Hokie ClubDURHAM, N.C. – Following its game Saturday at Duke, Virginia Tech football met with the media for a press conference. Read below for what head coach Brent Pry, quarterback Grant Wells and linebacker Keonta Jenkins had to say.
Head coach Brent Pry
Opening statement:
"Obviously, disappointed. We didn't play very well fundamentally and certainly didn't play complimentary ball. I think we're fighting and clawing to hang in there defensively, but we got to do more on the other side of the ball to have a chance there to be where we want to be in the fourth quarter. It was great effort by the guys, they battled. I'm proud of that. We got to play better. We got to coach better. You get what you emphasize, and we got to emphasize the fundamentals. We got to be better there. We were not good there today in that area."
On the message in the locker room:
"I told the guys we got a two-game season left, with two in-state opponents. Putting it together and earning some respect. Hold their heads high. Let's keep investing in every day this week and be the team that we can be. But I give credit to Duke. They have a nice football team. There are a lot of things they do well that we need to do a better job of."
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Quarterback Grant Wells
On the amount of pressure the Duke defense brought:
"We knew they had a really high third-down blitz percentage, so we expected it. I think they blitzed more than we thought on normal downs. But, I just needed to do better with getting the ball out on time."
On the quick start with the long touchdown:
"Yeah, we knew we had to start fast and I think you couldn't start any faster than that. That was another where they clouded Kaleb [Smith] and I knew I had [Da'Wain] Lofton 1-on-1 to the field. I like that matchup."
Linebacker Keonta Jenkins
On the time of possession that Duke's offense had the ball and if that took a toll on the defense in the second half:
"Yes sir. I think that played a factor on the scoreboard and trying to get them off the field on third and fourth down. So we can get the ball back to our offense and give them more time and more of an opportunity to make plays, so we have a better chance to win the game."
On if today was a stepback for the team:
"I don't feel like it was necessarily a stepback. We got to go watch the film and see what we can improve on. We have to make more plays, especially on money downs, third downs. We have to create and make turnovers and have explosive plays on offense, and we'll come out with a win."