Wasn't able to be on the call with UVa's coordinators yesterday evening for our normal live thread so I thought I'd break down the audio and give you the full transcript:
OC Robert Anae
On the status of Lavel Davis:
“Ya know, he practiced this week so as far as I know he’s at least been cleared to practice and he’s been running around. He seemed to be fine and okay.”
On the offensive design against BC:
“The design looks good when the guys up front are doing their job and it starts there. The design looks good when we’re doing stuff that makes sense to our quarterback. I think that it kind of looked that way because those were the things that were at play.”
On the play of UVa's O-line:
“Shoot, Dillon Reinkensmeyer for years has done a great job there and been a part of the building of culture and he’s been hurt but dang, his influence is still there. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that. I think Coach Tujague has done a nice job with all of those guys and it’s been years in the process. So, Ryan Nelson has been a huge part of that. Christ Glaser, a huge part of that. And then [Olu] Oluwatimi’s done a great job. So those kids have bought in. Ryan Swoboda [too]. With some of the grades those kids are getting, I think NFL scouts will start to pay attention to what’s going on up front.”
On VT’s defense and the challenge the Hokies present:
“Oh my gosh. Yep. They’re young at spots on the defensive side and you can tell it’s been a COVID year and having a full unit’s [tough], kind of like a lot of defenses out there. But they’re sound. When everybody’s healthy and running around, boy are they athletic and fit. It’s going to come right down to the wire. I think it’s one of those games. You just look at the last two years. And I give our kids credit because there was miles and miles to catch up to get to that type of game and dang, we’re just excited to be a part of it.”
On Brennan Armstrong's game against BC:
“Like mentioned earlier, when you applaud a gameplan all that says is shoot, all the guys up front are hitting [on] really good cylinders and you’re doing stuff that fits your quarterback. I think we continue to go down that path of doing stuff that makes sense to Brennan, stuff that he’s really good at. And he is a tough country kid. Going out to recruit him, man, me and Coach Beck, we’re taking country road here, country road there. I think just where he was raised and how he was raised, real hardworking family. That’s who he is. So, he’s a tough, hardworking guy, and I hope that’s showing in how he plays the game.”
Co-DC Nick Howell:
On the status of OLB Noah Taylor and NT Jahmeer Carter:
"Noah was practicing today and Jahmeer was out there as well. I'm not the green light/red light doctor but I saw them practicing today."
On his assessment of the performance against BC, particularly the secondary:
"We didn't play the ball in the air a couple of times and then we had a couple of assignment breakdowns that led to big yardage. There was a lot of yardage everywhere. So, we just didn't execute our assignments at a very high level and then we made some critical plays when it really mattered, which was huge."
On Darrious Bratton's recovery since last year:
"I would say that he's doing really well, working and getting back to his top form. He's doing a good job, working hard every day. Positive attitude. And last portion of the season, really since kind of the Miami game, he's been able to help us in there and get some reps and really help our team. Darrious Bratton is a great kid, too, by the way. He's a phenomenal kid. His family, they're unbelievable people. I've been down to Roanoke and their home on a home visit and they're just great people. So I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for Darrious and his family as well. They're great people. Roanoke's a great place."
On the how the OLBs have filled in:
"They did a nice job. I think [Matt] Gahm's just continually been consistent, which is awesome. And then Elliott [Brown], a new guy, he did his assignments really well, played hard. So that was fun to see."
On the breakdowns in the secondary being fixable:
"I believe everything is fixable and improvable. So that's what we're working toward, to play better. We talk about this a lot but there's no magical formula or rocket science. When things go wrong, the chance that it's just something simple is pretty high. So we've just got to fix those things."
On VT's offense:
"I think Virginia Tech, we've competed against those guys for a while and even previous to this place. I have a lot of respect for their scheme. They're run-first, just complimented by their perimeter game and the number of screens, the number of misdirections. And then their play actions marry really well together with what they have. So, everything looks a lot alike and they just have complimented plays that build. I think they just do a really nice job. And then they have really good players doing it at every spot. Every spot has a good player in it out there in a really good scheme. So you have to be aligned, assigned, all that stuff. They just do a really good job with their scheme."
On Brenton Nelson's status:
"No. Just not ready yet."
On VT's quarterback and if it matters who Tech plays there:
"I think their offense is really consistent with whoever is in there. They've just done a nice job with those guys."
OC Robert Anae
On the status of Lavel Davis:
“Ya know, he practiced this week so as far as I know he’s at least been cleared to practice and he’s been running around. He seemed to be fine and okay.”
On the offensive design against BC:
“The design looks good when the guys up front are doing their job and it starts there. The design looks good when we’re doing stuff that makes sense to our quarterback. I think that it kind of looked that way because those were the things that were at play.”
On the play of UVa's O-line:
“Shoot, Dillon Reinkensmeyer for years has done a great job there and been a part of the building of culture and he’s been hurt but dang, his influence is still there. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that. I think Coach Tujague has done a nice job with all of those guys and it’s been years in the process. So, Ryan Nelson has been a huge part of that. Christ Glaser, a huge part of that. And then [Olu] Oluwatimi’s done a great job. So those kids have bought in. Ryan Swoboda [too]. With some of the grades those kids are getting, I think NFL scouts will start to pay attention to what’s going on up front.”
On VT’s defense and the challenge the Hokies present:
“Oh my gosh. Yep. They’re young at spots on the defensive side and you can tell it’s been a COVID year and having a full unit’s [tough], kind of like a lot of defenses out there. But they’re sound. When everybody’s healthy and running around, boy are they athletic and fit. It’s going to come right down to the wire. I think it’s one of those games. You just look at the last two years. And I give our kids credit because there was miles and miles to catch up to get to that type of game and dang, we’re just excited to be a part of it.”
On Brennan Armstrong's game against BC:
“Like mentioned earlier, when you applaud a gameplan all that says is shoot, all the guys up front are hitting [on] really good cylinders and you’re doing stuff that fits your quarterback. I think we continue to go down that path of doing stuff that makes sense to Brennan, stuff that he’s really good at. And he is a tough country kid. Going out to recruit him, man, me and Coach Beck, we’re taking country road here, country road there. I think just where he was raised and how he was raised, real hardworking family. That’s who he is. So, he’s a tough, hardworking guy, and I hope that’s showing in how he plays the game.”
Co-DC Nick Howell:
On the status of OLB Noah Taylor and NT Jahmeer Carter:
"Noah was practicing today and Jahmeer was out there as well. I'm not the green light/red light doctor but I saw them practicing today."
On his assessment of the performance against BC, particularly the secondary:
"We didn't play the ball in the air a couple of times and then we had a couple of assignment breakdowns that led to big yardage. There was a lot of yardage everywhere. So, we just didn't execute our assignments at a very high level and then we made some critical plays when it really mattered, which was huge."
On Darrious Bratton's recovery since last year:
"I would say that he's doing really well, working and getting back to his top form. He's doing a good job, working hard every day. Positive attitude. And last portion of the season, really since kind of the Miami game, he's been able to help us in there and get some reps and really help our team. Darrious Bratton is a great kid, too, by the way. He's a phenomenal kid. His family, they're unbelievable people. I've been down to Roanoke and their home on a home visit and they're just great people. So I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for Darrious and his family as well. They're great people. Roanoke's a great place."
On the how the OLBs have filled in:
"They did a nice job. I think [Matt] Gahm's just continually been consistent, which is awesome. And then Elliott [Brown], a new guy, he did his assignments really well, played hard. So that was fun to see."
On the breakdowns in the secondary being fixable:
"I believe everything is fixable and improvable. So that's what we're working toward, to play better. We talk about this a lot but there's no magical formula or rocket science. When things go wrong, the chance that it's just something simple is pretty high. So we've just got to fix those things."
On VT's offense:
"I think Virginia Tech, we've competed against those guys for a while and even previous to this place. I have a lot of respect for their scheme. They're run-first, just complimented by their perimeter game and the number of screens, the number of misdirections. And then their play actions marry really well together with what they have. So, everything looks a lot alike and they just have complimented plays that build. I think they just do a really nice job. And then they have really good players doing it at every spot. Every spot has a good player in it out there in a really good scheme. So you have to be aligned, assigned, all that stuff. They just do a really good job with their scheme."
On Brenton Nelson's status:
"No. Just not ready yet."
On VT's quarterback and if it matters who Tech plays there:
"I think their offense is really consistent with whoever is in there. They've just done a nice job with those guys."
