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Football
vs NC State
Duke vs. VMI Quotes
9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Duke Quotes
Head Coach Ted Roof
“I thought our football team responded. I thought they played hard and played well. We played about everybody who had a set of shoulder pads today which is a good thing because it teaches some of our younger kids about game speed and where we need to improve. At the same time, they can realize they are just an ankle away from being thrown in the game. I think we learned some good lessons today.”
On the offense:
“I was real proud of those guys. I thought the backs ran hard as we played a lot of different backs. I thought the offensive line did a good job and I thought when the second unit got in there they did a good job as well. We have to go back to work as we have a great opponent next week as they were a top 25 team, at least going into today. I don't know what happened in their game. They are certainly a quality football team. You like learning lessons when you win. So we can certainly take some lessons away from this win.”
On the quarterbacks:
“I am glad we were able to get out in front a little bit like that. You saw the future of our football program with Zack Asack and Marcus Jones on the receiving end as well as some quarterback play. Gene Delle Donne as well has a very bright future as well. Now these guys have some game experience. There is no substitute for that.”
On the defense:
“I thought we had it under control pretty good -- we had a shutout going-- then we started substituting pretty freely. That is one of the lessons we have to take away from this. Those guys who got into the ball game have to execute. I thought the first unit played very well and did a nice job. Our coaches did a good job with them. I thought we flew around and tackled well today. I thought we had a lot of negative yardage plays, it seemed like without looking at the stat sheet.”
Special teams:
“The odds really go up as far as winning games when you block kicks, especially blocking a punt. Freshman Ryan Radloff beat a block -- we were in return mode -- it was his job to force the kick and he forced it alright. He got a block and gave us some good field position at the end of the first half. Another freshman Clifford Respress blocked the field goal attempt. You like to see us scoop those things and score with them. But certainly happy about that and the effort there as far as special teams with blocking kicks. I thought Chris Davis had a good job returning punts. I don't know what his averages were, I don't have that in front of me, but thought he did a good job. We have to make sure we take care of the ball back there. That is the one thing that we have to make sure gets done.”
On the suspensions:
“The guys we didn't dress today are back. That is over, they have paid their price. They learned their lesson. They are good kids, but just made a bad decision. They paid the price for it and now they are in good standing with our football team.”
Sophomore Justin Boyle
“It is great. We were really anxious to get our first “W” on the season. It feels great to finally have a “W.” Our emphasis all week was to establish the run because when you establish the run you give the defense a break. Let them have a breather. Our offensive line and fullbacks did a great job today. The holes were huge and all I did was just run.”
On a touchdown run:
“The hole was huge and when I got up to the secondary area all I had to do was make one guy miss.”
Junior Eli Nichols
On the win:
“It feels great. It was something that we needed to do. We expected to do it and we went out and did it. I think it is a great confidence booster for us. We have a lot of young guys playing and it can be a stepping stone for them. They are young and have a lot of experience to gain.”
VMI Quotes
VMI Head Coach Cal McCombs
Overall Comments on the Game
“Going into the ballgame, I heard Ted (Roof) say that they had to take care of business at home, get better as a football team and not turn it over as much. We wanted to come in and do the same as far as not turning the ball over. I think Duke had a little more firepower than we did overall but we killed ourselves. We had a good drive going in the first quarter and fumbled the ball. You never know what would have happened if we would have gotten back to 7-7 with those guys. I congratulate Ted and the Duke team. I hope they have a good year and I hope we have a good year as well.”
On Playing Duke
“I think playing Duke today helped us become a better football team and that's what it's all about. This game helped us get better for our conference and the remainder of our season.”
On VMI's Performance
“I think our team played hard. We just made too many mistakes. We had been pretty good the first two weeks not committing penalties but we had too many penalties today that hurt us and took us out of good field position. We also turned the ball over too many times. I told our team going in that it would be interesting to see what would happen in the game if we would take care of the football, not have one single turnover, have a minimum of penalties and not give up big plays. We just did not execute.”
On Special Teams
“The other thing that we have to work on is our special teams. You look at the ballgame and a lot had to do with field position. Almost every time, Duke started their drives around the 50-yard line and almost every time, we started our drives around the 20-yard line. If you are going to beat a team, especially an ACC team, you need to have better field position. You can't start your drives on your own 20 and let those guys return their kickoffs to the 50 and give them a short field. I think field position and turnovers were a big part of the game today.”
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballVincent Anthony Jr. Postgame: Tulane
Sunday, September 14
Coach Diaz Postgame: Tulane
Saturday, September 13
Coach Diaz Media Availability: Tulane
Wednesday, September 10
Darian Mensah Media Availability: Tulane
Tuesday, September 09
