University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes
October 28, 2006 | Football
Oct. 28, 2006
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John Bunting after 24-17 loss to Wake Forest
Well, it was a very competitive game and once again we come up on the short end. It's really, really disappointing for our kids. I thought they did for the most part a terrific job trying to get ready for this game. We came unglued a couple of times and did some things that really hurt us. I am proud of the effort they gave. I was excited for them on the sideline the way they continued to respond and play. Once again we come up short in a game we had a chance to win. It would have been great for them and great for my coaches and I am really disappointed that we couldn't have enjoyed those types of rewards that are so fun when you work so hard in a week of preparation.
We were close in a lot of different ways but close is not good enough.
All week long my staff was extremely focused. Obviously there were a lot of things going on that tear at you a little bit in terms of your preparation, but I thought the players did a terrific job and the coaches did a terrific job through the week.
(fan reaction on the Old Well Walk)
I really, really appreciate that. The first thing I did when I got into the locker room was to get printed up on the big dry erase board "Our focus is on us and Wake Forest." I did not want that (the fan reaction) to detract from what the players needed, which was to focus on themselves, our plan and Wake Forest. As much as I appreciated it, it means a lot, but that support has been ringing through and through, from the radio show forward and so many other people calling, emailing...that was very nice.
We had 40 plays to their 19 in the first half. I was hoping we'd come back out and get a stop, which we did after they got a first down, and dominate and try to wear them out some. But to their credit they were able to hold, (we) kicked a field goal and then they came back for a long drive, the Bataan death march out there, seven and half minutes, or whatever it was before they kicked a field goal.
(spiking the ball)
We wanted to spike the football and give us two shots into the end zone. That was the plan we talked about.
I think our kids have wanted to play all year, but we have not done enough things to win football games and play consistently. I think the emotion was very high on the sidelines. There are some great rivalries in the ACC, in this state. Wake Forest is one of those. They are ranked coming in. It would have been great for our players. As I said to our players in the locker room, `to deserve something you've got to earn it.' And we didn't earn it.
(quarterback play)
We were hoping the growth each week would be sufficient enough for us to start putting things together. I want you to remember one thing that's very, very important - it's not just about the quarterbacks. It is about other players play also on offense and the coaches that coach them. This is a thing that has not been effective the way we want it to be, the way we expect it to be. And we are all in this together and we have not achieved enough.
(McGill)
He played extremely well. That's two weeks in a row. Powerful, running back with tremendous amount of heart and soul. We had going what we wanted in the first half and I wanted to come out in the second half and do some of the same things. I think Ronnie had a terrific game.
Coach Jim Grobe Quotes - Wake Forest
On how Wake Forest won the game:
"I have no idea. I really have no idea, I told the kids, that we find some pretty neat ways to win football games. This is one of the first teams I have been on that you don't pretty much have an idea each Saturday how you're going to do it. A lot of times we have years we have been really explosive on our offense and our defense is struggling. We have some years we weren't good offensively and our defense was a little better. Kicking game has been pretty consistent, we've been pretty good lately in the kicking game, but our guys just find a way to compete and I think having the older players who have been here before when it gets to be crunch time somebody steps up and finds a way to make a play."
On how the start of the game went:
"Honestly I thought we had a pretty good chance to be a good football team because this is the first team I've had that wasn't relying on a lot of young guys to take the field. I did not have any idea that we would lose Ben Mauk in the first game along with Mike Andrews in the third game and then Arby Jones, but I do feel like that this start is something that we have been building for a long time and its just we've had a lot of heartbreakers the last three years. I think we just got some older kids now that have learned how to win football games and so I am not sure we do it very pretty but it certainly a good feeling to win more of those close games then we had in the past."
On a game plan if Carolina had scored at the end of the game:
"Will we really were planning for overtime, and I thought that's what was going to happen. I don't know what John [Bunting] had in mind, but we were planning that's what coverage you were on, I was on the phone with Lobo (offensive coordinator Steve Lobotzke) and talking about overtime, so we were preparing for overtime. Now that's before the long pass, we did not expect to let them in. I was hoping we wouldn't let them in and go into overtime certainly after the long pass we were expecting an overtime situation."
On the status of freshman from Cary, Josh Adams:
"We're down to four games left in the season. What we would have to do is when we get back on Monday as a coaching staff, what we would have to decide is he really the guy and is he going to get all the snaps like Chris Barkley played with. It would have be that type of decision. The only way we could do that is if we kind of shelve the other guys and say, `you're the man'. I don't think there's any way in the world we would take a kid like that and give him five or ten carries in a game. He'd have to be the guy and I'm not saying he won't, but if De'Angelo continues to carry it the way's he is carrying it I thought the Travo Woods has not been on the field that much and he went out there and did not panic. We'll just have to see it's going to be a decision that whether we can get by with two or if we feel we can up to three running backs."
UNC Player Quotes
On whether he was the target of the last play of the game:
"I believe so. I wasn't quite sure where (Jon) Hamlett was at, but I believe so. That one was going to me."
On close games this season:
"We played hard. Those guys played extremely hard, they're confident and they had everything going but I think we gave a great effort. You know, sometimes, great efforts don't win football games. We've got a big challenge in front of us next week, we've got to come back Monday and still try to put things together. This season is not over we're going to fight to the finish. Football is the one thing we have left, you know, to kind of go out there and ease our mind from all the other crazy stuff."
On the team's reaction in practice this past week after the news of Bunting's firing:
"This is a resilient team. We came to work Monday like nothing happened and that's what we're going to continue to do; work hard and prepare for games. We're going to prepare for Notre Dame."
On playing these last games harder for Coach Bunting:
"I think you want to win and play hard for yourself. You know that is what you go out to play football for every Saturday despite the circumstances. You can add these circumstances on to it and give you kind of extra initiative. Your goal as a football player and coach is to go out there and play hard and win football games regardless of the circumstances. This gives us an added push to go out there and really win and really play hard for Coach Bunting. I think as a football player and as football teams you go out there week in and week out to win football games and play hard."
On the last play of the game:
"A lack of execution. I guess you call a play we haven't run in a while, a very basic play, and (there is a) lack of execution. If anything had to happen, it had to come down like that, I would rather us lose that way, put the blame on me than on anyone else, cause we worked very hard and those games are tough. Especially that one, we were in that game the entire time, once again mistakes hurt us."
On who he was trying to throw to the last play of the game:
"Well initially it was a double-move by our inside three-by-one receiver, which is our tight end, he got jammed on the line of scrimmage and our inside guy was Jesse Holley, made a double-move and I was trying to stick it on him, inside tight. Sure enough the MIKE linebacker ran underneath it, he made a really good play. Usually, when you go three-by-one like that, you displace some guys and you create some seams there, it was very tight within the end zone there, you only have so much to work with and they made a good play."
On the last three plays of the game:
"It wasn't that bad because we felt we had a pretty good red zone package to follow that, we were down to the two or three yard line so we felt we could go in and score. When I slipped, I guess I didn't trust my speed, cause of course I would want that back because now I'd really just take it to the pylon and dive for it."'
On the week being different emotionally for the team:
"Yeah, I guess it took some pressure off and it allowed us to just go out there and play the game. We really had a great week of practice, we enjoyed being out there and it was fun. Coaches had a positive attitude; so the team does. We were really excited going into this game."
On having a "win one for coach" mentality for this game:
"It was more so win one for the program and restore what's left to restore."
On the rest of the season:
"We aren't just going to bail out just because we lost another game. We're still going to continue to try to win as best as possible. We know we've got Notre Dame next week. We come in tomorrow, we watch film, we're gonna get prepared for them"
On looking forward to the Notre Dame game:
"I don't really know anything about Notre Dame, but any opponent that I go against as a Carolina Tar Heel, I'm going to be ready to play."
On the emotional circumstances surrounding the game spurring the team on:
"It did because it was an in-state rival. The last couple times we played them, we had terrific special teams that helped us win so much. So we knew coming into this game that they was going to look for some kind of redemption and we tried our best not to give them anything, we're going to make them earn it."
On moving to tight end:
"They approached me actually. They told me I was going to play a little tight end this week. I was going to get the opportunity to play. It was an opportunity I was hoping for. I just had to take advantage of it and catch every ball. I did that."
On the two tight end offense opening up the running game:
"It was great. We had everything going in that two tight end; we've just got to make more things happen. We've got to execute. We've just got to win."
