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ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL: MICHIGAN v VIRGINIA TECHDecember 31, 2011Bryan StinespringNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Bryan Stinespring. Coach, an opening comment. COACH STINESPRING: Well, first of all, to say how excited we are to be here in the Sugar Bowl really doesn't do us justice at all, to be a part of this Bowl and this great tradition means a great deal to all of us. But I think our position in college football, where we are today, has footprints in New Orleans. And we date back to 1995 when we were here, it gave us an opportunity to step out into the national prominence to be able to beat Texas here at that time I think signified our arrival into what we hoped to be a top 10 top program year in and year out in this country. And I remember after that game Coach Beamer in the locker room saying we're going to be back and we're going to be better. And I was in the back thinking, whoa, slow down little fella, enjoy the moment here. You're a little giddy, I understand. And he was right. We were back here. We were able to play for the national championship in a terrific ballgame. And then we were able to come back again and play Auburn, undefeated Auburn team, and go face mask to face mask with them for four quarters. And now we're back again and we're facing a Michigan ball club that is the winningest ball team in all of college football. And since 1995 we're the winningest football team in college football in DivisionI‑A. So like I said it really means a great deal to us to be here, it's special to be here, and because as I had said, I think the footprints of where we are in college football are stamped within the city of New Orleans and this Bowl. So our rise coincides with this tremendous Bowl and the people that are here. And I'd also like to say that New Orleans, Blacksburg, Virginia, we have some ties that bind us together, both on the field and off the field. And we share great times and great celebrations, but we also in this time and age we also have shared in tragedy. And in those times I think we have both shown a tremendous spirit that enables you to rise in times of tragedy and to show what you're really all about and to show a comfort level and a caring level and a resolve that separates those who are able to move forward, who are able to learn and grow. And this city has shown that and it coincides with what what's happening in Blacksburg, too. So we understand life and those other aspects, too. To say we're excited to be here doesn't do it justice. There's another meaning. There's another level to that. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Coach, say you're starting from scratch and you're the head of coach of a program with a lot of dual threat QBs over Virginia Tech of the last few years or last decade or so, but would you prefer a dual threat QB or a drop‑back passer? COACH STINESPRING: I think anytime you have a quarterback that enables you to keep a play alive, that makes a defense have to defend the passing game and defend the quarterback as a potential additional runner, what it does and what it makes the defense have to do is they have to play 11 on 11 even in the run game. If you're running the ball, and pretty much assured it's either going to be a tailback or a fullback or a receiver on a reverse getting the ball. So you're not really‑‑ you're able to eight‑man front and not compensate for a quarterback, when you have to compensate for a quarterback, not just in the pass game, but also in the run game, you can get this thing balanced up and enable you to play 11 on 11. So it's not just for, in our expression, in our terminology, it's just not one ball/one back. It's now another potential ball carrier. So I do like the idea that the more options you have, I think the better opportunity for success you do have. Q. Bryan, David's season, David Wilson's season as a whole, did he surprise you at all with what he was able to do, whether it be his durability, his consistency, his explosiveness, did anything catch you by surprise now once he kind of embraced that and he got that featured back role? COACH STINESPRING: Great question. Yes, but of course as you know David, nothing has a tendency to surprise you when you know David. But his ability to break as many tackles as he did, you knew he was going to make people miss. You knew he was going to be able to outrun some potential tacklers, but to break as many tackles as he did throughout the season, to show that physical part of it, you know he's physically strong, but to be that physical, with that much speed and to be able to play as physical as he did and break tackles and run through tackles, throughout the year, we knew he had that ability. But to the level that he did it, yes, it did surprise me. Q. A follow‑up to your opening statement about how the'95 game catapulted the program to a different level. Do you feel like you guys still have another level that you can reach and do you think that this game can sort of do a similar, have a similar effect that it did that time? COACH STINESPRING: We always hope that year in, year out, we're always trying to get to another level. And I don't think anybody ever knows exactly what that level‑‑ you always hope to, at the end of the year, be a national champion, to be the very best. But I think when you look at Coach Beamer, when you look at Coach Foster that was here yesterday and Billy Hite, I think when you have guys that are continuous in a program for a period of time, they don't believe that the ceiling has been reached for that endeavor that you're undertaking. And I believe all of us believe what keeps us motivated, what keeps us driving forward is the belief and the knowing that there is another level that we can get to. And we will always consistently aspire to get to it. But, yes, absolutely. We were always engaging ourselves, motivating ourselves to get to that next level. And I think that's the way we approach every day at work, because when you go to work, you feel like you're still striving to get to that next place, that there's a better day out there for you. And I think that enables you to go to 19 straight Bowl games. Q. David Wilson against Clemson, can you get it going, how much of an effect do you think that played in the ACC championship game and why was Clemson able to slow him down? COACH STINESPRING: Obviously when you have someone like David, you want to get the ball in his hands. We didn't do a very good job early in the game of doing it. We came out and probably put a lot of run pass checks in early in the play calling, which really gets back to how the defense aligns itself and engage our play calling from that. And obviously Clemson was by their alignment and what they were going to do was try to overload the box or get more people involved in the run game. And therefore we were probably getting into some more passes instead of just lining up and calling some runs. Then when we tried to throw a couple of screens to get him involved early, they did a great job of defending it. So we probably needed to force the ball into his hands a couple more times early on, regardless of the situation. So we just needed to do a better job of getting him involved. Q. You always hear of quarterbacks who are recruited to be, they're good athletes in high school, recruited for other positions. Have you ever heard anyone anywhere like Logan who didn't want to move from quarterback to another position and has managed to thrive at what he's doing? COACH STINESPRING: Well, you know, there's the Stinespring kid at Clifton Forest, Virginia. He was a quarterback in the ninth grade, starting quarterback. And eight months later he was a right guard for the rest of his life. And that was the greatest transition I've ever seen in the history of football. I went from quarterback, never playing with my hand on the ground, until eight months later, bypassing‑‑ I was a tight end for like a month and then I went to offensive guard, I think. So that was a big transition. But Logan‑‑ Logan's a gifted athlete. But I think Logan always just liked playing the game, whatever the sport was, whatever the sport he was in at that time, was his favorite sport. When he moved to quarterback as a junior, I just think he felt really in his mind it was part of where they needed me as a football team. Not something he aspired to or thought was generally his position. But I think when he got to college and he and I talked and there's a chance‑‑ we feel like there's an opportunity for you to be a quarterback. And if we're wrong, the biggest thing we've done you is redshirt you, instead of trying to play you. But what if we're right, what if the opportunity to be a three‑year quarterback in a top program, how does that go? And I think Logan was the kind of guy that, once he puts his mind to something, I think he's going to will it in a certain direction. So it's not surprising to see what Logan has done. It was just the means of getting to move in that direction. Once he's done that, it's been a great deal for him and for us. And as I've told people before, those people that are quarterbacks at this level, successful quarterbacks at this level, they spent their whole life gearing to be a quarterback, from toss up and tackling in the backyard, I'm the quarterback. I don't play guard, I don't snap the ball, I don't go one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three. I play quarterback. That wasn't Logan; he didn't go to the passing camps. The Nike passing camps, the whoever passing camps. He went to basketball season. And he went to track season. And then he picked up the football again August6th. So what really is significant about all that is that I think because of that, you're now seeing a guy that is playing at another level and getting better and better because he's really spending full time to be a quarterback and you're starting to see that progress because of it. Q. With obviously every game you want to take advantage of scoring opportunities, but with the uncertainty with the field goal kicking, is it even more important when you get around the red zone you guys really cash in in the Sugar Bowl? COACH STINESPRING: Absolutely. I think so. I think anytime situations change during the course of the season you need to be able to adjust accordingly to how you see fit. We have confidence in whoever is out there on that field and whatever position that they're in. But it also goes along a little bit with us as an offense. This year we have been very good as an offense. But the disappointing aspect of it is we've left, for this particular offense, this season, as well as we've moved it, as well as quick strikes, long drives, we've had it all, but sometimes we haven't taken advantage of all of our scoring opportunities. So that's something we've continuously addressed throughout the season. And now it becomes even more important. But it's something we've had to concern ourselves with all season. Like I said, there's been times in the past where we may have struggled a little bit more offensively or had to fight harder for yardage and harder for points, but we've gotten them. And this year I think the yardage has come a little easier at times or moving the ball's come a little easier at times, sometimes difficult. But we've left a lot of points on the field and we can't afford to do that. Q. Back on Logan, how far has he come from training camp to right now as far as his football savvy, knowledge, especially recognition and those type of things? COACH STINESPRING: I don't know how to answer that and what type of gauge you're looking for me to get to tell you. But it's been very surprising. I'm surprised at how far he's been able to come, because not just from the game management part of it, but the way he's handled the passing game, the way he's distributed ball, I mean, you start with a guy that was strictly a receiver‑‑ I'm the receiver, receiver, receiver, now you start to see the backs getting more involved in the passing game. Eventually they really started breaking the trend and throwing it to the tight ends every now and then. When you go back, look across the board, the ball has been dispersed well by him. When you go back, look at that aspect, how many different people have been involved in the passing game, how many people have touched the ball, I think that says a lot about your quarterback, because he's not just zeroing in on one place, one person, because I think it would be very easy to sit here and say Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, that's where I'm going. That's probably the first place I would look. But you go back and start seeing some of the touches by Chris Drager as the season went on or D.J. Coles, you start seeing a quarterback that's now starting to disperse the ball well, and I think that's a great measure of where a quarterback has gotten to. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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