Oct. 16, 2004
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
Richmond head coach Dave Clawson...
On the game:
"We played extremely well in the first half. We did exactly what we needed to do in order to stay in the game. We controlled the clock and the football. We have lacked the ability to make big plays all year. Most of our drives have been eight or 15 plays all year. One of the things I chart is who wins the battle of big plays and who wins the battle of turnovers. That was the difference in the game today."
On the defense:
"Our defensive goal is always to prevent sudden change points, and we gave up those types of points today. When the defense gets on the field after a turnover, you have a chance to make a big stop and get some momentum. We never had the momentum today. We were up 10-7 when they made a big interception. We couldn't stop them and they went up by 11 at halftime.
On the offensive game:
"It's tough to score points when you constantly have to rely on 12 to 14 play drives. We gave Villanova some cheap scores because of our turnovers. In the first half we outplayed them physically but went into halftime down by 11 points because Villanova has the ability to make plays."
Villanova head coach Andy Talley...
On Villanova:
"We had a very good week in practice, the best we have had all year. Our guys put the Northeastern loss behind them. It was critical that we played good defense and got a rise out of our offense. We were concerned after the last two games that our defense had lost a little confidence, and Richmond has a high-flying offense. The turnovers in today's game were critical. We made it tough for them to score, and that took something out of them. We were able to turn the tide pretty quickly once we got some turnovers. This game was the confidence booster our defense needed.
On the game:
"The interception by Terence [Reaves] was critical. We had some good offensive chances in the short field today. Earlier in the season, our offense might have bungled a chance like that or gotten a field goal, but we were able to get a touchdown and make the defense pay for the turnover. In the game, we did a good job of taking advantage of the other team's mistakes and doing it quickly by making some big plays. We usually bite and chew on offense, but the defense gave Marvin more time to throw and gave our receivers time to get down field."
On Marvin Burroughs:
"Sam Venuto has done a very good job with Marvin, and Marvin has done a good job becoming a committed quarterback. Marvin has very good numbers for this point in his career, and he has great wheels on top of it. He has become a double threat. I thought his best play was when he was hesitating in the pocket and finally took his time and saw Chris Polite down field for a long touchdown. Marvin is seeing the field very well now. He is a very good quarterback.
Marvin Burroughs...
On his performance:
"My confidence level has improved because of the offensive line. We have spent more time together outside of practice and become a more cohesive offensive unit. The continuity we have had on offense has helped everyone become more familiar with each other's techniques and procedures."
On the balance between offense and defense:
"We stressed that it is important for both units to feed off each other, and when the defense got rolling it was up to us to step it up and make some plays. We knew that the defense would get back to the level of play they are capable of. It was important for us to get the first conference win and just go and worry about the next game."
Terrence Reaves...
On his critical interception late in the second quarter:
"I just did my job on their second receiver and then tried to push their first guy and the ball came right to me. I was surprised, but I got it anyway. I did my job and it paid off. That play definitely swung the momentum in our favor."
Jamil Butler...
On the game:
"Terrence did a great job making a critical interception. After that, we came out and played hard. We got our confidence back and didn't play tentative. We played loose and got back to the level of play we should be at."
