finger on his throwing hand which happened on Thursday. Bottom line is we did not execute when we had chances and you need to be able to do that if you are going to compete at the upper-level of the Atlantic 10."