University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes
September 20, 2008 | Football
Sept. 20, 2008
Recap |
Final Stats |
Notes |
Photo Gallery 1 
|
Photo Gallery 2
Butch Davis following the Virginia Tech game:
Obviously it's very disappointing tom lose a game like this. We played so well for the first 30 minutes of the game, then played so poorly for the second 30 minutes of the game. We knew going into the game that playing Virginia Tech is a tight fit. It always is. They're the type of program that they are not going to give you a lot of things. You're not going to run up and down the field offensively, you're not going to dominate defensively and get all these spectacular special teams plays. It's going to be a tight fit and you can't waste opportunities.
You can't have opportunities in front of you that give you a chance to win a ballgame and you can't capitalize on them because they will come back to haunt you. You can't miss a field goal. You can't get the ball inside the 35 yard line - I think we had it down there three times today and came away with no points. It's too hard against a good football team. Virginia Tech is a good football team. They are fundamentally sound, very well coached. Their players play hard. They are not going to surrender. You are going to have to play the entire 60 minutes. As we stood in front of you 10 days ago and talked about beating Rutgers the formula was protecting the football and creating turnovers. Obviously we lost the turnover war today. When you turn the ball over four times it is almost impossible to win ballgames. I think our players pressed a little bit late in the ballgame when the momentum shifted. Is that due to being young and inexperienced? I there's some validity to some of that stuff. I think some it is you have to play one play at a time.
I think the defense played very well for long periods of time until they just wore out.
Special teams wise in most respects you would call it a wash for the day. I think Terrence Brown did a spectacular job today as he has done all year long. He's such a gifted kid in his ability to place the ball, and keep the ball out of people's hands.
(on Tech's long drive)
I think they started to make some plays. We didn't tackle as well. One of the things we did so very well in the first half was tackle well. Whether it was one on one tackles or gang tackles, there were several times where they would almost make a first down and we would make a tackle and they would come up a yard short. We were flying to the ball. We didn't tackle quite as well later in the ballgame.
(on not cashing in on scoring chances)
One of the things that is frustrating is you're not going to get four, five, six yards a down every single snap against Virginia Tech. It's not going to happen. I've watched it for the better part of 10 or 15 years When you get big plays and we had some, you've got to follow it up, you've got to get a first down, you've got to make a couple more plays and you've got to get the ball in the end zone. When you get a big play opportunity you've got to capitalize on those.
If you lose the turnover war and you make a lot of penalties, you are probably going to lose the game.
North Carolina Player Quotes
Defensive Tackle Marvin Austin
On watching the lead slip away:
"It was real frustrating. We played good in the first quarter, but as you can see that's not enough. V-Tech came out and played a good second half.
"I just thought we had to go out on defense and get the ball back for the offense and try get it on the V-Tech side of the field, we played pretty decent on special teams, so I thought if we can just win two phases of the game we can win it ."
Wide Receiver Hakeem Nicks
On Mike Paulus coming in for the injured T.J. Yates:
"I knew Mike was coming in - I never doubted him. I knew he gets snaps with the ones in practice, so I feel like he came in and did pretty good for his first game.
"We just had some turnovers that we feel like we shouldn't have had and that we've got to work on to get eliminated. Coach always says the turnover battle will win the game."
Linebacker Mark Paschal
"That's just a really frustrating loss for us. I thought that we had what it took to win that game. We were playing so well defensively, we were moving the ball offensively ... Give them credit they forced those turnovers, they forced those errors on our part, but I think a lot of it boils down to us beating ourselves this afternoon.
"I don't think you can single out one play but I think there was just a series of events that just put them in a situation to take it from us."
Quarterback Mike Paulus
"My job is to go in there and finish it off and run my drives and put points on the board. The first one (interception), I'd say yea I forced it. We had little bit of a drive going there, completed a few passes, had a nice couple runs.
"When he (Yates) came off he told me let's go let's finish it.
"I recognized all of them (blitzes) as soon as they came, I tried to get rid of them fast as I could some of them I couldn't. I've just got to play faster and get it out of my hand."
Visiting Team Press Conference: Frank Beamer
Opening Statement
"We never claimed it would be pretty. I give our players and coaches credit for hanging in there and finding a way to win. That's the bottom line, to be able to win and win together as a football team. I thought our team did a great job of that. I look at our defense, and we got the ball there a couple times in the second half. I look at our offense, and we got the ball in the end zone. We take over on the 2-yard line with seven minutes to go and picked up some first downs by just blocking people, and we've been waiting for that. They know we're going to run, we know we're going to run, let's block people and get first downs. Special teams got a good return. It's just another great team win. I'm proud of how we hung in there and played the whole ball game. When we got down two scores, it didn't look good and things were a little ugly, but we hung in there. We talked about hanging together as a team here at halftime and just keep on playing, and it worked out for us. I'm very appreciative right now of these players right here and our coaching staff, both sides. I thought they did a great job and it just worked out."
On a comeback victory
"Again, I give those players and coaches credit because we hung in there and kept playing and the ball bounced our way there at the end a little bit, but I think we had something to do with that, too. I think we knocked the ball out of there and hung in there a played, hung in there and played, that's all I can tell you. That's what we're all about. It may not be pretty, but if we get a W on the board, that's very satisfying."
On the offense being better in the second half than the first
"I think it gets down to blocking people. Like I said, we've been waiting for the moment when they know we're going to run, we know we're going to run. We picked up 3 first downs there, critical first downs. Tyrod is going to get better each and every week. I think he'll look at this video and see a couple throws that he had but his eyes might have misled him, he might have been looking wrong. The guy can win football games, he has an ability to win games."
On toughness
"I appreciate our toughness, I do. Tyrod's toughness, and the defense's toughness, and our offensive toughness. I thought we showed that, and that's something we like at Virginia Tech, is toughness. I thought we showed at lot of that toughness physically and tough mentally in the second half."
