We need to stay organized in our defense and score on the opportunities we get.

Half of our kids quit at one time or another during the season. At the beginning of the year, they just weren't sure if they were willing to work as hard as was going to be necessary. At different times of the year, the starting lineup was three freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors and only one senior on the field.

That's one of the question marks this year. If the defense can recover from all the losses we've had. But I'm pretty confident and very excited. It's nice to be the underdog for once.

We're in the playoffs now, so that's one less thing we have to worry about. Seeing this defense jell as one just lifts me. And it goes both ways, because we feed off each other.

The excitement definitely brought out the best in our defense. They played great. It was the best that they've played all season, and it's the most intense I've seen them get. And it was definitely sparked by the offense being able to finish in the second half.

When we need those plays, both on offense and defense, they're coming through,'' Rams quarterback Marc Bulger said.