Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Sept. 20
9/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Following Wake Forest's 38-21 victory over Delaware Saturday, head coach Dave Clawson, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Anderson and redshirt junior linebacker Grant Dawson met with the media.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement...
"Good win over Delaware and I really like the way we started the game. You always worry about that letdown after the big win over Duke. I thought the game started out well, our defense really played well and controlled the line of scrimmage. We got them in third-and-long, which obviously a favorable down. It was good to see the offense get out to a fast start and I like right now how we are running the football. In the second half we had a lot more balance. Once John (Wolford) got in there in the second half, he looked a lot more comfortable, starting setting his feet and it was good to see a lot more guys get involved on the perimeter. Our top six receivers caught a pass and overall it was a very productive day. The one negative were the turnovers that led to 14 points. I have never seen a stat line where you give up 100 yards and 21 points. It was probably more competitive score-wise than it should have been but that is our fault. You have to take care of the football and I told our team that turnovers inside the 20 will usually get you beat. The fact that we had two of them, and win the football game, was very fortunate.
"Moving forward, we go back on the road and play an undefeated Indiana team. Indiana is a much improved program. Coach Wilson is now in his sixth year and has done a really good job recruiting, developing his program. He had them in their first bowl game a year ago, their first bowl since 2007. It is a very challenging game for us for a lot of reasons. Number one, the style of offense they run, the tempo, they have some legitimate, big time offensive linemen. The guard, Feeney, might be the best O-lineman we see all year. He's a first-team All-American and will probably be making a quite a bit of money a year from now. Just overall, their offensive line, they had a guy drafted a year ago. The right guard and right tackle are probably All-Big Ten caliber players. It is a position they appear not to rebuild, they reload. Running back, they had Jordan a year ago and he's now in the NFL I believe and Redding rushed for 1,000 yards. Indiana has produced a string of running backs. Redding is a big time player. The quarterback, Lagow, is a junior college transfer. Indiana probably has averaged the biggest quarterback in college football the last two years. He's 6-6, 237 pounds and he can throw it and they have really good receivers. They have good depth, lost a really good receiver, but they have a lot of good depth. They have been one of the best offenses the last 3-4 years. On defense, they have a new defensive coordinator they hired from South Florida and he has changed their defensive scheme, very aggressive. Safeties are very involved in run support. They are solid up front, they are physical. Their inside guys go 285 and 305, so getting movement will be a challenge. I really like their linebackers, they are very active, very physical and are good in the secondary. They are a program that has now learned how to win last year and it has continued this year. We are playing a power five team on the road and this will be a really good challenge for our football team."
On how to temper expectations within in the locker room:
"You focus on what's next. We talk about wanting to be 1-0 every week. What happened has happened, we are proud of what they have done, but the rewards of winning the game is that the next game has meaning to us. It's been a long time here since we have played games of meaning in October and we want to play games that mean something in October and November. For that to happen we have to continue to play well. I think our players are at a point where they are enjoying it but they also know why they are achieving it. It is work ethic and it is preparation and they know if they stop doing it that we won't be successful. You have to acknowledge what they are doing now because we are doing a lot of really good things. We are playing well and doing a lot of the things that we wanted to do, but teams get better or they get worse and we are having success because of the commitment level, the work ethic, the practice habits and the preparation."
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Anderson
On being 3-0 as a reward for the hard work of the offseason:
"It has been really nice seeing everything come together. Obviously, every college team puts in a lot of hard work in the offseason. For us, on the O-line, it was getting bigger, faster, stronger. From an execution standpoint, we needed to get a lot better. We had to work together. If we all do our job, we move the ball, but if one guy doesn't, it is a TFL (tackle for loss). We have done a better job of executing."
On the improvement of the running game:
"The running game opens up everything. If you can't run the ball, you go from 1st-and-10 to 2nd-and-8, and then the defense knows you are going to pass and it makes it more difficult. The run opens up our whole offense. The biggest confidence boost for us was getting a 100-yard rusher. When Cade (Carney) did that in the Duke game, it was our first 100-yard running back in years. We had over 100 yards as a team a few times last year, but it was great to have a running back do that."
On Indiana's defense:
"I didn't play in the Indiana game last year, but they have a good front and the other guys said they are one of the best D-lines we played last year. They rotate a lot of guys, so they will stay really fresh. It will be a hard defense to go up against. The goal is the same every week, it doesn't matter who you go up against. They have a good defense, but that doesn't change how we need to execute and establish the run."
Redshirt junior linebacker Grant Dawson
On Wake Forest's defense this season:
"We've played well. I think the biggest level-up that we've taken is execution. Last season we had many times where we played well for 90 percent of the game and we had a couple of missed assignments that lead to explosive plays. I think this year we've done a good job at executing throughout the game and limiting those explosives. We stop the run well, which is a good feeling."
On overcoming injuries:
"They [the coaches] expect everyone one- and two-deep to prepare like they're starting because everyone is just one play away from having to step up. So far this season, that preparation has paid off. If we have a man go down, the next one is ready to step up."
On playing at Wake Forest:
"It's awesome. I grew up sitting on the hill. I remember the 2006 season where every game was sold out and I would sit there on the packed hill hoping that one day I would be out there. Now that I am, all my family can come to my games and it's awesome."
On Indiana's offensive line:
"Indiana's O-line is probably, if not the, most physical line we play all year. I know their right guard and their right tackle are probably future NFL guys and so it is something we're looking forward to. It's a challenge for us and we're excited about it. It's a measure to see how good we are. Every game is and Coach Lea always preaches that. This week we're excited about it because it's a great measure to see how good we really are on defense."
