Wake Forest Athletics
Weekly Press Conference & Video: Nov. 5
11/5/2019 1:10:00 PM | Football
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson and student-athletes Suliaman Kamara and Jake Benzinger met with the media Tuesday (Nov. 5) at the team's weekly press conference luncheon to discuss the Deacs' upcoming game with Virginia Tech.
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Wrapping up NC State, I really thought it was probably our best and most complete effort of the year. We came ready to play and we jumped out to a 24-0 lead. I did not sense any letdown in our football team. A lot of times, you jump out like that and it is a little bit of human nature to relax. I was proud of our guys, I thought they continued to play hard. That sequence at the end of the half where we got the field goal and we started out with the touchdown and then Amari's pick, that was a really big swing. It took it from a 31-10 game to a 41-10 game. When you play with a 31 point lead early in the third quarter, it allowed us to manage the game the rest of the way. We got some younger guys in there and took some reps off of our starters. That will be really important as we head into the stretch run. Offensively, I thought we were very efficient. Jamie was accurate. Winning the turnover battle was critical. Defensively, Amari had two picks. We had a great play by DeAndre Delaney on special teams that led to a touchdown. On offense, we didn't turn it over. I think defensively, our corners played their best game of the year. Amari, obviously with the picks, but I thought Essang played well. Our defensive staff did a nice job of mixing up coverages. Showing some things and then taking them away. When you play with a big lead, you can do that a little bit more. Overall, I thought it was our best effort of the year on special teams. Dom Maggio had a great day with four punts inside the 20. The one he hit on the 1-yard line, I have no idea how he can kick them like that. He is like a magician at times. We won the starting field position battle by 14 yards. Our average starting field position was the 32 and theirs was the 18. All those things accumulate and allow you to win a big game against an in-state rival.
"Turning the page to Virginia Tech. We are getting ready to play a very improved and very good Virginia Tech team. On offense, they have changed their identity a little bit. They are really running the quarterbacks a lot. They are creative with it and very physical. They do some very unique things in terms of personnel groups that we have never seen before. Both quarterbacks run the ball well and are both big guys. We have to do a great job of tackling them. Because of their ability to run the quarterback and block the extra hat, they can create some matchups on the perimeter. They have some receivers out there that can challenge you and make contested catches. Their tight ends are very versatile players. They will get into personnel groups with no backs and a bunch of tight ends. They make you work to prepare. We know they will have changeups. They have played well of late with a big win over Carolina and then lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in the last 30 seconds of the game. They are a very good offensive football team.
"Defensively, their D-line is physical. At linebacker, they have the leading tackler in the ACC in Ashby. Hollifield is someone we know well because his dad played here. Their secondary might be the most talented secondary we have seen this year. It will be a tough game and certainly a challenge headed to Lane Stadium. All the great traditions they have there, like Enter Sandman. I have coached there before when I was at Bowling Green. Both our programs are a lot different now than they were in that epic 6-3 game we had in '14. It is a great challenge for our team. We are playing meaningful games in November and the only way to keep that going is to keep playing well. We will certainly be tested this week."
On the Deacons starting fast through the first eight games of the season:
"It is very encouraging. Sometimes losses provide valuable lessons and there are players on our team that are bothered about how we started against Louisville. We did not want to repeat that mistake. We came out and executed well and jumped out to 24-0. As a coach you say, 'there is a lot of football left, I hope we don't relax' and then we gave up the one score but then our offense responded right away. I felt like our team handled that game in a very mature way. We were ready to go and you could tell all week. That is a game every year that our kids get up for and we consider that a big rivalry game. The energy in practice, the preparation, the walk-throughs and even the locker room- I felt like we were ready and focused."
On using the loss to Louisville as energy for the rest of the season:
"I think it can. Louisville is a good football team. We didn't lose to an 0-9 team. We were disappointed that we didn't play our best or play to a level that we were capable of. Louisville outplayed us, but in this league you can never take your foot off the gas and any opponent that we play, if we don't show up and if we are not ready to go we are going to get beat. You can say those things, but then it happens and it becomes a reference point of let's not do those things again."
On seeing players succeed in the NFL:
"It's great. It is Phil Haynes and Jessie Bates and Marquel Lee and Greg Dortch, Kevin Johnson, Duke Ejiofor - we are proud of all of those guys. Everytime another guy makes it and is active. Our job here as coaches is to add value to the lives of our players. I am also really excited when a guy gets a job that he wants or gets into law school or gets into business school. When you invest personally into the lives of your players, it is not just the NFL players you are proud of. I'm proud of Cam Serigne and he's not playing pro football right now. I'm proud of John Wolford for being on the Rams and I will be proud of him in 10 years with whatever he's doing."
On Wake Forest being in the College Football Playoff rankings:
"That's where we want the program to be. At the ACC Media Days when people were saying our ceiling is being 6-6 or 7-5. I don't think anybody in our program buys into that. I don't know what our ceiling is, but I still don't think we have hit it. We want to play in games like this. But the only way to stay in that conversation is to keep playing well and keep winning. I certainly anticipate that we will be in there tonight somewhere and then the goal is to be there next week and be higher and to stay in that conversation through the end of the season. I think one of the things with coaching is the moments that you beat NC State or you beat Florida State, you enjoy them, but if you have a good program it's 'what's next?' That is the nature of what we do. We are constantly trying to climb that mountain and push that ceiling. You want to enjoy it, but it is hard to enjoy it when you are going through it… From the time we got here it was our goal to play in games like this and to have a program of national significance and to be ranked in the College Football Playoffs. Hopefully, someday sooner rather than later, we are in the conversation of being in that four. A lot of people don't think that is realistic, but we don't think that way. We think it is possible here. Not easy, but very possible."
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Suliaman Kamara
On finally winning a game coming off a bye week:
"I felt that with the preparation that week, we got down to the base of our defense and offense real quick. That helped us just be prepared a little bit more about NC State in a long week and we were just communicating a lot better. It was just something that we wanted to change that culture of coming off a bye week losing. We wanted to change that and in practice everyone just came out with a lot of energy. We just wanted it and we didn't want to have the same mistakes as in past games."
On communication in the NC State game compared to past games this season:
"In the game, everything just flowed right. Guys truly knew what they were doing. It was putting the defensive linemen in position; it was getting calls back against the defensive backs and safeties. The communication was loud and clear. Everybody was on the same page. It wasn't like one half of the defense was playing one look and the other half was playing another. Everybody has to be involved."
On playing in the cold weather in Blacksburg:
"It's outside so yeah, we're ready for it."
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Jake Benzinger
On the offensive line during the NC State game:
"We we're impressed with the performance. We were impressed with how (Jamie) was protected. In the same breath, we correct each game in the same way whether it's a win, loss, a huge offensive performance or a tough game. We still looked at the game very critically from a perspective on tape. I think that we're due to improve as the season goes on and we're not taking as 'it was a good game but we're not looking at it as an any point perspective'".
On what they can improve on from the NC State game:
"We can improve our running efficiency. I think that would be a step in the right direction. I feel like we had too many tackles for loss in the running game that we can improve."
On the offensive line giving Newman time to develop the RPO before the defense can snuff it out:
"It's a huge advantage. It is overall seasoned to our offense, especially. But as an O-line, we need to be able to sustain his blocks a little bit longer which we can all do and it's a point of emphasis every week and keep that conflict with the other team's linebackers tuned down."
Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement...
"Wrapping up NC State, I really thought it was probably our best and most complete effort of the year. We came ready to play and we jumped out to a 24-0 lead. I did not sense any letdown in our football team. A lot of times, you jump out like that and it is a little bit of human nature to relax. I was proud of our guys, I thought they continued to play hard. That sequence at the end of the half where we got the field goal and we started out with the touchdown and then Amari's pick, that was a really big swing. It took it from a 31-10 game to a 41-10 game. When you play with a 31 point lead early in the third quarter, it allowed us to manage the game the rest of the way. We got some younger guys in there and took some reps off of our starters. That will be really important as we head into the stretch run. Offensively, I thought we were very efficient. Jamie was accurate. Winning the turnover battle was critical. Defensively, Amari had two picks. We had a great play by DeAndre Delaney on special teams that led to a touchdown. On offense, we didn't turn it over. I think defensively, our corners played their best game of the year. Amari, obviously with the picks, but I thought Essang played well. Our defensive staff did a nice job of mixing up coverages. Showing some things and then taking them away. When you play with a big lead, you can do that a little bit more. Overall, I thought it was our best effort of the year on special teams. Dom Maggio had a great day with four punts inside the 20. The one he hit on the 1-yard line, I have no idea how he can kick them like that. He is like a magician at times. We won the starting field position battle by 14 yards. Our average starting field position was the 32 and theirs was the 18. All those things accumulate and allow you to win a big game against an in-state rival.
"Turning the page to Virginia Tech. We are getting ready to play a very improved and very good Virginia Tech team. On offense, they have changed their identity a little bit. They are really running the quarterbacks a lot. They are creative with it and very physical. They do some very unique things in terms of personnel groups that we have never seen before. Both quarterbacks run the ball well and are both big guys. We have to do a great job of tackling them. Because of their ability to run the quarterback and block the extra hat, they can create some matchups on the perimeter. They have some receivers out there that can challenge you and make contested catches. Their tight ends are very versatile players. They will get into personnel groups with no backs and a bunch of tight ends. They make you work to prepare. We know they will have changeups. They have played well of late with a big win over Carolina and then lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in the last 30 seconds of the game. They are a very good offensive football team.
"Defensively, their D-line is physical. At linebacker, they have the leading tackler in the ACC in Ashby. Hollifield is someone we know well because his dad played here. Their secondary might be the most talented secondary we have seen this year. It will be a tough game and certainly a challenge headed to Lane Stadium. All the great traditions they have there, like Enter Sandman. I have coached there before when I was at Bowling Green. Both our programs are a lot different now than they were in that epic 6-3 game we had in '14. It is a great challenge for our team. We are playing meaningful games in November and the only way to keep that going is to keep playing well. We will certainly be tested this week."
On the Deacons starting fast through the first eight games of the season:
"It is very encouraging. Sometimes losses provide valuable lessons and there are players on our team that are bothered about how we started against Louisville. We did not want to repeat that mistake. We came out and executed well and jumped out to 24-0. As a coach you say, 'there is a lot of football left, I hope we don't relax' and then we gave up the one score but then our offense responded right away. I felt like our team handled that game in a very mature way. We were ready to go and you could tell all week. That is a game every year that our kids get up for and we consider that a big rivalry game. The energy in practice, the preparation, the walk-throughs and even the locker room- I felt like we were ready and focused."
On using the loss to Louisville as energy for the rest of the season:
"I think it can. Louisville is a good football team. We didn't lose to an 0-9 team. We were disappointed that we didn't play our best or play to a level that we were capable of. Louisville outplayed us, but in this league you can never take your foot off the gas and any opponent that we play, if we don't show up and if we are not ready to go we are going to get beat. You can say those things, but then it happens and it becomes a reference point of let's not do those things again."
On seeing players succeed in the NFL:
"It's great. It is Phil Haynes and Jessie Bates and Marquel Lee and Greg Dortch, Kevin Johnson, Duke Ejiofor - we are proud of all of those guys. Everytime another guy makes it and is active. Our job here as coaches is to add value to the lives of our players. I am also really excited when a guy gets a job that he wants or gets into law school or gets into business school. When you invest personally into the lives of your players, it is not just the NFL players you are proud of. I'm proud of Cam Serigne and he's not playing pro football right now. I'm proud of John Wolford for being on the Rams and I will be proud of him in 10 years with whatever he's doing."
On Wake Forest being in the College Football Playoff rankings:
"That's where we want the program to be. At the ACC Media Days when people were saying our ceiling is being 6-6 or 7-5. I don't think anybody in our program buys into that. I don't know what our ceiling is, but I still don't think we have hit it. We want to play in games like this. But the only way to stay in that conversation is to keep playing well and keep winning. I certainly anticipate that we will be in there tonight somewhere and then the goal is to be there next week and be higher and to stay in that conversation through the end of the season. I think one of the things with coaching is the moments that you beat NC State or you beat Florida State, you enjoy them, but if you have a good program it's 'what's next?' That is the nature of what we do. We are constantly trying to climb that mountain and push that ceiling. You want to enjoy it, but it is hard to enjoy it when you are going through it… From the time we got here it was our goal to play in games like this and to have a program of national significance and to be ranked in the College Football Playoffs. Hopefully, someday sooner rather than later, we are in the conversation of being in that four. A lot of people don't think that is realistic, but we don't think that way. We think it is possible here. Not easy, but very possible."
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Suliaman Kamara
On finally winning a game coming off a bye week:
"I felt that with the preparation that week, we got down to the base of our defense and offense real quick. That helped us just be prepared a little bit more about NC State in a long week and we were just communicating a lot better. It was just something that we wanted to change that culture of coming off a bye week losing. We wanted to change that and in practice everyone just came out with a lot of energy. We just wanted it and we didn't want to have the same mistakes as in past games."
On communication in the NC State game compared to past games this season:
"In the game, everything just flowed right. Guys truly knew what they were doing. It was putting the defensive linemen in position; it was getting calls back against the defensive backs and safeties. The communication was loud and clear. Everybody was on the same page. It wasn't like one half of the defense was playing one look and the other half was playing another. Everybody has to be involved."
On playing in the cold weather in Blacksburg:
"It's outside so yeah, we're ready for it."
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Jake Benzinger
On the offensive line during the NC State game:
"We we're impressed with the performance. We were impressed with how (Jamie) was protected. In the same breath, we correct each game in the same way whether it's a win, loss, a huge offensive performance or a tough game. We still looked at the game very critically from a perspective on tape. I think that we're due to improve as the season goes on and we're not taking as 'it was a good game but we're not looking at it as an any point perspective'".
On what they can improve on from the NC State game:
"We can improve our running efficiency. I think that would be a step in the right direction. I feel like we had too many tackles for loss in the running game that we can improve."
On the offensive line giving Newman time to develop the RPO before the defense can snuff it out:
"It's a huge advantage. It is overall seasoned to our offense, especially. But as an O-line, we need to be able to sustain his blocks a little bit longer which we can all do and it's a point of emphasis every week and keep that conflict with the other team's linebackers tuned down."
Players Mentioned
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