TCU 31, Louisville 28
11/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2003
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TCU Postgame Quotes
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson:
On the game
"Coaching young defensive players will take years off your life. I'm proud of these kids, proud of this staff. It's taken five years of preparing to get where we are now. I feel that the football gods are on our side. Thank goodness we have (kicker) Nick Browne. Again, three points was the difference in the ball game. Not everything went our way, but we still found a way to win. I play the underdog better than the favorite."
On the offense
"I'm proud of the young wide receivers. We couldn't move the ball without them. The offense is now finding a way to move."
On the successful fourth down call in the fourth quarter
"You've got to play as the game goes. The only hesitation we had was which play to choose."
On playing in November
"You cannot play to lose. There are no bad victories right now. It's the time of year where you don't look at stats, you look at wins. And that's what we have right now. We need to get the team healthy, and we are starting to do that. November is where they remember you now. We will take them as they come along."
TCU Quarterback Brandon Hassell:
On his play
"I'm seeing the field a lot better right now and my mind is working a lot faster. The whole offense is playing well. Everyone is making strides and doing their part. I feel confident about what we are doing. The offense is coming together."
On playing in a big game
"I didn't think about the national spotlight. I just focused on the game."
TCU Wide Receiver Reggie Harrell
On Louisville's last-second kick
"I was hoping he'd miss it. I saw it hit the uprights. I don't wish anything bad on anyone, but I was very happy."
On the offense
"Brandon is a great quarterback and he is showing more confidence. We came together as a team and we have great chemistry."
Louisville Postgame Quotes
Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino:
On the game
"This was a very good football game. It was just two good teams playing extremely hard. (There were) Lots of players on offense and defense making plays. I can't say too much about how good TCU is. We just came up short."
On TCU and the BCS potential
"They proved they are a very good football team. They just have to continue to play one game at a time. They shouldn't have anything left to prove to anyone. Everyone they play, they beat."
On kicker Nate Smith
"I'll tell Nate to keep his head up. He's not the first person to miss three field goals in a game. He's a very good kicker and provides a lot to this football team. In no way was this loss all his fault."
On losing running back Eric Shelton
"Losing Eric really decreased our depth. Lionel (Gates) played a great game, but without Eric, we couldn't mix power and speed as we wanted."
Louisville Quarterback Stefan LeFors:
On the game
"TCU is a very good team. Their offense really surprised me. It's very balanced. They can throw and run the option very well. They are a very clean team. They'll hit you in the mouth, but they'll pick you back up."
Louisville Safety Kerry Rhodes:
On their conference championship hopes
"Realistically, we need a couple other teams to lose two games with the way TCU and Southern Miss are playing. We just have to win out and be satisfied with a 10-2 record and a bowl game."
Louisville Wide Receiver J.R. Russell:
On the late pass to him
"Stefan threw it up for grabs. It fell a little short and I just didn't adjust to make the play. Their cornerback made a great play just by getting a hand on it."
