Sept. 20, 2003

Recap| Final Stats| Notes| Photo Gallery

UT senior cornerback Brandon Hefflin

"We prepared for this game the same way as we did for our other games. We treat this game and every other game as a championship. We keep the same intensity."

"This is a big win for our program, especially beating a top 10 team at home. This win felt so great. Emotionally it's hard to explain. I'm from Pittsburgh so that made it extra special for me."

(last play) "Our assignment is to have at least two guys jump up and knock it down. Everybody else is trying to stay with a receiver and watch the ball."

UT senior defensive end Frank Ofili

(big sack in third quarter) "Coach (Lou) West told us to put more pressure on the quarterback. I had been beating my man a little bit on the outside so I went with a speed rush and I got him. It was a big play for the defense."

"All that was going through my mind was keep believing, something good is going to happen."

"This win is huge, not only for the team, but the whole Mid-American Conference."

UT Head Coach Tom Amstutz

"What a night. I'm proud of our team. It was a great crowd and a great night for our program."

"This has to be on of the greatest victory in the history of our program. They're a top 10 team. I have a vote in the coaches poll and I had them in the top 10."

(on Gradkowski) "He's getting more confident with the offense and himself. As a coach that's all you can ask for a player, to keep getting better every game."

(on the rally) "We've done that before. We've come from behind to win games a lot in the last few years. As a team you have to believe you can perform and get the job done."

"It's a wonderful feeling. All the hard work, all the long hours we all put in, it makes it worth it. I'm a little numb right now. But on Sunday we'll have to get back to work and get ready for Syracuse."

"It was special for our fans. They knew it was a big game. All week long around town I kept hearing from people on what a big game it was."

UT Sophomore quarterback Bruce Gradkowski

"This is what you play for and work for. Every one of our players battled hard the entire game."

"I'm so pumped about this team that words can't express what I feel right now. If you believe in yourself there is no telling what can happen."

"This is a big victory for our team and our program but now we have to get focused for next week's game at Syracuse."

UT junior wide receiver Lance Moore

"Getting the win is the greatest thing that happened tonight. After coming of a huge win against Marshall, No. 9 Pittsburgh came to our house and we responded."

I can't explain how huge this win is for our program. We are on the right path and we are getting better every week. This win is exciting for the players in the locker room. We play football in championship situations like this. We were able to overcome adversity and we prevailed. This tells a lot about Toledo, our staff and our players, and we will never give up."

"Bruce Gradkowski did things he is capable of doing. The last touchdown play was big. This is why I play football. As I saw the ball coming down from the air, I made the play. I didn't made the play last week and I told myself I will not make the same mistake and I caught the ball. There was no room for error."

Pittsburgh Head Coach Walt Harris

General Comments "Obviously, this is a tough loss for our football team. I thought Toledo played great and their offense really gave our defense all sorts of problems. Their quarterback (Bruce Gradkowski) did a fabulous job and their receivers caught everything. They had a great game plan and executed everything tremendously. Offensively, we did not make it happen when we had to. We were ahead by 10 points in the second half and we did not get it done. We just can't turn the ball over. We've got to regroup and get back out there and improve our understanding of what we are trying to do on both sides of the ball."

Was fatigue a problem late in the game? "To a degree, I think it was a problem. They kept the pressure on our defense and offensively we did not keep the ball long enough in the second half. We just didn't make enough good things happen. Anytime you play a no-huddle offense that is as well organized as they were, it is difficult."

Pittsburgh senior tight end Kris Wilson

General Comments "I thought our defense played enough well to win. We have some things we need to get corrected on offense. We need to swallow this loss and get better tomorrow."

Comments on What Lies Ahead for the Panthers "We have come too far to give up. We have to take this loss on the chin, because there is nothing we can do about it now. We just have to get better tomorrow. We still have our eyes on the prize."