"I thought we played really well. You don't beat a quality team like Michigan without playing very, very well."

"I thought that was a game we could have gone up by certainly at least two, maybe three (goals). But we couldn't get the puck in the net."

"It's a log jam and obviously every game is very important. The mindset is so important because every game is going to be tough to win."

"Any top-level team has to have an offensive catalyst on defense, and that's something we've lacked since John-Michael Liles graduated (in 2002). We recruited Tyler because wanted him to run the power play, but it took some time."

"I've never coached a player in 34 years who prepares like he prepares. To the detail, to the consistency, to how much he stresses the importance of getting himself into his game mode."

"You always like to control your own destiny and we do that by playing teams that we need to beat."

"It's what you want from a good league and good balanced competition. It should be a whale of a hockey game."

"We beat the two teams ranked third and sixth in the country."

"They're obviously a battle-tested team and we knew coming into here that they're a big-game program. Their experience I thought was a factor. They got the jump on us before we could settle down. This was a learning game for us and hopefully we can take it to the next level."

"Tyler Howells made a play that was just great. But as a coach, I was still worried with 10 seconds left."spo

"As a player and a person, Carson has met and gone beyond every expectation I had for him. For myself as the head coach, I'm excited about the commitment the club has made to Carson and about Carson's commitment to the organization and to the city of Cincinnati."

"I think what he's been able to do is have a good plan for the team and set a direction -- set it on Wednesday and reinforce it throughout the week. Then, as the game unfolds, things that come up don't put them in a panic. They are able to stay the course."

"Obviously you draft a player, (and) you really, really, really like the player. You really, really want to coach him."

"I think it's the role of the offensive coordinator, the special teams coordinator and the defensive coordinator to coach the coaches as hard as he coaches the players. As hard as I push on them, they've got to push everybody else just as hard. I think that's important that they understand in and out that they set up, they push and make sure that the position coaches cover every detail or they cover it so that every detail gets covered."

"We dug ourselves a hole with field position in the first half. We didn't play very well at the beginning of the game and we were playing up hill."

"We didn't play very well in the beginning of the game and were playing up hill."

"Our focus has been geared toward beginning our season better than we did the last two seasons. We get an opportunity here to write that script as we go week in and week out."

"They'll keep playing. We didn't play well at the beginning of the game and were playing uphill. But we kept playing and hanging in there together."

"He's just a phenomenal athlete and has very quick feet, good speed and he has the desire to catch the ball."

"Our team needed to win games, ... As I said a zillion times, we could not afford to lose football games and having somebody to blame. All that would've done is give people an excuse to say, 'They're losing because of the quarterback position.'"

"In a lot of their games this year they've got right down the field early and scored,"

"We have a plan. Some of it can be the game plan, some of it can be the opponent, where other guys are at the position health-wise. Sunday morning we should be pretty close. I want to make sure the guys who should be OK and ready to go are OK and ready to go."

"Why would I want our game in Pittsburgh to be there on a Thursday night to open the season? (It favors the home team), particularly coming off a world-championship season."

"I'm excited. I'm different than I was against Denver (2003). Last year we played on Sunday night (against Miami). That was something new and neat for our guys."