Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Oct. 31
10/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Wrapping up the Louisville game, it was a great win for our program. I am really proud of our players. The last three years, the class of our division has been Clemson, Florida State and Louisville. We have been close in some of those games and never found a way to get over the hump and win one. For our seniors, this was their last opportunity. It was unspoken in the locker room that this was our last chance. That made it a really big win. We haven't had a lot of success against those teams. It was important that we played a 60-minute game, which I thought we did. Our offense stayed aggressive throughout the game. I loved the way we ran the ball and took six minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. We play with tempo and play really fast and suddenly when you slow it down, it is hard and sometimes not a smooth transition. We made a lot of first downs running the football and took a lot of time off the clock. Defensively, you are playing against an incredible player. We had seven sacks and with two minutes left they had under 400 yards and 17 points. We are disappointed that those last two minutes we got a little sloppy, When you get a little sloppy against a great player, he will make you pay, which he did. That made the stat sheet and the scoreboard look worse. We made some big plays. Essang Bassey's pick was big. The sacks were all big. The red zone stop when they went for it on fourth down late in the game was big. If we don't make those plays it is probably a one-score game in the fourth quarter.
"As we go through the stretch of our schedule, it certainly doesn't get easier. We head up to South Bend to play an outstanding Notre Dame team. They are 7-1 right now. They lost to Georgia by one point in a competitive game. In the other seven games, their average margin of victory is 28 points. The closest game that they have had, other than the Georgia game, was beating Michigan State by 20. They have steamrolled people. You watch film and there are a lot of snaps for Notre Dame where the game is already over.
"Offensively, this is one of the most physical offensive lines we have seen in our four years here. They know what they are doing and are excellent technicians. They play with an edge and play extremely hard. The running back only averages around nine yards a carry. That is with 130-some carries. Adams needs to be in the Heisman conversation. What he has done in amazing. Every time he touches the ball, he can run you over, he can run past you. The quarterback, Wimbush, is very athletic. He can beat you with his feet and with his arm. He plays with a lot of poise. For a new quarterback in a new system, he has picked things up extremely quickly. He knows where to go with the football and run the offense. Their tight ends and receivers are big and can all run and stretch you. This is an elite offensive unit. They are averaging over 40 points a game. Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville and now Notre Dame. I don't know if we have ever defended a string of offenses like that in consecutive weeks that are all so different and yet all so explosive and efficient and good at what they do.
"Defensively, we know that they are going to be really well coached. Mike (Elko) has made a big impact there already. They are talented and play hard, fast and know what they are doing. With a new coordinator and a new defense, they are very few busts on film. They are playing with confidence and have a couple elite players at every level. They have defended multiple offenses well. They are only allowing 116 rushing yards per game and have created 18 turnovers. They are one of the top teams in the country in limiting the run and creating turnovers. Does that sound familiar? That has been Mike's M.O. He tries to get teams one-dimensional and he is doing it.
"Our guys are excited and we are certainly confident after last week's game. We respect the level of football that Notre Dame is playing right now. These guys are playing at an extremely high level. They are beating very good teams soundly. They are beating ranked teams in non-competitive games. We know we will have to play well. We have some challenges. We have been pretty lucky this season in terms of injuries and we took a couple of injuries on Saturday. That is part of football that guys have to step up. As everyone knows, Greg Dortch had an outstanding game for us and unfortunately we won't have him for the rest of the year. Cade Carney and Jessie Bates will not play this week. Their injuries are not season-ending and they will be week-to-week. We will see how they heal and hopefully will have them in a couple of weeks."
On Facing Mike Elko (Current ND Defensive Coordinator and WF Defensive Coordinator 2014-16):
"It doesn't bring a degree of emotion. Mike is an outstanding coach. He did a great job for me with four different programs. He's spent well over half of his career with me. I think in my 18 years of being a head coach, he's been with me for 12 of them. He's a great. He's doing a great job there and I'm proud of him. On Saturday, we want to beat him and he wants to beat us. We talk regularly, text after every game, but that will cease this week."
On Greg Dortch:
"He's down. He was having a great year. Greg loves to compete. He loves practice. He loves the spring game. He loves lifting weights. He's a football player, so he's crushed and disappointed, but the great thing is, he's only a redshirt freshman. He has more years of football and it happens. It's not like he did anything foolish or stupid. It was just one of those injuries that occurred playing football. Physically, he's doing much better. Every indication is that it went as well as it could go and we have every reason to believe that we will have him back for the spring."
On difficulties of scouting Notre Dame when so many of its snaps are in garbage time:
"They have eight games on tape. There are still plenty of meaningful snaps to look at. If this had been the second or third game of the season, it might have been a little more problematic. I don't think Notre Dame was holding anything back to try to beat Georgia and NC State. When you play teams with new defensive coordinators, if it's game one or two, you might be guessing a little bit. However, in games nine and 10, there are some wrinkles, but their identity is their identity."
On replacing Dortch's production:
"We are very fortunate. Tabari Hines is a really good football player. He has made a lot of plays here. He was starting to begin the year before he got nicked up, which gave Greg (Dortch) his opportunity. John (Wolford) is playing at a high level. Matt Colburn is playing at a high level. The O-Line is playing well. Scotty (Washington), Chuck (Wade Jr.) and Cam (Serigne) are also playing at a high level. Injuries are part of football. We will miss Greg. He was having a great year. We have depth now. I think we are better prepared to deal with this than we have ever been before. I wish we had him, but I think we are really fortunate to have a player of the caliber of Tabari Hines ready to fill in. Tabari played a bunch of snaps and had a great play against Georgia Tech. Next man up."
Senior quarterback John Wolford
On the win over Louisville and the momentum from it:
"I thought we played a complete game. Obviously when you have that type of performance on offense you have a great feeling coming off the field. We have some momentum there and obviously Notre Dame is a great challenge. We played for four quarters against Louisville and didn't take our foot off the gas we're going to have to do the same thing against Notre Dame."
On spreading the ball around to different receivers:
"We have playmakers all over the field in my opinion. You know obviously Greg (Dortch) had a huge game but, when guys are getting open, when guys are making plays, it's my job to get it to them. As much as I can get guys involved, you know get guys like Chuck (Wade), Cam (Serigne), and Scotty (Washington) going. Scotty had a big day. So, anytime we can get the ball to our weapons, it's kind of what I'm supposed to do and it kind of translates to bigger days."
On Greg Dortch being out for the season and Tabari Hines stepping up:
"Obviously Greg has done a great job and were all praying for him. I think he's doing well right now and we feel for him. But in terms of football, it's next man up and Tabari is a tremendous talent. He came into the year as the starter. The fact that he beat Greg out tells you how talented he is. We have our full confidence in Tabari, he's played a lot of football and he'll be ready to go this Saturday. He's chomping at the bit so it works out for him. It's next man up, injuries happen and that can't be a crutch."
On the challenges on the table facing Notre Dame:
"Yeah on defense they're really sound. I don't think they've given up more than 20 points this year, which I don't think any team in the country has done that. They're sound and we're not going to get anything cheap on them. They're going to fit their gaps, and run their coverages. I've gone against that defense for three years here at Wake. We know how they're coached and they're going to be good."
On the historic setting for the game:
"It's a top five venue for college football, if not the top venue in terms of tradition. So, we're excited for the opportunity. We were there two years ago and it's an amazing atmosphere. They're doing really well right now, it's going to be fun."
On momentum after the Louisville win:
"When you get a big win against a good team, hopefully that will carry into the next week. Where we're at right now we have got to continue to get better. That was a big win, but we can't think we've arrived. There's always ways to get better. Obviously when you put up points like that, it gives us some confidence."
