University of North Carolina Athletics
Head Coach John Bunting Bowl Press Conference Quotes
December 7, 2004 | Football
Dec. 7, 2004
Head Coach John Bunting Bowl Press Conference Quotes - 12/7
"It was great being here this past weekend with a lot of recruits and seeing Darian Durant introduced midway through the first half (of the basketball game against Kentucky) and get all the deserved attention. The ovation brought a tear to my eye. Then to be able to walk out there with the seniors at halftime and see our fans and students appreciate what those kids have done this year was a thrill."
"We've got some other good news. Gary Tranquill will be returning next year to coach our offense. He's one of the great offensive minds in the country and I'm extremely excited about that as is the rest of our football program. This guy is a genius. He works at it, loves it and has a passion for this game and his offense. I know Matt Baker is thrilled he'll be back, as is the offensive staff and the players. We finished at the top in offense, we led the conference statistically in conference games, which is remarkable but not a surprise to me."
"We're excited about the way the season concluded and we have a big game coming up playing against a top opponent that had a chance to go to a BCS bowl. They are physical, big, have some young linebackers that play hard and play fast. They've got a stout defensive front. Their secondary is led by a senior, a tough safety and good tackler. They're very good against the run. We hope to be there someday stopping the run each and every game. They're a very well-coached team. Offensively their quarterback they say will be back. He's a playmaker similar to Darian. They have tight ends that make a lot of plays for them. These guys enter the ACC next year so I have a great deal of respect for their head coach and defensive and offensive coordinators."
"I love playing this game in Charlotte. I love having the opportunity for all our students and fans to be able to come to Charlotte. It's an easy drive, and they can come pay their respects to this great group of seniors. This is a great opportunity for all these people to honor what these kids did this year. Something nobody besides the people in our building and a few others thought we could ever do."
On when he heard from Coach Tranquill and the importance of his return:
"Yesterday. I've had a couple of conversations with him. It's extremely important knowing that Darian is leaving. We need some continuity here with Matt Baker, who has been the first or second backup for two or three years. Matt has had some opportunities to play and done well. The first meeting I had after the Duke game was with Matt, because I wanted to make sure he was as excited as I was. Talking with some people on our staff, their faces light up (about Tranquill). It's probably our number-one recruit. The quarterbacks coming into this program are excited about it too."
On how well Durant played this year:
"He saved the best for last. We spoke earlier in the season where we didn't connect. It wasn't always him. We just weren't as sharp through training camp or the first half of the season as we wanted to be with our passing game. That was both the quarterback and receiver, and sometimes the protection although we did a pretty good job protecting our quarterback. Down the stretch, Darian is a clutch guy. We were patient and he was patient with himself and his receivers. There's no better evidence of that than the Wake Forest game when he had eight or nine dropped balls. He doesn't holler at anybody. He just goes out and plays and wins. We weren't always healthy at receiver, and when Adarius (Bowman) stopped playing, we lost our number one receiver. (Darian) is extremely special to me. Not only for the records he's broken. To see him come through in the clutch is not a surprise to me. He has a tremendous amount of confidence and passion for the game. He's very smart. He's a tough kid, a fast kid, a strong kid. He's always had that touch and has a great feel for the game. I compliment him and I compliment Tranquill for doing a great job coaching him."
On Durant's pro future:
"He is playing in the Gridiron Classic so he'll get a chance to show the pro people what he can do. He is someone the pros are going to have to take a long, hard look at. It doesn't happen overnight. It didn't happen for Ronald (Curry) overnight. Whether Darian plays another position or plays in the World League or Arena League or Canadian League, he has a future in football. He also could be a great coach. He has those abilities. He has a peace and calmness about him but has a lot of fury inside him about the game, and that's what football is all about."
On bowl ticket sales:
"I've heard we're nearing 30,000 of our own ticket sales. I'm not surprised. Our fans have been great. There's a lot to like about this team. I know they want to see us play our best game against BC and see these seniors play their last game. It's a great stadium and a great venue to play. I love Charlotte."
On the reception he's gotten on the recruiting trail:
"The recruits and parents are thrilled, both with the season we've had and the announcement that our contract is now a five-year contract. When you recruit, parents are looking at that. People are talking, whether it's media or other recruiters, and they say that staff is a lame-duck staff. They use that. I know who they are. That's been hard. But I knew we were going to get it done and we would show people we'd have a new contract at the end of this year. They were wrong. We were right. It feels good to me."
On the importance of Chad Scott:
"We're not surprised Chad did what he did but we had never seen it. The only problem we've had with Chad is sometimes he hasn't been able to practice or finish games. We've seen glimpses of what he can do. He stayed healthy and gained a lot of confidence. He has a tremendous amount of burst. He can take an 8-yard gain and turn it into a 20-yard gain. He is the fastest of our backs."
On the importance of the senior class:
"I didn't get to know the seniors that well that helped us win all those football games and the Peach Bowl in 2001. I did whatever I could to help those kids in a short period of time. I've been with these guys. I've lived through their sorrow and despair in the 2002 and 2003 season. We got our brains beat out in 2002 and had our hearts broken in 2003. This was the greatest combination of talent and leadership we've had here, and the emphasis is on the leadership. These kids made a huge commitment starting with the meeting after the Duke game last year. Jason Brown said, `I don't want to spend Christmas with my family, I want to spend it with this family.' Darian Durant, Jacque Lewis were up in front of that team. We had a meeting with the seniors and Dick Baddour at my house this summer and Greg Warren nearly came to tears because he said all he wanted to do was go to a bowl game. They didn't talk about it a whole lot because I wanted them to focus on the week-to-week. I knew we weren't good enough to just walk in and beat everybody. The teams we lost to were a combined 47-9. Those are some great teams. We're not a great team year. But we're a team that showed tremendous resilience and a tremendous amount of togetherness to keep working and striving week after week."
