From The Locker Rooms....

Autry Denson

NOTRE DAME LINEBACKER LYRON COBBINS
(On the week's preparation) "We had a bad week weather-wise for practice. We made sure we focused on the week ahead of us, instead of what was going on around us."


NOTRE DAME TAILBACK AUTRY DENSON
(On the punt return) "Rossum had just come off of defense, so he gave me the chance to run one back. I was confident from the first run that if I got another chance, I could break one."

(On the game) "This week we concentrated a lot on the Pitt kicking game. Coach Holtz was worried about what we could do and he made sure that he emphasized this. Luckily, our hard work this week paid off for us."

NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACK RON POWLUS
(On the game) "Pitt played tough each down, but with the punt returns, we kind of put out their fire. Those punt returns really sparked the team for the rest of the day."

(On the failure of the two-point conversion) "I did not have enough time on the line to change the play for the defense that they had set up for us. Coach Holtz told me that I should have taken a time out, but I explained to him that I did not think that I had enough time. I made a mistake, but Coach Holtz made me understand the decision that I should have made."

PITTSBURGH QUARTERBACK MATT LYTLE
(On the score) "We came out ready to play. When the score is 0-0, a lot of teams have confidence. But when you're down by two, three, four touchdowns, that confidence fades away. It's very frustrating. We needed to sustain some drives. Our special teams broke down a little. The punt returns were a big key."


PITTSBURGH DEFENSIVE BACK JOHN JENKINS
(On the game) "We knew they would run the ball most of the time, but we couldn't stop them. They were well-balanced in the first quarter. The punt returns took the wind out of our sails. After that, they could do what they wanted. We knew we were playing Notre Dame and we had to bring the excitement back - it was gone after the first punt return."