Interview Courtesy of Kyle Tucker @ his blog over at http://hamptonroads.com/blogs/kyle-tucker

Check out Kyle’s blog for interviews with other players and coaches, practice notes, and general Hokie football news.  Its generally a great read and not watered down and manipulated like most news sources.

ON HIS THIRD-AND-GOAL TOUCHDOWN RUN FROM THE 2-YARD LINE JUST BEFORE HALFTIME: “It’s a tight end choice, but it’s also a quarterback draw if everything breaks down. The running lane was straight up the middle. I knew we were on the 1-yard line and if I didn’t see the read quick enough I could get the 1 yard.”

ON THE COACHES TELLING HIM, THOUGH, TO THROW IT AWAY SO THEY COULD KICK THE FIELD GOAL IF THE PASS WASN’T OPEN: “Yeah, that’s what they told me. But I knew (grinning) … we were too close to the goal line for me to throw it away. I know they wanted to set up field goal position, but I felt I could get a touchdown with my feet.”

ON THE PASSING GAME BEING LIMITED STILL: “Just the way the game was going. We did call some plays that were going downfield. Some protections got messed up … miscommunications. I had to check down sometimes.”

ON WHETHER HE KNEW THE TEAM WAS ALL HIS GOING INTO THE GAME: “Yes, I did. I knew that. Coaches told me and I just wanted to go out there and be a leader. I got more reps last week in practice and it was kind of a thing that was kind of all week. I didn’t know how the two-quarterback thing was going to work out, but they ended up playing me.”

ON WHETHER HIS MENTALITY WAS DIFFFERENT KNOWING IT WAS HIS TEAM: “My mentality’s been the same since Day 1, just to go out and be a leader even when we were playing two quarterback. It is more comfortable out there, but at the same time, I’m comfortable with whatever Coach calls.”

ON WHETHER DARREN EVANS HAS EMERGED AS THE NO. 1 OPTION IN THE BACKFIELD: “I don’t know if he’s the No. 1. He’s been playing very good. We have a lot of backs that’s been playing very good. And they can all help us right now.”

ON HOW BIG WERE THOSE TWO PENALTIES ON GEORGIA TECH WERE ON THE LAST SCORING DRIVE: “They were very big. (Helmet to helmet) That kind of hurt, but they were very big on that last drive. I thought the guy from the back … I thought it was a late hit. I thought the flag was. But he did hit me head-to-head.”

ON HOLDING HIS BREATH WHEN A LATE PASS SAILED DEEP TO A RECEIVER WHO WAS BEHIND SAFETY KAM CHANCELLOR: “Yes. I caught it late. I caught it on the Jumbo Tron. I looked up and I was just praying that he overthrew him or the guy was going to drop it.”

ON WHETHER HE’D LIKE TO THROW MORE: “Yes, but … the game dictates how the play-calling goes. Right now, we had to call some run plays and we made it happen.”