VIRGINIA TECH POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES

09/22/07 5:59PM

Blacksburg, Va. - The following notes and quotes are from the Tribe's 44-3 loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday:

Game Notes
Saturday’s game between W&M and Virginia Tech was the 61st meeting in the series that dates back to 1904 … The schools had previously last met in 1985 … Virginia Tech won its 10th straight and 40th game overall in the series … Saturday’s game also marked the 10th consecutive season W&M has faced a FBS (formerly Division I-A) opponent … With the loss, the Tribe saw its two-game winning streak snapped … W&M committed a season-high three turnovers with its first three interceptions of the season ...Brandon Flowers’ 49-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first defensive touchdown W&M has allowed since the Villanova game in 2005 …Eddie Royal’s 60-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first special teams score the Tribe has allowed since the Hampton playoff game in 2004 … Jake Phillips’ 243 yards passing were the most allowed to an opponent quarterback by Virginia Tech this season … The Tribe’s 94-yard scoring drive in the second quarter matched the longest drive allowed by Virginia Tech this season (LSU) … W&M’ season-high four quarterback sacks matched the most Virginia Tech has allowed this season (ECU) … Virginia Tech’s total offensive output of 287 yards was the lowest the Tribe allowed to a Division I-A opponent since 2002, when Indiana managed 268 … With two receptions, Joe Nicholas moved into sixth place on the school’s career receptions list (161) … Nicholas passed Harry Mehre (1985-88, 160) … Phillips’ 243-yard effort moved him into ninth place on the school’s career passing list (3,580) … Phillips also moved into 10th place on the career total offense chart (3,847) … Tight end Drew Atchison led the team in receptions for the second-straight week with five catches … Atchison led the Tribe with six receptions in last week’s win over Liberty … Redshirt freshman punter David Miller punted a career-high 11 times for 419 yards, an average of 38.1 yards per punt … Sophomore R.J. Archer extended his streak of games with at least two catches to 11, finishing with three grabs for 39 yards … Archer has now recorded at least one reception in all 15 of his career appearances … The Tribe’s net of five yards rushing was its lowest total since gaining only 18 against Richmond in 2005 … The Tribe was held without an offensive touchdown for the first time since the 9-7 win at New Hampshire in 2004 … The three-point total was W&M’s lowest since being shutout, 14-0, at Delaware in 1997.

POSTGAME QUOTES

William & Mary Head Coach Jimmye Laycock

Opening Remarks:

We played against a very good football team today. I hope the way the game came out that this will make us be a better football team. I think it will because we competed. That’s the biggest thing you look at when you come into a game like this and a situation like this. You’re going to face adversity, and things are going to go against you here and there.

I thought our guys hung in there and competed very well. I thought defensively, we played very well. We flew around. We got people to the football. We missed a few tackles, but we didn’t miss nearly as many as I would have expected in this type of thing.

Offensively, we just had a hard time handling their pressure. They were bringing pressure at us. I don’t know if there are many teams in the nation that can handle that type of pressure. I guess that puts us in an elite group that they thought enough of us to bring that kind of pressure. I look at it that way. I think it’s a mark of our program that they thought enough to pressure us and come after us like that.

On how satisfied he is with the defensive’s performance, especially against Tech’s running game:

I think overall it’s satisfying with the overall play of our defense. We didn’t get manhandled up there. We got beat, and things were happening. But I was pleased with that. I hope we’re getting better defensively. I hope that’s what it is, that we’ve gotten better and better defensively. Everybody has a few guys out, and we had a few guys out. For us, the drop off is usually pretty big. We had a third-team outside linebacker step up in there today and played most of the whole ballgame. He played pretty well [Wes Steinman]. I thought our defensive coaches did a good job.

On the missed punt and if the team felt the pressure of playing at Lane Stadium:

That’s going to happen sometimes I guess. I thought for the most part we handled ourselves well, but we have to cover kicks. We allowed the big play [on the high snap], allowed the big play on the punt return, allowed the big play on the interception return. I told the players if you play a team like this and you make mistakes, they get magnified. You make that same mistake against somebody else more on our level, you can overcome it. Here, it’s going to turn into a big play or touchdown.

On Brandon Flowers’ interception return for a touchdown:

On the interception, Jake (Phillips) made the right read and went out there, but their guy is quicker and faster. Flowers, we’ll be watching him play on Sundays, I’m sure. Jake will remember, ‘Boy, that guy’s quick.’ When you try to run a stop or hitch in front of him, you better have some pretty good cushion because he’s going to break on that ball. He’s good. But again, I hope that you get better when you play against good people. That’s what we’re looking at. We played against good people, and hopefully that makes us better.

On if it’s difficult to face a friend in Frank Beamer:

Yes, it is. I guess it’s not first choice that way with Frank and myself. Obviously, both of us have been around long enough. I think we can take the personality stuff out of it and just kind of play ball. We’re still friends. Nothing changes on that. We’re well passed anything like that.

Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer

Opening statement:
I thought our first group did a good job. They came out and established things. We came out and had to settle for a couple of field goals but I thought we did some good things, overall.

Defensively, we got some turnovers and took one to the house. We wanted to get more production out of our special teams and I thought we did that. Overall, our first group is very good. We became a better football team by getting that second group some work, even though we gave up some yards and sometimes had a tough time getting them blocked, we got some valuable experience for our football team.

Hopefully this was a good day for Virginia Tech. When you look at William & Mary, I think they do some really good stuff. They can throw the football and they come after you defensively with a lot of stunts coming at you. We wish them well. I think they’re going to have a really good year, so I'll be pulling for them.

On facing friend Jimmye Laycock:
Jimmye and I have been friends for a long time. The good thing was that both teams came out of it and played hard. I think both teams helped themselves today and I think it’s going to help them down the road. Particularly against our second group, they were able to move the ball a little bit and I think that’s going to help them. I think we help ourselves too by being able to get some of our second-team guys in there and working against some good people. William & Mary has some good people and they have very good coaching and very good execution.