Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Oct. 24
10/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"It is good to be back at home. Looking back at Georgia Tech, it was one of those games where we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I felt great about the game right before the half. When you get an option team down by two scores, you are in pretty good position. When we got up 21-10, you could say the next five minutes swung the whole game. We have really bad personal foul that leads to a field goal. We start the second half and have a false start and a miscommunication on a snap. We have to punt from our end zone and they get the ball at midfield. One play later they score and we never got back into a rhythm on offense. We gave up some big plays on defense. In two of the last three weeks we have been in position to beat a good football team and we don't close the deal. We have these lulls and at times we relax or get comfortable, and against teams like Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech, these guys can make you pay in a heartbeat. Georgia Tech did that in the second half. They had a 49, a 42 and a 70-yard runs. That's the football game. Our offense's inability to score points in the second half, we got off schedule. We didn't convert 3rd and shorts and 4th and shorts. That is the football game. Our guys are competing and are putting ourselves in position to win games. We have to take that next step and learn how to close the deal. We aren't closing right now.
"With Louisville it is another opportunity to win a game against a really good football team. Obviously they have the defending Heisman Trophy winner. They have the No. 1 offense in the ACC. They average 550 yards per game and have the No. 1 scoring offense. Lamar Jackson is an incredibly dynamic player. He is the fastest guy on the field at all times no matter who they play. Some of the things he does are amazing. He throws the ball extremely well and reads coverages well. Bonnafon, the tailback, has really developed into a good back. For a guy who started at quarterback against us three years ago, he is becoming a good running back. He runs well and catches well and can make people miss. They have always had big receivers that can make plays. Their offensive line is big and physical. On defense, they have always had good players. They have a number of guys who are going to play in the NFL. They are probably coming off their best defensive effort. This is ACC football and every week you have to play your best game to have a shot. This week will be another big challenge for us."
On failing to close out winnable games:
"We talked about it with the captains and we talked about it with the team. The gist of it is, against these teams, you can never relax. Twice now, we have had two-score leads, against Florida State and Georgia Tech. What has been our immediate response? Against Florida State, we go up two scores and give up a long kick return that led to a touchdown. Our response against Georgia Tech is that we make a bonehead play which gives them a field goal. Then, we snap the ball with the quarterback not there and give them the ball at midfield. Some of the teams earlier in our schedule, we can have that lull and recover from it. If you take a deep breath against any of these teams, it's over. We've been in games against the upper-half of this league for the first time in real games. Our defense is not used to playing with a two-score lead against an ACC team. Our offense is used to 24 points being enough to win games. Our defense never played with a two-score lead and when we did, even last year, we didn't play well. Some of our worst defensive efforts last year were games where we had the lead. I don't know if it's a mental thing, but there is a pause and a relaxation. Georgia Tech responds with a 49-yard play. You can never take your foot off the gas against good plays.
On Louisville's Defense:
"There are certainly ways that we're going to try to get open. They're a very talented defense. They have a new staff and a new coordinator just like we have a new staff and new coordinator. I think they settled down a week ago. I thought, against Florida State, they played their best defensive football game of the year. They defended well. They rushed the passer well. They put pressure on the quarterback. They're still top-half, top-four in the league in defensive personnel. We have never been able to move the football against them."
On any differences between this year's and last year's Louisville teams:
"It's hard to say there is a big difference. They're averaging 550 yards a game. They've got a quarterback who is a phenomenal player. Their receivers are big, physical and fast. The offensive line averages 6-4, 315 pounds. They have a good defensive line. They have a secondary that can run and tackle. They've lost two tight games and their other loss is to the defending national champions. This could easily be a 7-1 team."
Senior quarterback John Wolford
On his shoulder:
"It's a little sore. Not anything uncharacteristic. We're in week seven and you're going to be bumped up but I'll be good to go by Saturday so it's no concern to me."
On the Georgia Tech game:
"We were disappointed at the end result. We started off doing well and in the second half we just hit a lull and couldn't get something going. We're playing good teams every week, Georgia Tech is no exception. They should be a top-20 team. They lost two games by one point. We have to find ways to win against those good teams and it's all about playing for four quarters and every snap counts. That's the challenge we have this week with Louisville because they're a good team."
On what they learned from the Georgia Tech game:
"One takeaway is in years past we haven't played with a lead against good teams. It has always been tight games. Against Florida State and Georgia Tech, we had double digit leads. It's not something that we as a program are used to. That can't be an excuse. We can't take our foot off the gas against good teams. We can't let up. That's a focus for us."
On Louisville:
"Obviously, they're very talented on defense across the board. They have some guys that can make plays. On offense they have a Heisman Trophy winner. They score points. For us, we're going to have to score points. Obviously, our defense has to play hard and play them the best they can. They're going to make some plays. Our offense has to step up and answer that call."
On finding a signature win:
"I think in the four years we've been here, we haven't knocked off one of these big teams. We've made progress, and you can see that. But that's not what we're looking for. We only care about one stat and that's wins and losses. We want more wins. At the end of the day, that's what matters and that's what we need to get done."
Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Jake Benzinger
On Louisville's defense:
"Louisville's defense has a lot of speed. Looking at the D-line they have some impressive speed rushers on the outside and a pretty stout interior. We have a good challenge coming up this week and we need to score points and match them this week. It'll be a good challenge."
On the Georgia Tech game:
"As an offensive line, I thought there were times we moved the ball well, especially in the first half. There were times when some of the drives lulled and I felt that we could have finished the drives better but I thought we moved the ball well. We're coming into this game confidently coming off the Georgia Tech game."
On how to avoid offensive lulls:
"It's a little extra focus on some of those short yardage situations. We have to have everyone on the same page."
On playing at home:
"It's going to be awesome. It's definitely tough for us as an offensive line to play in a hostile environment, snap count wise. It's going to be better to be in front of our own fans."
On facing the Louisville defense:
"We embrace the challenge. When you play in the ACC, you know you're going to play against some good speed rushers and defensive ends and interior linemen. We're up for the challenge and we're preparing this week like we always do."
