Music City Bowl Press Conference Quotes
12/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 29, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen addressed the media prior to Friday's Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.
Wake Forest Head Coach Jim Grobe
Opening Statement...
"We're really excited to be in Nashville. We're very blessed to have an opportunity to play again. I think our guys went through a pretty demanding schedule this year. We had some good wins, and we had some really tough losses. It's certainly a great opportunity for us to have a chance to play one more game. We have a really tough opponent in Mississippi State. Dan (Mullen) and his staff do a really good job playing a tough schedule. They've played some of the better teams in the country, so we really have a great challenge ahead of us tomorrow. We're really excited to be in the Music City Bowl."
On the team's readiness heading into the Music City Bowl...
"I think we'll find out tomorrow night whether we've handled the distractions well. I think one of the keys with this team is that we've tried to let the kids enjoy the bowl experience and at the same time have them realize they're getting ready to play a really good football team."
On the team's level of excitement...
"They were really cranked up this morning. We had a chance to come over and take a team picture and let the guys walk around the stadium. They were taking lots of pictures, and I think it kind of hit home that they were getting ready to play a game again. It's an exciting time for our players."
On how the team will respond to playing in an NFL Stadium - LP Field...
"It's the same for both teams. It's a little bit of a different environment, but we play on the road a lot and play in different stadiums every year, particularly since our non-conference schedule changes year in and year out. Our guys are used to playing in stadiums their unfamiliar with, but it's kind of a level playing field because both teams have the same job."
On this being an ACC vs. SEC matchup...
"We haven't even brought up the ACC/SEC thing. Dan's team, like ours, has played a brutal schedule. They're one of the teams in the country, because the play such a tough schedule, that probably doesn't get as much recognition as it should, so our focus has been on the Bulldogs. We're going to play a really good football team tomorrow night, and hopefully our guys aren't too focused on ACC/SEC."
Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen
Opening Statement...
"This has been a great event so far for us and a great opportunity for our young men. The thing that makes this special is the celebration of the season and to reward them for having a great season - not just the reward of getting to play a football game, but an educational reward to get to come here and enjoy the city of Nashville and all of its people."