Home Pitt Press Conference: Ray Vinopal
Sports

Pitt Press Conference: Ray Vinopal

AFP

pittRAY VINOPAL: Todd Thomas, Matt Galambos played a lot last year. Great guys, know what they’re doing, and I can count on them being where they need to be when they’re supposed to be there.  Up front Dave Durham is another guy that you can just count on Dave to be where he’s supposed to be, and on a defense that’s all you need is guys being in the right spot, where they’re supposed to be doing their job. When you’ve got all 11 guys doing that, you’ve got a good defense. As for me specifically, I’m asked to do a lot of different roles sometimes. They move me down to linebacker sometimes. They man me up on the slot or running back to avoid a mismatch with a linebacker. I play back in coverage, this and that.

My goal personally is just to be able to do as many jobs as they ask me to do and do them successfully and in a way that helps our defense stop you from scoring touchdowns.

Q. What kind of impact did Tyler have on the team last year, both statistically and as a person?

RAY VINOPAL: T. Boyd has had a huge impact on the team. He’s one of the most talented guys that we have. He’s very young and the sky’s the limit for Tyler. To see what he did and how he did it I think gives guys on the team confidence in what they can do. You don’t have to be a three-year vet, four-year vet. You can come in right now and make plays just like Tyler did, and having a confident team, teams that believe they can do the things that he did and have that kind of success, you know, spreading that throughout the team is dangerous when people believe in themselves. The sky’s the limit for the amount of wins or points that can be scored or three-and-outs that can be achieved.

Q. When you look back on it at the end of the season, whenever the end of the season is, how do you evaluate your year and your career?

RAY VINOPAL: There’s pretty much going to be two things that I’m going to evaluate this season on. One, did we win a championship and what bowl were we in, and two, did I do everything that I can do to help us win a championship or win a bowl game. I want to be able to end the season saying that I maxed out my capabilities for my team and that our team maxed out its capabilities as a whole.

Multimedia

 




AFP

AFP

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

ben cline
Trump's America

Ben Cline brags about NRA endorsement, A+ rating: Because, of course he would

charlottesville pd
Region/State

Charlottesville Police finally release images they had of alleged Downtown Mall shooter

Remember how we read the riot act to Charlottesville Police for not sharing images that they so ably described in a release about a shooting on the Downtown Mall on Saturday? Three days later, the PD is finally releasing images of the suspect, and asking for y’all’s help. “If you recognize the person pictured or...

waynesboro map
Local

Waynesboro: Mimosa Farm owner asks for delay in vote on permit application

Mimosa Farm owner Jill Wallace asked Waynesboro City Council to table her request for a permit allowing her continue to host events at her residentially-zoned home until January.

flock License plate reader police
Local

Augusta County supervisors want to revisit the future of our Flock cameras

hospital emergency room ambulance accident
Region/State

Greene County: Waynesboro man dies in motorcycle crash on Route 33

acc football replay
Football

What do we know about ACC Football after two weeks? Still not all that much

uva football uva strong
UVA Football

UVA Football: ACC announces kickoff time for Sept. 26 home game