Nov. 15, 2011
Opening statement:
"This week we have a Wake Forest team that I have been impressed with offensively. Their quarterback Tanner Price is a good athlete who can manage the game and sees the field very well. Chris Givens at wide receiver has very good speed and Michael Campanero is a local guy who is playing very well for them. Their running back Brandon Pendergrass is a good back with good quickness. They have been very multiple offensively with that they have done and defensively they are 3-4 team. I have been impressed with their nose guard (Nikita Whitlock) as well as their outside linebacker (Kyle Wiber). They are very active on defense and like to give you a lot of looks. They have very good skill guys on their special teams. We have a tremendous challenge as we go down to Winston-Salem on Saturday to play."
On Danny O'Brien's excitement for next year and his confidence in C.J. Brown going forward:
"Danny (O'Brien) is disappointed with what took place. He is still in quite a bit of pain but is getting better. He wants to do everything that he can. The doctors won't allow him to travel to the game but he wants to go and do anything he can to help his teammates win. I feel good about C.J. (Brown) leading our football team these last two weeks. I hope nothing happens to him. C.J. is eager about going out and being the quarterback. Hopefully he can lead the team to victory."
On whether C.J. Brown will run a lot against Wake Forest:
"We are going to do the things that C.J. can do the best and the things that exploit Wake Forest the best. We are going to attack them the best way possible. We can't hold anything back; we have to do anything we can to win the football game."
On the effect injuries have had:
"It has been tough. When you lose seven guys who could have been starters on defense it affects the continuity. We are hoping that (freshman linebacker) Alex Twine can play this week because he is injured. The mantra that we have to have is the backups have to be ready to go in there and play. Fortunately we have had guys who have been able to do that. It is unfortunate because the injuries that we have had are freak things. It's not because of strength or conditioning, its things that we can't control. It is hard to continue to put different guys in there. The guys that you are used to playing with are different and that affects the communication and feel of the game. That is part of the game and we are dealing with it."
On trying to spoil Wake Forests' bowl chances and using that as motivation:
"There are all types of things that we use as motivation. One of them is our ability to be a spoiler. We can be a spoiler and do what we want to do in getting a win. As a coach each week I am looking at different things I can use to motivate the guys. The bottom line is we still have to go out and play the game and execute. We have to go out and work to play our best each and every play. There are other factors but it still comes down to executing and doing things to help ourselves win."
On if this year has been unique in its challenges:
"It is life as normal for things to happen unexpectedly as a coach. Some years don't go the way you would like to. Some years with injuries you are luckier than others. With injuries it is pretty much luck. Other situations come up that you didn't anticipate but you have to deal with it and move on. I know it is cliché but I worry about the things that I can control. I try to anticipate things that I may see but sometimes things come up that you didn't anticipate."
On junior defensive tackle Joe Vellano:
"Joe (Vellano) has a tremendous motor and a great feel for the game. The thing that I see is him taking the things he is being taught and using them in the game. The thing I really like is having seen a young man really grow as a leader. Being a captain and enduring the things he has in a leadership role has been impressive. I feel that he really should be first team All-ACC based on productivity. I am very proud of him. Joe is a guy that I think has taken his game to the next level as well as developed into a leader."
On better special teams play against Notre Dame:
"We executed better, that's the bottom line. During the week we thought about doing different things on the kickoff. Maybe trying some mortar kicks or squibbing it. We practiced that and our normal stuff but it was just guys executing better. On the kickoffs we were much better and on the punt return we were one block away from Tony Logan breaking one off. It's just a matter of guys executing better last week than in the past. When you get all 11 guys doing what they are supposed to you get that success. That is why we were better because of the execution."
On true freshman safety A.J. Hendy:
"A.J. is a really good athlete. He is going to get better the more he plays. There are things technically that he needs to get better at. He goes out and is playing hard. It comes down to how much work he wants to put into it to get better. I see that he wants to do that. He put himself into this position because on the practice field he proved that he could do things. We still have to work with him on tackling. He is getting his feet wet and doing some good things. I like what I see so far and now we have to make sure that he keeps working hard. He has a chance to improve a lot as a football player."
Sophomore Quarterback C.J. Brown
On if these next two games are an audition for next year:
"Yes absolutely, anytime that you're on the field you want to show what you can do regardless of the situation, whether it's later in the game or if you're coming in for an injury. You want to show your talents, you want to help the team out and the biggest goal right now is just to win."
On if being the only quarterback with experience on the team now changes how he approaches games:
"Yeah guys are always joking now saying `You better slide, you better get out of bounds and not take any hits,' but I really don't know what it will change. When you're out there you really don't try to think about those things so it's all instincts. Yes I'm going to be more cautious, but I'm not going to try to change my game."
On if being a spoiler is motivation:
"Absolutely, we definitely want to win, but they're going to be fired up so we're going to have to match their intensity. Going down there and knocking them off would be a great feeling."
On what concerns Wake Forest's offense gives:
"Every team brings concerns, but for us just making sure we stop the running game. They have a good running back in number 22 [Brandon] Pendergrass; he's backed up by number 25 [Josh Harris]. We just have to be consistent in the running game with the run defense. That's what we're going to focus on, but their pass game is great as well because they have two good receivers Givens and Campanaro. Their quarterback (Tanner) Price is left-handed so that's a little bit of a change too."
On Wake Forest quarterback Tanner Price:
"Well he's a little bit shifty. He can get out of the pocket and he's not scared to run. You have to be aware of that."
On staying motivated:
"It's not hard, I want to be 4-8 now. I just want to finish this out with wins, I don't want to be 2-10. I know that, I just want to win out."
On Wake Forest wide receiver Chris Givens:
"He's a good athlete. He goes after the ball. We play great receivers all the time, this is the ACC. We went against [Michael] Floyd last week so I'm ready for anything."
Junior Defensive Lineman Joe Vellano
On facing a team the runs the ball well like Wake Forest:
"Everyone has to get their calls because they kind of want to get you out of your gaps. The main thing on them is for everyone to fit right in the defense, and to keep everything in front of you and get them on the ground."
On trying to win games with the amount of injuries piling up:
"Oh definitely, it kind of kills your rhythm, when guys are kind of feeding on that. But the biggest thing is we just have to focus on us, finish strong, and keep working. We have a lot of guys still playing with a lot of pride out there."
On being a leader/captain during these tough times:
"Just kind of trying to only focus what you can focus on. Really look at what is in your control, it is what it is. The last couple of games no one wants to lose like that, but just go out and play as hard as you can there's no reason not to."
