Jim Leavitt, Head Coach

Opening statement ?
“Going back last game ... You have to applaud Florida Atlantic. I thought Coach (FAU head coach Howard) Schnellenberger did an outstanding job and did a great job getting his team ready. Going into Lockhart Stadium, I'm really proud of our players and the way they battled for 60 minutes and won a very tough game. Any time you have two teams in Florida, you just throw out all of the records. A lot of these guys grew up and went to the same high schools, they had their high school rivalries, and all that stuff, and they are going to play, that's just the way it is. It's going to be a similar situation this weekend with Central Florida. I know that it will be a game that will be a battle. I know that they will come in and play their best and I know that our guys will play hard and I think it's going to be a heck of a ball game." 

On the importance of winning a key game in USF's geographical zone ?
“I think everybody wants to win. I can't imagine all the work that we did through the winter, spring and summer and then going to your team and saying “I want you guys to lose.” Everybody wants to win; everybody wants to work hard to win. How it affects that other stuff, I don't know. I don't know what all of those recruits look at. I'm sure they look at wins and losses throughout a season and how a team does. I don't think they look at any one game and  think it is a deep a factor. I give more credit to recruits than that. I think they look at a program academically. Do they have a major that you're looking at, how you fit in with the players. Geographically, where is it located. They look at the needs for the team and will they play early or not at a certain position. Who are you playing, who's on your schedule. I think they look a lot at those things."

 On defending Kevin Smith ?
“Oh boy, he's good. I mean he is that good. I've watched him, he's big, he's strong he has vision. I don't think you can stop the guy, I know that. He's going to get yards, and they run the ball so well. He's good, he's a good player. "

On what type of player Ben Williams was when he came to USF ?
“Chad Barnhardt (former USF quarterback and graduate assistant and current Lake Wales High School head coach) told us that Ben Williams was really a tough young man for him, and did a real good job at Lake Wales, and when Chad said that I said that we'll bring Ben out just because of that. I thought he wasn't real tall, wasn't real fast, but he worked so hard, and he just kept working. I didn't know if he was going to do this or that, but you talk about persistence and perseverance, that is a great word for that young man, because he has worked for everything he's received. I haven't given him a thing, except a scholarship after he got the MVP in our bowl game last year. Ben will tell you that he probably should have gotten one earlier than that, and he's probably right.”


George Selvie, DE

Is it strange to be the team with a target on your back instead of the other way around ?
“Yes, it's real strange. Ever since I've been here, we've been considered the underdog trying to fight to get to the top.”

Defending Kevin Smith ?
“I've watched film on (Kevin) Smith. He's a really good running back, he runs hard and if you open the seem, he's going to run north and south and try to hit his head on the goal post. Facing him is going to be tough, but the defense will just take it as another challenge. That's the nation's leading rusher so if we can shut him down that is a lot of recognition for our defense.”

On the excitement on campus ?
“It's been real exciting. We have more fans coming out to the games. There was a line out there (at the Sun Dome Box office) Sunday waiting for tickets, so it's been real exciting being up in the polls, but you have to keep winning games to stay up in the polls. You don't get ranked by not winning games, so we just need to keep winning.”

On what's different with UCF from this year to last year ?
“They are really fired up. They have a good offense that is going right now, they have a good defense, they are winning games, and they're on the move right now. I saw them play Texas and that was a scary game. I though t  , wow, Central Florida's doing that. We have to bring our “A” game.”