Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Q: Can you update us on injuries?
A: “(Chris) Crocker was out there and looked good. He was running around and doing a good job. Todd (Weiner) practiced today and he felt good. We limited his reps today, but I talked to him after each session today and he said he felt good. It was not really an injury; it was the fact that he had a bad knee. Jonathan Babineaux will be out this week for sure. I think he may be back next week or the week after. Trey Lewis will take his place and will probably start. That is the position he mainly backs up and Montavious Stanley will have to swing back and forth between the nose and three technique.”
Q: Do you like the way Trey Lewis has played?
A: “Yes, I like the way he has played. Last week was situation we felt like we needed to have one more defensive end out there. Between him and Montavious we decided to keep Montavious out there because of the run game.”
Q: How do you feel about Jerious Norwood returning kicks?
A: “I feel good. He is doing well. We can not have penalties. We had one or two penalties last week. When Jerious gets some space his speed really shows up. He has been real close on two occasions from breaking it.”
Q: Do the losses become a mental block for the team?
A: “We are really fighting to get wins. One thing we are trying to address is the fact we have been in position to win the games, but we have made some critical errors in the fourth quarter. We would like to go into the fourth quarter with the lead so that we are the ones running the ball and the other team is trying to get it back.”
Q: Do the off-field distractions make it harder?
A: “I have been real impressed with our leadership and attitude. We came out and practiced hard today and worked harder. I think we picked up our intensity today and our focus was better. We are certainly hungry for a win, but we keep doing the same thing because there is improvement.”
Q: Can you talk about Chris Crocker’s play and what he means to the defense?
A: “He brought the experience and a new voice to our defense. He is more vocal. He helps us get lined up correctly. Although we were not in nickel a lot last week, he does play the nickel very well. He really did a nice job of tackling last week for us as well. He also had the sack for us, so he had a good game.”
Q: How did he do in coverage?
A: “We were in zone most of the time, but he broke on the ball well.”
Q: How is Byron Leftwich doing?
A: “He is spending a lot of time studying. He is getting more throws in practice, of course they are with our scout team against our defense, but they all add up and help you. He has shown he can really throw the ball down the field well. I like the fact that he has been patient and very supportive. He just keeps working and learning the offense.”
Q: What was the deciding factor for Chris Crocker to start over Jimmy Williams?
A: “He won the job in training camp. They both got a lot of reps in preseason, but he was the starter and came back healthy. We felt comfortable with him.”
