Virginia Player Quotes

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Virginia vs. Richmond
Sep. 1, 2012
Virginia Player Quotes

Sophomore tailback Kevin Parks
On being proficient at scoring touchdowns:
“Whatever play is called, I’m in. My goal is to try to get in the end zone and that is what I tried to do today.”

On Coach London trying to send a point on 4th and shorts:
“I believe teams know what we are going to do and they know what the best option to stop us is. But as an offensive unit we want to keep pounding away and that is what we tried to do today.”

On the amount of passes you caught today:
“I probably caught more than I caught last year. Rocco was going through his reads and I happened to be [open]. Running backs are always an option as a pass threat.”

Sophomore Quarterback Phillip Sims
On getting to play in his first game for Virginia:
“It was definitely exciting. It’s just been a long time coming and it was a rush to get back out there. I had a great time.”

On what was going through his mind while warming up:
“Don’t fumble the first snap. When you get in you don’t want to make a bad play. You want to get out there and have everything run smooth.”

On his final pass:
“I tried to stretch it a little bit. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it, but it happens. Five of six isn’t bad.”

On fighting for playing time:
“Every time I step on the field I want to play to the highest of my abilities no matter the situation. If this is my chance to show people what I can do, then so be it. I just want to go out there and do what I’m capable of.”

Freshman defensive end Eli Harold
On being too hyped for his first college game:
“I was right there. I wasn’t too high or too low. I was right on top.”

On getting the call to go in the game:
“I just thought, don’t mess up. Just make the best of it. I know no one is perfect but just make the best of the opportunity and seize the moment.”

Talk about how the team played today:
“It was pretty good. For an FCS team, they brought it today. They didn’t back down. But we kind of proved and made a point of what we work for. We are trying to put up points this year.”

Junior Quarterback Michael Rocco
On Michael Strauss:
“I’m proud of Strauss, he’s come a long way. We texted a little bit before the game, wishing each other luck and it’s good to see him succeeding.”

On his uncle (UR head coach Danny Rocco) forcing him to pass:
“He did what he thought would help his team win and that’s all he can ask his players to do. I expect him to coach his best game. We had a good game plan today. We can still improve on a lot of things and we’ll watch the film to see what we can improve on but we had a good victory.”

On his performance:
“I really need to watch the film and see, but from just coming out of the game, my decision making was pretty good for the most part. I still have areas to work on, I’ll see the film and see what I can improve on. Our guys make plays whenever I get the ball in their hands, so just completing passes is my main goal. You saw what Darius Jennings and Tim Smith can do when they get the ball in their hands.”

On Richmond’s defense:
“They were doing a good job of having a heavy box, but then whenever they see pass they ran out of there and dropped back. They were doing a good job of encouraging us to throw the ball, but were forcing us to take check-downs or underneath passes. They had a good game plan but we executed pretty good.”

Sophomore Tight End Jake McGee
On his one-handed catch:
“I saw Mike sort of moving in the pocket a little bit, he put it up, I tried to get to it and luckily I did.”

On his first career reception:
“I was wondering when it was going to come, I knew there were some good plays this week that were going to give me an opportunity, and it coming like that was pretty cool.”

Sophomore Defensive Back Drequan Hoskey
On the defense today:
“I think the defense did very well today. We stuck to our calls, everybody knows their calls and everything. Other than that, we are pretty confident in our backfield.”

On stalling Richmond’s rhythm in the second half:
“We are used to practicing with a sped up rhythm, so it didn’t really affect us at all.”

On looking ahead to Penn State:
“Right now we are just going to enjoy the win over Richmond and are going to look forward to that this week at practice.”