Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Heading into this week's game at North Carolina, Virginia Tech football held a press conference on Tuesday to address the media and preview the matchup. Read below to see what head coach Brent Pry and wide receiver Stephen Gosnell had to say.
Head coach Brent Pry
Opening statement:
"Hard to believe that it is Week 5 already. It's almost been a year on the calendar since the staff and myself have been put in place, or at least the beginnings of it. I'd be remiss if I don't thank the fans each and every opportunity I can. We have one of the best environments in all of college football. I thought it showed at the start of the game on Thursday night. It's a special place and I think our kids really appreciated the opportunity to play in that environment. Obviously, North Carolina is an explosive team, a dynamic team. I think you know their quarterback. I am very impressed with him. He can throw it on a dime. He has a strong arm. He can make throws with the flick of the wrist, but he's also a very talented runner. He's a big, bodied guy that runs the ball hard. He likes to run the ball, so we got our hands full with their offense."
On what he feels like has been slowing down Tech's offense:
"Outside of the penalties, we're just not getting enough guys executing the run game. Each opportunity, we'll have eight or nine guys execute correctly, and then we'll have one or two not do their job. A lot of times, it just takes one or two to misfire on a run play. That's what going on more than anything. We're working hard at cleaning it up, owning our mistakes. We're making sure we're teaching the right way, making sure that we're not doing too much. We've got to not let things in that create an execution problem. It's not about what we know, it's about what they know. That way they can execute. Execution is the biggest reason at this point."
Wide receiver Stephen Gosnell
On if he feels like there's extra juice this week versus North Carolina:
"I want to say so, it's obviously a different scenario playing against them since I used to be there, but I try to bring the same juice I have for every game."
On how he has been progressing:
"I definitely think I am progressing. I have areas I need to improve. After every game, I watch film on myself. I try to be harder on myself than the coaches. I have steps to take, but I am proud of how I am playing right now. I hope to continue to play good for the rest of the season."