Larry Fedora on the Hokies

Opening statement

Our team is preparing for a very talented and a very good Virginia Tech football team. A typical Frank Beamer coached team. A team that is solid in all three phases of the game, and they’ve got some mojo going right now. They’re really playing really well right now in all three phases. We’ve got our work cut out for us this week.

On VT’s nickel defense

Well they’ve got a really good front, especially those two guys inside, Hopkins and Maddy, and they’re playing extremely well inside right now. Then you take Jack Tyler, the inside linebacker who’s  playing really well as a redshirt senior. That’s really the key to stopping the run with those guys, and they’ve been able to do that and are having a lot of success because they’re really good on the back end.

On the return of Antone Exum

Well, I expect some really good play. Both Fullers are playing really well, so is the Facyson kid. They’ve got two freshmen back there that are playing really good. The Jarrett kid, he’s been back there. A lot of those guys have been back there. Exum is coming back, I don’t know where they’re putting him or what their plan is. They’ve got some really good players in that secondary.

On injuries to quarterbacks Bryn Renner and Logan Thomas

It really doesn’t change what we do in preparation either offensively or defensively. You prepare as a football team for guys to be beat up, and guys play when they’re beat up, that’s just part of it. It really doesn’t change what we do. Logan Thomas he’s a heck of a football player. He just continues to lead that football team and do a great job. I anticipate him playing, I really do. We’re going full speed ahead as if Logan’s ready to go.

Bryn Renner injury update

Well he wasn’t in a boot in practice yesterday. He seemed to be moving around pretty good. As of right now I think everything seems to be fine.

On the struggles of the running game

I don’t think that we’ve had any real consistency at all and some of that has been game situations. Either we got out of our game plan, or had to adjust our game plan and some of it is continuity up front, some of it is backs. It’s a total combination of everything, and we are continuing to work hard at it to try to make it all come together.

On Frank Beamer’s tenure at Tech

That’s unbelievable. I don’t know if people realize how hard that is and the success that Frank’s had over there. What a great job he’s done in Blacksburg. Just a tremendous person, tremendous coach. He’s got a great staff that has been with him for a long time. I can promise you Bud Foster is going to have that defense jacked up. They’re going to play extremely hard, as they’ve been playing, and they’re going to play really well. They are moving the ball on offense and doing the things that they feel like they can do with Logan and the talent level they have. Their reputation with special teams is always going to precede itself. They’re always going to be solid in their special teams and do a good job. A Frank Beamer coached football team is always going to be extremely well coached, kids are going to be put in position to play and they’ve always got players.

On Bud Foster’s defense

Yeah, I think a lot of it, you have to give credit to Bud Foster. He is the one constant in that defense for sure, and then he’s got guys on the staff that have been with him a long time. So you’ve got to give them all credit. They do a good job of recruiting for their defense. They basically base out of a 4-2-5 that I think is a great scheme. I think the guys they recruit fit those schemes very well. I think they do a great job with it.

Running back TJ Logan’s status

Well I think it’s still early to make that decision. We look at pretty much at the half way mark where we feel a guy is and whether or not he can really help us be successful or not. TJ’s getting much closer. He’s getting reps at practice and doing some good things and it could be any time now.

Is there any chance he plays on Saturday?

There is a chance.

On the difficulty of playing in Lane Stadium

I’ve talked to a lot of people, I’ve actually never been there. I’ve talked to a lot of people about it. Coaches that have been there, they all talk about the fans that they have, the great support that they have. It’s going to be loud. It’s a great game day setting. It’s part of what makes college football such a great sport is the atmosphere that they create. We understand that going in to the game and hopefully our guys will be prepared for it.

On Bryn Renner playing in the same stadium as his father

We haven’t even talked about that. I’m not sure. I’m sure his dad, it brings back memories for his dad. I don’t know that will affect the way Bryn thinks going in to the game.

On the difficulty in maintaining motivation

That part of it is a coach’s nightmare. I would say it’s the toughest thing that we have to do in coaching and that is to get your team to play at a high level each and every Saturday for 12 Saturdays. I think it is probably the most difficult thing we do. I think you could look anywhere in the country on any given Saturday and you find where a team doesn’t play up to their capabilities. That’s probably the majority of it, just the mindset of the players on the field that day.

On whether it’s easier to get motivated this week

I don’t know if there is any part of coaching that’s easy. I think you work extremely hard and you do the best job you can to prepare your kids each and every week to play at that high level and that is ultimately my responsibility as a head football coach. We didn’t get it done last week and I can’t tell you that we’re preparing any differently because I believe in the way we prepare. Hopefully I’ll do a better job of getting our guys ready to play on Saturday.