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Co-captain Vic Hall turned in a dynamic play at the end of last week’s win over Georgia Tech to help seal the win for the Cavaliers. The Yellow Jackets had just crossed midfield with a minute and a half remaining before Hall dashed the Jackets’ hopes with a diving interception, his second of the season. Virginia looks to extend its winning streak to five games with a Homecoming match-up against Miami Saturday at noon.
Q: You had an interception against Miami last year. What else do you recall from that game?
Hall: It was just a very exciting game. We came out ready to play and everybody was on their assignments.
Q: Do you expect them to remember that game?
Hall: Yes. I think they’re going to come out and play with a lot of emotion. It’s going to be a very hard game for us to win. We’ve just got to come out and play to the best of our abilities.
Q: It seems like you all have come together as a defense. What’s the difference been in the last four games?
Hall: You get tired of losing. We got out to a slow start for us defensively and as a team at the beginning of the season. We just picked it up and worked hard in practice and got better.
Q: The season turned around following the Duke game. How difficult was that for you considering the play where the receiver went uncovered down the sideline? Do you remember that as being a sleepless night or very difficult to deal with?
Hall: As a player, when you make mistakes, it’s hard to forget about them. And one like that that gave up a touchdown was one that was hard to let go; I let my team down in a big way and I just tried my best to make up for it the next week.
Q: Last week was the second time this season where you have come up with a big interception to ice a game. What’s the feeling you get when you make a play like that in a situation like that?
Hall: To be able to make a play like that to help my team win is just a great feeling. We practice situational things all the time, during the week in practice and it pays off for us in games.
Q: It looked like you knew what play was coming on last week’s interception because you anticipated it so well. Had you thought before the play that that was what you would likely see?
Hall: Previously the guy was running kind of the same route and we knew they were a sticks team and I figured he was on the sticks and I figured the ball was coming soon, so I just made a break on the ball.
Q: You’ve talked about having the confidence to make a break on the ball. In the back of your mind sometimes, do you think, ‘well, if I make a break and I don’t get it, then the guy’s got all this room to run’?
Hall: That’s part of growing as a cornerback—when to and not to make breaks on the ball or when to try to make the tackle instead of going for the ball.
Q: Can you talk about dealing with Miami’s speed? They have a lot of speed especially on the outside. Is it something you have to be cognizant of that they have a lot of fast guys?
Hall: Playing teams with a lot of speed, we have to emphasize keeping everything in front of us and not letting deep balls hurt us. That’s our focus this week.