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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEDecember 4, 2010Frank BeamerJohn GravesTyrod TaylorCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Virginia Tech – 44 COACH BEAMER: You know, this football team, I'm really, really proud of what they're all about. I'm proud of the leadership we've had. I think we've got a tremendous quarterback that gives you a chance every Saturday, every time you play. We've got a lot of great character kids, and I think that's how you come back from an 0 and 2 start and win the ACC is to have those kind of character kids leading your football team. And two of the best right here. I think the leader of our defense, John Graves, leader of our offense, Tyrod, and as good a players as they are, I think they're better people, and I appreciate having them at Virginia Tech and what they've meant to our program. I thought our kids hung in there. We lost both linebackers. We were playing with our second timeline backers the whole second half and making adjustments on our kickoff coverage team, but we hung in there. I don't think it was always pretty, but, as I say, we don't always play great, but I think we give great effort. I thought the offense came up with some big plays, some 3rd down plays that kept us moving, kept us rolling, and you know, it was kind of that kind of ballgame. We needed to stay in front, and Tyrod and that offense I thought did a great job of that. So great to win the ACC. Questions? Q. It's kind of strange to ask this, but if you weren't going to win the National Championship this year after that Boise loss, was losing to JMU the next week almost the best thing that could have happened to you guys in terms of being sort of a constant fire and reminder that any week anything can happen? COACH BEAMER: I didn't think it was too good. How about you, Tyrod? (Laughter.) No, you know, I think people say what changed about the football team. I don't think anything changed. I think we're the same football team that we were before Boise and before James Madison. I just think we had two tough losses and things didn't work out our way. With great leadership, I think it has to come from within a team, and it did. Thank goodness we've got some great kids. Q. Tyrod, on that touchdown pass, 3rd and 6 when you had the safety blitzing in your face, can you describe what you saw coming at you and what you were trying to do to slow him down? TYROD TAYLOR: Going into the game, we knew that he was going to bring a different blitz for different teams that they played, and that was one of them that they blitzed and just had to go hot and try to buy me a little extra time to get the ball out of hands. The offensive line done a good job giving me time, and like I said, I just used my legs to buy a little time to get the ball out of my hands. Q. When you think about some of the other better quarterbacks that you've had at Virginia Tech, where is Tyrod right now, nearing the end of his career as a passer, compared to the other ones? COACH BEAMER: Well, we've been fortunate to have some great quarterbacks at Virginia Tech, and Tyrod is right there. I think the feeling that you have over there on the sideline, you feel like he's going to do the right thing with the ball, he's going to make good decisions, and this next play may be a big one. That's a good feeling to have over there. Q. Obviously Bryan Stinespring has taken a lot of heat over the years for the Virginia Tech offense, but you've had an explosive offense all year and today no exception. Can you talk about the job he's done with the offense this year? COACH BEAMER: Well, I think the whole offensive staff, and it gets back to having good players that get the job done, and we've got good players that get the job done, some guys that are threats -- and we've lost a couple good ones that we miss. But there's no question, I think Coach Stinespring and that whole offensive staff has done a nice job, but it all goes back to players performing, and we've got good players. Q. Tyrod, what was the key to your 3rd down conversions? Also, on the long run by Darren Evans I think in the first 51 yards, did you change that play at the line and what did you see? TYROD TAYLOR: No, I didn't change the play, I just waved off -- it's a two-play concept. I could throw the bubble screen to Danny to the short side of the field if the linebacker is down, but they capped Danny so I waved it off and just read the end. That's a read option play kind of with no option. But no extra guy to option. It's basically between me and Darren. If the end bends and I keep it, he stayed up field and Darren got positive yards and turned into a big play. Q. I'm curious, how much fun is it to watch when Tyrod is on like that in the second half? How much fun is it from the sideline when it seems like he's not really missing a read, he's not missing receivers. Can you describe what it's like on the sideline? COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I kind of enjoyed it. I've enjoyed a lot of great moments with Tyrod out there. You know, win a lot of ballgames. You talk about being the only team that have won ten games the last seven years, and the last four Tyrod has been right there. There's been a lot of great moments. You just -- he's meant a lot to Virginia Tech, there's no question about that, meant a lot. Q. When you talk about senior leadership, obviously Kyle Fuller was having a little bit of a rough first half. I know that Rashad Carmichael was really hurting. Did he come to you guys and say put me in there? And what does it say about him that he did go back in? COACH BEAMER: Yeah, I asked the trainers, could he go, and they went and checked with him, and he wanted to go. So yeah, it's kind of the attitude of our whole football team that I'm going to do whatever I can to help us win. I thought that certainly was -- for Rock, I thought that was I'm going to try to do everything I can to help us win even though I'm hurting over here. Q. As you played Florida State tonight, the team that really dominated this league in the 1990s, you guys have now won four titles in seven years. Has it been better than you thought it could be? COACH BEAMER: Well, yeah, I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish. We're proud to be a member of the ACC, number one. That's the right league for us, just great people here. And again, every time I say that, I always say I'm appreciative of the Big East because they meant a lot to us, also, and great people there. But we are proud to be part of the ACC, and then to win it. It's going to get tougher and tougher because I think everyone is getting better. I think it's a balanced league, a lot of good coaches, a lot of good players. But what we've been able to accomplish -- you know, we've had a lot of good players, and you've got to have that to win the league, there's no question about it. Q. John, could you just talk about defensively the way you guys were able to hang in as Frank said without LenDale and Bruce for that second half? JOHN GRAVES: Well, I think the young guys just stepped up and played well. You know, in practice we rotate everyone so everyone has had a chance to play, and they did a good job of coming in and just stepping up for the team. It wasn't no let down in that position, so everything worked out well. Q. And Tyrod, just wanted to ask you about the pass that got it going to Danny. Take me through what you saw there. TYROD TAYLOR: That's actually the same play that we scored against -- against Miami. They got caught up in the cross, either the middle-of-the-field guy fell down, or I'm not sure if he fell, but he ran into Jarrett and Danny came wide open, made a great catch and finished the run. Q. John, you talk about defensively this year you guys on almost every single game this year fell behind, but the defense got better as the game went on. What was the confidence like on this team when you get into halftime and come back out again? JOHN GRAVES: We feel really confident. I mean, we just continue to work. That's our mindset, not to stay the same each quarter but to get better. And that's something the coaches preach and that's something we try to do when we get on the field. COACH BEAMER: I think our defense have had some big plays. You know, it wasn't always pretty tonight, but the interception, the stop on 4th down, I mean, they just seemed to come up with these -- the first score, a tipped ball, interception. And John kind of leads that defense, but it's just a great effort, and that's what I really think our whole football team is all about. We've got a lot of guys that have got tremendous ability, but I don't think anyone cares about their stats. I think they just care about Virginia Tech winning, and that's how we play, and it's really fun to sit over there and watch it. Q. Tyrod, can you describe what tonight's win means to you? TYROD TAYLOR: Just a great way to finish a senior season. I'm just proud of the way that we turned things around from an 0 and 2 start. As a senior, it feels good to go out with a win like this, and I know John is just as proud as I am of the team and the way we bounced back from the start that we had. Q. Two questions. For coach, your reaction to Ponder not being there and how that might have changed things, and for you, Tyrod, any sweeter that it's FSU that you had this game against? COACH BEAMER: First of all, I thought 3 for them played pretty well. He probably got a ball a little high there on Davon's interception, and I don't know what happened on the 4th down play, but overall I thought the kid played pretty well. Why did Ponder not play, do ya'll know? Q. Blood and fluid out of his elbow. COACH BEAMER: Yeah, okay. But you know, Ponder certainly means a lot to them, but I thought 3 played pretty well for them to be honest. TYROD TAYLOR: It feels good to play against Florida State for the last time. Last time I played them, I got hurt on the first play of the game, so of course I had that in my head coming into this game, and I just wanted to go out there and have a performance something like my freshman year. COACH BEAMER: You're 2 and 3 against them, right? TYROD TAYLOR: Yes, sir. COACH BEAMER: That's better than anybody else at Virginia Tech. He's got the best record against Florida State. All the rest of us is too many losses. Q. Coach, obviously no stranger to the championship game. Could you talk about what it's been like moving into Charlotte and out of the state of Florida? COACH BEAMER: Well, I just look at it, I think everyone has put great effort into it. I thought Jacksonville did, I thought Tampa did. I think this is the right place for it. I think location-wise it's the right place for most of the schools. I thought it was supported great. I thought it was an enthusiastic crowd there tonight, and I think we'd look at it. But to me this is the place where it needs to be. Q. Tyrod, there's still fans out there wearing Michael Vick Virginia Tech jerseys. Could you talk about your legacy that you're leaving? In ten years are you going to come back and people are still going to be wearing your jersey? TYROD TAYLOR: I hope so. I hope they don't forget about me. But it hasn't really set in too many things that I've did here. I'm just thankful for the opportunity that coach gave me from day one, allowed me to come out here and start and be the leader at quarterback. Q. Tyrod, certainly one of the biggest games of your career. Did you feel you were in a zone tonight and that you weren't going to be able to do anything wrong and when did you start to get that feeling? TYROD TAYLOR: Every game I feel like I'm in a zone. Maybe just made more plays this week. After the second half we wanted to come out and put points on the board, and that's something that coach stressed to us all week is we need to put points on the board against this team, don't let them stay in the game. And as an offensive unit, that's what we came out and did second half. Q. Tyrod, you've had your fair share of escapes over your career but the one in the second half when you were about 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage and ended up getting loose for I think a 12-yard run, was that one of the better ones and what did you see? TYROD TAYLOR: I would say so. My feet just took over, to tell you the truth. Sometimes I'm running and I don't even know where I'm going. I trust my feet. But I know Danny is probably mad that I ran into him at the end of the play. That wasn't on purpose but I was stumbling and didn't have anywhere to go, so I ran into him. But I was just trusting my natural ability. Q. Given how the season started, is this still a matter of unfinished business for you guys? Is there another game to win to sort of make amends for what happened? COACH BEAMER: Well, I've said this. I think this is a special team. You know, one more win in the Orange Bowl, and I'm going to be talking about this team for a long time. You know, every Hokie Club meeting I go to they're going to hear about this football team right now. But you've got to do what we have to do. Whoever we play in the Orange Bowl, we need to get that done. But what they've been able to accomplish when things didn't look good and how they hung in there together and probably got tighter as a group, come in here tonight and beat a good football team -- I want to tell you, I think Florida State is a good football team. My hat's off to them how they performed this year. I think they're good, getting better all the time. So for us to beat them and then to go to Miami and win and go to NC State and win when they were hot and go to North Carolina and win, you know, it's been a lot of great moments. If we can just get one more win, I think it's going to be a story we'll be talking about -- I think we'll talk about this team, when you start talking about what's the great teams at Virginia Tech. We've had a team that played for a National Championship and we had one that started out in '95, 0 and 2 and went to the Sugar Bowl and beat Texas, but this team may top all that just when you put everything together. TYROD TAYLOR: Just proud. Like I said, team bounced back. Never was in a downstate of mind, just wanted to come out there and prove that we had the talent to go out there and win games, and that's what we did. Like coach said, looking forward to another game. I still feel like it would be a letdown if we've done all this and lose the last game, so coach is going to keep us ready for this game and prepare us right. JOHN GRAVES: I'm just proud of this team and how everybody stuck together. A lot of teams would have folded at 0 and 2, but it just shows you the character and the guys that we have on this team just to keep on fighting and keep pushing through and taking it one game at a time. So I'm just proud of these guys. End of FastScripts |
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