Weekly Press Conference: Belk Bowl (Dec. 8)
12/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"After the bowl announcement, I have been on the road recruiting and just got back two hours ago. We are really excited to be going to the Belk Bowl. We would be excited about any bowl. It is an accomplishment for our football team go get to a Tier 1 bowl. It's a big deal. The ultimate goal is to be in the College Football Playoff or the Orange Bowl. Those are the things we are shooting for, but after the Citrus Bowl, there are those four Tier 1 Bowls. It was our goal this year to get to a Tier 1 bowl or higher. It was a goal that we accomplished. They are all great bowls, the TaxSlayer Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl, the Sun Bowl, but for us to be playing an hour and a half away and close to our alumni base, centrally located to where our players are from, the Belk Bowl is a great opportunity for us. I am honored that they invited us and wanted us to play in their bowl because we certainly wanted to go to their bowl.
"I think the opponent is a great opportunity for us. Texas A&M is one of the iconic programs in college football. It is why Jimbo Fisher leaves Florida State to go to Texas A&M. I was there two years ago looking at their facilities. We did a trip and looked at Texas A&M, Baylor and TCU to get ideas for our facilities. We spent a lot of time at Texas A&M. Coach Sumlin was gracious and showed us around. We saw the weight room, the team rooms, the hydrotherapy areas. They have a big time setup and that helps them in recruiting. The last five recruiting classes, four of the five they have been top 10 or top 12. They recruit great players.
"Obviously, they are going through a coaching change. I am very familiar with both their coordinators. John Chavis, their defensive coordinator, we worked together at Tennessee. He is as good as there is in college football. He is aggressive and has great anticipation of what the other team is about to call. I was in the box with him during games and listening to him call out defenses, he almost knew what was coming. He is a great player developer and one of the great coordinators in college football. Noel Mazzone is their offensive coordinator. There was a group of coaches 20 years ago that were one-back or spread offenses before it really became en vogue. I was doing that at Villanova and Fordham and Noel was doing that at Ole Miss and Auburn. That group would meet once a year, one year at Washington State, one year at Auburn, and do a clinic. Noel was there and was always one of the sharpest minds in all of college football. They have two excellent coordinators, each running their side of the ball. You have an extremely talented football a team with a lot of skill.
"I think it is a neat matchup. There is a lot of argument on what is the best division in college football, the ACC Atlantic or the SEC West? To get matched up against a team from that division is a going to be a great challenge for us. I would put them up there with Clemson, Notre Dame, NC State, Florida State in terms of talent. We are going to have to play really well and not turn the ball over. Our guys are excited about it. I have watched a little bit of film on Texas A&M, but we will really start our prep on them after the players finish finals."
On the team's bowl prep schedule:
"You get as many bowl practices as you can get in. Once we became bowl-eligible, we went on the road recruiting. We practiced last Friday, Saturday and Sunday and had the players lift twice during the week. Since we're at Wake Forest and at the end of the semester, they have papers and finals, so we gave them a couple days off this week so they can study. Then, when we lift, we lift for an hour. We really want our players to get rested and heal up and get fresh and excited about playing this game. We'll practice today, tomorrow and Sunday and then we'll be off. We'll bring them back the 19th, 10 days before the game. We'll get in about four or five practices and then head down to the bowl. We want to get the game plan in before we go down there so when we get down there we can enjoy it. We want to make the bowl experience very positive for the players.
"The primary purpose of going to a bowl is to go win a football game, but we also want the bowl to be fun for our players. We want them to enjoy the bowl and enjoy Charlotte and all the different events the bowl has because we want our guys to strive to get to a bowl every year. If you saw the reaction after the Syracuse game, our kids were really excited because we knew we were going to a bowl. There is a real balance there of wanting to get better as a football team, but we don't want to burn out the players. I thought we had a good balance last year and we're on a similar schedule this year. The only difference is the game is two days later."
Reflecting on the season:
"This past week I was in a bunch of houses, different high schools and The College Football Hall of Fame dinner in New York. It's nice to get some compliments when you see other people in the game. I think I can see it in recruiting. I feel like we have a good class. Like always, there are people coming in and trying to flip our recruits. Maybe in the past, some kids would be more inclined to switch, but I think they see what we've done and the games we've won and the facilities we're building and they think that Wake Forest is even more of a solid choice now than when they made it. I do feel that there is an uptick in recruiting. We were on national TV a lot this year and we sold out home games. Last year, we got to a bowl and this year we took another step forward. It showed up in our home attendance and sell out games against NC State, Florida State and Louisville. I think we have a much more concrete message and we're starting to make those steps that we claimed we would make two or three years ago. The next claim is a little more challenging and we're going to get there."
On the differences of preparing for a bowl and the first game of the season:
"I think it's a little different. At the beginning of every year with your opener, you're not quite sure what you are. You're not sure what your identity is. I couldn't have told you when the year started that Greg Dortch would have the season he did or that we would play with so much tempo. I couldn't have told you that we would get as banged up as we did on defense. When you go through the year, the team's personality and formula to win games is different. When you play an opener, you're not sure what that formula is and you may not know until your third, fourth or fifth game. I think we know what we are now in terms of our style of play and how we play. But in terms of having this much time to prep, it is similar.
"I told our players that the three best opportunities to out-prepare an opponent are the opener, off your bye week and a bowl game. When you have one week, you can put in a little more time, but when you have this much time, it's easier for some to procrastinate and lose a little bit of focus. All of our guys remember the feeling in the locker room last year at the Military Bowl. It was one of those all-time highs. That is a feeling we want to experience, especially knowing how good the team is that we're playing and how talented they are."
On Greg Dortch's availability:
"There is zero chance he's playing. I wish he could, but the nature of what happened is we'll get him back for the spring. To play him for the bowl game would be to risk something that a father would never risk for his son. He wanted to play. That injury takes time to heal correctly and hopefully we'll have him for three more years."
Senior quarterback John Wolford
On preparing for Texas A&M:
"I've watched a decent amount of film, not as much as I'm going to dive into after finals, but they're talented. They have a good defensive line and they recruit well so there's going to be guys that can move around on the field. Like every game, it's going to come down to execution. You have to win the one-on-ones. Its going to be a good game because they're a good team and they play in a tough division. We're the same way so it's going to come down to the little things."
On the break:
"We get a month off basically. The guys that are banged up really get some rest. You can get your mind off of football and reset mentally. You have to keep yourself sharp – throw here and there. We have practices on the weekend to make sure we stay sharp so when we come back and start bowl prep, really dive into it, we aren't sloppy. That's what we're doing now and we're looking forward to finishing finals and getting after it."
On playing in the Belk Bowl:
"Any time you can play in a big-time bowl against a powerhouse team on national TV, guys are going to be fired up. A minimum goal of ours going into the season was to make a bowl game. It's nice that we got into a good bowl, the Belk Bowl, and we're playing a great team. We're all pumped and ready to go."
On what the program does well during the break between games:
"We have these weekend practices, so we can stay sharp with our timing, so I think that's a good thing that we do. It's smart. I think most teams do that. The game isn't until the 29th, the last final for anyone is the 15th so you have some time off where you can really take advantage of how much film you can watch. They have a month to prepare for us and we have a month to prepare for them. As much time as you can spend in the film room and get a feel for their defense is advantageous."
On if preparing for the bowl game is similar to preparing for the first game of the season:
"You can make that comparison. It depends on who you play at the beginning of the season, but I think there's a little more hype around this game. You're playing on national TV against a really good team. You don't want to drastically change your preparation. They're a good team, we're a good team and we're going to have to prepare to play well."
On overthinking the preparation:
"You don't want to start thinking too much. At the end of the day, you have to run your plays and trust the system. Trust the calls. You get a good feel for your defense when you have that much time, but they'll get a good feel for us as well. It kind of washes itself out. Usually the team that executes the best will win the game."
On playing his final game for Wake Forest:
"I don't think that will hit me until the game is over. I'm excited to play in a bit time atmosphere in a big bowl and to play with these guys one more time. I was pumped when we got to six because I knew we had one more month with this team. I love this team. I'm taking advantage of the time I have left. I'm not going to get too sentimental until the last quarter."
On playing for Wake Forest:
"I am extremely proud to have played for this university. This university has done so much for me both on the field and off the field and has shaped me into the human being I am today. If I had to go back and pick Wake all over again knowing what I know now, I'd do it a hundred times. I wish I had a fifth year to give to this university, but I am grateful for all of the people here and all of the relationships I've built. I look forward to continuing those relationships. You go to Wake Forest for four years but that doesn't mean you're detached from wake when you graduate."
Redshirt senior linebacker Grant Dawson
On the break:
"The break has been nice. After the long season, you have some guys that are banged up. I think all of the guys are a little banged up. It's nice to have a chance to let your body recover. You can get your legs under you again. It's been a good break."
On preparing for Texas A&M:
"I've watched a little tape, not too much. They're a good football team. They have a good offense. I don't think its anything we can't handle as long as we play our defense."
On playing at Bank of America Stadium:
"It's nice to be in North Carolina. It's close for all of my family and friends. I am a Panthers fan so it's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to that too."
On playing an SEC team:
"I'm looking forward to it. Any time you go out and have a chance to compete, you want to compete against the best. The SEC is a good conference. They're a really good football conference. We have an opportunity to go out and compete against one of the best and I'm really looking forward to it."
On his transition from walk on to team captain:
"I've been blessed and fortunate the past two years. I'm starting to get the chance to look back and it's been a heck of a ride. I've loved my time here. I'm not trying to look back too much yet. I'm going to soak up the last bit of time I have with this team and university and enjoy it."
On the biggest change in the football program:
"The culture of the team has changed. The guys we have here, they've bought in. They love football and they want to win. I think these guys here will make the sacrifices and put in the work. The whole team culture is different."
Redshirt junior center Ryan Anderson
On playing in the Belk Bowl:
"When we saw that we were getting the Belk Bowl, everyone freaked out because that's the game we wanted. We knew we would play the best opponent. Texas A&M is a good team but we're excited to go to Charlotte and play."
On any bragging rights associated with this game:
"Every football player in the ACC gets upset when that SEC chant starts happening. We feel like we're an even conference, so this game will definitely have some bragging rights."
On Texas A&M:
"Texas A&M has a good defensive line. We just have to do our jobs. We can't worry about playing towards any specific D-lineman. We have a good scheme and we work well together. We just need to play our offensive game."
On preparation for this game:
"Our whole season, the mantra has been one play at a time. It doesn't matter what happened a couple of games ago, a couple of plays ago. Every play is a new play, every game is a new game. We're just trying to stay focused."
On the goals of this team:
"I'm very proud of this team. We've played awesome this year but our goal is always going to be to keep climbing. Last year, the goal was the bowl and now that we've won the Military Bowl, every year the goal is to win a bowl. The goal is to keep climbing. Coach Clawson has taken this program to the next level every year."
