On the South Carolina game:
“We are disappointed we lost, but there were a lot of positives. Our defense played well enough to win. Offensively, we moved the ball pretty well on one of the top defenses in the nation. We just messed up in the red zone a couple of times. We had some spectacular plays on the last drive, but we also had some very poor plays. We got down there nearly within shot of a field goal. We run the draw play and miss the hole, have basically a lane to the goal line. He probably would have scored if he stayed in the hole. It was probably the only play he missed all night, as far as the read. We stumble on the curl, and coming back to it, the ball hits the receiver in the helmet. We had several chances to win it and just didn’t get it done.”
On Jared Lorenzen’s performance:
“It was not as bad as I thought it was Saturday night. He had two bad throws: once to Quentin McCord and the other was the throw that (Derek) Abney made a spectacular play on. It went over his head and bounced off the defender, but Abney caught it anyway. I think Jared put a little more on himself than he deserved, but the second interception was a poor decision. There were a couple of throws he got away with, that he probably shouldn’t have thrown. But he didn’t force as much as I thought he did Saturday night. After watching the film, it is very unfortunate that we didn’t get it done. There were a lot of points where we played pretty well.”
On the importance of reinforcing the “Play-the-Next-Play” philosophy:
“There is a lot of season left. We are fortunate we have three of them at home. You look at this season, and there are a lot of topsy-turvy things going on. I want our guys to just go out there and play hard. We haven’t played well on the road yet, so that is going to be our main focus this week.”
On LSU:
“One week they play like gangbusters against Tennessee and then the next against Florida they struggle. They are kind of like us. They have a new staff. They don’t have as many young players but they have a young program. They are playing pretty well in some areas. I think it is going to be a great ballgame. We just have to get focused, and go down there and give it our best shot. And hope that when we get a chance to put it away that we make the plays.”
“Defensively, they are a talented group. They have a lot of big, fast guys. They mix up their coverages well. They mix up their front some. They twist pretty good, so we have to be good at picking that up. They are like most of the defenses in the SEC: big, fast and athletic.”
On dealing with the players’ emotions after three losses:
“It is something I will have to address. Most of these guys are used to winning. We have a lot of guys like that.”
On the offensive line:
“They played very well in the first half. We didn’t play as well in the second half, gave up some pressure and gave up some sacks. We just have to finish stronger. We certainly played better than the week before.”
On Chad Scott:
“It was the opposite ankle (than he injured before). You could call him doubtful (for LSU). He is not going to practice today or tomorrow for sure. It’s a grade -1 sprain. (While Scott is out) we will go with Martez Johnson. It will probably be a ‘by committee’ deal: Martez, (Derek) Homer, (Kendrick) Shanklin, (Artose) Pinner.”
On Martez Johnson:
“He played real well when he was in there. He blocked well, he caught a couple of passes out of the backfield and he carried the ball well. He’ll see a lot more action this week. He has been practicing hard and giving a great effort. We felt like he deserves a chance.”
On South Carolina covering Derek Smith:
“They dropped in zones all around him. You could tell they worked pretty hard taking him away. On the first pass of the game, Jared (Lorenzen) made a good pump fake and got them to bite. After that they wouldn’t bite anymore. If we can get Chase Harp back that will help Derek a lot. Derek played 81 snaps Saturday night. It will just help to have Chase and roll him in there some.”
On Derrick Tatum guaranteeing victory over LSU:
“Oh, I don’t really care. You guys will write that. After the game’s kicked off, it doesn’t mean one thing. I don’t think the press and fans should come down on him. He’s a young guy. He’s just disappointed and trying to get everybody fired up.”
Player Quotes
Jeremy Caudill, Freshman, Defensive Tackle
On the new defensive scheme:
“I am more familiar with a five-man front because it is what we played in high school. It is more one-on-one and less double teams. Both the defensive tackles and ends are allowed more freedom to roam and that creates more defensive penetration into the backfield. It creates chaos from an offensive standpoint.”
On his relationship with Dewayne Robertson:
“We get along great on and off the field. Off the field we hang out a lot and spend time talking about different game situations that we might face and the adjustments that are needed. There is constant communication between us. We exchange a lot of information about opposing offenses and give each other hints on what we can do to improve.”
On LSU and going on the road:
“By now we should be accustomed to hostile environments. LSU should not be any different, although Saturday we will be playing in front of 91,000 fans. We have adapted pretty well and it should not be an issue.”
On UK’s last visit to Baton Rouge:
“I remember watching the game when I was in high school in 1998. It was a great game, and a great win for the program. I have talked to former players about that experience and they said it is something they will never forget.”
Derek Smith, Sophomore, Tight End
On UK’s season to date:
“It has been a tough year so far. We did not expect to have a 2-4 record six games into the season. Little things have not gone our way, and it has cost us two or three games. We could easily be 5-1 instead of 2-4. It is more frustrating than it is disappointing because we know we are good enough to win these games.”
On the remainder of the season:
“This season is far from over. We have two options. We can either lie down and let teams run over us, or we can come out each game and prove how good a team we are. There are five games remaining and we’re not about to throw in the towel. This team is not made up of quitters. We have something to prove.”
Dougie Allen, Junior Wide Receiver
On the team’s psyche:
“Most of the guys I have been around this weekend are eager for a win and we just know that we have to win a football game. We are going to go out and work hard this week.”
On his mindset the past 24 hours:
“Mainly, it is disbelief, like ‘We are 2-4. We haven’t been 2-4 for a long time.’ It is kind of hard. I really feel that as a person and a team, we have to pick it up and play harder.”
“There is still hope. We still have five games to go and a lot of things can happen in the next five weeks, so we are just going to keep working hard.”
On traveling:
“It is the responsibility of the older guys to set an example of how to travel well. We just need to be a little more focused and put forth a better example.”
Chris Demaree, Junior, Defensive End
On his goals for the rest of the year:
“We want to win the rest of the games. We want to go to a bowl game and we still think there is a chance. We can beat any team we play because we have the athletes to win every game. So as long as we play together, we will be okay.”
On Derrick Tatum guaranteeing a victory:
“That is Derrick Tatum. He is confident and that is the way he is supposed to be. We are used to that because that is the type of player he is.”
