Following its practice on Monday ahead of its matchup at No. 24 NC State, Virginia Tech football met with the press for a media availability. Read below for some highlights of what was said.
Safeties coach Pierson Prioleau
On when his son, P.J. Prioleau, blocked a punt recently:
"You know what, man, I'm always going to be a dad, even with my responsibilities to this team and to this defense. So, I was proud of him in that moment. I told him to enjoy that moment, and it was actually his birthday. But we were laser focused on trying to get that win in Pittsburgh and he understands that the team is way more important. I was definitely proud of him to get an opportunity to help this team, though."
On his younger defensive backs getting playing time and if he saw it coming:
"When you recruit and bring guys into the program, everybody's progression is going to be different. Some guys are going to learn faster than others and opportunities are going to present themselves before others. So, we do our best to prepare all of them to be ready to play when their numbers are called. Some of our younger guys have had more opportunities this season, and they are doing well. We are proud of them and we hope they continue to progress."
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Quarterback Grant Wells
On what he felt like the team improved on during the open week:
"We gained a lot of confidence over the open week. We worked on what we needed to work on, but we also got a lot of reps at the plays that we're good at and gained confidence in that aspect. Anytime we can go into an open week, you want to gain confidence in what you're doing."
On being more intentional about ball security and what has gone into that:
"That's been the goal since Day 1 and that hasn't changed – protect the ball. We haven't always been the best at that. Certainly, myself included. That's something that I've taken into account each game, and probably more than I had previously heading into this season. The games that we've been able to protect the ball we've won. That's no secret. The whole offense knows that. I think we'll continue to improve on that."
Defensive back Nasir Peoples
On if the team made good use of the open week and refocused on the middle of the season:
"Yes, sir. I think it was needed. We got better during the open week, honestly. The younger guys were able to get some reps and the older guys got to rest a little bit. So, just going into the next couple of games, we were able to look at our upcoming opponents and focus on us, too."
On where NC State's offense is going to challenge the defensive backs the most this week:
"I feel like they are going to challenge us in the run and make us play physical against them. We'll need to play well and make tackles consistently."