Quotes from Monday's Press Conference

Quotes from Monday's Press Conference

Oct. 11, 2004

Hurricane Headquarters

Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Here are quotes from Monday’s press conference prior to the Louisville game:

Head Coach Larry Coker: “It’s finally game week. We have been so erratic in our weeks and days, but we are finally back with a game a few days away. We have had a lot of interruptions in the schedule, but I am pleased with how our players have responded and they have done everything we have asked them to do.

“This is a tremendous challenge facing us Thursday night with Louisville. They are a top 10 team in about every statistical category, offensively and defensively. They are very balanced on offense and they run the ball very well. They have three running backs they will use, which keeps everybody fresh. They also pass the ball very well.

“I continue to see our offense improving, which is what I like to see. Our performance against Georgia Tech was probably one of our better offensive games this year. We have lost Eric Winston for the season and Rashad Butler has moved into his starting left tackle position and I think he will play very well there.”

On the loss of OT Eric Winston and how the offensive line needs to respond:”I challenged our players by saying everyone needs to raise their level of play. Hopefully that can make our offensive line better as a unit. We have lost a tremendous talent, so each player on the line needs to play better and make up for the loss of Eric. I think they have taken it personal and I think we will see a better group within the entire offensive line. We are not just going to replace Eric.”

On Winston’s replacement Rashad Butler:”Rashad’s strengths are that he is smart and very athletic. I don’t think it takes a long time to get accustomed to playing on the left side versus the right, but I do think having some extra time this past week has helped him.”

On the condition of DB Brandon Meriweather:”He practiced yesterday and that was encouraging, because when you see one of your players in a boot or a cast, in my day they would be out for six months. He practiced very well, which surprised me.”

On WR Lance Leggett”I think he is going to be an exceptional player for us. He has great speed and range. He is not as physical yet as he will be, but he is very talented and you feel like he is a starting receiver.”

On the play of Louisville’s two quarterbacks:”The older quarterback is probably a bit more mobile, but the younger quarterback was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the country. They were able to get him to stay home in Louisville and he will be a great player for them.”

On whether or not QB Kyle Wright will play a certain number of series during the game:”We will probably make a decision later on our quarterbacks. I would like to play Kyle, but I don’t know if it is going to be the second series or the third series, but I would certainly like to get him some time in the first half. I want to see how he practices over the next few days before I make that decision.”

On the play of running backs Frank Gore and Tyrone Moss:”I hope it is seen as a one-two punch. Tyrone had 100-plus yards against Houston and Frank had 100-plus yards against Georgia Tech. I would like for them to both have 100-plus yards against everybody. I like this situation a lot. It hopefully will help to keep both of them healthy and competitive with one another. They are both very capable of doing a good job. I would like to try and sell them as the best one-two combination in the country. I don’t know if they are or not, but that should be one of the goals for our team.”

Hurricanes Quarterback Brock Berlin

On the upcoming game against Louisville:”I think every team we play against is trying to upset us. We know they are a good team and they will be fired up to play us. We are going to come out and play and do what we have been doing all season. We would like to be able to do some of the things we did last week, but our goal is to get better each week. We are working hard each day in practice and preparing for the upcoming games.”

On losing OL Eric Winston:”It’s no fun to lose a player like that. He is a great player and a great leader. We have total confidence in Rashad and he is ready to play.”

On playing in a nationally televised game on Thursday night:”It’s fun and it is what you come here to do, to play in these big games on national TV.”