Kawika Mitchell Quotations

We thought we started slow in the Minnesota game so we wanted to come out a little bit faster tonight,

I think we did that. But we still have some room to improve. Our style of defense is getting after the offense. However, you want to do that. Whether it's a zone defense or blitzes, we're going to do that.

I still talk to Coach Jim Leavitt all the time, ... He's a piece of work. Gunther and him are real similar in a lot of ways. Leavitt's definitely an interesting guy. I call him every week during the season. I leave a message for Coach, talk some trash, tell him to pick it up, you're soft, stuff like that. It's going to be rough for USF, but we'll be a contender eventually.

I think I've got the mind part of the game down pretty well, ... I've got to make more hits, force more turnovers and spark this defense. Being physical is the key because our expectations are to be a top-five defense.

When you get an opportunity like that, you need to really step up as a player and as a squad,

We wanted to send him off on a good note.

This year it's more of an attitude. We trust in each other. We feel like a family out there, and we don't want to let each other down.

You say you want to be great? ... Then you'd better stand up and make plays.

I'm very disappointed and very surprised. I thought we'd come in here and win this game. A score like that? It's embarrassing.

We felt responsible for each other. The D-line's got to take care of that line of scrimmage, (the linebackers) have got to clean up, and the safeties and DBs take care of that back end. We felt we're a brotherhood and we just had to get it done.