Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Football Press Conference Video & Quotes
10/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 2011
Head Coach Jim Grobe
On getting ready to play Florida State...
"The issue that we have is we are still a young football team, so we still have to focus on us. I think we have to take care of Wake Forest. We know down the stretch, and we've talk to our players, that we have a brutal schedule. We play good teams every week. Every team we play is really talented and has the capability of playing great, so we have to plan on playing great every Saturday to have a chance."
On Florida State's quarterback situation...
"I think when you talk about Florida State, the situation that they have at quarterback is a good situation to be in. (Clint) Trickett played great against Clemson and gave them a chance to win on the road in Death Valley, and we know (EJ) Manuel is a great quarterback. There issue at Florida State isn't as tough as people might think, because as we look at it as coaches, both Trickett and Manuel can play great for them. They have two really great quarterbacks, so it might make it tough for them down the stretch to pick which one they are going to use."
On the team's collective confidence...
"I think our guys know they can win, and I think they know that they have to play to win. They figured it out after the Syracuse game, and again after NC State and Boston College, that they have to make plays down the stretch if we are going to win. It was nice Saturday, because we made some offensive plays late, and we certainly had some nice defensive plays late, that gave us the win. I think we've grown up a lot."
On the growth of Tanner Price...
"The thing that Tanner has learned is that you still have to be smart about your decisions. We made a poor decision in the third quarter at Boston College and got a ball picked off. That gave them momentum and got them back in the game. Tanner is continuing to grow and learn, but so far we are really happy with what he has done."
On not allowing the players to become complacent after already reaching last year's win total...
"Last year is the greatest motivator. We had so many losses last year that it actually was very demoralizing, especially after the tradition we had developed of winning games. I think we can win every Saturday, but we will have to play great to do it. Last year is as much motivation as we need."
On unveiling the new video board at BB&T Field...
"I think it's really exciting. Everybody enjoys having big screens in their home, and I think having a big screen at the stadium is going to be really exciting for the fans. I think it's great for our players, but the people who are going to get the biggest kick out of the video board will be the fans."
Sophomore Quarterback Tanner Price
On your confidence level right now...
"I feel pretty confident right now. A lot of that confidence comes from my teammates. The offensive line is doing an unbelievable job for me and the receivers are making great catches. It's a team effort and I think as a team we're feeling very confident right now."
On being able to throw to Chris Givens and Danny Dembry...
"It's been great. They make you look a lot better. It's easy if you can throw a little five yard pass and Chris takes it forty yards for a touchdown. It's awesome having guys out there like that who make you look better."
On how the coaches are helping you prepare for Florida State's defense...
"We're going to be studying really hard in the film room on what these guys are trying to do. I think overall the coaches have been encouraging and ensuring confidence in us that we can play with these guys. They're making sure that we believe that we're a great team and we can play with anybody."
Senior Outside Linebacker Kyle Wilber
On the defense securing the Boston College win ...
"It feels great. Boston College is a great team. We were having problems with them and we didn't want to give up that many points to them. Our defense was trying to be stronger than last year, when we let every offense score on their first drive. We're just trying to get it together and have people make plays. We don't want it to end up like the Syracuse game where we go into overtime and lose."
On facing an angry Florida State team ...
"They're athletic, they're strong, they're fast. They're everything that you want in a team and now they've got a little fire behind them. They're mad and they need a win. It's going to be a lot harder for us, but we just have to step up to the challenge and do whatever our coaches tell us to do, and hopefully we'll win the game."
Sophomore Safety Daniel Mack
On the confidence of the defense...
"We're playing much better than we did last year. We struggled last season to get stops in critical situations like the Navy and Georgia Tech games. Showing that we can do that and believing in one another to get the job done on third and fourth down has really helped us this year."
On playing in Tallahassee in 2010...
"It was a good experience. I grew up watching them play on TV and finally got a chance to play there. It was a nice atmosphere, but the loss wasn't as good. That definitely made it a bad moment, but it was a lot of fun playing down there."
Senior Tailback Brandon Pendergrass
On what worries you about Florida State defense...
"Their overall team speed. They play real fast, they come to the ball and they hit hard, so it will be a good challenge."
How are you helping to prepare the younger guys for Florida State...
"We're just preparing how we would prepare for anybody any other week - not looking over them, not trying to look at it like their `big Florida State', but just trying to focus like we've been doing week after week and preparing as hard as we can."
On your impression watching Florida State play Oklahoma...
"I was very impressed. I knew Oklahoma was the top team in the country. Even after the quarterback situation, when he went out, I was very impressed with them."
