Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes
9/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 26, 2006
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On what it's like being the coach of a 4-0 team: "It's really hard, I saw Coach (Bill) Parcells said one time that he enjoys a win for maybe an hour after the game, but you don't enjoy it for very long because you got to get on to the next opponent. It is fun watching our kids play right now and it is fun being 4-0.
On the success of the offensive line: "I think (Coach) Lobotzke worked them a little bit harder last week. I think we were more in the chutes and drive blocking in practice more than we've been doing. I think we went into the game thinking if we could run the ball effectively, that we could win, and felt like the big key was the offensive line."
On the improvement of the team: "We don't have to scream and yell a lot. We just have to point out where we didn't play very well, and they typically pick it up themselves. But it's gratifying to be able to point out their mistakes and see them improve."
On how to avoid overlooking Liberty: "Well, it's really pretty easy. Our guys are pretty smart kids and they've seen a lot of I-A teams lose to I-AA teams this year, so there's a track record going on right now with I-A teams losing to I-AA teams. We just tell our kids every week that everybody's got good talent and Liberty's no different."
On the team's success against an SEC opponent: "I thought we got after them up front on both lines of scrimmage. That's when you got a chance to win. So much is made of skill guys at this level and the speed that you have to have in the ACC and the SEC but you never get away from having to win up front. I thought we did that Saturday night which is gratifying for me as a coach."
On how the coaches are getting the team to not overlook Liberty: "They're going to see and hear a lot of things about Clemson, but our deal is getting them to focus on this Saturday. In Liberty, we have the top I-AA team in the country in scoring defense and we've got a team with the 5th-leading rusher in I-AA. So we've got a team coming in here that's pretty good so we've got to be ready to play."
On how the maturity of the football helps them to prepare: "We've got an older football team this year, and the older guys got to show the younger guys how to prepare. If we have a good week of practice, we will be fine on Saturdays."
On his expectations and the team's performance so far: "I really thought going into the season that we could be in this position if we played well, I never thought that we'd lose Ben Mauk, Micah Andrews and Arby Jones that we'd be in this position. Our guys have been really good. They've handled adversity really well, and even though we haven't won pretty sometimes, we've found ways to get it done. Our expectations are going up a little bit. I think we're getting to know more about our football team. That's not all bad. You just cant be complacent, and I don't think our guys will be."
On the overall balance and performance of the team so far: "Offensively, we have to have balance. I think we can't just be a running team and we can't just be a passing team. Now, we've found ways doing both. It'd be nice to put them together. Defensively, we've played pretty consistent defense for four games, but we really haven't hit a home run in both areas of either pass defense or run defense. We have kind of done one or the other. It'd be nice to start being a little more solid in both areas at the same time. I've really been pleased with our kicking game, and I think our kicking game overall has been pretty solid. So I think we have the potential to be a real good football team."
Jamil Smith, Senior, Defensive Tackle
On the play of the defense so far: "As a whole, our defensive line has been trying to make plays that can give our secondary a rest. Everybody's been making plays for the defense. We've been playing together and coming together as a team."
On the feeling in the locker room: "It's been a great feeling. It's something we're not used to. We've been used to struggling at the start of the season, but now, we're playing as a team and everything is clicking for us."
On the possibility of letting down against a I-AA team: "I don't see Liberty as a let down. We see them as any other game. We go into practice like it's a normal game. Regardless of if they're ACC or SEC, we treat every team the same. It doesn't matter."
On playing Clemson: "We see Clemson on the news all the time. But right now, we're focused on Liberty and seeing what we can do to hopefully beat them."
On being 4-0: "It's a great feeling. We have a great team bond this year and everybody's playing to the best of their ability. We're trying to make plays, to make this team have a great season."
On Liberty: "Liberty looks like a great team. Both their offensive and defensive lines look solid. We approach every game the same way. We don't take anybody lightly."
On the top 25 rankings: "We know that [being in the top 25] can be here today, gone tomorrow. We've been ranked before, but there have been times where we haven't been ranked. Our team has been doing big things. We just take one game at a time."
On the chance of having a special season: "I feel like there's definitely the potential for something special to happen this season. We don't want to disappoint our fans, family, coaches, and ourselves."
John Tereshinski, Junior, Tight End
On the season: "It's nice to have four wins under your belt. As each game goes on, it's more important to the team. So far it's been a great season. Coming off of last year and only winning four games, now we've already won four. There's a great atmosphere with the team right now."
On his brother Joe, a quarterback at Georgia: "I'd love to see him in a bowl game. We talk at least 2-3 times a week; always Fridays before the game."
On the rushing game: "If it's working, we're sticking with it. We have a great scheme going where we run the ball. We want to stick with what works. We have a win and that's all that matters."
On the possibility of overlooking Liberty: "Right now, we're working on the fundamentals at practice and making sure we don't look past any team."
