	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 14, 2011

Frank Beamer

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Virginia Tech head Coach Beamer.
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, we are playing a team that's coming off a game where they had 611 yards of offense and they had a quarterback that was 19 for 21 and they had a running back that went over 100 yards, a defense that had ten players that had a tackle at least one time, they had a kicker hit a 56-yard field goal. So that certainly calls for concern here. This is a really good football team coming in here and we understand that.

Q. I wanted to ask if you could express how important playing some games that you guys played in building your program were -- inter-conference games against powers from other conferences, the Nebraskas, USCs, schools you played earlier in your career and getting exposure for Virginia Tech and making it appealing to kids who might not otherwise have known about it; the kind of games that may not be in existence or common if 16-team conferences come into effect around the country?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I think that was one part of Virginia Tech becoming known, playing Texas A&M and USC and those different programs. I do think that was part of it.
I think we have had some big Thursday night games where we were probably the only game on, and you know, all of those games, playing them is good if you can win them. When you don't win them, sometimes it's not so good.
But I think that's been part of our -- becoming a team that most people would know about and I guess part of it, yeah.

Q. So do you concern yourself at all with the fact that maybe sometimes people in college football rush into these things, like it sounds like a great idea to have these huge conferences when perhaps they don't consider all of the ramifications like these games may not be able to happen anymore?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I don't know how much the huge conferences -- it sounds like there might be one large conference right now and I don't know how that affects other conferences. I don't know how that's going to go.
But I would think that the administrations and athletic directors would be given a lot of thought to all of the ramifications of going to 16-team conference or even larger. So I will leave that -- I'm worried about Arkansas State. I'm going to leave that to somebody else.

Q. A question about Michael Vick, he is going into Atlanta this weekend with a big return game, just wondered your observations and thoughts on how he's put his life back together the past couple of years?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I'm so proud of Michael and happy for him. We talked about a couple of times -- hey, get back on your feet, make it back in the NFL, you have got a great story to tell; a story that you can help a lot of young kids. You made some bad decisions, you had it all, you lost a lot of it and now you came back and made good decisions and you're getting it back.
Kids will listen. They will listen to a great quarterback in the NFL. I think that's what he's doing. I think he's certainly getting his career back and I think he's helping a lot of young kids.

Q. Have you two been in contact much?
COACH BEAMER: We talked some. We actually -- John Ballein (ph), my administrative assistant. They text more than I do.

Q. Any comment or feedback on that $100 million Michael Vick indoor practice facility yet?
COACH BEAMER: We got it in the plans, he just doesn't know about it yet.

Q. I was going to ask about your secondary, kind of interesting to see how that unit has performed; can you assess how that unit has performed?
COACH BEAMER: Well, they have been good. I think it's a group that gained a lot of experience last year and we had some inconsistent play last year, too many long plays, and then just as that wasn't all the secondary's fault, the play and pass coverage, it's not all secondary, either. It's what you have up front at the pass rush and working together as a unit.
So I think the defense has worked together, gotten a little pressure on the quarterback and makes the quarterback throw a little quicker than they want and that certainly helps the secondary. But yeah, I think as a group, their secondary has been very good.

Q. Can you assess, I know it's still maybe early, you guys are still getting stuff installed this week but watching Arkansas on film, do they seem like an offense that runs -- like the short routes, digs, crosses, things like that. When you watch them on film what sort of challenge do they present to your unit?
COACH BEAMER: I think they have got a really good scheme. They hit a lot of short ones and then the playaction, they have got a guy going right down the middle of the field wide open. I think they do things very well. Defensively. I would look at them and Ken Senior is starting and very athletic. They are a real concern to us here at Tech.

Q. What did he do in that game to play so well --
COACH BEAMER: Sorry. Say that again. I didn't hear your question.

Q. A little unusual for a center to win offensive player of the game; what did he do to play so well in that game?
COACH BEAMER: Well, he graded 83 percent. You know, Andrew, he's calling protections and doing a lot of things at the line of scrimmage, along with the quarterback. But 83 percent, he had four knock down blocks and just consistently played well. So he's been -- I think he's gotten off to a great start.

Q. What do you like about -- the true freshmen you are playing, what do you like about him and do you expect to give him more --
COACH BEAMER: Sorry. You are kind of breaking up on me. What's the question again?

Q. Taylor playing behind Andrew -- what do you like about him as a true freshman?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, he's got good feet. He's a guy that his family is Virginia Tech, he's Virginia Tech, he loves Virginia Tech. It shows. And he's a guy that has worked extremely hard to be a good football player, and having some quick feet is a great start in the center position.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297