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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 28, 2010Frank BeamerTHE MODERATOR: With that, we'll bring on Coach Frank Beamer, whose Hokies are the Coastal Division champions and are the first team since 2000 to go through the league during the season -- during the conference season unbeaten. Virginia Tech today is ranked 12th by AP, 11th by the Coaches. With that, we'll bring on Coach and ask for a brief opening statement and then go to questions. Coach? COACH BEAMER: We're really excited to be back in the championship game. We had a hard road getting here, but I'm proud of our players and coaches for hanging in there after a rough start and coming back and going undefeated in conference play, which is tough to do. Had a lot of challenges there. Tough to do. Excited about playing in Charlotte. I think we'll have to play tough, and that's the way the ACC Championship game should be in front of a full house. Look forward to playing there and look forward to the challenges of playing Florida State. Haven't done a lot of work on them yet. Just finished up the meeting going over our game yesterday, going over the film from yesterday. But we're starting on Florida State right now. Certainly, a quality opponent, a team that's beaten three good teams here in the last three ball games. So you know, any time you play Florida State, you're going to play a good football team. We know that's in line there. So questions? Q. Hey, Coach. I know you haven't played Florida State in a couple years, and as you said just now, you probably haven't had a whole lot of chance to see it, but maybe snippets on TV or whatever you've been able to see. Is there anything in particular that they've done this year that impresses you? COACH BEAMER: Well, I've seen them some in crossover tapes and so forth. But I know this, they can get after a passer. I think they lead the league in sacks. I believe that's true. I know the scoring defense, they're second in the league. I know their defense has improved over last year. Every time we've ever played Florida State, they had good defensive players, and they got after you. I think that's exactly what they're doing there. Of course, they've got an excellent quarterback in Ponder, and he's back playing. I'm not sure -- I understand he played through some pain yesterday, but an excellent quarterback. You know they're going to be good players. They're going to be well-coached. That's the way I've always known Florida State to be, and that's the way it is now with Coach Fisher. Q. Thank you. COACH BEAMER: Thank you. Q. Frank, I wanted to ask you about your defense, having to replace all those starters coming into this season. How far have they come as a group and just where do you think they've made the most progress? COACH BEAMER: I think we've come along. You know, probably the consistency, and then I think maturity a little bit, making adjustments during the game because every game is not exactly the way you practice all week. I think, as the game has gone along here lately, we've been able to get better. That probably shows that we're able to adjust a little bit. But I think just playing, you know. There's just no substitute for experience. I think playing and playing against some good football teams. You know, we've gotten better. Q. Do you think that they have -- that they've come through with the stops? It seems like it's been sort of bend but don't break in a lot of cases. But when you really need them to come through like that, that play against Verica was a big play for them. That they continually have the ability to make game-changing plays. COACH BEAMER: Yeah, we had some big plays yesterday. The fourth down stop and the early interception and breaking up the pass, which our defensive unit was in there on that. I've been impressed with how they're coming up with the play. They've gotten several turnovers the last few ball games. Been able to get some big plays out of their defense for sure. Q. Thanks. COACH BEAMER: Thank you. Q. Hey, Frank, I know you're a big proponent of the ACC moving this game to Charlotte. The fact that you clinched early and a lot of your fans were able to scarf up tickets, could that be the answer for you with the crowd in your favor? COACH BEAMER: We're going to have a bunch of people there, and I like Charlotte just because of the location and how it's central, I think, to the ACC. More teams can -- you know, it's closer to it. That's why I think Charlotte's the place for it. Jacksonville and Tampa, I think they worked hard, but I think we're more centrally located in this one. And then I think people can buy tickets even if your team's not in there. You know, being more -- or closer to a lot of schools. I think the main thing is whenever we play that game, it's always sold out, and I think that's going to be the case. Hopefully, that will be the case. Q. Feel like with you guys and Florida State, two of the biggest states in the league, does it add a little more to this game nationally, do you think? COACH BEAMER: Yeah. Both of us are going to be ranked, and, you know, I know we sold out, I guess, when we played Jacksonville that first time. I know that thing was sold out. You know, Florida State's just got that name. I mean, they do, and I think we're getting that name. Like I said yesterday, I'm proud of the fact that we're the only team in the country that's gone seven straight years with ten wins. And that's hard to do. So I think it's -- I think it's a match-up that a lot of people would look forward to. Q. One more from here. When you beat Florida State in Blacksburg in, I think it was 2007, you sort of got off the snide against Florida State. Of course, a lot of coaches have losing records against them over the years. But how big was that game just to sort of get you guys, get off that hump you had with the 'Noles and Bobby Bowden back then. COACH BEAMER: Generally speaking, when you play teams with good players and good coaches, it's hard to beat them. Florida State is just hard to beat. There's just no question about it. That was back then. You know, again, they've got good players, and they're well-coached, I'm sure. So they're going to be a hard team to beat now. Like you said, we've had a tough time over the years beating Florida State, that's for sure. Thanks. Q. Hey, Frank, can you talk about just where the team was emotionally after those first two games and what it's -- you know, what it's taken to get them -- what could get them back on track. COACH BEAMER: Well, I think the way we run our program helped to get them back on track, or helped us. I'm not sure we ever got off track. We just had two tough losses within a week. Played on Monday, played on Saturday, and got beat. But I think we've got good kids. I think we had good leadership. I think there's a strong caring within our program, coaches for players, players for coaches. If you got that, I think then you've got a chance to come back from two tough losses like that. But it was just -- it's been tough. We played some good people and gone to some games on the road that have just been tough. But our guys have hung in there and found a way to win. So I'm proud of that. I think it really goes back to people and, you know, the consistency. I've said this a couple different times, but we practice the same way Monday before Boise State, when we were all hyped up and ready to go. We practiced the same way Monday after James Madison as we did the Monday of Boise. We went about our business, had good tempo. We was ready -- I think everybody was ready to get back on the winning way and cracked what was wrong. We weren't trying to find blame or pin something on anybody. We just wanted to correct what was going wrong and get it right and try to get some wins. Q. Hi, Frank. How are you? COACH BEAMER: I'm good. Q. Frank, three of the last four years we've seen Florida State's record, did you ever doubt they'd come back? Did you look at that as kind of a blip on the radar for them? COACH BEAMER: Well, it's a quality program. You know, they -- I've said this -- I mean, there's a thin line in this business, there's such a thin line between winning and losing and getting a little momentum and being okay next week. You know, you look at some programs in the country this year, and, you know, Texas, you know they've got good players and good coaches, but they just got on a bad roll there. And two teams that played for the national championship, I think Alabama's got like three losses right now. So it's a thin line between winning and losing and being okay in this business. Q. And just talk about what you know of Jimbo. You met him, had any kind of relationship with him? COACH BEAMER: I've been around Jimbo a little bit. I know him a little bit. Everything I've ever heard about has been good. There's no question about the quality of coach he is. You know, they've got a good guy, a good man there and good coach. He's doing well, no question. Q. Good afternoon, Coach. COACH BEAMER: Good afternoon. Q. What do you remember of that '05 game, the first game over in Jacksonville and you guys came in, I think, ranked fifth nationally and I think a pretty good favorite. What's your recollection on that night? COACH BEAMER: It was a -- I thought it was a ragged game in a sense there was a lot of penalties in the game and some that weren't called in the game. I think Florida State had just come off not looking real great against Florida, but, you know, the one thing you better know about Florida State is I don't care what they look like or what their record is, you'd better get ready to play because they've got guys that can play. Every time I've ever played Florida State, I'd always thought they'd been a well-coached football team. That's the one thing that I -- over the years, I've learned about Florida State -- we haven't had a lot of success against Florida State. You know, I respect their program and what they're all about and how they play the game as much as anyone could. Q. I know that none of the players that would have been involved in that game are still around on either side, but do you -- since that probably crossed you guys a lot in terms of where you went at season's end and that was largely regarded as a pretty big upset, did you bring that up at all this week with your kids? Look, we can't go in there. COACH BEAMER: I don't live too -- I don't think we'll have any trouble talking about what Florida State is all about to our kids. They understand what a challenge this is. I don't talk much about the past. What's happening right now, and, you know, our game here a couple years ago doesn't mean much in this game, and that game there doesn't mean much in that game. I think what's important is how we play Saturday night. Q. Hey, Coach, I want to ask you, following up a little bit on the David Scott question. Was there anything specifically that turned it after that 0-2 start? Was it something somebody said? Was it anger? What was it that actually turned it around, maybe just winning the next game, specifically that turned it around and made the season what it was. COACH BEAMER: I think when you -- our coaches around here work every day for the problems that are going to come up during the season. Somewhere along the way, there's going to be an issue. You know, you'd better -- these kids better know that you care about them and you trust each other. So having said that, I really just think it got back to the type of kids that we have in our program. It wasn't a lot of change going on. It was just -- you know, we had two tough losses. When you line up and play, you know, you'd better be ready to play. We had a tough loss on Monday night at Boise and came back and played a good James Madison team on Saturday and got beat. That was a fact. But we have good players. The more than even good players, I think we had great character people. You know, Tyrod Taylor and John Graves, and I could kind of go on and on with kids on our team that, you know, I think they had a team meeting. They took over. They -- I think you'd better have good kids when you go through a problem like we had right there. They led us out of it. I give all the credit to them. Q. Who was it that called the team meeting, and can you talk about how that changed things? COACH BEAMER: Well, I think Tyrod and John Graves and Andre Smith. Rashad Carmichael maybe, Davon Morgan. I'm not sure exactly who called it or exactly what went on. But I do know that, you know, when you got a problem like we have, it really helps to solve it from inside. And those players inside, they were the ones, I think, that really just said, hey, let's get back to work. We've got good kids. They didn't point fingers at each other. They didn't blame this guy, blame that guy. Let's just get back to work and get better. That's what they did. Q. Good afternoon, Coach. COACH BEAMER: Good afternoon. Q. The way Tech has been since they entered the ACC and the great tests you guys have had, do you see yourself being able to possibly form the next, quote, unquote, dynasty, similar to what Florida State has when they joined the ACC? Or do you think there's too much parity nowadays that that kind of dominance doesn't happen anymore? COACH BEAMER: I think what they did back in the day was just amazing. I don't think you'll ever see that much dominance ever again. You know, in this league, I think there's too many teams, too many good coaches, too many teams getting better all the time. You know, it's too equal. That's why I'm so proud of us getting through the ACC without a loss. I understand how close it is and how competitive it is and how fortunate you are when you can do something like that. But I don't believe it will be a dominance like that again. I just don't think it's going to happen. Q. And can you talk a little bit about the match-up that's going to happen between Tyrod Taylor and Christian Ponder on Saturday? COACH BEAMER: Well, that's two good quarterbacks, two guys that's meant a lot to their programs. You know, two guys that rely heavily on the program -- the football team relies heavily on them. I think it's certainly two of the best quarterbacks in this league that's going to battle there Saturday night. Q. Coach, good luck on Saturday. COACH BEAMER: Thanks. Q. Frank, I just wanted to check in with you, just sort of see where you guys are health-wise. I know, particularly Dyrell Roberts was definitely out for the remainder of the regular season. Is there any chance you have him back for this game? And just in general, with the rest of your guys, where are you guys health-wise? COACH BEAMER: Dyrell, no. He's working hard. He's around here. He's not going to be able to play in this game. Rashad Carmichael, we'll find out here. We've got a week to get him better. And then Cris Hill, he's going to be checked there tomorrow and see if he can possibly play in this game. Those are the two that I would think would have a chance to play this week that didn't play last week. And then everyone else came out of the game okay. Q. And I guess the last one for me, just sort of talking about memories. I know you said you don't want to talk too much about the past. But what do you remember thinking in the '07 game when Tyrod as a freshman, facing third and 31, rips off that 38-yard run. Seemed like kind of that's sort of one of those highlights, even all these years later, all the things he's done, really stands out. I know Bobby Bowden said he didn't expect the second coming of Michael Vick after he saw that. What did you think about him in that game, maybe one of the best games of his career? COACH BEAMER: I think Tyrod stood over it many times. He just has a knack for making the right play at the right time. Certainly, that was the right play that I think got us over the hump in that game. But that's Tyrod and what he can do. You know, he gives you a chance to win every Saturday. So that's just an example of, I think, many times that Tyrod's made the big play when you need him. Q. Good afternoon, Frank. When you were 0-2, what was Tyrod's role in -- leadership role in getting things going again? Did he sort of -- I know you have a lot of guys involved. Did he sort of take the team and put it over your shoulders. Or how did he help? COACH BEAMER: I think he directly affects this football team. He doesn't say a lot, but when he says something, people listen. They know that it's going to be something important that he said. You know, I think he certainly was involved with getting this thing turned around from the leadership standpoint. But then I think from a team standpoint, I think there's so much trust and belief in Tyrod and that he can get it done for the football team. As you well know, we've fallen behind several games this year. You know, the team didn't never panic. I think the reason they didn't was they knew Tyrod could bring us back. I mean, he has that kind of ability and that kind of leadership. So I think he means a lot, through his leadership, and I think he means a lot just being there and kids relying on him during the game and know that, you know, the next play could be a score with Tyrod in the game. Q. So he's the one -- one of these guys that doesn't get real fiery in pregame, halftime or anything? COACH BEAMER: No, that's not Tyrod. Tyrod is -- yeah, he doesn't speak a lot. He's not the guy that's doing a lot of talking. But like I said, when he does say something, I think people certainly listen. I think there's tremendous respect for him on this football team. I think what he can do and who he is and what he is -- all those things, I think, gives him tremendous respect. Q. Another Tyrod question for you. Every Coach that I've talked to has said that he's better this year. But what specifically is it about him that has allowed him to take this next step this year? COACH BEAMER: Well, I think he's worked hard on physically being a better quarterback, throwing the ball better, quicker. But I think the other side of it is he's really worked hard mentally to know where the ball should be going and know where the receivers are. And I think that helps your accuracy, and if you're throwing on time and you know where the ball's going to go. I think the more experience you have, the better your accuracy can be. So that what he's been this year. I mean, he's always been good. He's always been a really good quarterback. To me this year, he's been fantastic. He's just throwing the ball with precision and he's very accurate and very much in control, very much knowing exactly what's going on on the football field. Q. Was there anything that was changed mechanically or technically over the years with him? COACH BEAMER: I think his motion has changed a little bit. He's worked on that, trying to get the ball out of there a little bit quicker, and I think he does. That's what I'm saying. I think he's worked hard to physically be a better quarterback. You know, I appreciate how much effort he's put into making himself better. I always thought he was good, and I always thought -- I mean, to come in there and play in the LSU game freshman year, you know, we thought he was pretty good. We thought he was very good. But I think this year he's just been outstanding. Q. Hey, Frank, how are you doing? COACH BEAMER: I'm good. Q. Going to ask you something about Davon Morgan. Just kind of talk for a moment about his -- I guess he's been kind of a leader on the defense. Talk about -- seems like he gives you some steadiness and seems like he has a knack for being around the ball in key situations. COACH BEAMER: You know, Davon yesterday had an outstanding game. He was actually the coaches' defensive player of the game and had a bunch of good plays and very much getting people lined up. You know, when they change motion or when they have motion, change strength and so forth, we're changing, and Davon was right on top of it. Then he played really well on special teams. He's on our punt blocking return team and gave great effort on that. So he really had a big day yesterday. Q. He had a terrible knee injury in Nebraska a couple years ago, and he's obviously had to make his way back from that. How much of an indication is that of just the type of person he is and the type of player that helps a team not just on the field but off it. COACH BEAMER: He's a worker. There's no question about that. His heart's in the right place. He cares what this team is all about, and it shows. You know, he plays that way. I mean, you know you're going to get his best effort, and the other players know that too. That's just the way Davon goes about his business. Q. Frank, I was just curious, after what went down in Miami yesterday, what was your initial reaction to the firing of Randy Shannon? COACH BEAMER: I was shocked, you know. They've done a good job down there. I think Randy's done a good job in that program. I think they've -- you don't hear many problems coming out of Miami now. I think he's done a really good job recruiting. Like I said earlier, winning on Saturdays just is hard. There's a thin line there between a few wins and not getting a few wins. So I was surprised to hear that. THE MODERATOR: Any more questions for Coach Beamer? Coach, thanks for being with us today. We'll look forward to talking to you on Friday in Charlotte. COACH BEAMER: Thank you all very much. Look forward to it. Bye now. End of FastScripts |
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