Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer talks with the media. Virginia Tech (7-2, 5-0 ACC) plays at North Carolina (6-3, 3-2 ACC) on Saturday.
Opening Statement
You look at this North Carolina crowd, it’s an exceptional football team. You’ve got a quarterback, Yates, who’s playing very, very well, completing 66 percent of his passes; I think 15 touchdowns on only 4 interceptions. Receiver Jones has been doing great here lately and that goes along with some other guys there. You look at them defensively, the linebackers as a group are just unbelievable, then the front four. I think it’s probably the best defense we’ve played up until right now so this is a real challenge this week, so that’s what we’ve got.
On who will replace Dyrell Roberts for kick return, will it be Tony Gregory?
Yea, and Gregory’s got some speed, and Davon Morgan has done it, you know we’ll use him some back there also, but I think Tony Gregory’s kind of got the same kind of speed that we need back there.
With Roberts out, who will replace him on offense?
You know Marcus Davis needs to step up and he is, he’s getting better all the time, but he needs to be a real threat in there also because Dyrell certainly had the ability to get deep and he came up with some great catches but I think Marcus Davis has the same kind of ability so we’re going to give him that opportunity.
On playing the regular defense with Kyle Fuller in there as whip linebacker, why was that decision made and how would you assess it?
I thought it looked okay, you know you want to get as good athletic ability out there on the perimeter as you could and Kyle is an athletic guy that is very heady. A couple times I thought he kind of got into a situation where you’d like to have a guy a little bit stronger and bigger out there but you know that’s the thing about that offense, in some situations you’d like to have athletic ability and some situations you’d like have a little bit bigger, stronger guy but overall I thought it worked out okay, Kyle did well.
On Bruce Taylor’s play, while nursing a sore ankle, were you impressed?
Yea I really was, he had an exceptional game. He played very tough, even though he might not have been quite full speed on his ankle I thought he was tough at the point of attack and really played well. We graded him with 11 tackles, six assists, and two sacks, two big hits, and two exceptional plays. I thought he played very, very well.
On Antoine Hopkins’ play
We had him down with six tackles, six assists and two exceptional plays and he hung in there tough too right there at the point of attack which is where you have to be strong you can’t be getting knocked around and I thought he held his own, as well as John Graves, I thought both those guys gave us an exceptional football game.
On North Carolina’s front four on defense, how much of a challenge will if be for your offensive line?
Yea I think it’s a tremendous challenge, I think their front seven is just exceptional. And like I said I think their whole defense probably the best defense we’ve played, they’ve really got some talented kids playing in that defense. And their whole football team, there are a lot of talented guys.
On rooting against Miami and North Carolina on Saturday to take a three game lead in the division race
I kind of have figured out in this league that you better take care of your own business, you know it’s week to week and we better get ready to go play a great football game against North Carolina, that’s really what it’s going to take.
On the distractions and injuries that North Carolina has faced, do you see any similarities to what you guys have gone through with resiliency?
They have really great players, you look at those three linebackers, and put them together and you talk about speed, and toughness, and strength. And then you look at their front four and put those guys together I mean they’ve just got great players. They’ve had some distractions that’s for sure but when those players get there on the field on Saturday they’re not distracted, they’re getting after it.
On Dyrell Roberts status
Yea he’s still in the hospital and still getting treatment there.
On Roberts’ and when you got the phone call about it
I think he ended up going to the hospital about 4 o’clock in the morning, it was swollen on him and he’s been there ever since. I think he had a tough, tough deal; his thigh was very swollen.
Could you imagine having a season where you have to wonder week to week who’s eligible to play and who’s not?
Yea all I know is the team that they put out on the field is a very, very talented football team and I think for them to go down to Florida State and win down there speaks volumes. The other things certainly are distractions, but they don’t play distracted on Saturday.
Could you imagine coaching long enough to win 400 games like Joe Paterno?
Somebody was telling me that for me to get there I’d have to go 20 more years and I’ve got a few more years in me, I don’t think I have twenty though but that’s quite an accomplishment, you know you think about that and not anybody else is close so you know that’s quite an accomplishment.
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