Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Sept. 27
9/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C - After moving to 4-0 for the first time since 2006 and for just the fifth time in program history, head coach Dave Clawson, junior quarterback John Wolford, and junior linebacker Jaboree Williams me with the media inside the Miller Center Tuesday morning.
Head coach Dave Clawson
Opening statement...
"To wrap up last week, I think any time you can go on the road and beat a Power Five team in their stadium, find a way to win, you have to be proud of your football team. I'm really proud of the way that we just kept playing. I thought our team showed a lot of mental toughness. The very first play of the game, they get a 75-yard play for a touchdown. Things weren't looking really good, they drove the ball in our red zone. Jessie [Bates III] had the big pick that got us to midfield and led to a 7-7 game. Obviously the pick six, then the offensive touchdown before the half - we just found a way to win. Our guys kept playing, regardless of the scoreboard, regardless of the situation. At the end of the game when you look at the stat sheet and you get out-gained by 250 yards, you don't win a lot of games. But we won the turnover battle 5-0, we got 17 points off turnovers. Like I said, I thought the two really key plays were the touchdown right before the half to make it 21-7, then they got big plays and made it 27-21 and it felt like they had momentum, and then our offense got the ball and went right back down the field to make it a two-score game. I thought our offense answered the ball every time they had to and got it back to a two-score game. It's good for our team to win a game like that. We've won some of those tough defensive nailbiters. That was a game that we were going to have to score points, and we put 33 on the board. I think our team has a lot of confidence now, but the challenge gets tougher."
"We're going on the road against a really good football team in the ACC, getting another team, two weeks in a row, coming off a bye week. NC State is a very good, very talented, very well-coached team. Knowing Dave [Doeren] from the days in the MAC, he's a really good football coach, he has a good staff, and they've recruited very well. On offense right now they're scoring over 42 points per game, they're averaging close to 500 yards a game. They have a graduate transfer quarterback, Ryan Finley, who is playing older because he was in the same offensive system with his coordinator at Boise. They came in together, and he's completing 76 percent of his balls, which is number one in the country. I don't care how many screens you're throwing, 76 percent is impressive. He's got a really good touch, he understands the offense, he can throw the deep ball and the intermediate ball...It's a challenging scheme. It's different than Indiana. They'll change tempo on you, there's a ton of formations, shifts and motions. They run a number of trick plays, and it's combined with a very sound fundamental run game. It's a really good offense, and their offensive line is good."
"The side of the ball that's certainly as, if not more impressive, is their personnel on defense. They basically have everybody back from a year ago. It all starts up front with their tackles averaging about 310 pounds. They've got great speed on the edge. Obviously we know [Bradley] Chubb very well, he's Brandon's brother. He's become an excellent player and is up to around 270 pounds. I don't know if there's a front that we played last year that gave us more problems than NC State and all those guys are back. If you look at their starting defense, it's nine juniors and two seniors, so these guys have all played a lot of football and are very experienced. Their linebackers are very active and very experienced. The safeties are excellent players. They know their scheme very well. They're very involved in the run game. They play a lot of what we call quarters coverage, and they have to do really well in the run defense. These kids know exactly what they're doing...NC State is always a tough place to play, so we're expecting a great football game. This is certainly a football team we have not played very well the last two years, so our players have a lot of respect for what NC State does, both their players and their coaches."
On starting out the year 4-0...
"The coach speak is you always want to go 1-0 that week. But I think our players have really bought into that. I think anytime that the group is winning for the first time, they don't take it for granted. I don't feel like our players have taken this for granted. Their work ethic has been excellent, their preparation has been good. Just like our Friday walkthroughs and our meeting sessions, that attention to detail has never been better in our program. I think our players have bought into the fact that those details carry over into Saturday. When you combine that with an opponent that they know is really good, we've had that one-week mindset, and I don't think it is a cliche with this group. I really feel like they enjoy the win, they love the feeling in the locker room. Then they're onto the next one, and make sure we make that same weekly investment we need to in order to have success."
Junior quarterback John Wolford
On the feeling of being 4-0 heading into October:
"It's a good feeling. I think we have played really well these first four games and the two road victories were both very good wins for us, and something that we haven't done in a while against Power Five teams. That gives us some confidence but our whole focus is on NC State this week and talking about going 1-0 on the week. Whether we were 4-0 or 3-1 coming into this (game), we have to prepare the same way because NC State is a great team."
On the team's chemistry on being able to overcome injuries:
"It shows that we have some depth. We have guys that were able to step in and still win a football game, so some of these injuries aren't as catastrophic as they would have been in previous years. Guys are prepared, they are preparing like they are about to play and any given moment they can go in so they have to prepare like they are a starter in order to play well. I think we are doing that and building this momentum and we have to keep it going."
Junior linebacker Jaboree Williams
On the importance of forcing five turnovers against Indiana:
"I think we suffered some blows early and gave up some big yards. But going into the game we wanted to force three turnovers and we forced five. Giving up that many yards you usually get blown out, but being able to force turnovers and making Indiana throw the ball kind of helped us in the end to get those turnovers and helped us get the victory."
On keeping the confidence up despite giving up big plays:
"It starts Tuesday morning in full pads. If you know you prepared well then no matter if you give up a big play, you know the scheme will come together and you will be able to execute the defense and be able to stop Indiana. By preparing well, everybody watching film and everybody having confidence in each other and in the whole defense, that is what helped us when we gave up that early touchdown and helped us throughout the game."
