Story Links

Oct. 28, 2006

Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery media-icon-photogallery.gif

Virginia Head Coach Al Groh:

On the way Virginia played:
“That game had everything we like. It was a clean game. We had one penalty and no turnovers. We ran the ball proficiently if not prolifically. We played real good defense, which is something we’re working real hard to do on an ongoing basis. And we were able to finish the game strongly.”

“We were very tough-minded today, throughout the circumstances. The defense had to keep on playing, keep on playing, keep on playing. Offensively, we had to come back and answer there at the end, and the players stepped up and did everything just right.”

On big plays by Tony Franklin and Jason Snelling:
“Tony and Jason embody the tenacity of the players. They both have had their circumstances that they’ve had to fight through. For Tony and Jason to step up and make those two great individual plays is certainly representative of their teammates and a great punctuation on their careers here at Virginia.”

On Virginia’s game-winning drive:
“There had been quite a few series there where things were really tough for Jameel. The reads were coming slow, and the passes weren’t on target. If you want to be a competitively tough-minded team, your quarterback has to be tough minded. And that means they have to come back from some circumstances where things aren’t going their way and step up when the moment’s there. He did an excellent job of that and as a result hit a couple of throws early and got things started. It really got started with a send-a-message play by Fontel when he caught the ball in the flat and just wasn’t going to go down until he made the first down.”

On Jason Snelling:
“He’s a hard-working back. He makes so much on his own. He’s got really good skills, but as he demonstrated on many play earlier than today, he’s also got a great heart.”

On Virginia’s defense:
“We were pretty good last week [against North Carolina], but after awhile the margin kept widening. Today we had to go out there every series knowing the game was on the line. I was impressed with their competitive resolve under those circumstances.”

Virginia Player Quotes

Virginia Junior Defensive End Chris Long

On his thoughts of the game:
“This was a big win for us. We’ve been in a lot of games this year, we’ve won some, we’ve lost some. But this is the best win for us. They were a very talented team. But this really feels like a Virginia Football win.”

On the team’s defensive play:
“We gave up some plays on two drives, one where the missed the field goal and then the touchdown at the end. But its not just about the defense. The offense came through at the end when it really mattered, and I can’t say enough about Jameel (Sewell) and the offensive line and Jason (Snelling).”

Senior Running Back Jason Snelling

On his thoughts of the game:
“It was a great win. I was real proud. North Carolina State played wery well. They made a few mistakes and we were able to execute at the end. It was the type of win that makes you real proud.”

On the running game:
“They were hard earned yards. Defensively, NC State played very well. But, the offensive line played excellent today, opening up some creases and we were able to capitalize at the end.”

On the last drive:
“We knew what was at stake and we were very focused at the end. The run previous to the touchdown I felt like I should have scored. So, I was pretty determined to get in the second time. I saw the crease when they blitz and I hit it and we were able to score.”

Sophomore Linebacker Antonio Appleby

On the defense against NC State:
“Our defense played very well today. Aside from a couple long plays we gave up, we played real well. The coaches made sure we were well prepared for today’s game. We watched a lot of tape this week focusing on their different tendencies.”

Sophomore Wide Receiver Kevin Ogletree

On his catch to set up the touchdown in the first half:
“We got the coverage that we were expecting and the personel we wanted. The corner was lined up on the outside and the play was for me to run a post route, so I just got on him, going as hard as I can, and the ball was at the spot when I got there.”

On the offense’s mindset during the game-winning drive:
“That was just us being heros, which is what really everyone wants to be on offense. As a unit we came out and we said that we were going to win the game. We got the opportunity to use our two-minute offense and go down and score. We were just happy to show how much we work on that and how important it is. I mean, it won the game for us.”

Junior Center Jordy Lipsey

On the game winning touchdown run:
“I was pulling, it was a stretch play. I just kept running, my guy I was supposed to block came inside, and Jason made him miss. Honestly, Jason made an excellent play on that play.”

Senior Cornerback Tony Franklin

On NC State’s touchdown:
“It was a play were I read the quarterback a little bit late, so I got there a second late. I got a hit on him, but I just couldn’t get the ball out.”

On the interception at the end of the game:
“The last play on defense was a play we practiced all week, so we knew they were going to go back to it. I was just able to make a play on it.”

NC State Head Coach CHUCK AMATO:

On his postgame conversation with Virginia Coach Al Groh:
Al Groh said after the game was over, `This is yours and my type of game.’ I said, `Yeah, it was yours a little more than mine.’ It looked like maybe it was going to come down to an overtime game.”

On Virginia’s last drive:
“We’ve not been really good – and why I don’t know – at the end of a game. They had about 260 yards, and 80 of them came on the last drive. … You’re kind of betwixt and between are they going to get in position to kick a field goal? We had stopped them two times and kept them out of field goal range in the fourth period. … They made plays. And we weren’t able to make one back. (Our) defense was on the field pretty much the (entire) last quarter down at that other end of the field.”

On false start penalties:
“When you’re playing over 91 (Virginia lineman Chris Long), who’s really a good player, you get a little fidgety, especially if (the play count) goes a little long in anticipation.”

On Virginia QB Jameel Sewell’s avoidance of a sack on the last scoring drive:
“Oh, that’s huge. We say, `You need to make one play.’ That’s a play that was a make-able thing. He showed his athleticism to avoid it and get away from the sack and then get rid of it. What I was trying to say (to the official was), `Before it went out of bounds was it over the line or behind the line?’ I was pleading on that. … That would have been huge.”

On rebounding from the loss:
“I have all the confidence in the world. There’s not a coach in the country that wouldn’t. You’ve seen the games – they were one play away. But we’re not going to play the what-if game. We know what we’ve got to do. We play Georgia Tech, who is an unbelievable football team, Clemson, who is an unbelievable football team, we’ve got the University of North Carolina and East Carolina. Those are in-state rival games. Every one of them, you’re going in with your back against the wall. But you know what: you’ve watched them. Do they quit? And they ain’t gonna. They aren’t going to quit. And they really aren’t.”

On the slow offensive start:
“They were pretty slow too. Let’s look at it both ways. It was a defensive game. They had 170 yards with 4 minutes left in the game. … It went back and forth. It became a field-position game, and people just don’t like that. … It was one of those fighting, slapping and getting after each other (games). There were two pretty good defensive teams out there whacking each other around.”

NC State Player Quotes

NC State Junior Wide Receiver JOHN DUNLAP

“I think we made a lot of mistakes. I thought we worked really hard, we just have to really execute earlier and work a little harder.”

On turning the season around:
“Obviously we have an extremely great team. Talent-wise, we’re one of the best teams in the nation. We just got to work on the small things. Once we got that down, we should be O.K.”

NC State Senior Guard/Center LEROY HARRIS

On N.C. State’s false starts:
“We got out there, and we changed the snap count because we’ve had trouble hearing all year. We changed it to silent-1 and on one I didn’t snap it out on time. On the other, the guy rocked in his stance and jumped the count. We were going on a different count and cadence this week.”

NC State Sophomore Running Back ANDRE BROWN

“That’s what killed us; mistakes and penalties. We need to get back to playing disciplined football. We haven’t done that yet. Mistakes and turnovers, we can’t do that.”

“Great defense, they had a great defense. Their defense is better than Akron’s defense. The flow of the game; the speed was different.”

NC State Sophomore Quarterback DANIEL EVANS

“First half penalties really bogged down the drives. We’d start to get something going and then something like that would happen. We’d have a negative yardage play or something like that to get us out of sequence.”

On preference of hurry-up offense:
“That’s what I’ve been used to. That’s all we did in high-school, no huddle offense.”

Print Friendly Version