Oct. 24, 2009
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Kentucky Head Coach Rich Brooks
Injury update …
“On the injury situations, I think most of you saw Micah (Johnson) leave the game right out of the shoot in the first series. He has an MCL and we will determine in the next 24 or 48 hours the extent of that. It is not major, major, but it is not a band aid injury either. Sam Maxwell dinged his shoulder and did return, but he was limited a little bit. Winston Guy bruised his back. Of those three, Micah may be the most questionable going into next week.”
Opening statement …
“We got accomplished what we needed to do. (I have) got to give Louisiana Monroe a lot of credit. Their defensive stuff is something that gave us a lot of problems, and I thought it probably would, but we didn’t move the ball well at all. It seems like we scored in chunks rather than drives. We couldn’t sustain our normal ground game. Offensively, they threw the ball extremely well. I was very impressed with their young quarterback. Under duress, he got hit a lot and, he still threw the ball and completed it. Our third-down defense was atrocious and our third-down offense was not much better. A win is a win is a win and it was a pretty good win. We got some production out of our kicking game, even though they threw us for a loop, we knew they were going to do some different things and we messed those up, but the punt return, the blocked extra point, we mishandled a snap on our last extra point and didn’t get a chance to kick that one through. But we are moving into the next week with a good win against what I think is a pretty good football team and I think has a chance to do a lot of damage in their league.”
On the play of quarterbacks Morgan Newton and Will Fidler …
“I am not pleased with (their play). We threw two picks and had a fumble. The first pick we were hit from behind and the ball came floating out of there. The second pick, Will I think made just a bad decision and a bad throw and he fumbled it too. Again, we need more production from that position. We did some things better, I thought, in this game. We did complete some passes and move the chains with our quarterbacks in the passing game a little bit. We had a lot of different guys get touches on the football. But overall, our passing game is not where it needs to be and our quarterbacks have to continue to develop. Our quarterbacks did some better things in this game and of course, you can’t turn the ball over.”
On the play of UK in the third quarter …
“I don’t think there is any question that we came out in the third quarter sleep walking. It was embarrassing how we played in the third quarter. What did we have eight or nine plays offensively? The defense was on the field, like the old days of bend but don’t break. We did have the ball moved right down the field on us, so we did have some stands down there. We were fortunate to not have them score more points probably. But it is a win and in a game like this, coming off a really emotional game on the road, it was nice to just get the win and now we need to go back to the drawing board and get ready for a really good Mississippi State team coming in.”
Kentucky Players
#53, Ricky Lumpkin, DT
On the victory over ULM…
“It’s not what we expected. I don’t think we overlooked them but there were things where we could have done better coverage run-wise. If they had capitalized on a few things it could have been bad and it could have changed the game. That safety really changed the momentum of the game to keep us on the winning side. ”
On improving to 4-3…
“We are getting closer and closer to our goal of being bowl eligible. Now we are 4-3, and we have to face Mississippi State, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee at home. If we can win two of those games, then we are bowl eligible. (If we win the next two games and) go 6-3 into Vanderbilt and Georgia and come back home for Tennessee, anything will be possible.”
#18, Randal Cobb, WR
On the momentum of the game…
“After we drove to score on the first drive and had the punt return, we chilled out a little bit. We started off with a great first possession, and we need to keep building on that. (Dropping off) is something we can’t do against a really good team and that will hurt us. We need to make sure we can keep our focus and keep going.”
On the punt return for a touchdown…
“I thought Gene (McCaskill) picked up the guy that hit me, and then he did hit me. So, I thought I would go ahead and catch it. That was my first punt return for a touchdown, even through high school. I’ve never had a punt return for a touchdown and it was a fun experience.”
On playing quarterback…
“We said we were going to do it for a while, but we finally did. It was fun, but I forced a few I know I shouldn’t have. But I always try to make something happen when I get the chance to throw.”
#50, Sam Maxwell, LB
On if Kentucky was happy with the win …
“No we want to dominate at all times on defense but at the same time these are the kind of games that can be trap games and you want to put your foot on their throat and stay on it. You can’t give up because anything can happen like it did a few years ago when we played them, you got to stay on top of them.”
On if Kentucky relaxed in the second half or did ULM make adjustments …
“I think we kind of relaxed a little bit but coaches got on us because they can tell when intensity has dropped and they told us to pick it back up.”
On how much was talked about this being a trap game …
“We talked about it a lot as soon as the Auburn game was over we got back to business. We knew we couldn’t go back and undo the good things we did last week by losing this game. You have to protect your home especially when you have all these home games in a row.”
#12, Morgan Newton, QB
On Coach Brook’s disappointment with quarterback play …
“To be honest I can only control what I can control, I have to play better and have to get better. Between Will and I and Randall obviously we just got to keep fighting. I think we were able to do it last game but we have to get better.”
On how he thought he played …
“I’m a tough critic on myself so I think there are a lot of things I can work on. I’m a young guy but I need to continue to make plays.”
On how this week compared to the Auburn game for him …
“There were a lot of similarities but I think this one went a little faster, last week went pretty slow for me. I think anytime you come out here it’s pretty tough, SEC games are tough but tonight was a tough game to get up for and get going after a big win.”
#1, Will Fidler, QB
On how offensively Kentucky came out slow in the second half …
“The intensity level went down and we made some mistakes but everyone did a lot of good things too.”
On what happened on the interception …
“I just didn’t throw it as far as I needed to.”
On if he was more comfortable compared to last week …
“I did. With exception of the first series I felt like I did. I over threw a couple but overall I felt more comfortable than last week.”
#91, Corey Peters, DT
On today’s game …
“We played well in the first half. We were disappointed with our performance in the third quarter because we had gotten too comfortable. We lost some aggressiveness. I think we gained it back with the drive that started inside the five-yard line. We just have to stay focused throughout the game.”
On winning two games back-to-back …
“It is definitely a good feeling. It is always good to get a win. We didn’t play as well as we would have liked from a defensive standpoint today. We gave up way too many yards. It is always easier to correct things after a win. Mississippi State is a very good football team so we will be prepared.”
On getting ahead of ULM …
“It was extremely important. It kind of hurt us for a little bit because we were not used to it. When we get teams down we have to learn to finish the deal. We did a much better job with that today.”
University of Louisiana at Monroe Head Coach Charlie Weatherbie
Opening statement …
“Kentucky has a really good football team. They out executed us tonight. I thought we did not play of course our best game but Kentucky had something to do with that as well. It was a disappointing loss, too many turnovers killed us. We had chances to get down in the red zone three different times and came away with no points, which hurt us. You have to get points when you get down there. We’ve usually pretty good at that. But when you play a team of this caliber you have to make every chance count and you can’t give them anything. If you give them anything they take advantage of it.”
On Kentucky getting off to a fast start putting them in a hole early …
“Yeah but we’ve been in that situation last time when we were here and we found a way to get in to the game. We got beat 42-40 last time when we were here. We were behind 28-10 at halftime of the 2006 game. So I mean we don’t want to give them 14 points at the beginning of the game but they found a way to do it.”
On Cody Wells’ performance during his first start …
“I think he did a great job and at times leading the football team early we struggled offensively. I felt like that was possible some first game jitters. But the three interceptions hurt us as well, the last one he forced and the one before that the receiver just needs to come back to the football. I think it is great that Cody got that experience because he may have to play again before the season is over. This is valuable experience for him that is going to help him when we take this team to a bowl game and in the conference race.”
On what impressed him most about Kentucky …
“I think their physicality up front on offense and defense. I think they are a really physical football team.”
On the play of Randall Cobb for UK …
“Cobb is a very good athlete for them. He did a great job with their wildcat formation. The punt return for a touchdown was a huge play for them.”
Louisiana Monroe Players
#22, Luther Ambrose, WR
On Cody Wells getting his first start and if they had to be more reserved with the offense …
“No, I think that Cody can do just as much as Trey (Revell) can. I think that Trey is a little bit taller so he can see over the line a little bit more. But, Cody did a good job getting the ball down the field and making plays. He really did a good job.”
On them making big plays and if they saw something in the UK defense …
“We just try to take what the defense gives us. We have a lot of playmakers and we try to just stretch the field and stretch the field and make plays.”
On how he thought the team played overall …
“We did alright. We made some mistakes as a team but that happens. We had a couple of interceptions on offense and our line missed some blocks, but it is all part of the game. Overall I thought that we held our own.”
#14, Cody Wells, QB
On the UK defense …
“UK has a great defense, an all around great team. Big up front, big at linebacker and we thought we could come in and run the ball and set the tone for the pass, that’s what our team does. We couldn’t get the run started in the first half and I think their line did a great job. I got hit a few times, but I held the ball a little too long. I was being indecisive with it. I think the line overall did a great job tonight and I think the receivers made great catches.”
On making his first career start against an SEC team on the road …
“I wouldn’t say jitters, I was a little nervous, but I’ve been there before. Not in college, but I have played football before and that’s the mindset I wanted to take into this game. Even though the guys may be quicker and faster, I knew I could play with them. I knew I could. I wanted to help this team out the best I could. I don’t think I played extremely well, but I think I fought the whole game.”
On the ULM redzone offense …
“They are a goal-line quarters game. Usually they play man down there, but that one with (Darrell McNeal) before the half, I overthrew that, I didn’t even give him a chance. We just have to go this week, and really focus in on redzone scoring. We really need to put it in.”
On the relationship with regular starting QB Trey Revell, who sat out due to injury …
“We are both talkative guys and like to talk to each other, we are real good friends. He told me he knew I could do it, he said I had a great week of practice and that I could step in there and take care of the offense, just like he does. He said to be real vocal with it. Throughout the game, he told me to keep my head in it and to bounce back. And that is what I tried to do.”
On helping manage the offense …
“It’s more of the team making plays than me making plays. The line has been blocking good all season when I’ve been in the game. (LaGregory) Sapp, D Mac (Darrell McNeal), Luther (Ambrose), they have all been making plays. You just have to put the ball in their hands.”
