BLACKSBURG – Leading up to the second game of the season against Middle Tennessee, select Virginia Tech football players met with the media for a press conference on Tuesday. Read what they had to say below.
DEFENSIVE BACK NASIR PEOPLES
On his first career start since his injury:
"It's been a while, I try not to be too emotional. I try to just focus on the game, just the test that we had. That's what it was."
On what it's like playing for defensive coordinator Justin Hamilton:
"It's been pretty good. He's just been here. He's been in this program, so he knows a lot about the safety position, he helps us out a lot and gives us pointers."
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN NORREL POLLARD
On what it felt like to create so much pressure:
"It was great. It was a great feeling, just because that's all we talk about every day in the defensive line room. And that's all Coach [Bill] Teerlinck preaches, just that the D-line can really win the game for us. It's like, every day we should win the game. I feel like that's the mindset we went out with, that the D-line can win the game and that's what happened."
On the crowd's impact on the defense:
"It was very exciting, it was an out-of-body experience, the fans help you a lot. They help you so much. We got a couple of false starts, because of just the fans being so loud in the stadium. It just boosts the momentum, gives us momentum. I love Hokie Nation it helped."
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN KADEN MOORE
On fall camp and his first start:
"Fall camp has been good, having Brock [Hoffman] with me, really mentoring me. It's been really, really cool to be with him. But, I mean, I think I took a huge step from last year, with knowing the playbook and everything. And I feel like I was just so good in the game."
On his biggest takeaways against UNC:
"Pretty much that we just need to lock in. You must use all of your technique, because it's like that's the real deal. It's not practice anymore; those games are against grown men. You got to use your technique and you got to use what you've been taught. So that's my biggest takeaway."
