Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Oct. 25
10/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Following its bye week, Demon Deacon head coach Dave Clawson and offensive lineman Tyler Hayworth met wit the media Tuesday as the Deacs prepare to face Army West Point on Saturday, October 29 on Homecoming.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement...
"I think the bye week came at a good time. It was that point in the season where you have played seven straight games, on top of training camp, that our guys needed that week to rest up, heal up and focus on their academics. As coaches, we were able to get on the road for a few days and see some high school football games and practices. It was a productive week, but we are glad to be back in a game week again.
"The bye week came at a good time when you play a team like Army. We got a couple of extra days of prep to get ready for what they do and get the scout team going. In my three years here, this is the best Army team we have played. It is not even close. Coach Monken, we worked together at Buffalo back in 1992, is an excellent coach and you can tell it is his third year. They run the offense better and they run the defense better. Their players are more physical, stouter, stronger and faster. They have made excellent progress.
"Some things about Army. They are No. 1 in the country in time of possession. They are No. 2 in the country in rushing offense at over 357 yards a game. They are No. 2 in the country in fewest first downs allowed. They are No. 3 in the country in total defense, No. 8 in rushing defense and No. 10 in scoring defense. This is a very well-balanced team. Traditionally, when academy teams are good, it is because they are older. Up front, they start three juniors and two seniors. Between the quarterback, (Ahmad) Bradshaw, and the fullback, (Andy) Davidson, they have run for over 1,100 yards. Those two are excellent players. The two slots are former high school track athletes who are fast. They have the offense where they want it.
"They are playing really good defense. Their defensive coordinator, Jay Bateman, was on my staff at Richmond, and is an excellent coach. It is tough to get ready for them because they have an odd scheme. They have a lot slants, a lot of movement and a lot of zone blitzes. It is tough to prepare for because you don't know who the fourth rusher is, since they mix it up. They have done an outstanding job on third down. They have done a great job of creating turnovers. This is going to be a challenging game."
On what you could learn from Army's game against Duke two weeks ago…
"No. Their Duke game was in a monsoon. When you watch the film of a game like that, you throw it away. Duke was doing things they don't normally do because of the weather, and Army was too. That was a game where you just want to score and stay ahead. In the beginning of the game, you can tell what the game plan was, but as it went on, it was very different."
On bowl eligibility…
"We haven't talked about it. Our goal is to go 1-0 every week. If you go 1-0 enough times, all those other goals take care of themselves. We haven't brought it up once and we won't."
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Josh Banks
On how the team feels coming off the bye week…
"I felt like we did what Coach Clawson planned for us to do, which was to get a lot of guys healthy and back. Now we are back to game week but a lot of guys are healthy, getting back, and getting back into the groove of defense and getting things going again physically."
On what the team did with a free Saturday…
"Resting. I don't know about the other guys but personally I was just trying to rest up, do treatment, get in the ice tub and doing as much as I can to get my body back because we know this is a very physical game and it takes a lot. It was nice to have a break but we know that break is over and its back to business."
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Phil Haynes
On coming off a bye-week…
"I feel like the offensive line is rested. During practice, the starting O-line took a couple plays off and let the younger guys get some reps. I feel really good about this game. We're rested."
On what he learned from the Florida State game…
"Florida State has a front just like Army. Going against these teams you have to know which defensive linemen are on which side of the ball every single play. You have to know where they are. I think the Florida State game really brought that to attention for us. We were hesitant at first and now I think we're paying more attention to detail and we're getting better. Florida State has what we call a "rhino" which is just a stand up end. Army has a linebacker out there and they blitz a lot. We have to know where he is and know their defensive personnel."
On Army's defense…
"They blitz a lot. I feel like other guards and I will have to keep it tight to create a lot of holes, especially up the middle. Army has not given up many rushing yards this season, so they're a really good group."
