NC State junior safety Tanner Ingle met with the media via Zoom to discuss the Wolfpack’s upcoming matchup with Virginia.
After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, the Orlando, Fla. native led the Pack defensively versus Pitt with nine tackles on 54 plays from scrimmage.
NOTE: A transcript of Ingle’s comments is posted below.
What’s the most difficult aspect of Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s game heading into this weekend’s game?
“Trying to make sure we keep him in a cage. He’s more of a run threat than he is a pass threat. With that being said, we’ve just got to make sure we keep a good cage on him and keep him contained.”
What’s it like to call out a player for not practicing the way they should? How do the players respond to that?
“Over the offseason, we did a program where we had a few military guys come in, and they taught us how to deal with adversity and how to be a team. Coming into the season, calling people out isn’t as challenging as it would have been last year because people are more open to it and accepting. Calling someone out is just part of the normal routine now. We’re just holding each other accountable.”
Would it be accurate to say that they know that it’s for their best interest when they are called out?
“Yes. To be a part of a team, you have to put your pride aside, regardless. The program helped us learn how to work as a unit and that it’s okay to be called out and to be coachable.”
How do you prepare to defend the players of Virginia’s receivers’ size?
“Honestly, we’ve been stressing our technique a lot in practice. [Defending] bigger bodies, we have to play with better technique in order to play through the hands and all those types of stuff. We’ve just really got to make sure we get our hands on them and slow them down at the line of scrimmage.”
Do you have any receivers similar to the Cavaliers’ size that your group can practice against?
“Yeah, our receivers are just as capable as [redshirt senior tight end Cary Angeline], so going against our receivers is good enough practice in and of itself.”
How much does the size of redshirt sophomore cornerback Malik Dunlap and redshirt freshman cornerback Shyheim Battle help go against the receivers on the boundaries?
“It’s great. It’s great to have big bodies out there to match up with these bigger receivers.”
What has the three-game road stretch been like for the team?
“Especially with COVID now and there not being as many fans in stadiums, traveling is just the same as being at home. You go up there, and you just play football.”
How much has the win over Pitt boosted the team’s confidence?
“It’s built our confidence a lot. As a team, we’ve grown and built confidence just from what we do in practice. Last week, the practices we had built our confidence up for that game. We’ve had a good week of practice this week, so we’ve already built our confidence up going into this game.”
What have you seen from Battle as he’s progressed?
“Shyheim is very coachable, and he’s a really, really hard worker. I don’t know anyone who works harder than him. He comes into the ‘Murph’ every day ready to work, and he learns and listens. When he gets onto the field, it shows. He’s just gotten better day by day since he’s gotten here, and it’s growing. In his coverages, he’s gotten a lot better. He’s more physical at the line. Shyheim is a guy that comes in and tries to get better every single day. That’s what I love about him.”
What did you see from Dunlap in last week’s game that warranted the praise from head coach Dave Doeren?
“Malik finally came out of his shell. He was more comfortable on the field, and it showed. He made the big plays. He made good tackles. He did well in coverage the whole game. You can’t ask for anything better than that.”
What kind of statement did your performance on the field as a leader make last week, especially after coming back from injury?
“That’s just what they expect out of every one of us. That’s what we expect out of each other. I don’t really feel like I made any type of statement. It’s just that, once you go down, we expect you to get up and try as hard as you can to finish the game."
