Well I was proud of our team and the effort on Saturday. I felt like it was our turn to catch a break. Hopefully we can take that and get some momentum and dig out. We have to go to Charlottesville that is a tough place to play. Last time we were there was a really close game and we hit a pass to put the game away. Last year same thing here and we hit some big plays in the passing game and played good defense against them.
ON REPLAY OF THE GAME AND HIS TONGUE WAG
I think I saw the replay Saturday night during Stanford-Washington game. My daughter gave me a hard time and she sent me the vine of it. I think I was responding to what one of the fans said to me. A girl said I love you coach, I responded and I doubt she would have loved me so much.
ON DEFENSIVE PROGRESS
Played way better against the run and we played together as a team to limit posessions. We held after a turnover or after the one. When you play the run better you give yourself a chance. The redzone D was 100-percent better.
ON UVA LBs
They have some young guys and a lot of guys who have played and 51 has played and has played a bunch. Both down guys and the more kid have played for a couple of years. Blanding and Brown were five star guys and they have talented guys and have played a tough schedule and are a better team than people think.
ON THE GT RUN D
We rallied to the ball better and overlapped some, that RB is a really good player and for the most part we kept him contained and he didn't rip off 60-70 yard one.
ON MISSED ASSIGNMENTS
We didn't do well on offense, we had some key misses but when you play that many guys, we had guys going downfield on pass plays and that is a work in progress. Last play before the FG we turned a guy loose. Defense we had some missed alignments and assignments and we got more overlap on guys.
ON INJURIES
We played our 4th corner and we found out before the game Skov was out. Our guys have been good about and I try not to dwell on it and nobody cares when guys are hurt. Our guys did a good job of playing. Whoever went in just played.
ON LYNCH STEPPING UP
He made some plays and we have to block way better at that spot, but those guys made a play or two and got some key first downs. Ike Willis played one of his better games, but we didn't play too well at that position.
ON MANAGING AFTER A BIG WIN
We are 3-5 so I hope not, we have to get it and we need it this week and then we have a bye. Our goal is to win number to get to a bowl game and keep pushing.
ON THE BYE COMING UP BEING AT A GOOD TIME
You would never know when a good time, you don't want it after game two and you don't want it after game nine either. It is good news and a lot of guys are beat up.
ON CUTTING BACK PRACTICE
We don't practice long anyway, we are out there less than an hour Monday; Tuesday and Wednesday are 90 minutes and Thursday. We will really have to cutback on because we are beat up. Guys are hobbled and 15 guys in non-contact and 15 in red and you know you are beat all to hell.
ON ACC TOP RUSHERS BEING MOSTLY FRESHMEN 4 of 10
I haven't thought much about it. Don't know. Marcus Marshall is a work in progress, talented and getting tougher every game. When he doesn't have the ball he has a mile to go.
ON JAMAL GOLDEN
He tackled better and had huge deflect and we played more zone and he broke up one on third and long and one on the goal line was our turn. Last two or three games they would have caught and we would have. Over time things even out.
ON JUSTIN'S LEADERSHIP
If he does it vocally it is behind the scenes. He didn't play one of his better games. Clearly he is the leader, but he has to play better there. It has been challenging for everyone. When you are losing it is, I don't care who you are. Certain areas of the team got hyped up and it has been a real realization for those guys too.
ON CHARLOTTESVILLE BEING CURSED
Last time we went up there we won, we've had close games and they have good players and their record hasn't been as good and they have good guys. Last year's UVA D DEs with the 49ers and other guys in the league and the five star guys.
ON WR INJURIES AND SNAPS
I hope they can keep playing, we get guys ready. We went into Saturday with three receivers and we have lost one and hopefully we have all there this week. If not it will be the next man up. Hopefully we can. Playing 9 weeks in a row is tough with 85 scholarships. Jimbo and I were talking about it, either freshmen need 5 years or something. We don't have enough guys. NFL has 53 healthy guys and rotate guys if they get injured. When you are at 85 you run out of guys.
ARE YOU CLOSE TO BURNING A SHIRT
At WR, we are those guys keep dressing.
ON INJURIES GOING FORWARD
We got guys banged up, we know on Thursday. If guys don't practice by Wednesday you don't play and it is fair for everyone. You don't want a guy repping all week and some guy gets miraculously healthy they don't play. Guys push through and practice
ON GOLDEN AND O'LEARY
It is a tough business. Al inherited a mess and bottom line is he hasn't won enough games and the last three guys haven't. You would think if you if you keep hiring guys it would be a you problem. They have five games left and could still win our division. Al will bounce back, he is a good coach.
ON FRESHMEN
Brant Mitchell has played really well and has a chance to be a great player. Marcus Marshall has been productive. Those two stick out. Will Bryan has started the last two games at OT, he needs to cut down on missed assignments but he does some good things. AJ Gray, Mikell Lands-Davis and TaQuon have all played a bunch.
ON LYNN
He should have been at A-back and when we go no huddle it makes it harder for him. Our think the secondary should be healthy.
ON TAQUON
He needs to execute better and he will get to play more. He has been dinged up all year.
ON WILLIS
He has been fairly consistent, we would like to block better and he doesn't have to think about it. We are getting what we think about Ike. I think he has worked his way into. He was a really good walk-on, sometimes you know they are never going to play, but we never thought that about him, he was supposed to be the 5th guy in spring and he worked his way up.
ON THE 1990 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
It was huge and it doesn't matter who you are, that is huge and it is quite a feat they pulled off.
IS THAT HARDER TO DO NOW
It is harder to happen now, you have to play in a major bowl and the playoffs. They did exactly what they had to do, they couldn't do anything other than winning the one game they tied. We were looking the other day the every team who has won in the last 25 years has an 80,000 seat stadium and has it different. Miami was a little different but they had the big Orange Bowl last time they won.
ON SENSE OF URGENCY
I hope we never lost it. You have to take it day by day and my message is we need to get number four. You don't want to sit on losing for two weeks and we need them. This is a draw a line in the sand game for them too. We need to get ready for their best shot.
ON BEING EASIER TO FIND DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH NOW
No question, with media and hudl and everything, you could find a guy at a small HS and guys didn't go to camps and combines and you could hide him out. You have to take those guys and develop them and that is the hard part about recruiting. There are very few guys who will just be great out of HS. We probably aren't getting those, so you have to grow guys like Michael Johnson. He wasn't highly recruited and grew and he is a really good player in the NFL. Vance Walker was another one, they took him from GSU on the last day. He got better and better, that is the kind of guy you look for.
ON GETTING A FAST START AGAINST UVA
On the road that is huge. Duke and Clemson we didn't do that and dug a huge hole we couldn't get out of. UNC couldn't have started any better and we didn't finish it. There are ups and downs, everything will not go perfect, once in a while you get blocked or tackled and that
ON RECRUITING IN GA
Everyone recruits here, it is hard to find guys who aren't recruited. The state of Georgia is different areas, Atlanta and south Georgia. People in South Georgia are generational whereas Atlanta are transicent and didn't grow up here and ties. Drive through a neighborhood here and you see flags from all kinds of schools and there is no allegiance to any school. Any northern school will get a kid, whole family is from X school area. That happens a lot.
ON REPLAY OF THE GAME AND HIS TONGUE WAG
I think I saw the replay Saturday night during Stanford-Washington game. My daughter gave me a hard time and she sent me the vine of it. I think I was responding to what one of the fans said to me. A girl said I love you coach, I responded and I doubt she would have loved me so much.
ON DEFENSIVE PROGRESS
Played way better against the run and we played together as a team to limit posessions. We held after a turnover or after the one. When you play the run better you give yourself a chance. The redzone D was 100-percent better.
ON UVA LBs
They have some young guys and a lot of guys who have played and 51 has played and has played a bunch. Both down guys and the more kid have played for a couple of years. Blanding and Brown were five star guys and they have talented guys and have played a tough schedule and are a better team than people think.
ON THE GT RUN D
We rallied to the ball better and overlapped some, that RB is a really good player and for the most part we kept him contained and he didn't rip off 60-70 yard one.
ON MISSED ASSIGNMENTS
We didn't do well on offense, we had some key misses but when you play that many guys, we had guys going downfield on pass plays and that is a work in progress. Last play before the FG we turned a guy loose. Defense we had some missed alignments and assignments and we got more overlap on guys.
ON INJURIES
We played our 4th corner and we found out before the game Skov was out. Our guys have been good about and I try not to dwell on it and nobody cares when guys are hurt. Our guys did a good job of playing. Whoever went in just played.
ON LYNCH STEPPING UP
He made some plays and we have to block way better at that spot, but those guys made a play or two and got some key first downs. Ike Willis played one of his better games, but we didn't play too well at that position.
ON MANAGING AFTER A BIG WIN
We are 3-5 so I hope not, we have to get it and we need it this week and then we have a bye. Our goal is to win number to get to a bowl game and keep pushing.
ON THE BYE COMING UP BEING AT A GOOD TIME
You would never know when a good time, you don't want it after game two and you don't want it after game nine either. It is good news and a lot of guys are beat up.
ON CUTTING BACK PRACTICE
We don't practice long anyway, we are out there less than an hour Monday; Tuesday and Wednesday are 90 minutes and Thursday. We will really have to cutback on because we are beat up. Guys are hobbled and 15 guys in non-contact and 15 in red and you know you are beat all to hell.
ON ACC TOP RUSHERS BEING MOSTLY FRESHMEN 4 of 10
I haven't thought much about it. Don't know. Marcus Marshall is a work in progress, talented and getting tougher every game. When he doesn't have the ball he has a mile to go.
ON JAMAL GOLDEN
He tackled better and had huge deflect and we played more zone and he broke up one on third and long and one on the goal line was our turn. Last two or three games they would have caught and we would have. Over time things even out.
ON JUSTIN'S LEADERSHIP
If he does it vocally it is behind the scenes. He didn't play one of his better games. Clearly he is the leader, but he has to play better there. It has been challenging for everyone. When you are losing it is, I don't care who you are. Certain areas of the team got hyped up and it has been a real realization for those guys too.
ON CHARLOTTESVILLE BEING CURSED
Last time we went up there we won, we've had close games and they have good players and their record hasn't been as good and they have good guys. Last year's UVA D DEs with the 49ers and other guys in the league and the five star guys.
ON WR INJURIES AND SNAPS
I hope they can keep playing, we get guys ready. We went into Saturday with three receivers and we have lost one and hopefully we have all there this week. If not it will be the next man up. Hopefully we can. Playing 9 weeks in a row is tough with 85 scholarships. Jimbo and I were talking about it, either freshmen need 5 years or something. We don't have enough guys. NFL has 53 healthy guys and rotate guys if they get injured. When you are at 85 you run out of guys.
ARE YOU CLOSE TO BURNING A SHIRT
At WR, we are those guys keep dressing.
ON INJURIES GOING FORWARD
We got guys banged up, we know on Thursday. If guys don't practice by Wednesday you don't play and it is fair for everyone. You don't want a guy repping all week and some guy gets miraculously healthy they don't play. Guys push through and practice
ON GOLDEN AND O'LEARY
It is a tough business. Al inherited a mess and bottom line is he hasn't won enough games and the last three guys haven't. You would think if you if you keep hiring guys it would be a you problem. They have five games left and could still win our division. Al will bounce back, he is a good coach.
ON FRESHMEN
Brant Mitchell has played really well and has a chance to be a great player. Marcus Marshall has been productive. Those two stick out. Will Bryan has started the last two games at OT, he needs to cut down on missed assignments but he does some good things. AJ Gray, Mikell Lands-Davis and TaQuon have all played a bunch.
ON LYNN
He should have been at A-back and when we go no huddle it makes it harder for him. Our think the secondary should be healthy.
ON TAQUON
He needs to execute better and he will get to play more. He has been dinged up all year.
ON WILLIS
He has been fairly consistent, we would like to block better and he doesn't have to think about it. We are getting what we think about Ike. I think he has worked his way into. He was a really good walk-on, sometimes you know they are never going to play, but we never thought that about him, he was supposed to be the 5th guy in spring and he worked his way up.
ON THE 1990 TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
It was huge and it doesn't matter who you are, that is huge and it is quite a feat they pulled off.
IS THAT HARDER TO DO NOW
It is harder to happen now, you have to play in a major bowl and the playoffs. They did exactly what they had to do, they couldn't do anything other than winning the one game they tied. We were looking the other day the every team who has won in the last 25 years has an 80,000 seat stadium and has it different. Miami was a little different but they had the big Orange Bowl last time they won.
ON SENSE OF URGENCY
I hope we never lost it. You have to take it day by day and my message is we need to get number four. You don't want to sit on losing for two weeks and we need them. This is a draw a line in the sand game for them too. We need to get ready for their best shot.
ON BEING EASIER TO FIND DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH NOW
No question, with media and hudl and everything, you could find a guy at a small HS and guys didn't go to camps and combines and you could hide him out. You have to take those guys and develop them and that is the hard part about recruiting. There are very few guys who will just be great out of HS. We probably aren't getting those, so you have to grow guys like Michael Johnson. He wasn't highly recruited and grew and he is a really good player in the NFL. Vance Walker was another one, they took him from GSU on the last day. He got better and better, that is the kind of guy you look for.
ON GETTING A FAST START AGAINST UVA
On the road that is huge. Duke and Clemson we didn't do that and dug a huge hole we couldn't get out of. UNC couldn't have started any better and we didn't finish it. There are ups and downs, everything will not go perfect, once in a while you get blocked or tackled and that
ON RECRUITING IN GA
Everyone recruits here, it is hard to find guys who aren't recruited. The state of Georgia is different areas, Atlanta and south Georgia. People in South Georgia are generational whereas Atlanta are transicent and didn't grow up here and ties. Drive through a neighborhood here and you see flags from all kinds of schools and there is no allegiance to any school. Any northern school will get a kid, whole family is from X school area. That happens a lot.
