Virginia Tech HC Brent Pry talks Jordan Travis, Jared Verse, FSU WRs, DL
Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry met with the media early on Tuesday for his weekly press conference. The Hokies head coach spoke about his team's win 38-21 win over Pitt on Saturday to move to 2-3 on the season. He also spoke about the challenge Florida State and coach Mike Norvell will present on Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee when his team faces the Seminoles.
Below is some of what Pry had to say on Tuesday.
Pry on VT's win over Pitt this past weekend: "It was our most complete effort of the season. When you go back and look at the film on Sunday, we did more things that align with winning, not that we didn't have mistakes but it was a complete effort and I thought we finished. We started fast, we finished, we handled adversity in between. There are a lot of things that occurred that are the signs of a good team and when you do those things you've got a pretty good chance of winning."
Pry's opening statement on the FSU game: "We are excited about the opportunity at Florida State. Obviously, you put that film on, they're a good football team. They've got explosive players all over the place. They've learned how to win, they're well coached, I've got a lot of respect for Coach Norvell. And I know it will be a good atmosphere down there as well."
Pry on FSU's Offense: "They are scoring 40-plus points a game, they have the No. 1 or 2 red zone offense in the country, they protect the quarterback, he protects the ball. Just a lot of good things going on there."
Pry on FSU's Defense: "I think defensively, up front where it starts, they've got an active front. A good front, that's a problem. And I think on the perimeter, they play fast, they fit fast. They're just a talented team. I can see why they are ranked where they are."
Pry on VT quarterback Kyron Drones, who is expected to start in place of Grant Wells who is injured for the second straight week: "Obviously, I am super excited and so is the staff about the game that Kyron played (vs. Pitt) and the progress he made from the previous week to this week. I am anxious to go see him play again and play well. We are going to have put a great plan together for him and he's got to execute it."
(Drones was 12 of 19 for 228 yards and three touchdowns vs. Pitt. He also ran for 41 yards on 21 attempts.)
Pry on his team playing on national television vs. a top-5 team: "It's an opportunity to be 1-0 this week. We need to be a better team this week than we were Saturday. And we talked about that in our team meeting on Sunday and that's the emphasis today. It identifies the keys to success against Florida State, whether we need to do well to give each phase a chance to play well and win the game and work hard at that all week. But we want to be 1-0 this week."
Pry on the challenges Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson present for VT's secondary: "I think it's a tremendous challenge, I think this group of wideouts are arguably one of the best in the league if not in the country. And they've got a quarterback that can deliver the ball, is patient, makes decisions, good reads, can extend plays but they've got a guy that is 6-6, 6-7 with a great catch radius and then certainly No. 4 (Coleman), the guy can run great routes, he's got good speed, scary with the ball, really good ball skills. They've got a tight end that can be a matchup problem. They get their backs out of the backfield and into their routes a ton, so it's a dynamic pass offense all together and then they have the playmakers to make it really dangerous."
Pry on what stands out about Florida State's defense: "I think they are dominant up front as I mentioned. I think those guys, they're big, they're strong, they separate. The (Jared) Verse kid can do anything. He is a run stopper, he's a pass rusher. He is very good, but I think they are good inside. They've got strength and size on the interior, so we have our hands full up front with this group ...This will be arguably the best front we see, arguably one of the best in the league if not the country. They are a top-five team for a reason."