Weekly Football Press Conference Video & Quotes
12/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2011
Music City Bowl Guitar Presentation Featuring CEO Scott Ramsey and Wake Forest Head Coach Jim Grobe:
On making it back to a bowl game...
"It's a great feeling, especially because not too many people counted on us being in one this year. Last year was tough because we played so many young kids, but we still have a young football team and we played a really brutal schedule, so to have a chance to play in the postseason again is pretty cool."
On looking back at the regular season...
"I was pretty pleased with our football team this year. I thought that we played hard all year. I am very disappointed with the way that we ended the season against Vanderbilt, I was disappointed with the way that we played at North Carolina, and I was disappointed with the way that we played against Virginia Tech, but for the most part, we played pretty good football all year. We got good effort out of our guys, and we were leaking a little bit of oil at the end of the season - we'd played so many good teams in a row, especially that stretch where we played poorly at Carolina, had a great effort against Notre Dame, had a great effort against Clemson and then finally got bowl eligible against Maryland. We didn't bring much into the Vanderbilt game, but I thought throughout the season, we got as much out of these guys as we could.
On the play of Tanner Price this season...
"Tanner had only two or three games that I can think of where he didn't play his best football, and unfortunately, the times that he didn't play his best, most of the other guys didn't play their best, but that's kind of how it goes when you have a team that throws the ball as much as we do. You kind of hang it on the quarterback, and the good news is that he played well in a lot of games this year. He's a young guy that's going to get better and better, and hopefully we get his best game in the Music City Bowl.
On going to the Music City Bowl...
"I was ecstatic at being in a bowl game this year. When I was at the Air Force Academy, we played in the Independence Bowl and really liked that one, but I've had a lot of my buddies that have told me that the Music City Bowl is fantastic. It's a great time, playing on (December) 30th, that gives our fans a chance to get Christmas out of the way and then head over to Nashville. Certainly for our football players, it gives them a chance to go home for Christmas and then go to Nashville. We're excited. It's a great bowl. It's a really tough team in Mississippi State. But it's played at a great time not only for our football team, but also for our fans."
On having the chance to play another SEC school after losing to Vanderbilt...
"We're just happy that we get to play again, whether it be against the SEC, Big Ten or whomever. It gives us an opportunity to play one more time, and we didn't play well at the end of the last one against Vanderbilt. It's not so much redemption as a chance to get back out and play better football.
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl President & CEO Scott Ramsey
On why he is excited for Wake Forest to play in Nashville ...
"First of all, our partnership with the ACC has been incredibly successful and popular, not only in Nashville but in our community as a whole. This being the sixth year with that partnership, I think having a team that we have not yet had the opportunity to host is exciting. I think the reputation of Wake Forest being a first-class administration to work with behind the scenes and a football team that will represent the university well and play hard and present a great product for the fans who come to the game precedes itself. We're looking forward to having them in town."
On what he likes about an ACC vs. SEC matchup in the bowl game ...
"We started the game 14 years ago. We've always said we don't try to be anybody that we're not. I think we're a great destination city for the southeast United States for a three- to four-day window. We really work hard on trying to make it a trip that fans can be at home on Christmas and be at home on New Year's if they want and still come spend three or four days in Nashville. The ACC/SEC matchup has given us the opportunity to maximize the regional fan base and give people the chance to come for one or two nights or three or four nights. (Fans) have the accessibility from a travel standpoint."
Junior Wide Receiver Chris Givens
On how the team improved over last season...
"Really we just worked all year and stayed focused on our goal as a team to get back to a bowl game. We really didn't want to send the seniors out on a bad note by finishing how we finished last year. We approached each week like it was our last week of football and played as hard as we could."
On playing an SEC team...
"It feels really good. It gives us a great opportunity to rebound from Vanderbilt. As a team, we didn't show our true potential against them and they came out and beat us pretty badly. We're looking to rebound in the bowl game against Mississippi State."
On the excitement of playing in the Music City Bowl...
"We know that it's going to be a lot of fun in Nashville. We're looking forward to all being down there together, having fun and going out to play the game that we love."
Senior Linebacker Kyle Wilber
On having a "grudge" against the SEC...
"We don't really have a grudge with them. They're seen as one of the top conferences in football and we want to show that the ACC is one of the top ones too."
On Mississippi State's offense...
"They're a strong, powerful SEC team. They're going to try to run it down your throat and try to overpower you. That's the typical SEC style of play."
On playing on a national stage...
"This is a great opportunity, especially for all of our seniors. After this we're hoping to get invited to the Senior Bowl, but if we don't we're going to look for jobs after this. It's a great opportunity to play at least one more time."
Senior Running Back Brandon Pendergrass
On being in postseason play again...
"It's very excited to be back in postseason play. We were excited to learn that we would be in the Music City Bowl; it's a big bowl against a big opponent. We're just excited right now and we're trying to be focused and ready to go."
On first hearing about the invitation to Nashville...
"There was no research needed, we had already heard of the Music City Bowl. It's one of the games that we were really hoping to be able to go to; we just didn't think that with our performance against Vanderbilt that we were going to make it. Once we learned who our opponent was going to be, we went into work mode."
On recovering from the tough Vanderbilt loss...
"We're a very resilient football team. As seniors, we really want to work with the young guys to keep their minds focused. If we lose a tough game, we just have to bounce back by practicing hard and getting ready for the next game."
Sophomore Nose Guard Nikita Whitlock
On what to take from the Vanderbilt game...
"I kind of work on a 24-hour rule, and I think the team does, as well. I think that's how we get come past a lot of these tough losses and get over a lot of these big wins. You have 24 hours to celebrate. You have 24 hours to dwell on it. After that, you have to look forward to the next week."
On the opportunity to play in another game...
"I wanted another game to show that the team that showed up against Vanderbilt wasn't the team that we can be and we are. Playing an SEC school does make it better and puts a cherry on top of the ice cream, but other than that, it's still ice cream."
On playing in a big stadium...
"I played in Cowboy Stadium. That's the biggest stadium I've played in, and it was interesting. It's not too nerve wracking, so I think we'll be able to handle it."
Sophomore Quarterback Tanner Price
On being able to lead his team into a bowl game...
"It's really exciting, and I've had so much help this year with the senior leadership. The whole team has just played really well this year. It's been a fun year, and we're excited to have achieved a goal that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. Now we want to complete that goal by winning the game."
On having another chance to put up a good performance...
"It's exciting to have one more game. I think all of us were disappointed in the way we played against Vanderbilt, and it really wasn't a good outing or a representation of our team. To have a chance to play one more game and to show the nation what we're made of is fun and exciting."
On playing in a game with a lot of national attention...
"We've only had a couple since I've been here, and I think this will be one of the biggest games that we've had the opportunity to play in. It's going to be really fun, and I think we're excited to play on a national level."
Senior Free Safety Josh Bush
On having the opportunity to end his career with a win...
"Having one game left is kind of the gift and the curse of being a college athlete. You're blessed to have that opportunity to go to a bowl game, but in the back of your mind you know it will be your last game. You just want to come out and give it your all."
On being able to get back to a bowl game...
"Last season, I got calls from Chip (Vaughn) and Alphonso (Smith) all the time after every game asking, `What happened?' It's a huge turnaround to make it back to a bowl game, and those guys are proud of us. This is just another step in leading this program in the right direction."
On his initial reaction to finding out the team would be playing in the Music City Bowl...
"It was pretty much automatic excitement. When Coach Grobe announced it to us, the whole room went crazy, so we're very excited to get there."
