Virginia Postgame Quotes
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Al Groh Quotes
Opening Remarks
Well, after three of those in a row, I think we can see what type of team we’re fashioning. As I said last week, there’s a lot of character and a lot of tough kids on this team. If we’re successful, we’re going to have a lot of games of that nature. We’ve had three in a row, and what they’ve shown in those three games is that when the game is on the line they won’t crack. They trust in each other and they believe in each other. The players stepped up and made a lot of plays.
It keeps us moving along. We’ve certainly improved from last week. We’ve done that three weeks in a row. And we might be a little bit better than most people gave us credit for.
On Virginia’s recovery of a muffed Georgia Tech punt
It was really a game, for a long time there, of turnovers and field position. Each team recovered a punt in about the same place and each team subsequently scored with it. Those two, in the long run, evened out.
On Staton Jobe’s touchdown reception
It’s a route that he runs well. He runs it well in practice. He’s got a good feel for it. And it was a terrific throw. Jameel (Sewell) put it right on the target. Obviously, that gave us the (five-point) margin, and we had to defend it the rest of the way. We made a couple of good stands. … The idea going to the game was that we were going to take our swings. We weren’t going to pull our punches.
On Sewell’s performance
This was the sharpest he’s been, overall, in the passing game.
On the pass rush
Boy, we tried everything. We must have called 15 different pressures not in frequency, but in design. They had a very good protection plan. They were trying to slide the protection to our most dangerous side. They kept seven guys in (to block) a great deal of the time. That made it a little bit trickier, but when it was on the line, they were able to put real good pressure on four downs in a row. You’ve got to win all four, and we were able to do that.
On responding to Georgia Tech’s opening score with a touchdown drive
It certainly raised the whole tone of the place, and that particularly demonstrated that we are going to be able to move the ball on this team.
On the play of Cedric Peerman
Cedric was wonderful again. As you can clearly see, he’s the right back for this team. He fits the personality of this program and of this team. There are a lot of great running backs in the country who we admire, but this kid is the right back for our team. We certainly admire him to a great level, and he epitomizes the toughness and the heart and the character of all of his teammates.
On the injury to Georgia Tech WR Correy Earls
Certainly since the incident up in Buffalo (involving the injury to Bills TE Kevin Everett) everybody is particularly sensitive to seeing a player down like that. It doesn’t have to be one of your own to have that feeling. It’s a very competitive sport; there’s no sport as competitive as that with people going after each other in the way that they do.
When somebody goes down like that kid (Correy Earls) did, we’re all comrades. We felt for him as if he were one of our guys. We’ve talked to the (Georgia Tech) people, and we were told that as he was being taken off the field he was moving his extremities. We hope that’s good news, and we’re going to keep track of that and help them out if need be.
But we also told our players that we don’t have any idea what’s going on over there. We’re not doctors. We can’t do anything at this present moment, so let’s just keep our focus on what’s coming up here in the next couple of plays.
On the upcoming game vs. Pittsburgh
We’ve made some progress, but we have a team coming in here that we didn’t do very well with last year. This one has good value for us. We’re a quarter of the way through the season, and we’re going to enjoy this. But we’re already thinking about doing everything we have to do to be the same guys next week.
Virginia Player Quotes
Staton Jobe, freshman wide receiver
On being 3-0 in the ACC:
“It’s exciting. People doubted us after that tough loss to Wyoming. I think we’ve showed we can bounce back. We’re a good team and coming up with big wins like this is something we have to do.”
On dealing with a series of tough plays:
“I got down on myself at first, but at that point I realized I had to stay positive and make the most out of any opportunity that I got after that.
On his first career touchdown:
“When I heard the play call in the huddle, I knew it was my opportunity to come back and make a play. The play developed just like we do it in practice, and Jameel [Sewell] made an incredible throw.
Jeffrey Fitzgerald, sophomore defensive end
On preparation this week:
“We had the mindset that we were going to dominate the game. We feel that we’ve haven’t played to our full capabilities yet and we tried to go out there and do that this game.”
On his interception:
“We had a blitz on, and the ball got batted in the air. I got into the backfield and after that I was just in the right place at the right time. “
On being in first place in the ACC:
“We know we have to keep doing exactly what we’re doing now and just try to improve. We are working hard to get even better than we played today.”
On getting into the backfield today:
“Chris Long draws attention so that frees me up. We were able to do what we wanted. They had a few more rushing yards than we would have liked, but I think we did a good job today. “
On the win:
“This is a huge win. We have the momentum in the ACC. Being 3-0 and on top of the division is great. This was a big win for us but we know we have a lot of room to get better.”
Cedric Peerman, junior running back
On three straight 100 yard rushing games:
“My numbers don’t matter unless the team wins, so that is our number-one goal. We are thankful for this win and our hats go off to the offensive line. Without them I couldn’t do anything. I am thankful God gave me the opportunity to be on this team and being able to change the game.”
On game-planning for Georgia Tech’s blitz:
“We were extremely focused this entire week in practice. They have been known for blitzing in the past. I think we were pretty prepared today and the blitz didn’t seen to hurt us too much. Hats off to the coaches for getting us ready.”
On playing Pittsburgh next week:
“Everybody is very excited, and the atmosphere at night games is always electric. We are going to celebrate this one a little bit first, but then we are getting back to work so that we can be ready.”
On exceptional play of Fitzgerald and Long:
“It definitely takes the pressure off of us. Everyone on the offensive side sees that and then wants to get involved in making big plays. It is a great motivator and we are blessed to have those guys on the team.”
Jameel Sewell, sophomore quarterback
On responding with quick score in the first quarter:
“That was definitely a statement. That’s what we needed to set the tempo for our offense. The line up front was doing a remarkable job, and they are going to keep getting better, which is only going to lead to everyone else getting better too.”
On Staton Jobe’s touchdown:
“Before the snap I saw the two safeties coming to blitz. I saw he had a lot of field to work with, so I stepped up and tried to give him a catchable ball. He caught the ball and broke a tackle. He made a play for us.”
On the win:
“Last year was really tough against these guys. I was on the ground a lot and we had a tough time. I just wanted to come out today and get the win and make a statement for the team.”
On Cedric Peerman:
“Cedric was awesome today. Breaking tackles in the backfield, getting first downs, and making big plays. Cedric is going to keep bringing it and I’m going to try and make plays to match him. He has great speed and is a very smart player. He always knows where the marker is and can go get the first down for us.”