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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 1, 2010

Frank Beamer

THE MODERATOR: We now welcome Virginia Tech's head Coach Frank Beamer. We'll ask for a brief opening statement and go to questions.
COACH BEAMER: Boise State, very impressive football team. Impressive, too, the fact they have so many veterans returning. Certainly early in the year. I think when you don't play exhibition games and so forth, that certainly is a plus for them.
But we're eager to play. I think all of us at the time of the year, you're ready to hit somebody else. We know what a challenge we've got Monday night.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Beamer.

Q. Coach, a question about your scheduling these early marquee season games, Boise this year, Alabama last year. You've been frank about the pros and cons to this sort of game. Talking with other coaches in other conferences earlier this week, in terms of these games advancing your cause in the national championship race, a number of coaches say the risk is greater than the reward. I wonder how you felt about that.
COACH BEAMER: I see the pluses and the minuses. I do think when you play a good team like Boise State, your pre-season practices are better, I think your summer workouts are better. I think you become a better football team overall because you've really prepared well. You know you got to make a great preparation to have a chance to win. So from that standpoint, I think you help yourself.
I don't think necessarily when you play a high-ranked team, I don't think you necessarily knock yourself out of the national picture. You have to depend on other people after that should you lose. But I don't think it's a given that you're out of the national picture when you play a high-ranked team like Boise.
But the other side of it is, you know, you come into this game, and in this particular year, they've got a lot of experience coming back, and we're missing some play-makers from last year. How quickly we can play consistent in all areas, that's the question for us.
We need to get to that point Monday night, I can tell you that. But, you know, when you play a team like that, you're certainly taking a chance on an early-season loss, too. The way the returning starters and players are for our team, this is not a particularly great year to play Boise.

Q. The underlying thought from the other coaches was that teams aren't given as much credit now as they used to be for playing this type of a schedule or this type of team. How do you feel about that?
COACH BEAMER: Well, I think anyone that knows, if we could beat Boise State, we've beaten a quality football program, a program that deserves to be highly ranked. Every time they've had a chance on the national level, they've answered the bell.
This team is for real, no question about it.

Q. You talked about the other games you've played early in the season, Alabama last year, LSU a few years ago. What have you learned from those experiences that helped to prepare for this season-opening test you're going to have? Have those experienced helped your changed your preparation in any way?
COACH BEAMER: I think you learn it gets down to a play or two. In all those games, it was close. We had a chance there against Southern Cal. We had an interference call that certainly kind of changed that game around. You kind of learn it gets down to a play or two. You hope you're on the positive side of that play.

Q. Coach, I wanted to ask you, the scrimmage that you had most recently, Tyrod Taylor looked exceptional. Has Taylor surprised you in his development in this most recent off-season? Can you also talk about how you're feeling with Logan Thomas as a backup?
COACH BEAMER: Tyrod hasn't particularly surprised me. He's a hard-working guy. He's worked hard to become a better quarterback. He's just worked at it. He has a lot of talent. Always thought he could throw the football. Of course, he's quite an athlete. But I think his experience knowing where the ball is going has helped his accuracy. Now you're throwing on time and so forth.
But, you know, he's a quality quarterback. He's a passing efficiency leader in the ACC last year. To me that's the important stat. How many games he led us to victories around here, you know, he's I think the perfect quarterback to lead our football team. So I've always been high on Tyrod. I think he's playing at a very high level right now.

Q. Frank, Ryan Williams will be your starter at tailback, but Darren Evans will play a lot, you have a third tailback Wilson who you like a lot. Will you be able to find enough work for all those guys?
COACH BEAMER: We're planning on it. We think we're always going to have an explosive guy in the game. I think they all worked hard to play, all deserve to play. I think they all can help us to win.
The good thing about it, they're all great kids. They're very unselfish. It's not, Give me the ball. It's what's good for our football team. So, you know, I think we're fortunate to have the talent there at tailback. But then the fact that they're all good kids, too, very unselfish, I think that's the big part of it also.

Q. Just to switch gears for a second. What has been the players' reaction to the black uniforms you'll be unveiling Monday night?
COACH BEAMER: Well, I haven't really talked to them about that yet. But I think they're excited. I think the players actually picked them out. We had a couple choices. A couple of the players picked them out. I think they're very excited about it.
But I think, you know, honor our ROTC program here. It's all good. I think it's something a little bit different and something different to start the year.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thanks for being with us. Good luck this weekend. We look forward to talking to you.
COACH BEAMER: Mike, thanks.

End of FastScripts

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