Really pleased with the effort of our team on Saturday. We had a lot of people hurt and out especially offensively. I was proud of Matt Jordan and the young OL. Defensively we got big plays, sacks and turnovers and contributed to a great upset win for us in Blacksburg.
ON UVA SERIES HAVING HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
I guess, we've lost to them 3 times since I've been here. We lost here once and twice up there. It has been usually close games. I think that in the past the two teams have been playing close games, but that is the nature of our league.
ON THE SENIORS
We don't have many seniors, we didn't have any last week other than Ike. Those guys develop relationships and they've won a lot of big games. Part of the team that finished 7th and in a couple of ACCCG and they've seen a lot of FB here. PJ Davis and Pat Gamble, Francis and Rook, some of those guys have played a lot, Chase Alford. Anytime you get to the end of it, it gets emotional as a coach for you when they come out with their parents you realize it is the last time. From the time recruiting them until now you spend 5 years with them, you see them move on and be successful mostly outside of football, but it is bitter sweet.
ON MICHAEL MUNS
Michael is the epitome of a team player. He has fought through injuries. This past offseason he took it on his own to help Shamire, he would shadow him and walk with him. If you ask our team, he got quite a few votes for captain.
ON HIM BEING A COACH
Good luck, a bunch of those guys who want to do it. It would be hard to dissaude them, we've had great opportunities and it has provided us a great lifestyle. You have to understand it is hard to get started and you have to get a break. You have to set whatever it is you have to do, you set goals and then if you don't reach them you should do something else. A lot of the guys I ask what they want to do, they want to coach in HS, that is admirable and that's what I wanted to do. Some will try and they won't like it and they won't.
I settle goals. I went back to my HS and had the same coach and knew the system and calling the plays right out of college. Went to junior college, went as OL coach, was there a week and the OC left and I was calling the plays. After that I got my grad degree, got offered the job at my HS and I wanted to live there someday, so I decided not to take it (laughs). I got offered a job then coach Russell offered me a job at GaSouthern for a 1/3 of the HS job money. My wife said we should try it and I said I'll give it until I'm 29, by 29 I was the OC at Hawaii, it took off and took.
ON NOT HAVING A LET DOWN TO UVA
We talked a lot about it yesterday, UVA is a better team than their record. They've had an issue with turning the ball over. It was 17-14 against Miami late in the 1st half, you have to get ready to play our best game. We don't worry so much about their team, we need to play a great game on O, D and ST, we talked about getting to .500 in the conference, we hadn't had a losing record in the ACC prior to last year and positioning for a bowl game and trying to get to as many wins as you can. There is a lot for us to play. UVA is going to come in here and play there.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WIN
We had one rough season, it never darked my mind, you go out and try to win the game. I never worried about that stuff, if they want someone else they should go get them, it is what it is. If you look, my job is to try and make our players the best they can be, stay out of trouble and graduate. Do you want to win every game and the league? Yeah, but historically that hasn't happened here, so you try to put the two together.
ON SPECULATION
It is you guys, I might live in a cave, I don't see it. I don't get it from the admin, the alumni or anyone else. They talk about it on the radio or the paper. It wouldn't do me any good to worry about it. I wouldn't be the first guy or the last.
ON THE NEW AD RELATIONSHIP
I've talked to Todd one time the day he got hired. We traded texts on Saturday. It is media driven it is huge change, I'm going to coach the football and if he wants to get another so be it. He is the third AD I've had here.
ON GETTING BACK TO A BOWL AND WANTING MORE
I don't think anyone wants to be 6-6 when the season started, my job is once the initial goals are gone is to find a carrot to stick in front of them to get them going. Once you start 1-3 in the league you realize that you are probably mathematically eliminated, once we lost in Chapel Hill, next was bowl eligible, winning 9, that is good. Only happened 9 times here in 50 years, that is pretty successful, you'd have to say that is a pretty good year. That is what you dangle in front of them. Every team's goal is to win and there are 124 that fall short.
ON THE FRESHMEN OFFENSIVE LINE
We have most of our recruiting class committed, we will sign several offensive linemen, we have a number we target we want 16, you try to get to 15-16, same with other positions, you can figure that out by those numbers.
ON BOWL THING
To me, I fully expected that. I've been a HC 20 years, been in the post season 18 of 20, it is not like I've or we've missed a lot of times.
ON TEAM GETTING OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWNS
We were a little better last week, they were 8 of 14, we got a fourth down stop and turnovers. They lost one on the KR fumble. If you can down that it is not as magnified. Last week we've been good on 3rd down, but we created several 3rd and longs which is not good. We had some bad penalties.
ON THE DEFENSE STEPPING UP AFTER 4 DOWN WEEKS, CLOUD LIFTING
You hope they have some confidence and juice. The game started perfectly for them turnovers and big plays on defense, hopefully you can carry it over. I'm sure they were tired of hearing it.
ON THE UVA DEFENSE AND HOW THEY CONTAINED JT SOME
It is a different deal with a different staff, Bronco is always good on D, they have the two leading tacklers, the safety Blanding may be the best player in the league at his position. They play pretty well until they kill themselves with turnovers. I expect a good plan and we will see and we will have to adjust and go off what is happening. We've played BYU so we have an idea what will happen on that side. The OC is from BYU too so we know what to expect.
ON ANDREW MARSHALL
He is good to go. JJ is a full go, we are healthier this week than we've been in a while. We've played 10 games or some 9, you'd think it would help.
ON UVA SERIES HAVING HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
I guess, we've lost to them 3 times since I've been here. We lost here once and twice up there. It has been usually close games. I think that in the past the two teams have been playing close games, but that is the nature of our league.
ON THE SENIORS
We don't have many seniors, we didn't have any last week other than Ike. Those guys develop relationships and they've won a lot of big games. Part of the team that finished 7th and in a couple of ACCCG and they've seen a lot of FB here. PJ Davis and Pat Gamble, Francis and Rook, some of those guys have played a lot, Chase Alford. Anytime you get to the end of it, it gets emotional as a coach for you when they come out with their parents you realize it is the last time. From the time recruiting them until now you spend 5 years with them, you see them move on and be successful mostly outside of football, but it is bitter sweet.
ON MICHAEL MUNS
Michael is the epitome of a team player. He has fought through injuries. This past offseason he took it on his own to help Shamire, he would shadow him and walk with him. If you ask our team, he got quite a few votes for captain.
ON HIM BEING A COACH
Good luck, a bunch of those guys who want to do it. It would be hard to dissaude them, we've had great opportunities and it has provided us a great lifestyle. You have to understand it is hard to get started and you have to get a break. You have to set whatever it is you have to do, you set goals and then if you don't reach them you should do something else. A lot of the guys I ask what they want to do, they want to coach in HS, that is admirable and that's what I wanted to do. Some will try and they won't like it and they won't.
I settle goals. I went back to my HS and had the same coach and knew the system and calling the plays right out of college. Went to junior college, went as OL coach, was there a week and the OC left and I was calling the plays. After that I got my grad degree, got offered the job at my HS and I wanted to live there someday, so I decided not to take it (laughs). I got offered a job then coach Russell offered me a job at GaSouthern for a 1/3 of the HS job money. My wife said we should try it and I said I'll give it until I'm 29, by 29 I was the OC at Hawaii, it took off and took.
ON NOT HAVING A LET DOWN TO UVA
We talked a lot about it yesterday, UVA is a better team than their record. They've had an issue with turning the ball over. It was 17-14 against Miami late in the 1st half, you have to get ready to play our best game. We don't worry so much about their team, we need to play a great game on O, D and ST, we talked about getting to .500 in the conference, we hadn't had a losing record in the ACC prior to last year and positioning for a bowl game and trying to get to as many wins as you can. There is a lot for us to play. UVA is going to come in here and play there.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WIN
We had one rough season, it never darked my mind, you go out and try to win the game. I never worried about that stuff, if they want someone else they should go get them, it is what it is. If you look, my job is to try and make our players the best they can be, stay out of trouble and graduate. Do you want to win every game and the league? Yeah, but historically that hasn't happened here, so you try to put the two together.
ON SPECULATION
It is you guys, I might live in a cave, I don't see it. I don't get it from the admin, the alumni or anyone else. They talk about it on the radio or the paper. It wouldn't do me any good to worry about it. I wouldn't be the first guy or the last.
ON THE NEW AD RELATIONSHIP
I've talked to Todd one time the day he got hired. We traded texts on Saturday. It is media driven it is huge change, I'm going to coach the football and if he wants to get another so be it. He is the third AD I've had here.
ON GETTING BACK TO A BOWL AND WANTING MORE
I don't think anyone wants to be 6-6 when the season started, my job is once the initial goals are gone is to find a carrot to stick in front of them to get them going. Once you start 1-3 in the league you realize that you are probably mathematically eliminated, once we lost in Chapel Hill, next was bowl eligible, winning 9, that is good. Only happened 9 times here in 50 years, that is pretty successful, you'd have to say that is a pretty good year. That is what you dangle in front of them. Every team's goal is to win and there are 124 that fall short.
ON THE FRESHMEN OFFENSIVE LINE
We have most of our recruiting class committed, we will sign several offensive linemen, we have a number we target we want 16, you try to get to 15-16, same with other positions, you can figure that out by those numbers.
ON BOWL THING
To me, I fully expected that. I've been a HC 20 years, been in the post season 18 of 20, it is not like I've or we've missed a lot of times.
ON TEAM GETTING OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWNS
We were a little better last week, they were 8 of 14, we got a fourth down stop and turnovers. They lost one on the KR fumble. If you can down that it is not as magnified. Last week we've been good on 3rd down, but we created several 3rd and longs which is not good. We had some bad penalties.
ON THE DEFENSE STEPPING UP AFTER 4 DOWN WEEKS, CLOUD LIFTING
You hope they have some confidence and juice. The game started perfectly for them turnovers and big plays on defense, hopefully you can carry it over. I'm sure they were tired of hearing it.
ON THE UVA DEFENSE AND HOW THEY CONTAINED JT SOME
It is a different deal with a different staff, Bronco is always good on D, they have the two leading tacklers, the safety Blanding may be the best player in the league at his position. They play pretty well until they kill themselves with turnovers. I expect a good plan and we will see and we will have to adjust and go off what is happening. We've played BYU so we have an idea what will happen on that side. The OC is from BYU too so we know what to expect.
ON ANDREW MARSHALL
He is good to go. JJ is a full go, we are healthier this week than we've been in a while. We've played 10 games or some 9, you'd think it would help.
