Quotes from Tuesday's Press conference if you missed them...some good stuff

[Brad]

Courtesy USF

Football Media Luncheon

BIG EAST Room – USF Intercollegiate Athletic Facility

USF Head Coach Jim Leavitt

On the past two losses

"It was a tough loss, no doubt about it. We've had two real tough, gut-wrenching losses. We've played tough. The guys have really battled hard in both games. It does test the character of your football team. It tests your will. It tests all the things in essence in your life when you deal with adversity. You do find out the character of your team, your staff and everybody."

On this Saturday's game

"I have no doubt that our players are going to lay their heart and soul out there Saturday. I believe we're going to come ready to play. I believe in them that much. Carlton MitchellThis game is as big as they come. It is a huge game. I think you’re going to find two football teams that are going to battle as hard as they can for 60 minutes. It is quite an even match-up, I think. Our football team is going to come out and play hard on Saturday. I believe in this team a great deal. They are going to come out and lay it out there; I don't think there is any question about that. We are going to play as hard as we can possibly play."

On missing field goals

"We've had some difficulty with the kicking. We've missed a number of field goals. When he [Delbert Alvarado] gets focused, he's a very good kicker. He's doing a great job with the punting. I trust him the most of everybody."

On winning the BIG EAST

"It's not over. I don't think it is out of the question. The month of November is a huge month. It always is. You really want to play your best football during that stretch. That's something that is important for whatever team wants to make a big move throughout the conference."

On away games

"If we could play 12 at home I would. I'd rather play at home than on the road. We've got to play wherever we play and try to do the best we can."

On Cincinnati's defense

"They can run. They're good. They know what they're doing. They're very athletic and very well-coached."

On coaching in general

"I think through time, players learn to motivate themselves and understand and appreciate how big every game is because of the investment of their life through the years."

Carlton Mitchell, WR

On what Coach Leavitt has said about him starting...

“He hasn’t said anything about me starting yet. I knew it was going to happen because I was the next person in line. He has always told me to be ready and stay focused. You never know when your number’s going to be called. Amarri’s (WR Amarri Jackson) been helping me a lot. Even while he’s hurting, he’s been helping me with a lot of stuff. He just told me to keep my composure and he’s been working with me on blocking. During the game at UConn he was on his crutches and he was talking about blocking techniques and about the corners, doing this and that and you take this angle. He was still coaching me even while he was hurt, I appreciate him a lot.”

On bouncing back after two losses...

“We’re just trying to work real hard and get back at it. At the beginning of the season we were on fire. We just had these last two losses and that kind of hurt us a little bit. We’re still trying to push through, we’re not giving up. We’re trying to finish strong like Coach Leavitt always says, that’s our motto, just finish strong.”

Tyrone Mckenzie, LB

On the loss being a hit to the defense’s ego...

“It’s a huge hit, especially when you let two backs in two weeks go over 100 yards on you. It’s a huge hit. We all feel very bad about it and we have to focus and go to practice everyday. As Coach Burnham (defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wally Burnham) says we have to get two percent better each day and I don’t think we have gotten two percent better each day.”

On fire or emotion missing in the last two games...

At the UConn game, everyone was fired up, everyone was ready to play. They came out fast, we finished strong but we got to start fast, we got to get on top of the game in the first quarter.”

On UConn’s Andre Dixon being similar to Rutgers’ Ray Rice...

No, Dixon is a smaller back. Rice is a good back, Dixon is a good back, it’s the just the way we came out and played. No hit against him, he’s a good player and he keeps his feet moving when he gets hit but we just have to play better than we did.

On Coach Leavitt describing this loss as a gut-wrenching loss...

This is when the character of the team comes out. Everybody’s here, all these extra vans are outside for press meetings and stuff when you’re up high. And when you loose this is when you see the true colors and you know who’s behind you and who’s really a part of this team. This is when all the players that really care about each other are going to come together and nobody’s going to point the finger at anybody and we’re going to push each other in practice and come together stronger as a team. This is the time for it and I guess we’ll see who’s a part of this team and who’s not.”

On the crowd ...

“I don’t know what the crowds going to be like, I don’t really care. I just care about the win. I don’t care if there are five people out there, I don’t care if there are 70,000 people out there, I care about the win and that’s all I care about right now.”

Matt Grothe, QB

On the spirit of the team after two tough weeks ...

“A couple of days it was down and we realized that we have to bounce back and play our best. We have a whole season left, four more games that we have to play. We’re fine. We just need to come out this week and play like we know how to play for a full game.”

On salvaging the season ...

“There’s still lot to happen in the BIG EAST, there’s still a lot of conference games to be played. It’s going to change completely in two more weeks, where everyone’s sitting. We just have to keep winning and play football, and everything will work out for us.”

On Cincinnati’s defense...

“They’re well coached and extremely fast. They play well together. They have a new defensive coordinator this year. It’s changed a little from last year, the way they run their defense and stuff. They are still right there in the top with everybody. It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

On running more in the game...

“I don’t care if I have to run a hundred times a game as long as we win. Sometimes I feel like an old man because I get beat up so much but I don’t care as long as we just win football games.”

On Jesse Hester, Jr.’s improvement ...

“Jesse is getting better each and every week. He works hard and never complains and just does what he needs to do. That’s probably the biggest thing I can think for a receiver is going out there and not complaining and not worrying about things; just playing football. You’re going to get better as much as we practice, three to four days a week.”

George Selvie

On the state of the team after two losses ...

“We just came off some losses, but we know we’ve got to put that behind us. We have a game to play this week. Its homecoming and all the alumni are coming back so we just have to go out there and win and practice well today, if it doesn’t rain too hard.”

On the spirit of the team ...

“We’ve been kind of down the last two weeks. We came back yesterday, some of us still kind of down, but Coach Leavitt came in and gave us a little speech. Ben Moffitt got up and spoke to us and we just decided that we need to pull it together and be the team that we were for the first six games.”

On speech Ben Moffitt gave to team on Monday ...

“Ben Moffitt, he’s a great leader. He just got up and told us that the past two weeks we may have let the media or the games that we’ve won get to our head and we need to get back to the team that we were the first six games. He said don’t let your teammates down. He’s going to push everyone on the defense and the offense and do whatever we have to, to win this game against Cincinnati and he expects everyone else to do the same. If he’s not doing well he expects us to push him. It was a great speech and we all took it to heart and we know what we have to do now.”

[Jake_Ryan]

Big Ben is the man!

[Rocky Style]

Good stuff.  Thanks for the post!

[Sunil]

Kudos to Ben Moffet. After two straight losses and a game against a team which smacked you around the previous year...its a good time for a strong voice in the lockerroom.

[TRUTH D. Antagonist]

LOL.

why were Mitchell's, McKenzie's and Grothe's positions listed, but Selvie's wasn't?

i guess he's just that big of a star now that we all know he's a DE...

maybe we should just start referring to him as George. 

who needs a last name? it's muthaf**kin' George gotdamnit!! dont act like u dont know who i'm talkin bout!

[Bull Matrix]

Thanks for posting that. I feel a lot better about this weekend after hearing that Moffit gave his speech. Moffit hates to lose as I remember when I read an article about him staying up all night walking around a WALMART after that loss to UCONN two years ago. Some people dont care if they lose or win, but that is not the case for Moffit as he really hates to lose.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

USF Coach, Jim Leavitt

On missing field goals

"We've had some difficulty with the kicking. We've missed a number of field goals. When he [Delbert Alvarado] gets focused, he's a very good kicker. He's doing a great job with the punting. I trust him the most of everybody."

Yeah, but isn't that kind of like saying "When Bill Clinton is faithful to his marriage vows, he's a great husband."?

It's like.....uh, yeah........but I don't see that happening anytime soon there, Coach Leavitt.

[Minotaur]

LOL.

why were Mitchell's, McKenzie's and Grothe's positions listed, but Selvie's wasn't?

i guess he's just that big of a star now that we all know he's a DE...

maybe we should just start referring to him as George. 

who needs a last name? it's muthaf**kin' George gotdamnit!! dont act like u dont know who i'm talkin bout!

:ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO :ROFLMAO

Well done sir, well done.

[SANJAY]

LOL.

why were Mitchell's, McKenzie's and Grothe's positions listed, but Selvie's wasn't?

i guess he's just that big of a star now that we all know he's a DE...

maybe we should just start referring to him as George. 

who needs a last name? it's muthaf**kin' George gotdamnit!! dont act like u dont know who i'm talkin bout!

Actually you can call him Mr. Selvie.