University of North Carolina Athletics
Quotes
October 22, 2005 | Football
Oct. 22, 2005
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NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH John Bunting
Opening Statement:
"The great part about a game like today is you actually get a few hours to go home and enjoy it. A win is a win. That's what it is to me. I'm really proud of the effort these kids had, bouncing back after a difficult loss. They played with tremendous emotion today. Really proud of what the defense did. I think it was the first time in a long, long time we held a team under 200 yards. To hold them just to a field goal is really significant. This team we played can score points, then can move the ball.
"They did a terrific job somewhat containing Hagans and that's hard to do. To see us come out and hold a team to 90 yards rushing is really significant. We're excited about the win but at the same time we know if we do things better and we're a little smarter then we can play better.
"I'm really proud of the effort but we have to continue to try and fix some of these problems. We had a lot of costly holding penalties. That is something that is completely unacceptable to all of us.
"I was really excited about the crowd, the way the second half started with the F-15s. Those guys are special. We are so lucky to have those people. They are so mistake free. Defending us and our country. Having them on our campus and having them speak to the team on Friday was really neat, too. To see them open up the second half got everybody really juiced up to play. Hopefully we can carry over that emotion to next week and Miami.
"Most importantly we were able to stop the run with some very good fits. You saw speed on the defense today with the way we pursuit. The whole defensive staff did a really terrific job on the play-action passes. We had more people around the receivers. Jeff Longhany knocks down a ball on a wheel route to the fastest receiver on their team. You see Trimane Goddard breaking on a ball on a deep over-route almost getting an interception. Our players really zeroed in to the plan and were able to execute on the back end a great deal. We really competed well and a good understanding of what their plan was.
"Nice to see him (Ronnie McGill) rush for over 100 yards. That was a big emphasis for us to have a chance to win was to run the football. For the most part we did an effective job. The holding penalties kill you in the running game. We have to eliminate those mistakes. Barrington is a young football player. Ronnie has been around this program, he knows our running game inside out. To have those two complement each other is terrific. Barrington had some big runs for us."
On stopping their run game:
"Our players did a very good job in preparation and we have more speed out there to get it done. The fits to stop the run game is what it is all about. The guys outside on the edge did a good job of either stringing it out or getting pursuit to the ball. Great team pursuit came back today."
On punt at end of game:
"When the ball left David Wooldridge's foot, I said game over. Then all of a sudden, it's not. And that - makes me mad (laughter in room by media). Mike (Mason) knows he did wrong and he apologized in the locker room and that was good of him.
"You have to play this game with emotion. You have to be smart. We came up with the defensive play of the year. Hopefully we can draw upon that to continue to get better. It was one of the best games we've played on defense since I've been here, particularly against a guy like Hagans who is so dangerous. Our players fed off that crowd out there and fed off each other and kept playing hard."
On the change from two weeks ago:
"It does happen. What's good about the character on this team is they hold themselves accountable. We as a coaching staff can continue to get them better. But there is no substitution for having great kids. I think a number of them grew up today. They played physical, they played tough, they played hard, they played together."
VIRIGINIA HEAD COACH AL GROH
Opening Statement:
"It was really a very simple game. In all phases we just didn't play quite well enough to win. We had the opportunity to make a few plays at the end. In a game like this, which you expect all games in this conference to be close games decided in the fourth quarter, we had the opportunity to make plays and we didn't make the plays. We wish we had but we didn't and we have the result that we have.
"Winning this game would have done us a lot of good. But, I'm consistent in my thinking that they're all one. They don't build. They don't build and they don't subtract. Each week is its own challenge. This week was just a particular challenge. We were just a couple points short on meeting the challenge. We had our chances, you know. All we have to do is get the ball to the 30 yard-line and we're probably going to win the game. So, we're down there twice with the opportunity to do that. Plus, we have an opportunity to have the ball on the two yard-line. So in our last three possessions we had the opportunity to have the ball on the two yard-line or to have the ball on the 30 yard-line, which is well within Conner's range. So, we had our chances and we don't have any complaints.
"It was a pretty even-steven game. But, we didn't make enough plays to change the game. Usually that's what you have to do and usually a lot of those plays have to come in the fourth quarter. We did make stops and had some plays on defense. But, we couldn't come up with enough to give ourselves an opportunity to either score on the two yard-line or get our kicker in the game."
On Carolina's rushing attack:
"We expected it. Knowing their coaches and their mentality, they weren't going to go through the season without running the ball well. So, we anticipated that that would be the case."
On the penalty at the end of the game:
"That's not an important penalty. It had nothing to do with the bearing of the game."
On Carolina's holding penalty toward the end of the game and Virginia's use of a timeout instead of declining the penalty, which would have stopped the clock:
"At that particular time we thought field position was very important. There was a significant gain on that play. That was the issue. So that they get up there close enough and may get it on third down. Then you may never get the ball back. So, in that particular case your only option is to guard your opportunity to get the ball back because if you don't get the ball back you have no chance to win the game. With third down and three, or whatever it was at that point, we wanted to guard our opportunity and try to get the ball back."
On the battle between Carolina's defensive line and Virginia's offensive line:
"We couldn't get any consistency in our running game. So, we weren't able to control the tempo that we would have liked from that respect. We thought that the four guys that they rotated in the middle were going to be our biggest challenge. We anticipated that would be a most critical match-up for us in the game. Obviously we didn't do as well on that match-up as we would have liked to have done coming in here."
On the environment at Kenan Stadium:
"It was a nice day out there. It was a nice crowd. Contrary to some of the places we've been, nobody was abusive. It was just a nice day to play football. Maybe the environment had something to do with their team. But, I don't think the environment had anything to do with our team."
UNC PLAYER QUOTES
On the game as a whole and the two weeks of preparation:
"It wasn't pretty, but it's a win so we'll take it. We went out there and we were resilient. We had a great week of preparation, coaches and players. We put that Louisville stuff behind us. We knew that this game was real big for us, real big in the conference, real big for our confidence. We put all that behind us and we went to work. Guys were flying around, energetic, excited about practice, excited about getting out there and playing again.
"It was another tough game. Those guys fought tough. They came off a real emotional one last week against Florida State so they were riding the wave a little high. We were off all week and people might have thought we may have been a little out of sync, but we came out there and we played our hearts out. Seven-to-five, I'll take it."
On the running game:
"Ronnie's back one hundred percent and that's a big plus for us. With Barrington back there, we have a two-back combination, that's a plus. We put in a lot of pass stuff this week and we simplified the running game. We didn't know how they were going to give us a look this week. Whether they were going to load the box and let us pass or play their regular Cover-2 zone like they have all year. We got into a little rhythm early in the game and ran the ball a little bit. Ronnie got into a rhythm; Barrington got into a rhythm, so we went with what they gave us. When we had to pass we had to come up with big plays as receivers and we did that."
On making several pass break-ups during the game:
"It was just being patient. Coach told me that the key to me playing well was being patient. So basically I just read my keys and made a play on the ball. It was just a lot of preparation, watching a lot of film. Once you watch more film, you get a feel for what you're going to need to do. Coach had us prepared pretty well this week."
On getting the start after coming off the bench the last few weeks:
"I have been waiting for this for a while. I talk to my high school coach a lot and he just told me to be patient and it will come to me. So I was just patient and trusted in the Lord and today was a big game."
On having a positive attitude after last week:
"Basically that was our attitude coming into the game. We had to get a big win. This was a game that was like a make-or-break for the season. We put a lot of work into practice all week and we just stayed focused. We just worked as a team. All week we had great practice and our coaches prepared us well for the game. I can't say much but the team just went out and made plays. It was one of the best games I think I've ever seen. The offensive line was blocking great up front. The defense, they didn't even give up a touchdown. A big game, 69 points, got put up on us two weeks ago to coming out today, I can't do nothing but say those guys played a great game."
On the differing momentums the two teams carried into the game:
"Only other thing I can say is that we're not Florida State. We're the University of North Carolina. We just come out and play like we play. It was a team game. Everybody on this team played a part, even the guys that weren't playing. All week, the scout team to the coaching staff, everybody just came out and played Carolina football."
On the interception:
"I came on a backside blitz and I saw that the quarterback on a bootleg rolling out, so I just went on downfield. I was just running and pursuing. It was just a lucky break, a tipped ball, you just got to make the play."
On the turnaround from two weeks ago:
"We didn't want anyone to just be looking at [the Louisville score] and say that is the way the rest of the season was going to go. So we felt we had to prove something in front of our home crowd this game. We know Virginia is a pretty good team so we had to come out and show everybody else in the ACC what we can do."
On finishing the season strong:
"If we can win out, we can finish first in the ACC. We just have to play our game and play how we know we can and just let things happen how their supposed to."
On the 7-5 score:
"I just shook my head. That's the last thing I expected to win this game 7-5. Our defense played unbelievable. For anyone who was starting to doubt them after the Louisville game, the defense had that for them. They played incredible today. It's nice when you only have to score seven points to win a football game."
On the touchdown:
"It was a play where we can't block the man off the edge and if he blitzes you have to throw it into the flat real quick. I think he blitzed instead of covering Rikki Cook and he was wide open."
On the play of the offense:
"A win is something to celebrate, but as far as our offensive performance there isn't much to celebrate there. We have to shape up as an offense and start executing. We are missing a lot of little things and that's costing us. We just need to shape up to get ready for Miami."
On exceeding media expectations:
"I don't think [the team is overachieving]. I said from the first time I talked to the media up in Virginia, I expect a lot out of this team. Our seniors expect a lot and because we do, the rest of the team expects a lot. We knew we were a lot more talented than one, two, three wins and this team is proving it."
