Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Oct. 11
10/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Following Saturday's 28-9 victory over Syracuse, head coach Dave Clawson and offensive lineman Tyler Hayworth met wit the media Tuesday as the Deacs prepare to face Florida State on Saturday, October 15.
Head coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement...
"To wrap up the Syracuse game, I'm just really proud of our football team. I'm not proud because we won, I'm proud because of the way we answered adversity and showed resilience throughout that game and even before the game. There was a lot of different adversity that was faced. We were coming off our first loss, and any time a team loses that first game you always hope to respond with determination and a greater work ethic and not discouragement and we really had a great week of practice last week before Syracuse. We overcame that bad snap that only made it a two-point game. We were behind and the effort that Chuck (Charles) Argenzio showed on that play to recover the fumble. That is one of the plays that no one is talking about but Chuck Argenzio was just a heat-seeking missile from the 25-yard line and how he ended up with that football I'm not sure. That was just a great, great effort play and I also give Garrett Wilson credit. Obviously we don't want any bad snaps but I've seen too many times in games that it's wet, the conditions are tough and the first snap like that happens. Then the second, and the third and the fourth one (are too). To his credit, he was really good the rest of the day in all of his snaps.
"We didn't get that fourth and one, we fumbled the ball and they recovered it. The next two times in the red zone we scored touchdowns. We ran the ball much better in the red zone than we did the week before. We responded to that adversity well. We gave up that big play before the half and they could have taken the lead and the very next play Amari Henderson gets the interception and our defense throws a shutout in the second half. Syracuse is a very good offense; they move the ball against everybody. In the second half, the conditions were good, the weather wasn't bad and our defense really stepped up. At times they were dealing with a short field and every time we needed a play they stepped up and made one. It was a really good team win and I thought all facets contributed. We are really proud of all the hard work our guys have put in but like every week we move forward and certainly moving forward this week we have a great challenge but also a great opportunity against really one of the elite college football programs in the country.
"Florida State has certainly been one of the dominant programs in college football over the last five years, 20 years, whatever. Coach Fisher has done an incredible job of recruiting, coaching and every year they are a national championship contender. Offensively, as always with coach Fisher, they are really good. He is really an excellent play caller, quarterback developer, offensive coordinator. They've got good players but every year he does an incredible job. They are so diverse in all of their different personnel groups. Very multiple with their schemes and he utilizes their talent. They are one of the best-coached offenses we face every year. They've got a big, physical offensive line; guys are athletic. They've got a collection of receivers that are all playmakers. You can make an argument that they might have the best tailback in the entire country in Dalvin Cook. He didn't play much against us last year but when he did he certainly did a lot of damage. Their backup, (Jacques) Patrick, there are times they will play those two together and he's a guy that would start for 90 percent of the teams in the country. So they have two excellent backs and (Deondre) Francois, the quarterback, is a future star. He just makes throws beyond his years. He anticipates windows. Some of the tight spaces he throws the ball into is incredible. He throws the ball well on the run and he's also a versatile athlete. They will do some quarterback lead zone or stretch and he is a very dynamic playmaker.
"Defensively, their line is all 300 pounds. Certainly DeMarcus Walker is one of the best defensive ends in the country. He does a lot of different things. He will play as an end, he will play inside, he blocks extra points to win games. One of the very best players in the ACC. The linebackers are very active, very athletic. They can run things down and, as always, they are really good in the secondary. They can press you up and man you up and their ability to close space because of their athleticism is different. We are excited about the challenge but we have to have a great week of practice and we will have to play at a very high level down there but our guys are excited and we are looking forward to the challenge."
On challenge of facing a 4-2 Florida State in need of a win…
"To me it's always that we don't control that. We don't control their record; we don't control that they just beat Miami. They've had one of the toughest schedules in the country. I think that everybody they have played on offense, with the excetpion of the 1-AA game, is a top-50 offense. South Florida is a good team and they beat them by 20. Ole Miss is a good team and they came back and won that one. They've played really good teams and obviously last week's win was huge for them. They beat an undefeated Miami team, on the road, and came back to do it."
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Tyler Hayworth
On being on the verge of bowl eligibility:
"It feels good, especially coming off a big win against Syracuse. That was a hard fought win and we got through some adversity. Just like every week, we are looking to go 1-0 this week. It just is that going 1-0 this week comes with an extra benefit."
On John Wolford:
"We have always known that John can run the ball. It just seems like we have been in certain situations this year where he hasn't needed to do run it as much. When he shows he can run like that, it brings another element to his game. Other teams need to prepare for that just like they do when Kendall (Hinton) is playing quarterback. It is nice to have that two-dimensional game because it keeps the defense on their toes."
On offense slowing start in games:
"I think it is something we can easily fix. We have to get into a rhythm quickly. This past week, the rain made it more difficult. After we got settled into the game we started firing on all cylinders. We have to start fast and be ready when 3:30 hits on Saturday."
