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Villanova head coach Andy Talleyââ'¬Â¦

Opening statement: We felt that we had to come play hard and I think we did. I was pleased we were able to play four quarters and be really physical. I think we were spent, I think we played as hard as we possibly could. Turnovers certainly didn't help us. We had three turnovers and when you are playing anybody, three turnovers can do you in. We needed to play a better game offensively than we did. We were able to move the ball at times and we were happy with that. But we just didn't get in the end zone enough to keep the game tighter. We ended up making the mistakes on offense and it cost us a little bit. I thought our defense gave great effort, really happy with them. We had a lot of young guys in there tonight and they got a lot of really good experience.

On losing the game: For us, it's a disappointing loss because I think it's a game we could have won. I thought it was a toss-up game going in and I felt that if we played pretty good on both sides of the ball that we would have a chance. I just think that at a point in the game our defense broke a little bit.

On Connecticut's scoring drive to open the second half: Big play to the tight end there after we kicked off in the second half. Really was a heartbreaker because they didn't have to earn it. We were hoping to get some 50, 60, 80 yard drives and maybe they break down. But when you give them a big play like that and they score really quickly, that really was the backbreaker in the game early on because they didn't have to earn it. I am very proud of our team, we played hard. Connecticut is a team on the rise, but we just couldn't afford the mistakes we made during the course of the game in a tough first game like this.

Senior quarterback John Robertsonââ'¬Â¦

On the first Villanova scoring drive in the second quarter: We definitely needed that. We started off slow, and throughout the whole game we played inconsistently, starting with me. We gave it a good effort. We had a lot of young guys out there, so looking at it I think we got a lot of guys good experience. We have to take what happened tonight as a learning experience, not dwell on it, and get ready for next week.

Junior linebacker Austin Calitroââ'¬Â¦

On the Wildcats defensive effort: I am satisfied knowing we gave it all we had. They are definitely playing more guys than us and we knew that coming in. I thought we stopped the run. They got two big plays. Coach always says make them earn the drives. They had that one good drive, give them credit for it, but those two big plays if we had made maybe one there maybe it's a different game. We gave it all we had, that's all you can ask for.

Connecticut head coach Bob Diacoââ'¬Â¦

Opening statement: Credit to Villanova. They are a great team and are going to win a lot of games. They have a great quarterback and are a class outfit. Coach Talley is an icon in our business. They do it the right way and fought hard so kudos to them.

I definitely want to acknowledge UConn Country and the Husky fans. The players were so energized by the attendance in the stadium and the energy in the tailgating when we pulled up. The players put so much in; they make such an investment every day. They have tried to reshape their lifestyle and they do it in part for the University that we are serving. For our vision statement, which is turning this team into a winner for the University for the state and for the people. The players have really bought into that. So to see everybody there cheering and excited all the way was so fun and so awesome. Thank youââ'¬Â¦the players thank you.

Kudos to the players. It feels so good to win the opener. It feels so good to win. It gets you off to a great start and reinforced all the stuff that you do for them. All credit to those young men who have worked so hard. And for them to get a win against a formidable opponent like Villanova, who is going to win a lot of games and is exactly the kind of contest we needed to play in in preparation for the rest of the season. I'm proud of them and it's so good to feel a winning feeling based on the fact that you have made an investment and having the results pay off is awesome.