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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 22, 2011Mike LondonCOACH LONDON: Looking forward to an opportunity to play our in‑state rival. A very good Virginia Tech team, coming off a very exciting, emotional roller coaster, up and down game against Florida State, another very good team. Just excited about the way the guys are playing the last couple of weeks. But knowing every week, particularly in the ACC, you have to play your best game. Nothing changes from last week to this week in terms of how you have to play your best. So we have our work cut out for us, but looking forward to the challenge. Q. Curious what you thought of the punt returns on Saturday? I know you had Perry back there for most of them. Had a couple issues at some point, and then I know Chase fielded the last one, but I wasn't sure if that was a defensive save call or not. But what were your evaluations on the punt return on Saturday? COACH LONDON: I thought they were fine. One that Perry caught kind of drifted and sailed on them. If you noticed, I don't know if you noticed or not, but there was a wind that was blowing towards the big scoreboard area. He was standing on the 10‑yard line, typical returner, standing on the 10‑yard line, and don't back up to catch a ball. But when that ball was kicked, Perry was tracking it, and it took off for him. He backed up a couple steps, caught it, and his momentum took him to the end zone. You don't have to bring the ball out once you catch it in the end zone. It did look more dramatic than it actually was. The fact that once he stepped in there, he didn't have to bring it out. I have no issues with the punt return guys right now. One was a safe look. Two were opportunities to try to advance the ball, and one was a decision that got away from Perry because of the elements. Q. Coach Beamer has said that the winner of this rivalry game, Tech and UVA, that it really doesn't impact recruiting. There are UVA guys and there are Virginia Tech guys. Do you buy that? Do you think that if you guys win this game it will impact your recruiting? COACH LONDON: I think what he says is true in the form that there are UVA guys, profile guys, and there are Virginia Tech profile guys. But I also think that whenever you're sitting in the position where they've stood for a long time and they're very successful, that it impacts them. But when you're sitting in our position and you have an opportunity to play well, whatever young man that may have been thinking about one particular school, but if you have a chance to win and you have a chance to play well, then perhaps that might change his mind. I don't know what young guys think in terms of coming out of school and where they want to go to school. But I do know that both programs last year and the last couple of years and this year are starting to or have begun to take the best players in the state and keep them within our borders. There is a measure of truth to that, but from our standpoint, obviously winning helps us a little bit better because you get more exposure. More opportunities for young men to see that the program is turning around. Being as young as we are, still being able to talk about the opportunities to play early. As we proved this year with the young guys that we played. Q. Pretty neat that this is the big in‑state game, and the two quarterbacks, couple guys from Lynchburg, couple of sophomores that we're pretty much watching grow up over the course of the season, both Logan Thomas and Michael Rocco, your thoughts on those two guys lining up and going at it in this game? COACH LONDON: It is. It's a testament to the type of football that's played in the state of Virginia. Logan is from Anthony Poindexter's hometown area, and Michael's right up there. It's great to see two teams that are playing for the opportunity to go on and play in the championship game. Two quarterbacks, in‑state quarterbacks that live in the same area. Logan has done an outstanding job for Virginia Tech. He made smart throws, efficient throws, he's got a very strong arm and he can run. He's big and physical. You don't see him diving feet first too many times. He's a physical guy that likes to run you over. I think Michael has learned how to be a quarterback. Learned how to distribute the ball. Learned how to manage the game. Learned how to make his catches and things like that. He's improved every game. You get down to the point where both quarterbacks are playing well, and they're leading their team because they're minimizing the turnovers, and the bad decisions. They're making opportunities out of a play that may be covered. All of a sudden, Logan has the ability to pull the ball down and run for it. What Michael's done in the last couple of games instead of trying to force the ball if certain coverage dictates it in the rush, it goes beyond him. Then to pull the ball down and run the ball himself. I think as the season has gone on, what you've seen is two quarterbacks really, really mature. Both of them are very competitive. It will be a great game for in‑state people, for quarterbacks, for players, for recruits, the whole nine yards. You have two in‑state teams battling for this much at stake. Q. Yesterday you were talking about execution and maturity and players developing. What enabled the players to mature the way they have and get this thing turned around as quickly as it has? COACH LONDON: Well, I think one of the biggest things is you gain the experiences when you play. When you play, you gain a level of confidence and maturity in that you've seen this play over and over again. You may have started out being successful and recognizing it or executing it, or because you continue to play and you continue to develop the physical skills to do it, you then develop the mental toughness to do it. When that occurs, you gain that maturity and that experience. Like I said now, we're 11 games into it. So all the freshmen that played are not freshmen anymore. They're 11 games into the season and being sophomores. It's something that is fun to watch as a coach and you watch it as young players develop. But as they develop, they lift during the season, in the fall. They lift and they still train. Sometimes people don't think that, but they're still obligated to get in the weight room. Well, they get stronger. This some cases they get bigger or they get new maxes with the bench or power. It's the same as your football knowledge as the season goes on. You get smarter, and hopefully you understand what you're trying to get done. Then when it's presented to you in the game, can you execute it and that's how you grow mentally. That is one of the things that we're fortunate enough that's allowed some of our players to improve. Q. As a coach you want to win every game, you wanted to win every game last year. Are you at all surprised that you're 8‑3 this year? Did you expect this to turn around as quickly as it has? COACH LONDON: You know me. I'm an eternal optimist. I think you have a chance to win every game. You look back at the reality of your situation and the players, experienced players, returning players, and you look at it and you're pleased. You can look at it the other way, as I said yesterday, four games that were decided by the last play of the game could have gone the other way. It's really fun to watch the maturity of the players that are playing. It only makes you better as you feel more confidence towards your abilities, and you start to develop the idea that you think you can win. That's what we've moved ourself into. And we wanted to not continue to play well and sustain that type of identity and mentality as you move forward. Q. This is always a big game every year. Considering what's at stake, how much does that add to the drama and the excitement and the atmosphere just leading up to the game? COACH LONDON: We don't talk about all the other stuff that's outside and beyond our control. There's enough fan base and enough things are being written about and just the implications of what happens will add to the drama and the excitement. I think one of the things we always try to do with this season and with this team is take the importance of the game itself. The game in itself is what's most important and what happens in the game and your ability to execute in the game will dictate the outcome of the game. So the only thing that we can control is how we execute based on game planning and what we think they're going to do to us. And I'm quite sure it's the opposite way with them. So all the other things that are outside of it add to the people that are watching it, and the implications that it has. Really, to be honest this team this year where we are, our progress, our mindset, this is another game to give us an opportunity to achieve some of the goals that we've set out during August. It just so happens to be the last game of the year which are in‑state rivals,so all of those factors are enough factors to warrant guys to want to play well, for sure. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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