Laviolette said he doesn't think too much about making Knute Rockne-like speeches.

"Whatever is in my gut or in my heart I usually say it.," he said. "Sometimes [the players] like to hear it and sometimes they don't. But I don't think about those things like that."

But Ladd knows that Laviolette is fully capable of being inspirational.

"He's a great motivator," Ladd said. "He's great with words. Seems to get the most out of his players, like he did with us in our run. He sets up a great game plan and gives every opportunity for the guys to succeed. That's what why we're expecting them to come out hard [tonight], and we have to be ready to match that."