University of North Carolina Athletics
John Bunting Press Conference Quotes
November 2, 2004 | Football
Nov. 2, 2004
"We are getting ready for Virginia Tech. The Miami game is over. I'm excited about the way a lot of our guys played. Chad Scott had the game of his life and played extremely hard and tough. He really gave us that burst that we've seen and you haven't seen quite as much of, because we've seen it on the practice field so many times. Jason Brown had another great game for us. This guy is playing tremendous football. The whole O-line played extremely well. (Brian) Chacos played one of his best games. The tight ends keep making catches. Jocques Dumas made a lot of great blocks. The offense really executed well. The receivers made some plays - Jesse Holley is doing a terrific job of both blocking and catching.
"And defensively, it was really good to see us, for the first time, stop the run some. That was exciting to see, and hopefully we can build on that because we'll certainly need to do that. The team we play this week is an extremely physical team; they have a great deal of talent. They fly to the ball on defense. They are No. 7 in the country in defense right now. Their quarterback (Bryan Randall) is very exciting, extremely athletic and makes a ton of plays for them. They have young wide receivers that we were very interested in, that are very good players. And we all know about the reputation of Virginia Tech on special teams.
"We've got to do a great job, it's exciting to get a 12 o'clock start, a different time for us to play here at home for our fans. Once again, I'm real hopeful that our team gets refocused on what's important, and that's no longer Miami, it's only Virginia Tech."
On the impact of a tough schedule:
"I've been saying all along that we'll get better, and I think we get better when we play better competition. Those young players are learning lessons on the run. They're talented, they just need to keep learning how to play, and playing against really good teams with great players and great schemes forces us to learn how to play the game."
On building on last Saturday's win over Miami:
"I believe the only way to get confidence - real, genuine confidence - is to practice well, and then have it carry over to a game and have success several games in a row. That's what we've been struggling to do. Each week after a win, we've lost. I'm not going to make a big deal out of that. The big deal for me is how we prepare, and it has been since I set foot on this campus. That will be the name of the game for me, and this football team, as we prepare this week."
On the overall strength of the ACC:
"I said it was going to be a great league. It's going to be fun in the years to come to follow this league and be involved in this conference."
On the play of Doug Justice:
"Doug played very well the other night (against Miami), and he was the defensive MVP as selected by our staff. He was replaced in the starting lineup (earlier in the season) by Fred (Sparkman), and he never moaned, never groaned. All he did was help Fred, Larry (Edwards) and Tommy Richardson. He is a very positive force on our defense. He's limited somewhat speed-wise and size-wise, but he's very bright. He's in the right place. He understands the scheme extremely well, and he's a coach on the field. Because of all his experience we felt pretty comfortable having him go out and play against Miami, and he'll start against Virginia Tech also."
On Chad Scott:
"He's gotten some playing time, he's made some big plays. Our problem has been keeping him healthy, and getting that consistency of practice time. He doesn't get as many practice snaps as Ronnie McGill or Jacque Lewis, but there are flashes of brilliance every time he's in a practice session. I'm just excited that he had that type of game, because it should open some doors for him for the rest of the season. He's a fine student, and he's got tremendous character. He's been a pleasure to be around in our football program. I'm just thrilled for him, because it couldn't happen for a better kid."
