Weekly Press Conference Video & Quotes: Nov. 21
11/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Happy Thanksgiving week. To wrap up NC State, it was a great night for our program. It was an unbelievable home atmosphere with a great crowd and great student support. It was one of those games where it is a game of effort and a game of inches. In a lot of ways, we got outplayed. NC State had the ball for 22 minutes longer than us and had 170 more yards. How we overcame that stuff was by winning the turnover battle. We got three turnovers and two of them saved us points and that was the difference in the game. I'm really proud of our players. We continue to play hard and create breaks with effort. The play that Demetrius Kemp made on the strip was an unbelievable effort play and that turned out to be a game-changing play for us. We showed that to our team as an example of going hard and playing to the whistle. It was a great night for our program. The two greatest challenges in coaching are getting your team ready after a heartbreaking loss or an emotional win. Of those two problems, I'd rather have this one. I have certainly dealt with the first one a number of times.
"The reality is, it is a really good Duke team. They started out 4-0. If you look at common opponents, their game against Florida State was similar to our game with Florida State. Fourth-quarter game, tie game, Florida State scores late and Duke has a chance on a Hail Mary that got knocked down. That is how our game ended. Georgia Tech beat us and Duke beat Georgia Tech pretty soundly. With a Coach Cutcliffe team, they are going to be fundamentally sound. They are going to be extremely well coached.
"Offensively, Daniel Jones is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. The two running backs, one has over 700 yards and the other has over 600 yards. T.J. Rahming is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the ACC. He has 53 catches for 640 yards. He is a guy that a lot of their offense goes through. If he is uncovered you know the ball is going to him. Because of that, they really spread you out and that helps their running game. They have a really good offensive line.
"Defensively, this is the best Duke defense we have played in my four years. They are No. 3 in the ACC right now in total defense. Fields is a very good corner who started last year with all their seniors. Saxton is a very good safety and Giles-Harris is one of the best linebackers in the ACC. Duke is always a good team and they will be well-prepared. Like us, they are playing for a lot and I am sure this will be a 60-minute, four-quarter game. We look forward to it. We had a good practice today and will need a great week of prep as we get ready for our home finale."
On the defense creating turnovers:
"I think the way a defense plays has to compliment the offense. The way we were offensively last year and the year before, our defense had to dominate and get the ball back and create field position. With the way we're playing offense now, our defense just needs to get stops. The nature of how we're playing offense, with the tempo we're playing at, the defensive numbers are never going to be as good. You have to find ways to get stops."
"We did an awful job on Saturday on third downs. NC State converted 14 third downs. We overcame that with two turnovers in the end zone. The one on Demetrius Kemp's strip at the goal line and then (Essang) Bassey's interception at the end. Those are game-changing plays. We've played a lot of really good offenses this year. It just seems like the offenses we've played are better than they've ever been. We just have to find ways to get off the field. The frustration Is we're not getting off the field on third down. Turnovers are great when they happen, but you can't rely on them. We need more third down stops, but we have come up big. Two picks at Syracuse. Two fumbles and a pick in the second half against NC State are really the plays that allowed us to win the last two games. Without those plays, we probably lose both of those games."
On keeping the team grounded after big wins:
"I think we still feel like we're playing for a lot. We like those locker room celebrations. It's a great feeling. It's one of those natural highs, that once you get it, you want it again. We're not at a point where we're a team that's been jaded by winning. We don't care how we win. We have some players on our team that didn't win for a long time and they really appreciate this. To be able to finish the season up with an in-state rival helps. I think our team is motivated no matter who we play, but the fact that it is Duke helps us. This is the 98th time we've played Duke. It's a big game for them and it's a big game for us."
On Duke's win over Georgia Tech last week:
"Duke accomplished something we didn't in beating Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech beat us by two scores. Duke completely outplayed them in the second half. Duke's a good football team. They beat Northwestern, who might finish the season 9-3 and nationally ranked. These are two teams where the talent level is somewhat equal. Duke has lost a number of heartbreaking, one-score games. They lost to Army in a one-score game, Pitt in a one-score game, Florida State in a one-score game and we've been fortunate that we've found ways to win those games. The margin of winning and losing is very small. They were 4-0 like we were and they lost some really heartbreaking games. We found a way to win some of those."
Senior quarterback John Wolford
On the NC State win:
"It was a good team win on both sides of the ball. We probably won the first half when defense picked it up. We won the turnover margin and we're happy to get that win but now we're focused on a really good Duke team. They're playing for a lot so we need to bring it this week."
On any leftover emotions from Senior Night:
"I think this is a mature group and what we talk about is that we basically have five days left and then two or three weeks off before another game. We have to give it everything we've got for the next five days. I don't think anyone is satisfied with seven wins by any means. It was an emotional win but we've been playing emotional games all season against good teams, so I think we're accustomed to it."
On playing his final game at BB&T Field:
"It went by fast, that's all I'll say about that. For the younger guys, I always tell them to take advantage of every opportunity because then you're a senior and it's amazing how fast it flies. I feel good about it though. I'm not too worried on getting emotionally or anything like that. I'm just happy we have another game after that so we have another month with the team.
On Duke:
"They have a good secondary and linebacker corps. Their defensive line is good. They're going to challenge our man coverage. We have to win the one-on-ones and it's going to come down to execution. They don't run a thousand different defenses. They have multiple at times but it's going to come down to winning one-on-one matchups and executions, which a lot of games really are."
On facing a Duke team that's looking for bowl eligibility:
"I think this is a mature group and that's important. But we're not satisfied. We came into this season and we knew the schedule was tough. Now we're sitting here at seven wins and we want eight. We want to be one of the best teams in school history. That's a goal for us. There's not going to be a letdown. We had a great day at practice today. I feel great about where we're at mentally. Another thing is we have Thanksgiving break so the guys are going to have some extra time to take care of their bodies, get some extra sleep and watch some extra film. That'll be good."
Junior running back Matt Colburn
On how he has been playing lately:
"I'm feeling more confident as the games go by. I had to step up when Cade Carney went down and Arkeem Byrd got banged up. The past two weeks I've had to step up and really rely on everything that I've been working towards up to this point."
On stepping up due to injuries:
"I like being relied on. I like having to put a lot on my back. I was telling somebody a few weeks ago that it felt like high school. Everyone is counting on you. But it's a good feeling and it keeps me honest and makes me rise to the occasion. It also makes the guys around me better. When they see the things you do on the field, and how you're playing, it makes them bust their tail even harder in practice to beat me."
On playing Duke:
"Last year, we were in a similar situation with Boston College. We didn't finish on a good note and they needed that win to get to a bowl game. We should have won that game. This year, we're in the same situation. It's only going to make the postseason better for us, getting this win. Guys are really locked in and that's our main goal, to be locked in for the five more days we have left in the regular season. We have to be locked in against a pretty good Duke team."
On the differences between the 2016 and 2017 team:
"I think that we have a bunch of guys with experiences. We have a lot of depth. A guy goes down and the next guy comes in who is just as good, if not better. We have a lot of guys that know what they're doing, guys that are conditioned and guys that are okay with lining up fast and playing 80 plus snaps a game. I think when we first got here, we didn't have that. We didn't have depth. We had a lot of young guys and people who didn't know the offense as well as they do now, so I think we're in a good place right now."
On the NC State win:
"We knew deep down that we could beat a team like that. We feel like we should have beat Florida State and Georgia Tech, it was just a matter of time. This one was really personal since we haven't beaten them since our staff has been here. It was an amazing win on. Both sides of the ball rallied, and it was a thriller, coming down to the last possession. It was a heck of a win. We're looking to up the ante this Saturday."
