Miami vs. Virginia Tech Post-Game Quotes
Nov. 14, 2008
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Miami head coach Randy Shannon
– On the success of the offense
“Watching Virginia Tech all season, they only play 13 guys on defense. We knew if we could wear them down, we’d be effective on offense.”
– The freshmen
“They’ve got a lot to learn still.”
– On the team
We feel really good. We’re on the right track and definitely headed in the right direction.”
– On the way they controlled the game
“For us to come out and win this football game the way we did was tremendous. We managed the game and didn’t want to get third and longs.
– On Tyrod Taylor
“We knew he was going to be ready to play but we didn’t know how much. When he comes in the game he’s more of a runner and Glennon is more of a passer. We had to adjust the calls, but they ran the offense and that’s the key to it. They’re going to run the offense and it’s not going to change very much.”
Miami Quarterback Robert Marve
– On the confidence he had in the defense
“I felt really comfortable in the situation. I felt that on that one drive to score a touchdown, but besides that I think that they went more backwards then they did forwards. I felt strong about it and had great confidence. I wasn’t worried about it at all.”
– On how the team has evolved
“I think every team needs some time. Once you learn how to win things just keep on rolling. Now we’re trying to fight as a group and fight together.”
– Is there a turning point?
“When you look back at the last two games that we lost, we lost by a total of six points. So I think it was more about getting out there to get wins. The Central Florida game definitely gave us a little confidence.”
Miami Defensive Lineman Allen Bailey
– On the game
“It felt good to get a win. It felt good to make a play and then celebrate the team victory.”
– On his progression at a new position
“I got some things I need to get better at. I just need to learn the position and learn the smaller things technique-wise I feel like I’m getting better each week and each game at a new position.”
– On wearing them down
We knew both of their quarterbacks were injured so I knew they were going to start out running. We wanted to stop the run so they would start passing. We worked on our pass rushing last week so we felt our preparation was really good for this game.”
Miami Running Back Javarris James
– On what the win means
“It was a great victory for us. We talked about how we were supposed to play for the seniors. These guys have been here for 4,5 years. We went out and did everything possible for them.”
– Most rewarding win?
“I would say yes for now because it’s a very important victory for us. We knew coming in that If we got a chance to do some of the things on offense and defense, we’d have a chance to beat these guys.”
– On the offense
“We came in and we knew that in order to win the game we were going to have to get them to spread their guys a lot. They like to blitz and it gave us a chance for both of our quarterbacks to run.”
Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer
On game…
“Congratulations to Miami, I thought they played really well. I was hoping we could come in here and run the ball better. I think it goes back to them playing extremely well. The story of the game was field position in the third quarter. It all started with our kick-off returns and not getting the ball back up the field. I think we only had the ball six plays in the third quarter. It’s hard to beat a good football team when you have the ball only six plays in a whole quarter. We played the whole quarter on our side of the field and our defense kept battling. We never gave in. Our offense got in there in the end, going in there for a score. We got the ball back and had a chance to win it in the last series. The thing that we have to do is go home and take care of business and get to eight wins, which is going to be tough to do. I’m proud of the way we hung in there, it was a tough loss.”
On Miami’s defense…
“They were flying to the ball good, don’t get me wrong, but I think the story of the game was the field position.”
On Miami’s progress…
“They have some good players and they were playing hard.”
On not playing TB Darren Evans in the end of the game…
“Dustin Pickle is our two-minute back.”
On the difference from last week on offense…
“I give Miami credit, I thought they did a good job. They were a little quicker than last week and we didn’t get them blocked as well as last week. That’s the bottom line.”
On the plan for the passing game…
“Well, we want to mix it up, but you got to run it to be able to pass. The game was right there at halftime, and we played the whole third quarter on our side of the field. That’s tough.”
Split End Danny Coale
On game compared to last week…
“We didn’t get that jump that we did last week. I don’t think that we had the momentum that we did last week. We had to overcome a little too much, a little too late. We just have to come out swinging.”
On game plan…
“You always have a plan, but it always changes. I think it was to establish the run, and we needed it to open up the pass a little bit, so we started to throw it a little bit. You have to see where the game takes you.”
Quarterback Sean Glennon
On tough loss…
“This puts us in a position we didn’t want to be in, where it’s not in our control.”
Linebacker Purnell Sturdivant
On being on the field for so long in the second half…
“In the third quarter, the offense was on the field for maybe a minute and then we were back on the field. They had another minute-long series and then we were on the field for the rest of the third quarter.”
Cornerback Victor Harris
On Aldarius Johnson’s fumble in the fourth quarter…
“When I wrapped around him I felt the ball. The way I twisted my body I was either going to slam him to the ground or the ball was going to pop out. The ball popped out, but the ball ended up in their hands. That’s what kind of night it was for us, the ball was favoring Miami. They played a great game tonight, my hat goes off to Miami. I love Miami’s swagger. I just love playing against Miami in a game like this.”
On a different Miami team…
“Oh yeah, they are back. I told Coach Shannon that I like how he runs his program. They are definitely on the rise.”
On scouting both Miami QBs Marve and Harris…
“They really are a dual threat. Both of those guys have crazy athleticism, both of them throw the ball well. These young guys on film, scouting them, I have never seen a bunch of young guys just sit in the pocket and deliver the ball and not even worry about the pressure.”
