Sept. 21, 2002
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GEORGIA TECH POST-GAME NOTES – SEPTEMBER 21, 2002 Georgia Tech 28, Brigham Young 19
Georgia Tech Head Coach Chan Gailey Post-Game Quotes
Comments on Tony Hollings injury:
“It doesn’t look good right now. He went to the side and cut and did everything well. After the first time he came out, he came to the sideline and worked it out by running up and the sideline. They cleared him to go back in.”
Comments on injuries this week:
“Gathers and Hollings are two very good football players. It’s not easy when you lose players like that. You can’t replace great players like Gathers and Hollings. However, the game will come next week and our guys will get ready.
Comments on the defense:
“The defensive line played great. I’m sure there are some things that we will need to work on, but the one thing you can never question this team’s heart with what they overcame today.”
Comments on what they Georgia Tech did in second half:
“We went back and made some adjustments we did some things running the ball and more play action more max protect stuff rather than try and spread them out and throw the football. We realized we weren’t passing as well as we had hoped, so we needed to run the ball.”
Comments on AJ Suggs play:
“I think he missed some passes and we dropped some passes. His stats look bad because of that. BYU guessed right a couple of times and were able to intercept the ball. He didn’t throw the ball great today, but I know he will throw it better in the future I have no doubt about that.”
“We have to get rid of the dropped passes.”
BYU HEAD COACH GARY CROWTON
“I felt like we played a good game defensively. At the end they got some touchdowns fighting back. Tony Hollings did a great job. We knew he was a great back. He got dinged early and came back. That’s why he’s one of the better ones in the country right now.
“I felt like we worked hard. We didn’t give up. In doing that, we made a good game out of it. It’s tough. When we lost Marcus (Whalen), it really hurt us. That hurt our game-plan situation, but I thought we kept fighting and now we just need to move forward. Marcus pulled a groin muscle and couldn’t run, but I don’t know the extent of the injury. I know he couldn’t walk.”
(On his team being sick) “It was similar to last week. I think the linemen all got sick, they were throwing up and they were all sick throughout the game, I don’t know what happened. Three of the five guys on our offensive line were all sick. I don’t know if they ate something bad, but that’s not an excuse, I’m not making any excuses. That was the only other injury that they told me about, that guys were sick and of course Marcus.”
(On the play of Curtis Brown) “I thought he started out pretty hot, but then he made some errors and we had three turnovers in the first quarter. That made me decide to go with Pendleton, and we was doing well for a while and then with Brown carrying the ball, we’re awfully young right now with those two guys in there, but I feel like they played hard and they tried hard. They fought hard, and they’re going to get better, there is just a lot of youth right there between those two guys. I know that there is a maturation process and they’re going to grow, especially in these tight games. You’re playing in the ACC down here in their back yard, and they’re a very good football team. They will learn from these situations.”
(On change in game plan with Whalen out) “It just changed because you don’t have Marcus, and he’s one of the guys you want to go to, and it’s hard to go to him when he’s not out there. Early in the game we threw a lot of passes that were Marcus to the tight end or Marcus reaction and we were moving the ball well with Engemann in there. I felt like that was working and keeping them off-balance, because Marcus has the ability to take it the distance and opens things up. I probably could have gone with two tight ends more, but it was such a close game that I wanted to spread it out a little bit and let Pendelton use his abilities to run and scramble.”
GEORGIA TECH PLAYER QUOTES BYU GAME – SEPTEMBER 21, 2002
SAFETY JEREMY MUYRES On Tony Hollings’ injury: I really hate to see that. If we all could keep him in our prayers that would be great. You really hate to see that, when anybody goes down. Tony was working his tail off out there, and I really wish he could be here to help us celebrate.
On BYU’s play: They are a good football team. There’s no doubt about it. Earlier this week we had to spend some extra time in the film room, and I just think we really adjusted well to everything they did.
On A.J. Suggs: I’m really proud of A.J. Suggs. I’m proud that he stuck in there and kept fighting. A win is a win. It doesn’t matter how you look at it.
CORNERBACK REUBEN HOUSTON: On the play of the defense: Taking nothing from BYU, they had an excellent offense, it’s just that we had great coaching in this game. I think the battle was won in coaching. The coaches put us in position to make plays, and we went out there and made them and executed.
WIDE RECEIVER KERRY WATKINS: On the play of running back Ace Eziemefe: The backup running back (Ace Eziemefe) came into the huddle, and we just told him to step up. And he had been doing a great job. Ace did a great job of stepping up. He held on to the ball and made some great runs. We just told him to hold on to the ball and this is where we need you. He came through.
QUARTERBACK A.J. SUGGS On the offense struggling early and rebounding the second half: We came out and it wasn’t pretty, but this was a war tonight. These were two teams that fought hard. The offense came out in the second half and finally got something going. We just needed one drive to get us going and we finally got it.
On Tony Hollings: That guy will go to war for you. He’s a warrior. He plays really hard, and I just hope we can get him back.
On the prospect of playing without Hollings: It’ll hurt a lot. We’ll just have to have a young player, Ace or someone else, step up and get something going. Adversity is part of football. You’ve just got to move on and hope something good happens
