When asked about his team's run offense at the end of the fourth quarter, Dawson said, “Our run offense dominated the end of the game. When it went into overtime, I was hoping we’d dent their defense. We felt like we could run it and we did.” However, he noted the need to enhance their presence in the Red Zone during regular game time.
Reflecting on the entire game after watching the film, Dawson described it as a “weird game”. “We felt flat from the beginning,” he stated. “Had I known the reason, I would bottle it up and you'd never see me again. But we had a good week of practice leading up to it." He gave credit to Virginia for their resilience but lamented his team's missed opportunities and crucial errors.
One key topic of discussion revolved around quarterbacks checking down more. Dawson acknowledged that every quarterback, including Tyler Van Dyke, should be more cautious. Referring to a specific play, he highlighted the need for quarterbacks to “take what the defense gives. Get greedy, and bad things happen.”
He also addressed concerns about Van Dyke possibly forcing passes to Xavier Restrepo, given their close friendship. “There's a comfort level there,” Dawson commented. “It's easy to point to the times it doesn't work out, but there are many instances it has worked well.”
Dawson emphasized the importance of mental strength, praising his team's resilience: “We didn’t shut down, our sideline was great. We kept battling and searching for answers. We made just enough plays to win the game.”
On facing teams trying to contain their deep passing game, Dawson believes it's a mix of the opponent's planning and missed opportunities by his team. He reiterated his team's prowess against Zone defenses and emphasized sticking to their progression.
Dawson also touched on his quarterbacks, revealing that he had backup quarterback Emory Williams ready to play but prefers to let his primary quarterbacks work through their issues. “I’m a ride or die dude,” he expressed. When discussing second-year quarterback Jacurri Brown, he mentioned that he's progressing well but was saved for the year to be used as an emergency quarterback.
Furthermore, when queried about the luxury of having a consistent field goal kicker like Andres Borregales, Dawson mentioned, “It’s huge. I don’t even look out there when he walks on the field. However, I'm not trying to rely on him either; I want to score a touchdown.”
