Frank Solich Quotations

One thing that we couldn't do was let them establish a ground game, and they did that. Once they did that, they had a lot of things going for them.

He's got composure. He's seen it all. He's responded to it all.

He's been in the right spot three times for us. I don't know if there's anybody else in the country who has gotten off to a start like that.

Hopefully we have the bases covered to where we will step on the field and play well and not beat ourselves.

Hopefully, we can get them (McRae and Owens) a few creases, and they'll be able to make some runs. I think they're both guys that can be very affective for us.

We made too many mistakes and missed too many opportunities to get some things done in the first quarter. We kept our defense on the field way too long, and that led to what happened us in the second quarter.

(Jacobs) has two receivers that are going to get a shot at pro ball and have the ability to play. They're averaging over 100 yards a game in receptions. They have a combination of things that makes it very hard to stop.

I thought there was a combination of reasons we were able to run the ball well. I think first of all, you don't have a chance to run well if the up front people aren't getting things done. I thought they had a good day as far as blocking. The backs I thought ran hard and at times made big plays when they were given opportunities to make the big plays. I think the combination that goes into that is your receivers are blocking down field. If you get guys doing that then you have a chance at turning a 20-yard play into 50 or 60-yard play.

I thought our kids played well. We did not necessarily play smart football. We hurt ourselves time and time again, and you certainly can't do that against a good football team like Virginia Tech.

I respect the decision by the State Highway Patrol, and I certainly wish them the best in the future with this initiative.

You can do everything right on a blitz and think you have him pinned in, but all of a sudden he makes somebody miss and he's got a first down or a big play when everything was designed right.

We will come back and get ready to start off on Monday. And hopefully meet the challenges that are ahead for us in the Mid-American Conference.

I've reviewed it. That was certainly a different situation. We were a very experienced bowl team and we were hitting on all cylinders. Things got away from Northwestern a little bit.

That one was tough on us. They were in a blitzing situation and that's what we want to run the option. ... If that pitch gets executed, you hope we have a chance for a big play.

That one was tough on us. Once that pitch gets executed, you hope to have the chance for a big play. But it didn't and it got us in a big hole.

You may slow them down, and you need to if you want to have a chance to win. You need to control the clock, and the important thing is at the end of that, put points on the board. You can't control the clock and come away without putting points on the board, or that plan falls apart too.

They had their whole package against us. They ran the ball well; they threw the ball well; they got out of third-and-longs, and that makes it fairly tough on you.

You don't want to get into a scoring match with them. They put points on the board very easily. If you try and match them big play for big play it gets very difficult.

They're physical inside. We tried trapping them inside, but that didn't work. A power game to run right at them isn't going to hold up throughout the course of the game. Plus, they're good in the secondary. They have a very good, complete defense.

It's tough to come out of non-conference play with any confidence. We need to be a little realistic about what we're attempting to accomplish in these games. You want to create exposure, but winning will also do that. It's tough to win when you're coming in as 20- or 30-point underdogs each week.

That's about as bad a start as you're going to get. You've got people in the seats, the players are really excited. To have someone return the opening kickoff kind of takes all the wind out of you.

It's important to communicate with the big, big donors, but also with the average fan who doesn't have the ability to donate heavily. They're going to be e-mailing that athletic director, too, and probably the head coach. There are a lot of expectations, but that's the name of the game.

It will be important for us to run the ball well. We need to make sure that what we're doing offensively matches who we are, and that means, to a degree, running the football.

I'm very excited about it for several reasons. It's great to be part of the game again and to get a chance to line up a football team. It will be great to get back into the routine of playing games.