North Carolina State University Athletics
Chuck Amato's Press Conference Quotes
11/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 18, 2003
NC State Head Coach Chuck Amato
November 17, 2003 Press Conference
On the three classic games that NC State has been in this year:
"We sure have. There might have been a fourth or a fifth too. That's the way it goes though. Two of those were against two of the greatest programs in America. One against the defending national champions in front of 105,000 people and it took three overtimes and then we lose the game. Then in front of 85,000 people against a team that might have the best program in the past 15 years in America and took them to two overtimes before losing the football game. It still hurts. We're not at the point where we feel that a loss can be good. They hurt. It's just as bad as getting beat 70-0. There are no moral victories. That's why it's so funny when you people say we have ugly wins and good loses. I mean that doesn't make sense."
On lack of success against Maryland:
"We haven't beat Maryland since I got here. We could have very easily won every one. The first one took two overtimes to lose. The second one was the year they went to the Orange Bowl and it went down to the very, very end. The same thing happened last year. All those are things of the past. They're coming here this year. We've got to play another really good game because they're playing at the top level."
On the reward of finishing second in the ACC:
"There is no doubt that what we've been through this year that it would be great to finish second in this great league. There is no doubt about it. That's what we're fighting for and that's what they're fighting for."
On Maryland's scoring propensity:
"They do put up points as fast as anybody. That's the sign of a good team. Good teams improve as the season goes on."
On what he'll say to the seniors before their last home game:
"I'm not very good at these kind of talks with the seniors because I get too sentimental. Especially this year because a good majority of these seniors came here when I did. It meant so much. This is really going to be tough. That's the thing, I shouldn't have to tell them how much they mean to this program. You guys ought to. You guys owe it to these people (seniors). They're the ones that got this thing going. You should go out there and bust your fanny to help them go out a winner."
Who will do the placekicking this week?
"We're going to record all of their kicks this week, just like we do every week, but you know what? Kickers and quarterbacks are always under the microscope. They have one bad game and everyone wants to fire them. An offensive lineman or a defensive lineman, a cornerback, a safety, a running back are not put under that scrutiny. You know if we were going to fire everybody that made a turnover, we wouldn't have a tailback, one wide receiver, we wouldn't have a tight end. We would have one heck of a thing to do there. Everybody is entitled to have bad games. We're going to analyze it. Adam Kiker has done an awful lot of good things for this university since he's been here. Yes, he missed two big kicks the other day, but I look at the missed field goal and they (Florida State) missed a field goal because it was blocked so that's a push. He missed that extra point though and we always say that we've got to make those extra points. Those have got to be automatic. If our offense would have made a first down then he wouldn't have even had to try that field goal. There's a lot of ways that you can look at it. It had a little bearing to me with what I did on that fourth and one, but Deraney had already kicked two times and made both of them. He's got a strong leg and if we ever need to try a long field goal, we'll have him take it. We've felt that way all year long.
"It goes back to the point that all I can think about was that Maryland game two years ago when I told those kids in that lockeroom down there on the other end of the stadium that we'd never play another game where we'd play not to lose, as opposed to playing to win. Sooner or later we're going to have to do something like this so I said let's go do this now. We had the ball in the hands of the best quarterback in the country, throwing the ball to one of the best receivers in the country. What better could you ask for?"
On the status of T.A. McLendon's shoulder:
"Well, it's sore. We'll see how practice goes this week."
On Philip Rivers playing his last home game:
"I can't be a wimp and start crying because it's his last game. I might cry on his last snap, but hopefully he'll get 75 or 80 snaps to play before it is the last game. We've known for four years that sooner or later it would be his last game and that all good things come to an end. I remember when I first got here and I would see Jamie Barnette and I would say to him "Are you sure you don't have one more year of elegibility? Are you sure you can't play one more year? C'mon, just one more year." And here this skinny kid from Alabama comes along and look what he's done. He's broken every record in the ACC. That's the neat thing about college football. Is somebody gonna replace Philip Rivers? Well yea, somebody is going to replace him playing quarterback, but are they going to replace what he brings to the table? We'll go out there and judge that based on what the next quarterback does in his first year as to what Philip did in his first year. Our system is in and they've been practicing it and it will be interesting. It's just difficult to know that this youngster came from an 18-year old freshman to a 22-year old senior and all the good things that have happened to him and us because of him being here."
On whether Rivers is getting deserved recognition in Heisman race:
"I'm biased on that, but I don't. I absolutely don't. The Heisman turned into the best football player on the top five, six or seven teams in the country. Now all of a sudden Pittsburgh has three loses, but they're still talking about that young man. He's an awfully good, awfully good player. I told ABC last week that Philip Rivers is the only quarterback in the country that is in the top two, I think, of the four quarterback categories. The only quarterback. So what do you judge them with? To throw for over 400 yards against Florida State, I mean my goodness gracious. You mean to tell me that if we make an extra point and win that football game by one point that he'd be in the Heisman race? C'mon! That is so foolish. Yes, I think it is wrong if he is not invited up there, whether he wins it or not. But that's just the way it is and we all know it. I feel bad for Philip, I really do, because he certainly is deserving.
"He hasn't missed a football game. That game the other day tied him for the most (career) starts with Donovan McNabb from Syracuse and this Saturday he'll break that record with his 50th start. No other quarterback has played more. That's one reason that he's broken a lot of those records, but you know how hard it is for anybody at any position to play in that many games, including the kicker? To start for 50 straight games?"
