Wake Forest Athletics
Tuesday Football Press Conference Quotes
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 4, 2008
Press Conference Video: Grobe | Brinkman | Pendergrass | Robinson | Smith
Head coach Jim Grobe
On Virginia...
"What they've done a great job off is rebounding. They started out a little slow and they've got their quarterback situation settled. (Cedric) Peerman is having a great year at running back. Their offensive line has started to come together. They have a couple of really quality receivers. Defensively, they've been playing great lately. It looks like they have it all together and they're starting to play good football."
On the team's injury situation...
"I didn't realize the other night that we had basically seven freshmen on the field. Jeff Griffin went down the first play of the second quarter and Doug Weaver had to play the rest of the game. We basically in our two deep had seven freshmen on the field all the time. We've got a pretty good checklist. I think it's going to be better this week. I'm hopeful to get guys like Brandon Ghee back. I don't know about Sam (Swank). I think he's still probably a little bit away and may not be ready by Saturday, but Shane (Popham) kicked really well against Duke. I hope to get Jeff Griffin back in the mix. All of those guys will be day-to-day."
On Aaron Curry's injury...
"I think he's ok. I think he's ready to go again, but I doubt that Brad Lambert will give him any snaps in practice. He's been here a while. He knows the defense and knows what to do. We'll be really careful with him. He needs to practice, but I doubt we'll get him in too much contact stuff."
On the different with Virginia now compared to the start of the year...
"I think their quarterback play is one thing. I don't think there's any question that they are getting good, solid quarterback play now. (Cedric) Peerman has really come on. He's the best we've seen so far. They have a really good combination of running and throwing the ball. I think they're playing really good defense right now. Early in the year they had a new defensive coordinator and it took them a little bit of time to get together. Right now, they're playing really well as a unit."
On Virginia's linebackers...
"They're really good. I don't know if there's a better linebacker group in the ACC. That group together is very talented. They're good run stoppers and really good in zone blitzes. They're a very athletic, tough and physical group."
On playing against his alma mater...
"Honestly, I've never thought much about it. We've been playing in the league for quite a while now. We've butted heads with Virginia a few times. It never really crosses my mind. To me, they're another good football team that we've got to go compete against. My only goal is to find a way to beat them."
Redshirt Freshman Running Back Brandon Pendergrass
On how it felt to get the bulk of the carries on Saturday...
"It felt good. It was challenging because the game was long, there were a lot of snaps, a lot of carries and Duke was a very tough defense. They played aggressive so it was a challenge. But at the same time, too, it felt good because each play you know you're not stopping and you're still trying to do the best you can do."
On the offensive line's progression last week and throughout the season...
"I definitely felt there was a progression - a big progression. Every week our offensive line is stepping up and playing bigger and better. From week one to now, the improvements with the offensive line have been tremendous. They've been working hard."
On if he talked to Adams for advice during the game...
"Yeah, several times. In fact, almost every time I came out of the game I went over to him and asked him on a play what I should have done. `Should I have done this? Should I done not? Did you see what happened here? Was that the right read?' Things like that because he was sitting there watching and he already has the experience so I knew he could help me out."
On best advice from Adams...
"It was definitely after the first series when I tried to jump and put the ball out to score. I came out and he just looked at me with one of those faces. I said, `Yeah, I know,' and he said, `When you get down like that just try to lower your head and try to drive it in.' Then I used that the next time we were down on the goal line. I just tried to lower my shoulders, get north and try to get straight into the end zone."
Redshirt Senior Cornerback Alphonso Smith
On Homecoming...
"It's a pretty good feeling to have all the guys who you played with in '06 and '07 come back. It's a weekend that everyone you knew from your freshman and sophomore year is going to come back and watch the game. You want to give them something to celebrate and make their trip feel worth it."
On importance of win against Duke...
"I think Saturday's win gave us that little push to get us rolling. I think Saturday's win is going to give us momentum and hopefully we can win out the remaining four games."
On the ACC...
"Every team in the ACC is good and that's what so great about the conference. Every one can beat every one and there's no week you can take off. It's just a strong conference from top to bottom."
On linebacker Aaron Curry...
"In my eyes, he is probably one of the best football players I've played with or I've seen. He's one of those guys who you can just depend on. You can depend on him in the weight room, you can depend on him in the locker room, you can depend on him on the field, you can depend on him at home. He's just a dependable guy, 24/7, 365 days."
Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Chip Brinkman
On attitude at practice...
"I think with Duke we knew going into the game that it would come down to the fourth quarter. Being able to pull together during the last couple of minutes really did it. We were kind of on that losing streak in our season and we needed a win. We got it and now we can look forward to the next game."
On Duke's missed field goal...
"It's funny to see that happen. Chip Vaughn said he tipped the ball again and you don't really know if he is telling the truth or not, but it looked like he did. I don't know if I was even excited after we won, I wasn't jumping around I was just relieved. I felt like something big happened and I thought lets get out of here before a flag goes down and they start up a possession."
On playing Virginia...
"Last year when we went to Virginia it felt like we left some opportunities out there. I think it's a good chance to be able to play them again. We know it's a conference game and every game from here on out is a big game for us."
On not looking at the past...
"In the ACC you never know which team is going to show up each week. It's so equal right now; we have the most above 500 teams in any conference. On any given Saturday anything can happen."
Redshirt Junior Defensive Tackle Boo Robinson
On where the team is now...
"We had two straight losses and that was demoralizing for us. We had high expectations for the season. Still today we have a chance to win the ACC even with our previous games. I think we can control our own destiny and the rest of the ACC with take care of itself. Everybody has to play a tough team every week and everybody knows that no game is taken for granted in the ACC."
On what the defense needs to do against Virginia...
"We cannot allow them to run. They have the best running back in the ACC and we cannot allow them to run the ball all over us. In the passing game they don't give up sacks and they get the ball out quick. We are going to have to be ready for that also."
On the rest of the season...
"We can definitely get on a roll. Coach Grobe says everyone remembers November."
