Trent Pennix: "It Should Be A Great Game"
NC State tight end Trent Pennix recently met with the media to discuss the upcoming matchup against Duke, his recent play, and much more.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
“It was crazy, chaotic at first, and then just seeing what Marshall was doing. We knew it was going to be a battle like that... having an undefeated team coming into your house.”
“Credit to the fans for making it hard for them, but we just dug deep and trusted our leader. Looking up to MJ, believing in him, believing he’d make the right choices.”
“Although three interceptions, we keep moving on, regroup after any kind of bad play we have, refocus... because that next play might be the next key turning point.”
“That second touchdown kind of caught me off guard as to why I was so wide open. You never know when your chance is so you have to seize every moment when you’re on the field.”
“When you’re in a situation like that you really just have to breathe... I’ve always focused on the stripes on the ball. I don’t look at anything else.”
“The design, I had to fool the defense a little bit, bluff them a little bit, and once I slipped out I saw I was wide open.”
“Coach called the play and I read the leverage of the defense. When I saw grass, I cut under him and I knew as soon as I made that cut I was expecting the ball to be perfect and right there, and it was. That play worked out.”
“We really started building our chemistry last year... having that chemistry from last summer to last season... and continuing this year between him and Brennan. Those two leaders we look up to, and the offense really trusts both of those guys.”
“We just have to move on and can’t get hung over on one situation. Coach is going to make the change and we have to adapt and develop the plan for whoever is back there taking snaps.”
“He’s way more confident, way more vocal. He’s improved as a leader. I can see that, him using his voice more often.”
“He just huddled the whole offense... he was telling us we weren’t going to back down to this Virginia Tech team, we’re going to come back, and sooner or later we came back and beat them.”
“Having that trust in your quarterback means a lot for the whole team... especially on defense. We have to play complimentary for them, set up the field so they can have good field position to play off of.”
“It’s crazy because three years ago they came to us and that was the only time they’ve played us.”
“I remember going to Duke when I was in high school on visits, but that was the only time I played there... it’s a night game as well. It should be a great game... there’s going to be some fireworks on Saturday for sure.”
“Honestly I just consider them another opponent in the way of us reaching our goals. Take one opponent at a time and we’ll get closer to our goal.”
“Their defense is pretty simple, but once we get on third downs, third and long, they like to cause a lot of chaos, design their coverages and mess up our pass pro. We definitely have a plan for that and we’ll see that come to life on Saturday.”
“KC is a dog, man. I remember seeing him coming in back in January and just building that chemistry... he’s a funny guy to be with, and the thing is he loves ball.”
“Ever since I first saw him practice I knew this guy would be something special in the offense... even in camp, I was like, KC is going to be a problem for the defenses we play in the season. He has. He causes a lot of chaos, and these guys can’t tackle him, they can’t catch him.”
“Just keep your head down and keep working. Just because I had two touchdowns, we still have six or seven more games left in the season. That was only the beginning. It’s about proving my worth to him that he can trust me to do whatever he needs me to do, and that gave a good first impression on Saturday.”