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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 3, 2010

Frank Beamer

COACH BEAMER: We certainly understand that we've got the defending ACC champion coming in here. We've got the team that leads the country in rushing coming in here. Any time you play Georgia Tech it's a tough ballgame. They play tough, they play rugged. I think they're very knowledgeable in that offense. They do a good job of adapting or changing up during the game, knowing what's going on. They've coached it for a long time, seen about everything they can see.
And then Coach Groh is on defense, and we know we're going to face an extremely tough, well-coached football team here tomorrow night, and that's our challenge.

Q. What's the biggest area of improvement that your team wanted to work on during your bye week to prepare for Georgia Tech?
COACH BEAMER: Well, all our attention defensively has been trying to work against an offense that -- we face it one time a year, and it comes at you fast, it comes at you hard, and you've got to be very exact yourself. They're reading you in most cases, whether it's the perimeter blocks or whether it's their three technique or end or whatever. So you've got to be very exact and got to play consistently good. You know, you can't play two plays well and then the third one pop on you for a bunch of yards.
You know, defensively certainly that's been our focus, and we've worked on a couple things in the kicking game, tried to get those things a little bit better.
Offensively I think we're playing at a good level, but trying to keep that tempo and that level the same. That's where we are with that.

Q. And knowing that the winner of the last three meetings between you and Georgia Tech have gone on to capture the ACC title, does that add any sort of fuel that you need to come out strong against the Yellow Jackets and set the tone of the game early on?
COACH BEAMER: Well, I think it's a game in the ACC in your division, and I think all those things add importance. Certainly we understand how important this football game is, what a great effort it's going to take to win it. Our four remaining ballgames all are in our division, so you hope you play well in November.

Q. One of Georgia Tech's safeties, Mario Edwards, obviously played under you a couple years ago. I was just wondering if you remembered him too well and just what do you remember about him?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I remember Mario. You know, a good player. I think he had some family situations that he needed to get back close to home. But I think he's doing a good job for them. You notice him out there, and I think he's doing a good job, and I wish him well.

Q. The Georgia athletic director, they recently dropped Oregon from their schedule, and he said there's a formula you have to follow, and he says we're not going to play more than one BCS non-conference game each season because we want to get in the chase for the National Championship and we want to play seven home games. What do you think about that philosophy, that you want to play only one non-conference big-time game a year?
COACH BEAMER: Well, I think you can look at it and you can plan it out the best you can, but it changes up from year to year. But I think certainly when you play one, if you can beat them, you know, that's increased your chances. And then do you need to take a chance after that? If you can schedule some people, play them at home, your chances of winning are better, and then does it come with wins. And I think them playing in the SEC it's not a bad strategy because they're going to have enough games against people to get the ratings up. So I understand that perfectly.

Q. What about as far as fans that want to see some intersectional match-ups, they might want to see Virginia Tech play Ohio State or play Texas? Would you do that in your league? Would you play somebody like Boise one year but also add somebody like Texas or something like that?
COACH BEAMER: Well, we've done it. You know, we opened up with Alabama and then we opened up with Boise. We've done that part of it. And going back, I think there's good and bad in opening up a season with a game like that. There's good and there's bad.
I don't know that there's a perfect answer for your question. I think people kind of got to sit down and figure out what's best for them and where you are as far as having a chance to be a national player and where you are in the college football world.

Q. Is your improvement on defense over the last several games mainly because of your young players maturing into the system, or have there been very many tweaks in the system? Just where does the improvement seem to be coming from?
COACH BEAMER: No, I think it's some young guys getting experience and some other guys doing some things more consistently. I think the thing that has you concerned is these offenses that you feel like you're playing better against is not the one that you're going to see tomorrow night. This is going to be a different animal here. And as I said earlier, against a group that knows exactly what they're doing and adjusts well during games.
We've still got some guys that are playing in their first year, even though they played quite a few games now. But they haven't played an offense like this, haven't seen them come at them as fast as this one comes at you.

Q. Another question, Lane Stadium just seems to be one of those places that on Thursday nights just gets electric. Do you notice the difference between a Thursday night game and a Saturday game, and is it because of the national TV spotlight or what?
COACH BEAMER: You know, I kind of like it any time I'm in Lane Stadium, and I think generally speaking our fans are great about any time. I told some people a couple games ago that we had a 12:00 noon game, and a lot of times people don't come that early. I said, you wait and see, our guys will be here at 12:00, and sure enough, they were. But I think we've had some very exciting games at Lane Stadium, so I think that's probably added to the atmosphere.
But our fans really do feel like they help us win, and they do. We're going to need their help here tomorrow night, so I'm hoping they're getting ready here to help us tomorrow night.

End of FastScripts

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