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Sept. 18, 2004
VIRGINIA COACH AL GROH
We wanted to improve our kickoff coverage. I thought our kickoff coverage lagged behind our other special teams units – a much better job with that today. We wanted to be around the football more on defense. Two interceptions certainly did that. We wanted to get into a few things with the passing game that we hadn’t gotten into previously. I was pleased with that.
We can only do with what the circumstances were. If we had been playing under other circumstances, it would have been different. I like what the players did in the games. We’ve played a pretty clean game most of the time.
The pressure was very good today. Chris Canty had a couple of good rushes. … I thought the rushers were very alert.
I think we continue to be faster. But it is pretty early. Obviously, we have a defense that I think ought to be one of the strong points of the team. The big tests are yet to come, but to really do something we’ll have to have some big games on defense.
We really didn’t go out of our way to get anybody involved. We just let the ball go where it is going to go. We have some guys to get it to. It’s a very simple game for the quarterback: try to get it to the guy who is most open. It’s not always so simple to figure out who that is. I thought Marques (Hagans) did a pretty good job with it. He had a nice rhythm early. … He’s performed well in the circumstances in which he has been placed. I think we all understand those situations and circumstances are going to continuously get more rugged for us.
(On the offensive line) More than being big, having big, athletic players out there, that’s what we prefer. … It’s not an overwhelmingly big line, but ithas good athletic ability and it’s got good cohesion.
(On Chris Canty) He’s a very disruptive player and he was very disruptive today obviously. He was a little much for those guys to handle on occasion. He did a really good job for us.
The competition is going to get a lot stiffer. Next week, we will play (Syracuse) the most physical team that we’ve played this year. They play with the most physical style with the most physical players. And I think we’ll see a change in the environment here starting next Saturday.
AKRON COACH J.D. BROOKHART
I thought our defense came out and competed. Offensively, I think we had five three and outs on the first six drives, and that left our defense out there a lot. That’s a very physical football team we played today. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle. I don’t know offensively until I look at the tape what our struggles were, whether it was game planning or execution, but that’s not what we’re capable of offensively. I think what the offense did today affected the defense.
(On taking Frye out in the fourth quarter) I took him out. It was a good time to get some other kids some playing time. We were obviously having trouble with protection. We’ve got a game five days from now, and he needed to be ready.
There were some things we thought we could do in the run game that appeared to be handled up front. They forced us into some things, longer protections, third and longs, that you don’t want to be in. We thought we could run what we have throughout the season, but we missed throws, missed protection, but for the most part, I saw a team out there that was physically impressive. They made it very difficult to do anything well.
(On Frye’s play) I think he had somebody in his face. How clear a vision he had of that [coverage in the secondary], I don’t know. We’ll have to look at the tape to see how well he played.
The defense is playing with more confidence. They’re playing with more speed and understanding, and I think they have an attitude. There’s growth on that side of the ball. But again we going against a team that I consider a top ten football team.