Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Dec. 13
12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Head coach Dave Clawson, cornerback Brad Watson and offensive lineman Phil Haynes met with the media on Dec. 13 to preview the Demon Deacons' upcoming Military Bowl appearance against Temple on Dec. 27 in Annapolis, Md.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement…
"We are two weeks away from the bowl game. We are starting to get into our Temple prep now and our players are busy with final exams. We aren't doing a lot with them this week, but we will start really getting into our bowl prep on Sunday. Temple is an excellent football team. They are 10-3 and are No. 3 in the country in total defense and No. 8 in scoring defense. They had five players on defense named all-conference, so that is almost half their defense. Offensively, they are physical and very balanced. They are a 10-3 championship team. They beat a very good Navy team to win it. They have won seven in a row and it will be a real challenging game, but I think our players are excited about it. When you go to a bowl game, you are always going to play good teams. To play a nationally ranked team that won their conference championship and had double-digit wins, that gives our guys a little more juice.
"We are looking forward to it, the bowl whole bowl experience. No player on our team has ever experienced a bowl. We want them to enjoy it. The Military Bowl is a great bowl. Steve Beck and his staff do a great job of running it. There are a lot of great activities with it, but with any football game, there is a purpose. We certainly want to go up there and play well and win the football game. We know that will be a challenge and we have a lot of work to do to do that."
On the significance of playing in a bowl…
"You have to appreciate the opportunity. We want this to be something that happens every year. Historically, that hasn't been (the case). Going to a bowl for this football team, that was a big goal this year. The goal wasn't just to get to the game. I don't want them to lose focus on what they accomplished, the opportunity we have and to make the most of it."
On bowl prep…
"I told the team, the No. 1 objective is to become bowl champions. That is the No. 1 goal this month. The secondary goal is I want them to enjoy the bowl experience. I want our time here, our time in D.C. to be something that they enjoy so that becomes the motivator every year. I want them to be wanting to do this every year. The third goal is that it is a great opportunity to develop younger players. We have had two scrimmages with our redshirts already. We have given our younger players 180 reps of scrimmage and team reps already. It is awesome to coach to them. They will be better players in the spring because of it and better players next season. We haven't had that chance to do that in three years."
Senior cornerback Brad Watson
On what the team expects from Temple...
"I've been in the film room a couple times so far. They have a tough team. They've got two sets of good running backs in the backfield, so it'll be a tough challenge, but I think we're going to be ready for it."
On if the layoff will affect the team...
"Coach is always on us during practice. We've been practicing hard the last couple of weeks, so I think we'll be totally ready to play another game. We've had a big break, but we're practicing hard so we'll be ready."
On if he expects Temple's coaching change to impact their gameplan...
"You never know what to expect. They have a new coach, but I think Temple is used to winning - they're 10-3 - so I think they're going to stick to what they've been doing all season. You can always expect something new, but we're just going to do what we do."
On the emotions of playing his last collegiate game...
"Senior day was kind of emotional, but this being my last game, I just want to go out and play my game and play to the best of my ability. It's been a tough couple of seasons - this is my first bowl game. I definitely want to go out and play my best and play for my teammates."
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Phil Haynes
On the team's mentality for the Military Bowl…
"I think our mentality is the same as it has been, to go 1-0. Maybe there's a little added motivation because it's our first bowl game in so many years but it's still the same, to go 1-0."
On what a bowl game win would mean…
"I think it would be a huge win for the university and for our fans. They stuck with us all through the season. I think it would be huge for us."
On Temple…
"They have a really good defense. They're really good. We just have to do what we do. As far as the O-line, we just have to be more physical than they are. "
On how they are preparing for Temple…
"We'll sit down in the film room and look at the tape and the game film. Look at their moves and things like that. We'll use the same system we always use."
On the mentality surrounding a bowl game…
"We're excited to go to a bowl. We're still focused on going out there and playing our best. We know there's a lot of activities going on and stuff like that but we're there to beat Temple. That's the bottom line."
