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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 12, 2011

Frank Beamer

COACH BEAMER: Really, really impressed with Wake Forest, how they operate, how efficient they are. I think the quarterback is playing great for them, got some really talented athletic ability on their offense, got a veteran offensive line, defensively flying around and playing with great effort and got good players. I mean, they -- all these young guys that played last year, they're a year older and more mature, and it shows out there. Really, really impressed with this Wake Forest crowd.

Q. When you look at tape of Wake Forest, obviously one of the guys who stands out is their wide receiver, Chris Givens, and I wonder what you've seen about him and how he might be maybe any different from other outstanding receivers you've seen.
COACH BEAMER: Well, I think they've got several, and of course Givens is a key part of their offense. But I think they've got several receivers there that catch your attention. You look at them on the field against Florida State, I made this statement yesterday, that you always know that Florida State has got some great athletes, but Wake Forest is running right with them. They certainly belong on the same field, and of course the final score showed that.
Yeah, I'm really impressed with their athletic ability and how hard they play, and I think Jim has done a great job there, and like I said, all those guys that played last year that were a little bit young, they're a year older. They're a tough outfit to go up against.

Q. Also, with the kind of game that Logan Thomas had, and especially right there at the end of the game where he leads the drive and scores the winning touchdown, do you think that was a kind of turning-the-corner game for him where you can expect consistency maybe at that level from this point?
COACH BEAMER: Well, I'm not sure he's -- I think Logan is just a steady guy. I mean, I think he'll be steady in how he improves. Each and every week he'll get better. He learns. He's smart. I'm not sure there's -- I certainly think it was a great confidence builder, and I certainly feel better about how he played the game than the week before, even though a lot of things the week before wasn't totally him, it was some other things as well. But I think he's just a steady guy that will just be a steady improvement.

Q. I've got to admit I was a little bit skeptical about Thomas after the Clemson game, but you kept preaching that he was playing pretty much how you wanted him to. What were you seeing in him that gave you that confidence before the rest of us saw it against Miami?
COACH BEAMER: Well, again, I think when you're around him every day, he's just -- I use the word steady, but that's it. He's not an up-and-down guy. You don't rattle the guy. He's got talent, and so I think you just felt like all the things were going to come together for this guy. He's a guy that in the end is going to be all right, and that's just his personality, I think.

Q. What about his accuracy, though, against Miami? Were you even maybe a little surprised how incredibly accurate he was in that game?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, his first two throws were a little bit off, and then after that he was really on. Again, I think when you learn and you know where you want to go with the ball and you're going there on time, that helps your accuracy. I think all those things, his learning curve kind of helped him be an accurate guy, too. So I think that's all part of him getting experience at quarterback.

Q. Do you think that Michael Branthover as your punter, would you consider him now your number one punter, and how has he come along as a true freshman to earn that?
COACH BEAMER: Yeah, he's our number one punter, and he's a guy that basically, I think, has the strongest leg of any of our kickers. We've got really good kickers, and when we get out here -- there's about four of them really. We get out here and kick, we have really good kickers, and at times, any one of them could be your kicker.
Our thing that's gotten us a little bit is just can't consistently get it done. When we looked at it, I think Branthover is the one that has the strongest leg and the quickest kick time, so you take those two things, then I think you just right the other things. But he's kicked well this week. He's come back and kicked it well this week. I think he's going to be a really good kicker for us here at Virginia Tech. That's not only punts, but I think kickoffs and field goals, too. He does it all. I think he's got a good future.

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