BLACKSBURG – With Georgia Tech up next for Virginia Tech football, head coach Justin Fuente met with the media for a press conference on Monday. Read what he had to say below.
HEAD COACH JUSTIN FUENTE
Opening Statement:
"Yesterday was a tough day with film review over a tough fought close loss. It's really the third one on essentially the last play of the game that we've had this year. I think it speaks volumes about our kids' resiliency and their belief in what we're trying to get accomplished, and they keep coming back and battling their tails off. Certainly, there's room for improvement. We ran the ball better than we've run it all year, made some plays in special teams. We probably played our worst game defensively, we did play our worst game defensively. Our guys keep doing everything they can to give us a chance to win, taking care of football and making some plays on special teams. Three times we really failed to get over the hump. A tremendous challenge this week, we're going on the road to Georgia Tech, explosive offense with really good skill players. Kind of a unique defense that can certainly cause problems. Looking forward to that challenge."
On the effect three close losses can have on a team:
"I feel good about our guys, but to say that that never crosses your mind would be less than truthful. You play three games that are so close and so tight that come down to the wire on both sides of the ball. You certainly think about it and that's why I think it's a testament to our young people and their resiliency, their toughness and dedication to each other."
On the team's defensive line depth:
"Would we like more of them? Sure. But it is a place that we have rotated guys through. It's probably the one place on defense we've rotated the most. Losing [Desmond] Mamudi as a fill-in guy and [Maxx] Philpott before the season really got underway or in fall camp obviously hurt our depth a little bit there inside. But I've been pleased, Cole Nelson is somebody that continues to come on. I think the coaches on the defensive side feel more and more comfortable."
On the offensive line getting more of a push vs. Syracuse:
"I think there's probably a lot that goes with that, it's probably more complicated than I'll actually try and make it giving this answer. I thought it was a combination of several things with Syracuse as a movement-based defense and that can often cause you to become passive. I thought we kept our aggression in terms of pulling off the ball. I thought Malachi [Thomas] was different from there. I thought our tight ends played well and covered up some edges there in 12 personnel. When you boil it down, I think it's those three things."
