Virginia Tech Player Quotes

Story Links

Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
Nov. 28, 2009
Virginia Tech Player Quotes

Redshirt Sophomore Receiver Danny Coale
On the significance of this win:
“All wins are sweet but it was one of those games where you have to throw out the record and you know it is just going to be a dog-fight. I am proud of my teammates and how hard we fought, and I am happy to come out with the win.”

On Tech’s reaction to Ras-I Dowling’s efforts:
“Absolutely we tried to take advantage of [Dowling’s] aggressiveness. He is a great corner, he has a long reach and he competes. We just wanted to go right at him with everything we did and hit him right on.”

On the rivalry:
“There is always a little extra to [the UVA vs. Tech] game. It is a battle for the state and it is always fun when we get together. This was no different. Whenever we get together it is always a physical game, but it is fun, and that’s what makes it a great game. We were just trying to take what they gave us and take our opportunities to go down field. Luckily, we did.”

On the VT offense and how it clicked:
“You have to help each other out. In order for the run to work, the pass has to work. They knew we could run it, and we have been running it well the past few games, and we really wanted to continue passing well, too. So whenever you can balance it there, you have a pretty good outcome. We had that outcome tonight.”

Redshirt Senior Linebacker Cody Grimm
On the team’s excitement with this end to their season:
“Not only is it a huge deal to beat UVa in a rivalry game, but it is also the last game of our season and we wanted to go out with a win. We didn’t want to sit around and wait for a bowl game with a loss and have a bad taste in our mouths for a couple weeks. Any time you end your season with a win against your rival it is a pretty big deal, and we are excited about it.”

On Bud Foster at halftime in the locker room:
“He understood. [Virginia] was hitting us with some stuff that made it harder on our defense. And he knows our defense so well that he knew whose fault it was so he just came in there and kept us calm. He was saying all week that it was going to come down to the wire with them. We made a few good adjustments at half time and Coach Foster picked up some other things that he felt comfortable with in terms of the blitz. So we started bringing some pressure and it paid off.”

On UVa’s offensive competitiveness tonight:
“They were really playing their tails off. Whenever they play like that you know defensively that the game could be put out of reach at any series. When we came out and scored our first touchdown in the second half we said we have to get us the ball back. And all of a sudden it was a 15-point game. It put a lot more motivation on us to get on the field and give it back to the offense so they can drive and do what they had been doing. Coach Foster made great adjustments at half time, and you saw the outcome.”

Redshirt Freshman Tailback Ryan Williams
On his remarkable season:
“It was good. I think I have done the unexpected. I really did not set any goals for the season. My main goal was just to try and help the team as best as I could to win. I think I did that very well, and that is the only thing I really wanted. Yardage, touchdowns, ACC teams – none of that really mattered to me. You can be the best person on the field but if your team isn’t winning it does not really mean anything. I am a team player. It just feels good. The offensive line was blocking great and the wide receivers did a heck of a job going down the field, and it just feels good to have guys like that willing to block and do their part so we can execute the plays from the first play to the last play.”

On the VT offense in the last three games and Coach Stinespring:
“I think he gets the bad end about what our offense and what he does and doesn’t do. But he is a great coach and he calls our plays. He calls the plays and it is our job to execute them. When we do not execute them, that is when points do not get scored. When we do, that is when things like this [win] happen, or we put 30+ points on the board. Our offense is 10 times better than it was last year, and we feed off of all the play-makers on the team. The biggest difference this year is that Tyrod [Taylor] is very confident, and very confident in all our receivers. All our receivers have a year under their belts, so then having a quarterback that is confident and who can make plays with his arms or with his feet just makes the plays run a lot more smoothly. It takes a lot of pressure off of me. On the second touchdown two or three guys pressured him and it gave me the wide open run.”

Senior Free Safety Kam Chancellor
On his fumble recovery in the third quarter:
“The defense needed to make a big play to turn the game around and that is what I did. It changed the game for us.”