Nov. 23, 2010
Opening statement:
"Preparing for NC State, they are a very good football team. Offensively they are very explosive. Obviously you look at them and scoring wise they're averaging 32 points a game, second in the ACC. They're the most productive passing team in the ACC. It starts with Russell Wilson who is really an outstanding quarterback. He's not only a good thrower but he's very mobile. He sees the field very well and makes good decisions. He's having a heck of a year. He has four very talented wideouts.
"Mustafa Greene is a freshman that's come in and I think really given them a lift in the running game. Their offensive line is very, very big and strong. So they're pretty good on offense. They're averaging 404 yards of total offense.
"Defensively I think they're playing very well also. They are very strong upfront; very solid. Their linebacking corps is good. Nate Irving is obviously the outstanding player there. Their secondary is young but playing much better than last year."
On depth on the offensive line:
"Going into this year I was concerned with the depth at offensive line because last year we struggled in that area. We were forced to play a lot of young players. This year we are playing Justin Gilbert and R.J. Dill - both redshirt sophomores. Last year we were playing them as red shirt freshmen, Bennett Fulper played as a true freshmen last year.
"What I was worried about was our redshirt freshmen. Justin Gilbert got hurt and I had to play Pete DeSouza, a red shirt freshmen. Saturday we lost our offensive guard, moved [Paul] Pinegar to the inside and put in Max Garcia, a true freshman. We found ourselves in a similar situation we were in a year ago. I think that the guy who is the unsung hero here is Paul Pinegar. He has the flexibility to play tackle, center and guard without any specific practice. Paul has definitely helped us get by. What I was hoping for was everyone to stay healthy and bring the DeSouza's, Pete White's and Nick Klemm's along and get them some playing time and experience allowing them to mature."
On his motivational Power Point's for the team:
"During our meeting yesterday, I could see that the sense of our team is down. They didn't practice like that last night. I asked them what do we have to play for? During Saturday's press conference, I was asked how I would get the team back up to play. I know that there is enough character in our team that they will get back up and play. First of all, it's Senior Day and this is a special bunch of seniors. The leadership they provided this year helped get this to team what it is. I would love to see them go out as winners at Byrd Stadium.
"We're still in contention for a lot of bowls. An 8-4 team is going to look a lot more attractive than a 7-5 team. I said that, to me, it's a feel good story. There's a possibility of us going 8-4 with a possibility of winning nine games. If we were 9-4 this year, coming from 2-10, I say that that's a pretty big accomplishment. I said that you don't deserve to be 7-5; you worked too hard to be 7-5."
On whether Pete DeSouza's recovery is on track:
"I think he's ahead of being on track. Pete thinks he's going to be ready for spring practice. I don't see how that's possible but they told him he wouldn't be able to put any weight on that left leg for three months and he's already got weight on the left leg. A lot of our prayers have been answered with that. If his spirit has anything to do with a speedy recovery I think he'll be ready as fast as humanly possible. Pete is a kid everybody likes. It was kind of devastating for our team when that accident occurred. When he showed up at a lunch we had before we went to Virginia, the kids got really emotional and really excited to see him back here."
On De'Onte Arnett's switch to offensive line:
"Amazingly, I'm surprised how rapidly he is improving on the offensive line. Is he ready to play against the 23rd ranked team in the country? No, but he's a lot farther ahead that I expected him to be at this point in time. He knows that we may have to play him and that there is a strong chance that he will be a very good offensive lineman. I think that's been a very good move not only for De'Onte but also for us. He's a big kid, very athletic, and obviously he has some instincts otherwise he wouldn't be as far along as he is already. I think he had a very good practice last night and he's one of the guys I can really see improving in the three weeks he's been there."
On finishing the season:
"Eight wins sounds a lot better than seven. Looking back, while we aren't going to reach out main goal which was playing for the ACC title game, we still have a lot to play for. We want to go to the best bowl possible so there is still room for improvement there. We have a good opponent coming up and we can's sleep walk into this one."
On senior day:
"For me not being a senior, I really want to get this win for them considering all they have done for the program. Sending them out the right way at Byrd Stadium would be very special to them."
On what NC State will do defensively:
"They are going to pressure us a lot and we can expect that, its going to be real similar to what they did last year against us. A lot of zone pressure that we will have to be ready for."
On his progression:
"I think that I am a lot more comfortable in the pocket. I'm getting to my third and fourth reads now; early on I was fortunate to have one of my first two reads come open. I can anticipate the game a lot more and the game has slowed down a lot for me. The strategy has been the same, it's just an experience factor now."
On North Carolina State's defense:
"They have very good size everywhere, their secondary, linebackers and defensive lineman so they are really a complete defense. They don't have a weakness in any area. We are looking forward to the task and I think we will be ready to go."
On Pete DeSouza:
"I think the best thing was seeing Pete (DeSouza) back here at the team house. He was sitting in here two weeks ago and everyone was so happy to see him. He had a big smile on his face. He looked like he had lost some weight but he looked great. His smile can light up a room so we we're all very excited to see him and happy to see him back here with all of us."
On senior day:
"It will really mean a lot to me. I was walking home last night and was thinking about it and I got pretty sad. Yeah, I have only been here for two years but it has been a good experience for me so far. I am so happy I was able to become a Terp and it has been the best experience of my life.
"We had a senior day this past year for lacrosse and I wasn't able to play in that game because I had a concussion. That was bitter sweet, however I was thinking that although this is my senior day I would be able to play in one this year for football. So it wasn't quite as sad, even though I wasn't able to be there with my seniors for lacrosse. Coming out here for the last time this Saturday it might get to me, but its going to be very special. My whole family is going to be her e for the first time in my collegiate athletic career and it's going to be a special day. The underclassmen really want to win for the seniors, and the seniors don't want anything except a win so there is going to be no letdown from the Terps."
Freshman Offensive Lineman Pete DeSouza
On his recovery:
"They (the doctors) didn't think I would be able to walk yet, and I didn't think I would be able to walk yet either. But I'm walking now and am not using a walker or a wheel chair so I think I'm a little ahead of schedule. I have a doctor's appointment coming up and I am already getting bone growth so that's great."
On when he will be back:
"I expect myself to be back for spring ball. Maybe not fully practicing but at least participating in the drills."
On his rehab process:
"I wake up around 8:00 a.m. and the University of Maryland Para-Transit picks me up around 9:00. We start doing treatment, leg extensions, stretching my hamstrings and knees out, ankle pumps because my ankles are tight, toe touches and different things each day. It's all to help me come back onto the field."
On Pete DeSouza coming back:
"It's awesome to have Pete (DeSouza) back. He's undergoing treatment but his personality is great and it's great to have him back. He's on crutches but his spirit is good and he is able to lift some people up when they need it."
On importance of winning on senior day:
"It's huge since it's our last game here and we want to end on a high note. It's a big game for us to improve our record and hopefully get into a better bowl."
On North Carolina State's offense:
"They like to throw the ball to set up the run. They have Russell Wilson and some big wide receivers along with a good tight end. Their passing game is number one to them so we are going to have to stop the pass and make them run the ball."
On Russell Wilson:
"He is a playmaker. He's not the tallest guy but he likes to throw the ball more than he likes to run it. He has been doing it for two or three years now and he is a great quarterback."
