Tulane-LSU post-game quotes from Coach Bob Toledo and select players

Anthony Scelfo and Antonio Harris
"At halftime we were trying to win the game," Scelfo said, "we were almost having our way with them [during the first quarter]." Scelfo felt that the numerous mistakes made in the third quarter are what doomed Tulane, not an increase in desire from LSU. "They played hard all game." Antonio Harris agreed: "Their line came out ready to play, we came out too."

Coach Bob Toledo
Toledo began by apologizing for the "Bear Bryant" (famed Alabama football coach) routine he had adopted this past week, emphasizing he always believed in his guys and was "extremely pleased with their effort." He took special note of the defensive coaches, whom he said "did a superb job in preparation for the game." Toledo played a tape of the 1981 Tulane victory over LSU in the hotel Friday night, because he wanted to show them "this is big-time football, this is why you came here. I think our kids believed, there was trust in what we've been telling them," Toledo said, "I've got a lot of faith in these guys, I think they're getting better." Toledo felt the team "battled well in the first half," however, the two turnovers in the second "took the wind out of our sails." Overall, he felt Tulane "played a lot better than people give us credit for," and he thanked Tulane fans, saying "our crowd was behind us and we appreciate it."

Matt Forte and Evan Lee

"Belief starts at the beginning," Forte said, "if you don't believe in the first quarter you're going to play terrible. We proved Tulane is not a pushover school, not a pushover team. We don't get a lot of respect and we know that." Lee added that it was not weariness that spelled the end for Tulane in the second half, just that "they're a good team, made a couple good plays on us. We made a couple of mistakes. According to Forte, the team had prepared the trick plays in practice last week and players were aware the plays would be run in-game. About his fumble Forte said a player feels "you let your team down, but you can't get too down, got to come right back out." Forte said Scelfo is "a guy that brings excitement to the game. When he's on the field, you know he's going to bring a spark."

Gabe Ratcliff and David Skehan

"We did a lot of hard work, it's time for it to pay off," Ratcliff said. Asked about the majority LSU presence and minor heckling that went on before and after the game, Ratcliff said "during the game, I'm not focused on the fans. I'm real zoned in on what I have to do." However, Skehan noticed. "The fans were loud today, real loud. It echoes in there, and it can be hard to make plays. Halftime sort of killed the momentum."

Frank Morton and Avery Williams

"During practice we practiced rush drills," Morton said, "we fit the defense right around their formation." Williams was more revealing. About the size of the crowd and caliber of the opponent, Williams said "we got a little rattled, a little discombobulated, but that's it." About the the often repeated size difference between Tulane and LSU players, Morton said he "didn't pay attention. We showed on the field we can compete. It's good to press or squat a lot, but at the end it's all about technique." About Toledo as a new head coach, Morton added "if you didn't buy in from the beginning, you were gone." Said Williams, "it's like novocaine, give it time, it's going to work. People might be saying, 'hey, we can take a page out of Tulane's book--lets go get these guys [LSU]."