Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes
10/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2007
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On the bye week...
"We actually did something we haven't done before. We actually practiced on Friday. Typically, we've given guys that Friday off, but three days is a really long break for them. So we practiced Friday and then let the guys go and got back together last night. We're back on a regular schedule."
On whether he worries about the break in routine...
"Absolutely. Kids get used to routine as coaches do. We try from time to time to do different things practice-wise, whether we're in full pads, helmets, time of practice, conditioning, etc. We try to mix things up a little bit. You always worry about time off more than anything else."
On whether practice ever includes non-football related stuff...
"No, I'm not too much touchy-feely. We try to block and tackle. We do try to vary practice quite a bit, competitive segments, how much the offense goes up against the defense, moving special teams around at different times during practice. Sometimes if we're not happy we'll practice a little longer. Sometimes we cut practice back. So those things make it a little bit different, but we try not to get to far away from blocking and tackling."
On the health of the team...
"It looks great today. It was fun seeing a report that only had two or three names on it. Matt Robinson continues to be a question. We'll see. I'm not sure if we'll get him back for Duke, but hopefully we'll get him back before the end of the season. We're probably in pretty good shape compared to where we were going into the Maryland game."
On Matt Robinson applying for a medical hardship with the NCAA...
"He has [applied for a medical hardship with the NCAA]. Typically, you wait until after the season to do that, but he was confident that it was what he wanted to do, so we went ahead and put that in to see if we could get that process speeded up a little bit. It gives us some flexibility academically. That's the thing, if you don't know what to plan for in the spring semester, are you trying to get him through and graduated? Or trying to space out his academics? It leaves us up in the air as much as it leaves Matt and the NCAA up in the air."
On Duke...
"An improved football team from last year. A very competitive team. A good football team that's played a really tough schedule. I think we've played a really tough schedule, and I think Duke's maybe played a tougher schedule. Both of us have played some really tough opponents. I think they've had a chance to win every won. They're a team that's much improved over last year."
On whether Duke will have a memory from last year...
"I think so, but that's also ACC football. You're going to have some wins and losses and some wins when you're very fortunate like we were last year, and you're also going to have some tough losses. I told our players yesterday, `this is just a deal where in this league, be ready to play every Saturday. Everyone's got good players, everyone's well-coached, you just gotta play'."
On this past weekend in college football...
"So competitive. We found out early in the year that the 1-AA programs have great talent. You can't look anywhere on the championship level or the bowl level and not find good talent and good football teams. So you just have to be ready to play. No matter who you play, they're going to have good players and they're going to be well-coached."
On the momentum from Maryland...
"I hope it makes us better. I'm concerned a little bit with the layoff. I thought if we could pick up where we left off in the fourth quarter against Maryland, we could be a pretty good football team. We probably needed the layoff. We've had four real physical football games that we've played. So from a health standpoint, it was good for us. And I hope the momentum carries over but you never know after an open date."
On preparing the team for Duke...
"I don't have too say much. Our players really understand that Duke's a good football team. They have good players, and they're really well-coached. We don't play anybody that doesn't have real good players and isn't well-coached. Our players understand that Duke's played a really tough schedule. We've played a really tough schedule. I think Duke's schedule has been maybe even tougher than ours. When you play the kind of schedule that we play, you can be a really good football team and not have much to show for it. So you have to be careful when looking at the record because there's not a team in our league that doesn't have good talent."
On Duke ending their losing streak...
"We work our kids awful hard, and Duke's no different than us or any other team out there. We all work hard every week, and you need to see some results. When you're not winning, no matter how well you play, it starts to get you a little bit. So getting that win under their belt, I know took a lot of pressure off them and not only excited the players and the coaches but also the fans as well."
On the Duke-Miami game last week...
"The final score's probably not real indicative of how close it really was, because Duke had chances, not just to stay close, but to win the game late. You always expect to go to the fourth quarter. That's just the way this league is. You have to have the bounces go your way a little bit, and that's not just the Miami game, they've played all their opponents really tough."
On Maryland's upset over Rutgers...
"I was really excited. I thought that was awesome. I don't usually cheer for the Terps, but that was a game that we were all excited to see them win. We thought that Maryland had a pretty good football team. And we were certainly really happy to win, but we were fortunate to beat those guys. I just felt like if they could keep it together emotionally, they were a really good football team and had a real good chance to beat Rutgers."
Junior punter/placekicker Sam Swank
On his leg...
"Leg's feeling great. Everything's fine there. I actually wished the bye week was further into the season. I kind of really wanted to kick during the bye week, but that's all good."
On whether they take Duke lightly...
"Not anymore. Not after what happened last year. They're a team to be reckoned with. They won against Northwestern and have given other teams a run for their money. We're not going to take them lightly. I think we did that last year, unfortunately, and it almost came back to haunt us."
On how long last year's Wake-Duke game sticks with you...
"As long as you want it to stick with you. You use it as fuel towards next season or other teams. I felt kind of bad for their kicker. That was just one to take for granted. But thankfully, for our side, Chip Vaughn came up and made a good play."
On this week...
"From a Duke standpoint, I would be really confident coming into this game, because they could have beaten us. That would have thrown us off. We wouldn't have been ACC champs. So in their mind, they're thinking that they could have been ACC Champs. So they're going to come into this game really fired up, and it should be a good one."
On the bye week helping the team...
"I think it's more of the mental aspect of things. It's not always 100%, balls-to-the-wall, you're just kind of relaxing. And mentally, that's really good. A 12-week season wears on you, and it was very nice to get our legs back under us, and the mental aspect, I think it'll be ready to go."
On whether the bye week interrupted the momentum...
"I think it came when it needed to come. Coach Grobe came into the meeting yesterday and said that we have a brand new season ahead of us. That's how everyone's going to think of it. I think it's going to be great for us. I think the bye week prolonged that momentum. More momentum coming in off a bye week than there would have been just getting ready for a game that weekend."
On whether the ACC is still wide open...
"Absolutely. You have to show up every Saturday. There are no games off in this conference."
Junior safety Chip Vaughn
On whether it feels like the blocked kick came a year ago... "It feels like about 10 years ago, because you go back and dream about it sometimes, but it seems really long ago right now."
On Duke...
"Duke is a real good team. They came within ten points last week. They kept it close the whole time."
On the week off impacting the routine and momentum...
"I think with our team, it didn't because after the game we were so high, the week was real good for the team to chill out and rest. I think the week served us good for rest. A lot of guys were banged up and sore, so it was a real good time to rest up. We got back to practice yesterday. We had a lift yesterday. We go back tonight at 5:30 and hit it again."
On the Duke program...
"I think Duke is a real good program. Big, fast, strong. This year, they snapped their losing streak. So Duke has all the skill players and talent, so for them it's just a matter of time."
On Duke passing the ball a lot...
"I love that. You play a team like Maryland and Nebraska, they tend to pound it again and again. But as a safety, you want those deep balls. It's going to be a real challenge for us this week."
On the season looking forward...
"I think the mood of the team right now is that we know each game is so vital right now. We're trying to go back down to Jacksonville. With these eight games left, each game is critical. Each quarter, every play, everybody has to play hard. So that's the mindset of the team right now."
On the league...
"It's tough. Each week potentially has the chance of being the game of the week. Florida State, Virginia's playing well; Clemson just lost. Each week is going to be a battle. Our coaches just get us prepared to go out there and play every play, every quarter."
Senior tight end Zac Selmon
On his week off...
"I lived the life of a college football fan. I woke up and watched a lot of college football and kind of enjoyed having the week off. It felt kind of weird at first, because usually you're up in the morning having meetings and stuff. But I got used to it. And there were a lot of big upsets. Just lived the life of a fan."
On what he saw watching football all day...
"I actually started missing it. It always is nice to have a weekend off, but then you start to miss being out there. Of course, I watched my Oklahoma Sooners, and they lost a heartbreaker. But a lot of teams playing hard. A lot of upsets. College football is a crazy game. A lot of crazy stuff this weekend."
On getting back on the field...
Where we're at right now, we can't take anyone lightly. We just gotta focus on playing our game. We just gotta get back to playing Wake Forest football."
On the tight ends...
"I think we've gained the coaches trust. We've been here for so long and it's good to be incorporated into the passing offense. John and I have a great relationship on and off the field. We really root for each other to succeed. And we are so thankful for having balls coming our way. If we have to block or make a catch, we just want to help this team win."
On the momentum from the Maryland game...
"The Maryland win taught us a lot. Taught us to trust in each other and never get too down on each other. For now we just need to come back and build on that and learn from our mistakes. We have to learn not to turn the ball over so many times. We just have to play more under our system. And from that aspect, the momentum should carry over."
On Duke...
"Duke is like any other team in the ACC. You can't overlook anybody in the ACC, especially now with the talent Duke has and the talent everybody in the ACC has. We have to focus on what we do and focus on getting better for Wake Forest, and that should take care of whoever we play. We just have to focus on us. We can't overlook anybody right now."
On last year's Duke game...
"I think it's fresh in both of our minds. It's always a good game between us and Duke. We're looking forward to getting our there and continuing our season."
On whether Duke will be looking for revenge...
"They'll definitely be fired up. Every team we play this year will be fired up to get back at the ACC champs. That role is new to us, but we're learning, and it makes us play better knowing we have the target on our chest. Sometimes we're still in the underdog role but not as much as we've been in the past."
On the outlook during the bye week...
"We've talked about starting over. We're starting a new season right now. Focusing on the fundamentals of taking care of the ball on offense, making the plays and being fundamentally sound on defense. Letting that play and let the rest come to us. I think there are times we try to do too much on the field and it shows on Saturdays when you're not as precise as you should be. So we're trying to start over, play with fundamentals and play our game."
