Greg Robinson Press Conference 9/13
Head Coach Greg Robinson on the team continuing to improve:
“I really felt that after the West Virginia game, we didn’t put our best foot forward. I think in the Buffalo game, we were obviously the better football team. We had more talent and we played better because of that. This is going to give us another opportunity to get a feeling of where we are because I think Virginia is strong in all areas. They have an outstanding defense and offensively, I think their quarterback is one of the great competitors in the country.”
Robinson on measuring improvement vs. the quality of the opponent:
“It’s tough. It really is. I can tell that we functioned better as a football team. Maybe if we had more adversity in that ball game, it would have been different. But, I thought that when the game was 7-0 and we drove down the field and all of the sudden we didn’t get a field goal, those are the types of things that can get a team on its heels and I thought our guys dug in right then and said ‘No, no,’ and put a stop to it. All of the sudden, the game just changed and I liked the way were able to grab the momentum back and make the most of it. From that point on, it was never much of a game really.”
Robinson on Perry Patterson’s improvement against Buffalo:
“I’d like to say that I saw those things in him previous to the Buffalo game. I just think that versus West Virginia, early in the game, we got out of sorts and it affected him some. I’ve seen him function. He shows the ability to be a field general. I thought he did a good job the other day and he is going to be tested this week. I’d like to see that he’s developed to where he can stand a tougher test.”
Robinson on Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans:
“If he was 6-1, they would be talking about him winning the Heisman. It isn’t just escaping. He escapes, but he also throws the ball. I saw him throw a ball 55 yards sliding to his right with his shoulders turned to the sideline, dead on the money. He just fired it down the field, and without his whole body to give him momentum. He is very accurate when he throws. He can fire it or he can take something off of it. And we still haven’t talked about his legs yet. You’ve seen him maneuver and run around from what he did last year. He does it all the time. He threatens you in a lot of ways, and he also threatens you in the way he competes. That’s the thing that we have to emphasize to our team is that don’t think at any moment that this guy is done. There was a play against Georgia Tech where he’s hemmed in on the sideline and you think its all said and done. All of the sudden, he pops out and loses about 10 more yards, comes all away around the whole length of the field and completes a ball for about a 25-yard gain. He does things like that all of the time.”
Robinson on Hagans taking four sacks in their first game, and if Virginia is asking Hagans to be a pocket passer:
“(laughing) I don’t think it was four. You might be right; I’ll check your numbers. I don’t know what they’re asking him to do. One of them was a blitz and he got taken down. He escaped a couple, too. You’re not going to sack him very often. I haven’t even looked up what his sack ratio is. I’ll tell you what, he is so strong. He’s 5-10 at 210 pounds, but you see the way he can shrug people off. It reminds me of the way Mark Brunell could get people and just by torquing his lower body, throw people off and he does that very, very well. He has a lot of qualities about him that are difficult to defend.”
Robinson on the best ways to defend Hagans:
“(laughing) The thing I say is that I’m not big on talking strategies and tactics. What we’re going to do, and it’s worked before in the past. When you play with 13 men on the field, and two of them spy, it works normally if you have the right kind of athletes. So, we might go to the 13-player unit and see what we can get done with that.”
Robinson on if Virginia may be rusty only playing one game:
“I’d be assuming something if I told you it’s this or that. I don’t even think about it. I can’t control them, I can only control us. That’s really the way I look at it.”
Robinson on Kurt Falke:
“I don’t want to say for sure. He’s sore. I would say he is definitely doubtful.”
Robinson on John Barker:
“I haven’t made a decision. John will be in the flow of practice this week.”
Robinson on the SU defense playing as well as it can:
“I think there is room for improvement. I truly do. They see it. There is no question. When we go into the film room, we are very critical. When I say critical, we just critique a lot of different areas. When you give them a lot of information back and they can look and they can see it, you’re giving them a chance to improve. I can just tell by the grades that there is still a lot of room for improvement. They understand that. That’s what this time will be about. I’ve said it from day one. We will be better this Saturday than we were last Saturday. The opponent’s different so I don’t know what the end result will be. But, I do believe that we will work. Like I’ve said, on November 26, we’ll be a different team than we are today.”
Robinson on who spoke with him after his first win as a head coach:
“I didn’t hear from Pete (Carroll). I think he is on vacation. Didn’t he have a bye? (laughing) I heard forma number of people. When I talk about that game, to me, it was all team. Really, when I walked off of the field, I didn’t think ‘Wow, this is my first win.’ I really didn’t. The first time I really thought about it is when someone said something about it in the locker room. I’m just happy for our football team to show some improvement and win.”
Robinson on the challenges that face the offensive line:
“They’re going to get tested this week. I’ve watched them grow and develop. I thought in the West Virginia game, that there were a lot of good things to take from that game. The other day, I think Buffalo exposed themselves and our offensive line took advantage of that. This is a tougher challenge. These guys are very good. They are a very good 3-man line, their linebacking core is outstanding, and their secondary can cover. They’ll give us a real challenge.”
Robinson on Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks:
“He is a big man who can cover ground. He uses his body to his advantage. He can blitz and hit the gaps. He can run to the sideline. When he hits you, it’s a load. He understands what he’s doing in Al’s system. He is a problem. He creates problems. It’s a 3-man line, so all of the sudden he is penetrating one of those gaps and now it’s a 4-man line. He is a moving defensive lineman at times. That’s the beauty of having a player like that. He reminds me a little bit of Levon Kirkland when he was at Pittsburgh. That type of a guy who can create havoc because of his explosiveness and his massiveness.”
