NOKIA SUGAR BOWL: AUBURN v VIRGINIA TECH

January 3, 2005

Frank Beamer

Bryan Randall

COACH BEAMER: Had some mental errors in the kicking game. We weren't sharp in our passing game some of the time. Tackling wasn't real crisp at times. But, you know, you got to give Auburn credit. I mean, that's a good football team. Those backs are good. Quarterback did a great job for 'em tonight. We should have had him sacked a couple times. Instead he breaks out there and throws it down field on us. You know, you sure have to give Auburn credit. But the other side of it, I thought our football team did what they've been doing all year long, and that is battling, fighting, hung in there, giving great effort at the end, still had a chance -- if we got an on-side kick, get the thing tied up. So I'm proud of our football team. I've been proud of them. I think they gave the same kind of effort that they've been giving all year long. We just didn't have quite the timing, and we just didn't quite have the sharpness that you really wish you'd have had and needed to have coming in to play a team like Auburn.

COACH BEAMER: You never know. I thought it was the right call. Bryan got the ball to the guy. Just had to make the catch. Might have been a little bit behind him. You make a catch like that, you're up 7-6. Several times this year, we kind of fought it off, fought it off, all of a sudden something good happens and here we go. I think it could have happened that way, I think. We were lucky to have them at six points at that point in time. The reason I went for it is even if we didn't make it, as a matter of fact, I talked to Bryan right before it happened, "Let's make sure we're smart with the football. Even if we don't make it, we still have them backed up." That field position, when you have two good defenses out there, that field position is important. They did a nice job of taking it down the field, getting another field goal on us, so...

COACH BEAMER: Well, you know, where Auburn gets you, is when they can get ahead of you like they did, Cadillac, I I'm telling you, he's a slasher. I mean, he's something. I think both of them, I think you can probably watch both of them on Sunday. They're just two good backs. I tell you this, I thought the quarterback did a great job for them. The way he threw the ball, the way he scrambled, the way he got in and out of plays, he did a nice job for these guys tonight. That's what makes them tough. They can score a lot of points, they're very balanced, their receivers caught the ball when they needed to. You know, I think they're a very good offense. You know, where they get you is the play-action pass, when you let that quarterback scramble out of there when you're trying to stop the run, you know, then you got problems down field.

COACH BEAMER: You know, I think our practices have been fairly good. You know, maybe not quite as sharp sometimes as you want. And I think our players -- I wouldn't make excuses, but I think accomplishing the ACC, going down and finishing at Miami, that was a tremendous accomplishment for this football team. And sometimes, you know, you got to get ready for the next battle. I think we tried. I mean, you know, I thought our kids played hard. I felt Bryan gave great effort. A couple throws, he was trying. The interception bounced around there. He made a great effort. But just weren't quite as sharp as we needed to be for whatever reason.

COACH BEAMER: Yeah. And that will get you in a hurry. You take those out of there. I think it's probably a different football, overall. Our defense played well. If you could take about three, four plays out of there, they played really well. Got to leave 'em in, though (smiling).

COACH BEAMER: I think so. You know, I do. I think it's very close between them and Southern Cal. We played 'em both. Probably Oklahoma's right in the middle of that, too. I think they're good. I mean, their defense -- you know, they just fly around there and play hard. I think they're well-coached. I think it's a well-, well-coached football team. Yeah, I think they're right there in the middle of it.

COACH BEAMER: I don't know. I'd let somebody else figure that out. I think we're a team that plays hard. I think we got good talent. I think we really are a good football team. I'm very proud of how we play. We came up short tonight. But I don't think we came up short of effort. I just think we came up short of execution a little bit. Having said that, you know, you got to give Auburn credit, too, because they did some great stuff, or did some nice stuff there themselves.

COACH BEAMER: Yeah, if we would have been a little bit closer, I think I would have gone. You know, as it turned out, I said, "Let's get this field goal." You know, if you get some field goals, at least you get points. When you get down there, you give yourself a chance. You don't know it would have turned out that way. But as it turned out, that field goal would have been pretty good there at the end. This guy right over here is special, I tell you that. He's been good for us (referring to Bryan Randall).

BRYAN RANDALL: Well, I mean, right now I'm disappointed, you know, that we lost. We had opportunities in the game to win this game. You know, sometimes it turns out like this. But, I mean, right now, I'm definitely disappointed.

BRYAN RANDALL: Well, I think when you look back at it, there would be a lot of things you'd like to change. But that's why you play the game. Everybody would be back and change the game if you could, but you can't do that.

BRYAN RANDALL: No, not really. Any time you go to a different place, different atmosphere, it's going to take a little time to adjust to get back to your usual, you know, scheme of things. Especially since we're out of Blacksburg for a week, practicing somewhere else. As the week goes on, that's what the Bowl is all about. They're doing the same thing, practicing at different places. You know, we've been to Bowls before, so we know what it's all about.

BRYAN RANDALL: Uhm, it wasn't not necessarily a lot of things that we did different. It was a matter of us, you know, taking advantage of the opportunities we had. We missed a couple big plays at the beginning of the game that could have been big hits for us. You know, we were just on the same page towards the end, and we took advantage of some of the openings and opportunities that we got.

BRYAN RANDALL: It was very tough. You know, it was real emotional, especially for all the seniors, this being their last game. After you've been through so much through a season, for years now, a lot of us have. The emotions build up. And, you know, you just don't want it to be your last time out there. When you realize this is your last game, and it's all going by so fast, it hurts deep down inside.

BRYAN RANDALL: Harper, no. It wasn't Harper's fault. I messed that one up. It was a miscue on the rout. It wasn't Harper's fault at all.

BRYAN RANDALL: Probably would have been a lot more if we came back and won (smiling). It was kind of surprising we did get that big play there at the end. Actually gave us an opportunity to win the game.

BRYAN RANDALL: Yeah. We had a play where we got a guy that dips in, kind of looks like he's going to run a broken arrow in front of the safety's face. Beat him over the top.

BRYAN RANDALL: Yeah, you know, came open kind of fast. I was trying to get it out to him as quick as I could. It was kind of on his back shoulder. I couldn't see whether the guy tipped it before. Could have been a better pass.

BRYAN RANDALL: Well, I think we had a very good football team here. I think we're capable of competing with anybody. You know, a couple things change in both of those games, we win those ballgames. I think you definitely got to give respect. I think we need to be respected for the way that we play and that we're a good team.

BRYAN RANDALL: Well, basically they're going to look at you and see what you're doing. If you're hanging your head, you look like the game's over, they're going to follow you. You know, my attitude is the game is never over till it's over. My wanting to win is just so high. I wasn't going to give up until the final buzzer.