Clark and Coen prep for Raiders over lunch
11/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Fresh off a 33-13 victory over Georgetown last weekend in Washington, D.C. Lehigh gets set to welcome the No. 24 Colgate Raiders to Goodman Stadium on Saturday on Family Weekend. The Mountain Hawks enter this weekend at 2-1 in the Patriot League, while Colgate is 3-0 and tied for first place. On Wednesday, head coach Andy Coen along with sophomore signal caller J.B. Clark gathered at the Copperhead Grille on Airport Road in Allentown to discuss the upcoming contest with the Raiders.
Below is the transcript from Wednesday's luncheon.
LEHIGH HEAD COACH ANDY COEN
On last week’s game against Georgetown: “We found ourselves down 13-7, but after that we responded very well. The defense really did a great job coming up with big stops and containing their offense the rest of the day, and Al Pierce got the turnover to give us a touchdown on the first play of the second half.”
On Georgetown’s passing attack: “I said all along that Georgetown was a much-improved team. For those of you that did see the game, I told you how talented their quarterback was. I still think after seeing him in person, he may be the most talented individual player in our conference.“
On Brien Ruyak’s performance at wide receiver: “It was great to see Brien have the success that he had. Brien is from Liberty High School right in Bethlehem. He’s a junior and he’s been working very hard, and with Sekou (Yansane) being out he got the opportunity, and he stepped up and did a great job.”
On how the role players stepped up last week: “The thing I was happiest about on Saturday was how some of those kids like Brien (Ruyak) stepped up when they got called upon due to injuries … I think that says a lot about the character of the kids that they’re not always the marquee guys, but they keep working hard in practice so when their name gets called they can respond, so that’s always what you’re looking for.”
On the importance of getting the win: “To win a 20-point game on the road, no matter who you’re playing, is what you’re looking for. There are some things we talked to the kids about on both sides of the ball and special teams on Sunday that we’re going to need to get cleared away to beat Colgate.”
On playing Colgate at home this week: “I am excited that they’re coming down to play us at home. I’m sure we’ll have a great crowd, and it will be a very important game for us here in the month of November. That’s really when you’re going to win or lose the championship with how you play through the month of November, so we’re looking forward to it.”
On Colgate’s running game: “I think their offensive line is the strength of their football team, particularly their two tackles. I think they’re both All-American type of candidates. They’re very physical, they’re very aggressive kids, and I think they really set the tempo for their offense and for their whole football team. How we match up there is going to be a big test for us.”
On the offensive style the Raiders implement: “Their style of offense is very different than any offense we’ve seen all year. If they had their druthers, they would hand off the ball 100 times. How we hold up against that type of attack is obviously going to be a key on Saturday.”
LEHIGH SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK J.B. CLARK
On his development as a quarterback this year: “The biggest thing is gaining confidence from my team and from the coaching staff. Going back to the first game there have been a lot of ups and downs, and handling all of that has really helped me.”
Lehigh and Colgate get things started at 12:30 on Saturday from Goodman Stadium on Family Weekend. Tickets are still available and may be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME, by visiting the Lehigh Athletics Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall, or by logging onto Lehighsports.com at anytime.
Football Luncheon, November 5, 2008
