Aug. 28, 2001
KENTUCKY VS. LOUISVILLEFOOTBALL PRESS CONFERENCEWILDCAT DENAUGUST 27, 2001
HEAD COACH GUY MORRISSOn quarterbacks: “Jared Lorenzen will take the first snap of the game on Saturday. Both quarterbacks will play and we think that both can contribute the overall success of our team. We will try to integrate both of them into this offense. This decision was made on the basis of competition and we felt that Jared’s experience and his maturing has earned him the right to get the nod to take that first snap.”
On QB Shane Boyd: “I think that Shane has maturated a lot as a player as well. He is at the point where Jared was last year in his career. Shane’s a high-energy guy and he’s driven himself to be successful. He’s worked very hard and we want to make sure we get him in the ball game — we don’t see any reason why we cant utilize the talents of both of our quarterbacks.”
“We must get him reps and get him experience. There will be different situations and certain aspect of the game where both of their talents will be needed. They both possess unique talents that they bring on the field. We will play Shane as early as the fourth series of the game and we’ll see how he does and go from there. We know he’s untested but we have confidence him that he can get the job done when called upon.”
On QB Jared Lorenzen: “The fact that he’s matured gave him the edge, he’s different now then a year ago in that he’s handling adversity better, making quicker decisions, and picking up new ideas faster. I think because of his 11 games experience, he knows what to look for and that’s what gave him the decisive edge. His conditioning has also helped him — he’s dedicated himself to keeping his weight in control and his leadership in the huddle has come a long way this year.”
On DT Jeremy Caudill: “I don’t know yet — it’s a day to day deal. The doctor in Georgia told us to rest him more. We’ll discuss it as a staff later on this week to see if it’s a possibility and do what’s best for his interest.”
On health: “As far as I know we anticipate everyone being back at full speed. I have not talked to our trainer, Jim Madaleno, but as far as we know overall we’re in good shape.”
WIDE RECEIVER DOUGIE ALLEN
On having two quarterbacks play: “I feel it’s an advantage to be able to have two quarterbacks. If one is not producing for the team or doing what the team needs, it’s good to have another guy that can come in and change the situation a little bit. We won’t practice differently based on which one is playing. Even though Jared (Lorenzen) is starting, we know Shane (Boyd) will get plenty of reps. The competition during the summer was very helpful. If a starter is named in the summer, they tend to lose their work ethics. It forced the guys to work all through the summer and through camp.”
On Jared Lorenzen: “He’s stepped up his game. He has looked a lot better this camp and is showing more of a leadership role. To see him work hard and show the amount of dedication he has shown helps out the rest of the team.”
On his health: “I pray for that every day – that I can stay healthy. That’s the best way for me to help this team.”
On experience in college football: “Experience is always an important factor. The speed of the college game is so different from high school.”
On being named captain: “It’s an honor to know that I am respected by my teammates to the extent of being captain. I have always felt like a leader and this will give me a little more responsibility.”
LINEBACKER RONNIE RILEY
On Louisville: “Because of our rivalry, we know they will be up for this game. And we have to be up for the game too. We’re just going to go out there and play our best game.”
On first game jitters: “Everyone’s first reaction is to be nervous. Everyone wants to get that first win, no matter how they get it. That’s part of the nervous aggression that comes into the game. The first game is very important. It sets the tone for the rest of the year. But it’s not a decider of what’s going to happen the rest of the season.”
OFFENSIVE GUARD KEITH CHATELAINOn whether the choice of who plays quarterback matters to the offensive line…”We’ve practiced with both, so it doesn’t really matter. I am comfortable with them both. We have snapped to both and they did equally well. It doesn’t matter to us. We know that either one of them is fully capable of backing up the other. Even though we have different types of plays with each, we have practiced enough to do well no matter which one is playing.”
On the team’s feelings after the loss to Louisville in 2000…”It tore us apart inside. There was a lot of anger in the locker room. We really wanted to win, and we thought we should have. We lost it as a team, so we went out and continued to work as a team. We knew deep in our hearts that we should have won and needed to win.”
On this season’s game against Louisville…”Right now we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and the coaches. We won’t be playing for confidence. We will be playing for pride.”
On being prepared to play more than one position…”When we came in, Coach Morriss has us play each position. We would start at guard and then move out to tackle so that we would be prepared to play at any position if needed.”
