Virginia Tech football met with the media following Saturday's game versus Georgia Tech. Read below to see what Tech head coach Brent Pry and wide receiver Kaleb Smith had to say.
Head coach Brent Pry
Opening statement:
"I just want to thank the fans, a 2-6 team that's working through some stuff, struggling to win a game. The way the fans come out and travel to Blacksburg. I see the families; I see the Hokie Walk. The way they are supporting us, that's one of the reasons this is such a special place. We're going to need them to do this. It's outstanding, with the best fan base in our league. It was the Hall of Fame game, and to have Coach [Bruce] Arians, Vince [Hall], Kam [Chancellor] and Mike Gentry, to have those guys back in town was special for all of us. To have [Bruce] Arians speak with the team, it just shows how special this place really is. We had a ton of recruits here and it means a lot to have that stadium packed. I know everyone is disappointed and I feel bad for the players. I am disappointed for our fans. I am disappointed for our letterman and our coaching staff. But it starts at the top with me, I have to own up for this loss. Every week we are finding a way to not play well enough to win a game. We did some really good things today and we did some things we absolutely cannot do. I give credit to Georgia Tech. It was a good battle. We didn't make plays when we needed to. We let momentum slide when we shouldn't have. We'll get there. It's a process, a process that we believe in and that we're going to stick to. There are so many good lessons and so many things to be encouraged about. I have to own up to this, it starts with me. I have to make sure that we are doing the right things."
On what he thinks went wrong in the second half:
"We talked about it again, obviously with NC State, we need to be able to close a game out. It's hard to believe we were actually closer to doing that this week than last. We were in the red zone, in field goal range to go up two scores. Or potentially punch it in and be up three scores. We turned the ball over. We didn't come out the same way we did the first half or convert and get the ball down the field. The momentum when it switches, we have to win it right back. I have to do a better job at calling plays defensively. We have to be aggressive with our mindset."
Wide receiver Kaleb Smith
On Tucker Holloway:
"Tucker [Holloway] is probably, in my career, the most talented and special freshman that I've seen. It's been something that we've seen he arrived here in January. It hasn't been a big shock to us, we're a hundred percent excited for his future and what he can bring to this team."
On the motivation going forward:
"It all comes down to how we want to end our season. As bad as its been at times, we still control how we end it. And I'm hoping that all the frustration and all the rage, that we can take on to our next opponent."
