Quotes from Coach Friedgen's Tuesday Press Conference
9/27/2005 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
On the game
It's always better after a win. I thought our kids played very well, especially our defense. We were able to get some turnovers, and it was good to see. Offensively, I thought we made strides. We ran the ball better. It was reminiscent of our old days. We made plays in the throwing game. We just have to get better in the red zone scoring touchdowns instead of field goals. Special teams- Dan Ennis and Adam Podlesh have been tremendous kicking the ball.
On the Virginia game
It's a very big game coming up. We're playing a fine team in Virginia, they're undefeated. It's important for us to get some momentum going into the last half of the season. Offensively, they're similar to last season but not identical. They're throwing the ball more. They've got a very good offense. Defensively, no one is running the ball on them; they're just shutting it down. They have a very tough interior line. It will be a very tough game for us, but it's our Homecoming and it should be an exciting game.
On the running backs
We're going to wait until the end of the week to make a decision. We were obviously encouraged by the play of Keon Lattimore, and Lance Ball had a good game also. They seem to be the hot guys right now.
On third down conversions
We have to get better. It's amazing to me that we are one of the leaders in the conference in first down, so just think where we'd be if we were converting on third downs. We're pretty good in 7-10 yard situations, it's 2-6 where we're having some problems.
On run/pass balance
I've been trying to establish the run because I think in the long run that will help us, but we have been throwing the ball very well. I think we could have thrown it more on Saturday, but I like being really balanced on first down. I'm sure at the end of the season it will balance itself out.
On the importance of this week
I think we took some strides on Saturday. If we can get a win this week, I think it will give our guys the confidence to go on for the rest of the season. Two years ago, our line was so much older and more mature and experienced. This line is going to be good, but it's not there yet. I wasn't disappointed with the play of Jared Gaither or Scott Burley. Although they made some mistakes, they probably helped us as far as having fresh guys in there all the time so we were strong in the fourth quarter.
On Vernon Davis
I'm very impressed with Vernon. He's having a fantastic year. He had a couple of opportunities on Saturday but couldn't come through, but when he catches the ball, he's a real threat. It's hard for one guy to bring him down. He's having a very good year, and hopefully he will play well on Saturday. He's drawing the attention of the defenses, too.
On Dan Ennis
I think it's a great story. I remember when he was first kicking, he had trouble getting it over from the fifteen yard line. Through hard work and strength training, a lot like Nick [Novak], he's become a real competitor. Hopefully, he can continue to perform the way he has.
On leadership and preparation
I thought they got some very good leadership from D'Qwell [Jackson], Will [Kershaw], and Gerrick [McPhearson]. Milton Harris had a very good game also. They came out ready to play and showed that they were a lot better than they had played. You have to be ready to play each and every week, especially in the ACC.
On Milton Harris
We were concerned about Milton against West Virginia, and I think he just responded and played so well against Wake Forest. He walked on here, and is really a great kid. I'm really happy that he's in our program. He's already graduated and is having a lot of fun playing football.
On depth
Dre Moore played very well. Our defensive line is continuing to play a lot of people. Dre played, Jack Griffin played, Carlos Feliciano played, Omarr Savage played. We played two deep at every position. I thought Coach Sollazzo did a very good job of getting people in and keeping people fresh. We have to continue to do that, and hopefully that will build our depth for the future.
