Quoting The Deacons
12/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2002
Quotes from Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe and players Calvin Pace, Fabian Davis and Kellen Brantley on playing in the Dec. 30 Seattle Bowl.
HEAD COACH JIM GROBE
On playing in a bowl game: "It's a great opportunity. I don't think our guys felt good after the Maryland game. I didn't feel like we played our best football. I think we get our chance at redemption, and I think our seniors are very deserving, our football team is very deserving. It's going to be fun to get an extra game."
On chances of a game: "We really didn't know. There are more opportunities this year. We knew that those opportunities existed. Last year almost was a done deal. We didn't feel good about our opportunity last season. This year there was more hope and we were keeping our fingers crossed, and watching all those games down the stretch."
On motivation of a winning season: "I think the motivating factor for us right now is the Maryland game. Our guys were disappointed. We were embarrassed at half time, we didn't feel good at all about our performance. We came out and played better in the second half, made it a game and had a chance down the stretch. Our guys certainly did not want to end the season on the Maryland game, so I think that's motivation in itself. I think our motivation is to go out and win."
On Oregon: "I think Oregon had some guys banged up. I don't know a lot about Oregon. We really hadn't had a chance to study them, we've just watched them on the television. We know they're one of the premier programs in the nation. Last year they finished second in the country. They have a good bowl history, I think they've been to six bowl games in a row, and so we know we're taking on not only a fine coach in Mike Bellotti, but also a fine program. I think they're going to get a little healthy, and we're going to get a little healthy. We're looking forward to it."
On preparing for Oregon: "It's exciting and with Oregon's national reputation that's another exciting thing to play a national team. The past few years they have been one of the better teams in the country. I think its good for our kids to get that opportunity. We're going to go into it with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, but also with a little trepidation too, because this is a team we don't know a lot about. Hopefully we'll have film in here about Tuesday and start breaking them down. We're going to lift a little bit and condition a little bit, but not take any time away from exams. Next week, we're going to try and get cranked up on Wednesday and we'll start working diligently Wednesday, the 18th, to get ready. We pretty much want to be ready and have most of the hay in the barn by the time we go out to Seattle."
On the season: "It's hard to point out any one game. We had some great wins and we had some very close defeats. I think the best thing about this football team is that they're pretty resilient. They bounce back pretty well. We persevere through some tough times. We've had some guys banged up throughout the course of the season. I think the great thing about this football team is that these guys like to play football, and when we did get knocked off our feet a little bit, we bounced right back."
DEFENSIVE END CALVIN PACE
On feelings of playing in another game: "I'm excited to play one more game, it's a good chance to play with the seniors one more time, the team in general. I really felt deep down that we had a chance to go to a bowl game, but the odds were against us. We lucked out and we made it."
On having to practice: "Honestly, I don't care. I want to practice again because I haven't done anything in two weeks. We just have to get the rust off us and go play one more time."
On his injured leg: "It's kind of sore still. I think it will be totally healed in two weeks, but I will be able to run in a week by the time we start practice. I found out [about the injury] the Tuesday after the Navy game. I thought it was just a bruise. That Monday I tried to run at practice and I couldn't run, they did an x-ray, and they said it was cracked all the way through."
On how he found out about the game: "I found out about 12 o'clock. One of the coaches called and told me to tell my roommates that we made it. We had a hunch last night. They mentioned something last night at our banquet. I think half the people thought we were going to make it and half the people thought we were done. We made it and it surprised us, but we're happy."
On going to Seattle: "I would go anywhere. You could send us to Alaska for all I'd care. I just want to play one more game. I don't know much about Seattle. We'll have a good time playing a team we've heard a lot of good things aobut, but we've never played against. We're excited about it."
On Oregon Ducks: "I know they have a good tailback and a good wide receiver. I have watched them since they had Joe Harrington. They are a good team."
On being selected first team All-American: "I'm excited, I really am. Honestly, I'm more excited about getting to go to the bowl game, just to say I helped push a team to a bowl game. The year we did go the Aloha Bowl, I was a redshirt freshman and played special teams, but I really didn't help lead anything. I'm excited about [the All-American], but the bowl game is definitely bigger to me."
On the sack record: "Hopefully that can happen. I've thought about it, hopefully I can get one to tie the record and two to break it. I'm just excited that the chance to go to a bowl game is there."
SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER FABIAN DAVIS
On playing in a bowl game: "I'm excited, especially because it's my fifth year and I get to go to two bowl games. I'm very excited about going to Seattle. It was a nitpicking thing down to the last wire, but it came out good for us, and I'm ready to go."
On having to practice: "Even practice is going to be special. It's going to be my last weeks of practice before my last game. That game is a late game where a lot of people will get to watch."
Playing for Coach Grobe: "It's been real special. It was special when he came in after our down season. When a new coach comes in, he may want to bench all the old guys and bring in the rising players, but he stuck with us, and that just shows that he respected the seniors."
On Oregon: "We don't know too much, except that they got a good running back. He's fast, makes good plays, and is a great athlete. They started out pretty well earlier this year and kind of fell off a little bit at the end. All in all they are a very good team."
On national exposure: "It's going to be real good. Our last game we had exposure on ESPN and we didn't do to well [against Maryland]. We get to turn around and show the nation that we can play football on a top level and able to compete with any team."
On possibility of a winning season: "The senior class wants to go out with three winning seasons. Right now we're 6-6, we're looking forward to coming back here December 31st with a win and our third winning season in five years."
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER KELLEN BRANTLEY
I was a little surprised by the news. I didn't think we would get in. Everybody on the team was checking all the websites the past few weeks trying to see where we could go and it was looking like we would not get a break. I thought 'here we go again.' It's a credit not only to our team, but to our athletic director and the ACC as well.
We actually found out about it last night, so I have had a little while to think about it.
I've never been to Seattle before. I figure that is about as far away from Miami, which is my hometown, as you can go inside the continental United States.
Oregon has a good quarterback and good running back. That's about all I know about them.
We'll start running workouts tomorrow and then start practice back up after finals (which are next week.)