Quotes from Tuesday's Press Conference with Coach Friedgen
11/21/2006 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Opening Statement:
"We are preparing for a very good game in our program. Wake Forest is an excellent team, they are very well coached. I think their quarterback is playing excellent; he's very mature for a young kid, very poised. They are playing at a very high level. I think our kids are a little down. We are going to work our way through this and hopefully we will have a better practice today, we have a lot to play for."
On the impact of the Boston College-Miami game this Thursday:
"There is nothing we can do about that. To me, I'm not going to prepare any differently no matter what happens on Thursday and I think our kids feel the same way, there is much more riding on the game. One of the kids said after the game and I think it is true, `we need to finish.' I think that's very accurate. We've had too good a season not to give everything we've got and then see where we go from there."
On coming back from a loss:
"I think I just try and stay very positive with them and I think I've been the same way now. We didn't play very well Saturday; we probably played our worst game. There was actually a lot of disappointment there, but that's over with and there's nothing we can do about that. We need to worry about something that we can do something about and that's this weekend."
On the Boston College game:
"The biggest thing was that we laid the ball on the ground. 21 points we didn't make them earn and we lost the game by 22 points. That's the second year in a row we've done that and that's actually pretty disappointing. There were positives; I thought we threw the ball fairly well and protected the ball well. Early on I thought we did a good job of stopping the rushing game. All in all, it wasn't one of our better days."
On Wake Forest:
"Here's the thing about Wake Forest, they're playing with much more confidence. They have, I think, 17 interceptions by nine different guys. They are 12th in the country for turnover ratio. That's one of the reasons why they are being very successful. They have more speed this year, a lot of guys that can run. Their quarterback is a redshirt freshman who is active and makes very good decisions. To me he is playing like a redshirt senior."
On the eventual outcome of the ACC:
"It is what it is. I've said this before - in order to win the conference championship you have to win more than you lose on the road. In the six years I have been in the ACC as head coach, the team that can do that has won the league and I don't see this year as being any different. It just depends on who's ready to play, who turns the ball over. Anything can happen on any weekend."
On the seniors:
"I think they've turned things around with their leadership. This is a special game for them, the last time they play in Byrd Stadium and the fact that we can go undefeated in Byrd Stadium. We still have the opportunity to win 10 games. There are not many other teams in the history of this school that would have been able to accomplish what this team has been able to accomplish.
