Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference & Video: October 30
10/30/2018 3:04:00 PM | Football
Dave Clawson and Matt Colburn II met with the media on Tuesday to preview the Deacs' Homecoming contest against Syracuse
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Head coach Dave Clawson and senior running back Matt Colburn II met with the media Tuesday (Oct. 30) at the team's weekly Carrabba's press conference to discuss the team's upcoming Homecoming game against Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Wrapping up Louisville, it was a good team win. We needed it. Every year, you have goals, and one of the things you want to do it is have something to play for in November. You want to have goals alive. If you don't have any goals alive, November becomes really challenging for both the players and the coaches. That was a shot in the arm that we needed. Our practice was good and we played well. Offensively, it was probably the best game of the year for Sam Hartman, not just in terms of stats, but in terms of his efficiency and decision making. I thought our offensive line played really well. When you rush for as many yards as we did, it starts up front. After coming off maybe our worst performance of the O-line at Florida State, we probably rebounded our best game at Louisville. Greg did Greg Dortch things. Matt Colburn had another really good game and it was nice to see Scotty Washington out there making plays. On offense, we are probably the healthiest we have been all year. The healthiest we have been on the O-Line, the healthiest at receiver and all three backs are ready to go. You don't think you will be the healthiest in late October and early November, but we are. That has me excited as we head into November. Defensively, we were inconsistent. Every week, we have less M.A.s (missed assignments). Some of our M.A.s are really costly, twice we gave up contain. Our special teams really didn't help us. We had three disaster plays. We had a punt blocked, which led to a touchdown. We gave up a long punt return, which led to a touchdown. The last kickoff return, we missed two tackles, gave up contain and then we late-hit the guy and gave them the ball at the 40-yard line, and that resulted in a touchdown. That was three short fields due to special teams miscues. Our inability to get off the field on third down was frustrating. But getting a fourth quarter shutout and getting our guys to play hard for 60 minutes was encouraging. There is progress on defense. It isn't where we need to be, but it is better than a month ago. As we enter the last month, we are playing four teams that put up a boatload of points.
"In my opinion, this is the best Syracuse team we have played in my five years here. Dino has done a great job. They are an older team, a veteran team. It begins with their quarterback, Dungey. He is really an incredible player. Maybe one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the ACC. This kid has been a gutsy competitor for four years there. He is fearless and knows their offense really well. We have been lucky. Two years ago, we had the big storm with 30 or 40 mile per hour winds for half the game and rain. Last year, he didn't play against us. We have never really gotten him healthy, at his best, since he got there. When he is on, he is really good. He can make every throw. He frustrates you. You could have everyone covered and he will tuck it and run. If he gets near the end zone or first down marker, he has no regard for his body. I really admire him as a football player. They are better on the O-Line. They run the ball more efficiently. They are doing a great job of turnover margin. It is hard not to win when you are +9 in turnover margin. They are getting an extra possession a game and they are an offense that is second in the ACC at 43 points a game.
"They have always been good on offense, but on defense they have really improved. They can rush the passer. They have lots of guys back in the secondary, who are improved. The thing that concerns us as much as anything is the special teams. This is the best coached special teams we face every year. They are top two or three in the ACC in every category. They don't give their returns away. They are creative. Some teams give you the same thing every single week, but these guys change it up and keep you guessing. They are winning turnover battles, getting positive field position on special teams and have a high-scoring offense led by a senior quarterback. That is why they are nationally ranked. They very easily could be undefeated. They lost to Clemson in the last 30 seconds and they lost in overtime to Pitt. This could easily be an 8-0 team right now. They have done a great job. It will be a great challenge. We are excited to be back at home. We have a little bounce in our step as well. That was a good win for us last week. Our guys are excited and had a good practice today. We look forward to the challenge in the week ahead."
On if the "backs against the wall" mentality will carry into the final four games of the regular season…
"I never like to use the term must-win; nobody was going to die. Every football team has its own life. It ends hopefully at the bowl game and it goes to the next year. And for this football team, that was a game we had to get it, we really did. And I told the players that. If we want to accomplish our goals, guys, any of our goals, if we don't take care of business this week and play the way we are capable of and prepared the way need to, it's going to get tough. That's the reality of it. You issue a challenge like that hoping they are going to respond. If they don't, it's probably going to be a tough November. Fortunately, our football team did and the reason you issue that challenge is because you have confidence they will. So that was a really important game for us and now it's the next one, and the next one is a really good one."
On Syracuse's offense being the style of offense that has given Wake Forest trouble…
"Every offense has given our team fits this season (laughs). What offense hasn't because I'll go back and watch that film. Our nemesis all year has been giving up big plays. We gave up one run last week of more than 15 or 20 yards. That was the first series of the game, the fourth and one. That was the only long run we gave up the whole game. Now we gave up some long passes on third downs, but we didn't give up any other 50 or 70-yard touchdowns like we have been doing and that's the key with Syracuse. They're an offense that makes big plays. But where Syracuse has really improved is I always felt for the last two years that Syracuse was always going to throw the ball, they had big receivers and they were going to challenge you down the field. There was almost that feeling that they were going to stick a run in there now and then to keep you honest, but they really wanted to throw it. They are now committed to running the football and they run it really well. The run game, I don't want to say it's changed, I just think they truly look committed to running the football now and they are the best they have ever been up front. As a result of that, it sets up opportunities for big plays because you can no longer say that you're going to defend Syracuse and lighten the box and dare them to run the ball and play short-handed. If you do that now, both (Dontae) Strickland and Moe Neal can go. Those backs are both good backs. They start three fifth-year seniors on the offensive line. One of them played against us last year in the Belk Bowl. He's a transfer from Texas A&M and he's also Dino's son-in-law so his starting job is probably pretty safe. Those guys are good players and they are physical. They are just so improved, they are willing to run it and are good at running it. Because of that now, you got to cheat the box a bit but now you have these really good receivers out there that are really good in their own right. They are as good as they have ever been on the perimeter and now they are good inside and they can run it. So, we can't give up big plays but on the other hand, they are willing to run the football now and they run it really well. So, it's truly a little bit of pick your poison. All joking aside, yes, the teams that spread it out have probably given us more problems than the teams that don't. Part of it is who we play. I mean, Clemson spreads it out and score 50 against everybody. Boston College is scoring points and they don't spread it out but we didn't defend them well either, so it'll be a challenge."
On the potential of each team running over 100 plays…
"They're not quite as fast as they've been. To me, they had the goal before of running 110 plays and they use tempo, but not all the time. They use it selectively and they use it very smart. They'll get up there and go fast and if you're not lined up, the ball is going to come out fast. But if you're lined up and they see what you're in, they'll back off and slow it down and get themselves in a good football play. It's smart because they are able to go fast, they kind of force you to show your hand, and if what they want isn't wide open then they back off and get into a really good play. I'm so impressed with them on offense. Just a lot more detail and really well thought out and they have created some new dilemmas that they presented before but the way they do it now it a little bit different when you watch the film."
Senior Running Back Matt Colburn II
On career performance against Louisville...
"It was amazing. That definitely was the game for us to get our season going again and to get things turned around. There were guys just flying around and you can tell there was a different type of energy. Our backs were against the wall and in order to save the season we really need to win that game. We had a great week of preparation on and off the field. Everyone just bought in and did their job. We had adversity and we faced it and we responded well."
On confidence off the win...
"It gives us confidence- Greg Dortch making that one-handed catch, Scotty Washington getting back in the mix, me and Cade (Carney) going back and forth. It is just really awesome to see every aspect of the offense like the offensive line blocking their tails off, going fast- it gives us confidence for the next week and it gives us the confidence that we needed because we are playing at such a high level. We just hadn't executed in previous weeks like we did at Louisville. That game is something to build off of."
On Syracuse defense...
"Their defense has improved from last year. They have a good front and they have backers that like to fly around. They are really athletic and they give great effort. For us it will be key to get the run game going to open up passing lanes. At Louisville, we were executing a high level and that is going to be part of the game plan this week. We all have to execute and be on the same page. At Louisville we were way more consistent than in other games. In order to beat a team like Syracuse, we just have to be more consistent and execute."
On bouncing back from the Florida State loss…
"We had a great week of practice before Florida State and it just didn't work. You have to give yourself a chance. If you bust your tail at practice, you come in after a long day of class and tutoring to watch film, you get treatment and do all of these things- you have to give yourself a chance, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I think in terms of Louisville, we didn't let Florida State demoralize or discourage us. We just had to go back to work and back to the drawing board. If we do those things, we knew we could be successful on Saturday
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Head coach Dave Clawson and senior running back Matt Colburn II met with the media Tuesday (Oct. 30) at the team's weekly Carrabba's press conference to discuss the team's upcoming Homecoming game against Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Wrapping up Louisville, it was a good team win. We needed it. Every year, you have goals, and one of the things you want to do it is have something to play for in November. You want to have goals alive. If you don't have any goals alive, November becomes really challenging for both the players and the coaches. That was a shot in the arm that we needed. Our practice was good and we played well. Offensively, it was probably the best game of the year for Sam Hartman, not just in terms of stats, but in terms of his efficiency and decision making. I thought our offensive line played really well. When you rush for as many yards as we did, it starts up front. After coming off maybe our worst performance of the O-line at Florida State, we probably rebounded our best game at Louisville. Greg did Greg Dortch things. Matt Colburn had another really good game and it was nice to see Scotty Washington out there making plays. On offense, we are probably the healthiest we have been all year. The healthiest we have been on the O-Line, the healthiest at receiver and all three backs are ready to go. You don't think you will be the healthiest in late October and early November, but we are. That has me excited as we head into November. Defensively, we were inconsistent. Every week, we have less M.A.s (missed assignments). Some of our M.A.s are really costly, twice we gave up contain. Our special teams really didn't help us. We had three disaster plays. We had a punt blocked, which led to a touchdown. We gave up a long punt return, which led to a touchdown. The last kickoff return, we missed two tackles, gave up contain and then we late-hit the guy and gave them the ball at the 40-yard line, and that resulted in a touchdown. That was three short fields due to special teams miscues. Our inability to get off the field on third down was frustrating. But getting a fourth quarter shutout and getting our guys to play hard for 60 minutes was encouraging. There is progress on defense. It isn't where we need to be, but it is better than a month ago. As we enter the last month, we are playing four teams that put up a boatload of points.
"In my opinion, this is the best Syracuse team we have played in my five years here. Dino has done a great job. They are an older team, a veteran team. It begins with their quarterback, Dungey. He is really an incredible player. Maybe one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the ACC. This kid has been a gutsy competitor for four years there. He is fearless and knows their offense really well. We have been lucky. Two years ago, we had the big storm with 30 or 40 mile per hour winds for half the game and rain. Last year, he didn't play against us. We have never really gotten him healthy, at his best, since he got there. When he is on, he is really good. He can make every throw. He frustrates you. You could have everyone covered and he will tuck it and run. If he gets near the end zone or first down marker, he has no regard for his body. I really admire him as a football player. They are better on the O-Line. They run the ball more efficiently. They are doing a great job of turnover margin. It is hard not to win when you are +9 in turnover margin. They are getting an extra possession a game and they are an offense that is second in the ACC at 43 points a game.
"They have always been good on offense, but on defense they have really improved. They can rush the passer. They have lots of guys back in the secondary, who are improved. The thing that concerns us as much as anything is the special teams. This is the best coached special teams we face every year. They are top two or three in the ACC in every category. They don't give their returns away. They are creative. Some teams give you the same thing every single week, but these guys change it up and keep you guessing. They are winning turnover battles, getting positive field position on special teams and have a high-scoring offense led by a senior quarterback. That is why they are nationally ranked. They very easily could be undefeated. They lost to Clemson in the last 30 seconds and they lost in overtime to Pitt. This could easily be an 8-0 team right now. They have done a great job. It will be a great challenge. We are excited to be back at home. We have a little bounce in our step as well. That was a good win for us last week. Our guys are excited and had a good practice today. We look forward to the challenge in the week ahead."
On if the "backs against the wall" mentality will carry into the final four games of the regular season…
"I never like to use the term must-win; nobody was going to die. Every football team has its own life. It ends hopefully at the bowl game and it goes to the next year. And for this football team, that was a game we had to get it, we really did. And I told the players that. If we want to accomplish our goals, guys, any of our goals, if we don't take care of business this week and play the way we are capable of and prepared the way need to, it's going to get tough. That's the reality of it. You issue a challenge like that hoping they are going to respond. If they don't, it's probably going to be a tough November. Fortunately, our football team did and the reason you issue that challenge is because you have confidence they will. So that was a really important game for us and now it's the next one, and the next one is a really good one."
On Syracuse's offense being the style of offense that has given Wake Forest trouble…
"Every offense has given our team fits this season (laughs). What offense hasn't because I'll go back and watch that film. Our nemesis all year has been giving up big plays. We gave up one run last week of more than 15 or 20 yards. That was the first series of the game, the fourth and one. That was the only long run we gave up the whole game. Now we gave up some long passes on third downs, but we didn't give up any other 50 or 70-yard touchdowns like we have been doing and that's the key with Syracuse. They're an offense that makes big plays. But where Syracuse has really improved is I always felt for the last two years that Syracuse was always going to throw the ball, they had big receivers and they were going to challenge you down the field. There was almost that feeling that they were going to stick a run in there now and then to keep you honest, but they really wanted to throw it. They are now committed to running the football and they run it really well. The run game, I don't want to say it's changed, I just think they truly look committed to running the football now and they are the best they have ever been up front. As a result of that, it sets up opportunities for big plays because you can no longer say that you're going to defend Syracuse and lighten the box and dare them to run the ball and play short-handed. If you do that now, both (Dontae) Strickland and Moe Neal can go. Those backs are both good backs. They start three fifth-year seniors on the offensive line. One of them played against us last year in the Belk Bowl. He's a transfer from Texas A&M and he's also Dino's son-in-law so his starting job is probably pretty safe. Those guys are good players and they are physical. They are just so improved, they are willing to run it and are good at running it. Because of that now, you got to cheat the box a bit but now you have these really good receivers out there that are really good in their own right. They are as good as they have ever been on the perimeter and now they are good inside and they can run it. So, we can't give up big plays but on the other hand, they are willing to run the football now and they run it really well. So, it's truly a little bit of pick your poison. All joking aside, yes, the teams that spread it out have probably given us more problems than the teams that don't. Part of it is who we play. I mean, Clemson spreads it out and score 50 against everybody. Boston College is scoring points and they don't spread it out but we didn't defend them well either, so it'll be a challenge."
On the potential of each team running over 100 plays…
"They're not quite as fast as they've been. To me, they had the goal before of running 110 plays and they use tempo, but not all the time. They use it selectively and they use it very smart. They'll get up there and go fast and if you're not lined up, the ball is going to come out fast. But if you're lined up and they see what you're in, they'll back off and slow it down and get themselves in a good football play. It's smart because they are able to go fast, they kind of force you to show your hand, and if what they want isn't wide open then they back off and get into a really good play. I'm so impressed with them on offense. Just a lot more detail and really well thought out and they have created some new dilemmas that they presented before but the way they do it now it a little bit different when you watch the film."
Senior Running Back Matt Colburn II
On career performance against Louisville...
"It was amazing. That definitely was the game for us to get our season going again and to get things turned around. There were guys just flying around and you can tell there was a different type of energy. Our backs were against the wall and in order to save the season we really need to win that game. We had a great week of preparation on and off the field. Everyone just bought in and did their job. We had adversity and we faced it and we responded well."
On confidence off the win...
"It gives us confidence- Greg Dortch making that one-handed catch, Scotty Washington getting back in the mix, me and Cade (Carney) going back and forth. It is just really awesome to see every aspect of the offense like the offensive line blocking their tails off, going fast- it gives us confidence for the next week and it gives us the confidence that we needed because we are playing at such a high level. We just hadn't executed in previous weeks like we did at Louisville. That game is something to build off of."
On Syracuse defense...
"Their defense has improved from last year. They have a good front and they have backers that like to fly around. They are really athletic and they give great effort. For us it will be key to get the run game going to open up passing lanes. At Louisville, we were executing a high level and that is going to be part of the game plan this week. We all have to execute and be on the same page. At Louisville we were way more consistent than in other games. In order to beat a team like Syracuse, we just have to be more consistent and execute."
On bouncing back from the Florida State loss…
"We had a great week of practice before Florida State and it just didn't work. You have to give yourself a chance. If you bust your tail at practice, you come in after a long day of class and tutoring to watch film, you get treatment and do all of these things- you have to give yourself a chance, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I think in terms of Louisville, we didn't let Florida State demoralize or discourage us. We just had to go back to work and back to the drawing board. If we do those things, we knew we could be successful on Saturday
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