Weekly Football Press Conference Quotes
11/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 2, 2010
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On how difficult this season has been as a head coach...
"This is probably the toughest season I've gone through here. Back when we first started, the expectations were so low that anything we did was pretty good. Now our expectations are pretty high, so to go through this type of season has been really tough."
On how to keep the team upbeat and motivated...
"I don't want our guys to be happy. I don't want our coaches or our players to be happy about what is going on. At the same time, I think we just need to keep working. We need to make sure that the guys who are taking the field on Saturday are the guys who are working hard. In some cases, guys don't have the best attitudes. What we have to decide is whether or not that's a negative thing or if that is something you want out of your kids when we're losing. You don't want negativity, but you don't want kids to be happy about it. Work ethic is our big key right now. We're just watching kids, and the guys who are working during the week are the guys who will be playing on Saturday."
On how practice is going...
"We haven't had what I would consider a bad practice all year. We don't tolerate bad practices. If we did have one, then we'd have a much longer practice. We've got really, really good kids. I have only a handful of guys who I wish were a little more upbeat, a little more positive and working a little harder. Out of over 100 kids, if you have only a handful of kids you are concerned, that's pretty good. I like this football team. I like our kids. I like our work ethic. I like everything about it except that we're not winning games."
On the benefit of returning home to play Boston College this weekend...
"You'd like to have a football team that plays well at home and on the road. Our championship team won all of our road games, so that's the kind of football team you'd like to develop. Honestly, I think home field is easier on a young football team. Young guys tend to hyperventilate when their on the road. When their at home, the bad calls and big plays aren't magnified as much because you have a supportive crowd. Hopefully, we'll play better this Saturday playing back at home."
On the rivalry with Boston College...
"I think we're very similar schools. They have great academic standards. They bring good character kids into their school. For whatever reason, we've had some great games with them. If you didn't care who won, you couldn't see better games. We've had games that have literally gone to the last possession. I would expect another good battle with them this Saturday, and hopefully we can play well enough to come out on top."
On Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich...
"You admire kids who have good character and are good students and are good players to start with. The better they play, the more you admire them. When you see a kid who had cancer, surgery and a lot of things to overcome, it makes them that much more special. Unfortunately, he's playing really good right now. I'm happy for that, but at the same time, we have to go against a great player. Not only is he a great player, but he's shown toughness, resolve and determination that you love to see in anybody. He is a heck of a player and a special kid."
On the importance of stopping the run against Boston College...
"They have the leading rusher in the league, and that's always a concern. On both sides of the ball, you start with the running game. That's where you feel like you have to be successful if you're going to win. We have a great challenge. We've not done a great job against Virginia Tech or against Maryland. We have got to really step up against this Boston College running game. They're a big, physical, tough, hard-nosed football team, just like we always expect out of Boston College.
Redshirt Freshman Wide Receiver Michael Campanaro
On whether this is the most difficult season that he has ever been a part of...
"Definitely. Even going back into my pee-wee football days, I've always been on a winning team, and I've always luckily been surrounded by a lot of good players. In high school, of course, I had a lot of success as well. I'm not used to this much losing, but it's a great learning experience for me as well as a lot of the guys on the team. I think we're learning a lot from this year."
On what is tougher to swallow: a close loss or a blowout...
"For me, I think any loss is tough to swallow. I'm not really familiar with losing, and anytime we lose a game it's rough, because you go through the whole week preparing for this team and you put in so much time and effort. It just takes a lot out of you when you lose the game."
On the work in practice translating into game-time situations...
"I think everyone's confident going into the games. Everyone has really bought into our system and believes in the game plans we have going into the games. When we go back and watch it on film, I know personally that it's just a few plays here and there that we're not doing that are changing the game. It's minor details that, as players, we're just not getting it done."
On whether people have offered ideas on what to do better...
"Yeah, I mean people are always saying what we can do better, but they're just fans. It's tough to actually know what's going on and what's going wrong with the Deacs right now."
On finally returning home for the first game in nearly a month...
"I think everyone is looking forward to getting back home and playing in front of the Wake Forest fans. I think we're going to come out and play really well this Saturday."
Redshirt Freshman Defensive End Zach Thompson
On enduring a difficult season...
"The losing is tough. During my high school years it was rare to lose games, so it's different. We're working hard, though, and we're going to bounce back. We've been working hard in practice and in the weight room."
On keeping the morale of the team at a positive level...
"We're just taking it game by game, and not focusing on the past but on what we can control in the future."
On the feeling of playing at home this week after two road games...
"It feels good to be playing at home. I feel like we've been playing better at home this year, and I think we'll come out with a little fire."
On the expectations for Boston College...
"It's going to be a challenge. I've been watching film, and their offensive line is physical, so we need to play physical. Their defense is obviously good, so we just need to come out ready to play."
On stopping Boston College's running game...
"He (Montel Harris) is running behind a physical line, so we just need to play a physical game, and that's basically what it comes down to."
On the development of the Wake Forest defense...
"We're young and we're talented, we just need to be mentally sharp and just do our assignments to help each other out."
