Wake Forest Athletics
Five Questions with Lyle Hemphill
12/4/2020 12:30:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
“Give our ball to the offense. Take it away. That’s obviously one of the keys to every game for us.” - Lyle Hemphill
The Wake Forest defense came alive, paving the way for a four-game winning streak as the Deacs have held offenses in check from Virginia Tech, Virginia and Syracuse.
The Deacs were plus-nine in turnovers in those three games, forcing three takeaways in each while not giving the ball away even once.
Deacon Sports Xtra recently chatted with Wake Forest defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill on the mid-season successes of his unit and how they can improve down the stretch of the season in this Five Questions feature.
Did the early-season bye weeks help your defense develop?
Hemphill: "The first three games certainly helped us with what we needed to work on, without a doubt. These byes for us couldn't have come at a better time. We needed it. This gave us an opportunity to work with these young defensive backs and get these kids more comfortable with what we're doing. It gave us a chance for the safeties to get more comfortable with the communications. Those weren't two bye weeks for us, and the kids handled it really well. We were in a race against the clock to get older, faster, so that was huge."
Where were some of the concerns with the front seven in the first two games of the season?
Hemphill: "We probably tried to manipulate a little in those games to put more on the defensive line and linebackers, which wasn't fair to them. I probably put them in situations which weren't as advantageous in terms of leverage. I thought we'd kill it up front, but in college football these days, everybody has good players. It was probably a little bit on them and a little bit on me. They had to play a little better and I needed to coach a little better."
How difficult is it to get true freshmen ready to play an ACC campaign?
Hemphill: "Initially, these kids when they are freshmen, or even redshirt freshmen or sophomores, are just trying to get lined up. They are trying to line up, make the right communication, be in the right place. There's no detail to what they're doing. They are just trying to keep their head above water. You can't have successful defenses in this league if that is the mindset. We have to get past that and to where they know they're doing, what they're saying and where they're aligning. Then they can start playing with details. That's why a lot of times freshmen don't play. It takes a special freshman to come in and play with detail. That's what we've been pushing. We're repping the heck out of these kids — like 100 reps a day. We're just grinding J.J. Roberts, Nick Andersen, Gavin Holmes and Caelen Carson. (Wake Forest coach Dave) Clawson always talks about it taking a thousand reps to get where you can play with that detail, and that's what we're pushing for with this group."
Did you learn more about the defense in the early-season games than you did in fall camp?
Hemphill: "After a few games, you know who you are. We've said from the beginning that we needed to be an ascending football team. Well, we have to be an ascending defense. There was nowhere else to go. I think we will be. I'm not promising shutouts or 100-yard games, but I think we will consistently get better as the season progresses, as long as we stay healthy and avoid COVID-19."
How has the defense been able to force so many turnovers this season?
Hemphill: "If you want to be a good football team, you need 25 of them. When you boil it down, if you want to be a top-25 football team in the country, you have to get 25 of them. It doesn't sound like a lot, if you play 12 games, but you need 25 of them. If you can get 25-30, you're going to have a good season. That's always been our mantra around here. It's good that it's been happening, but we have to keep that going for sure. Give our ball to the offense. Take it away. That's obviously one of the keys to every game for us."
The Deacs were plus-nine in turnovers in those three games, forcing three takeaways in each while not giving the ball away even once.
Deacon Sports Xtra recently chatted with Wake Forest defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill on the mid-season successes of his unit and how they can improve down the stretch of the season in this Five Questions feature.
Did the early-season bye weeks help your defense develop?
Hemphill: "The first three games certainly helped us with what we needed to work on, without a doubt. These byes for us couldn't have come at a better time. We needed it. This gave us an opportunity to work with these young defensive backs and get these kids more comfortable with what we're doing. It gave us a chance for the safeties to get more comfortable with the communications. Those weren't two bye weeks for us, and the kids handled it really well. We were in a race against the clock to get older, faster, so that was huge."
Where were some of the concerns with the front seven in the first two games of the season?
Hemphill: "We probably tried to manipulate a little in those games to put more on the defensive line and linebackers, which wasn't fair to them. I probably put them in situations which weren't as advantageous in terms of leverage. I thought we'd kill it up front, but in college football these days, everybody has good players. It was probably a little bit on them and a little bit on me. They had to play a little better and I needed to coach a little better."
How difficult is it to get true freshmen ready to play an ACC campaign?
Hemphill: "Initially, these kids when they are freshmen, or even redshirt freshmen or sophomores, are just trying to get lined up. They are trying to line up, make the right communication, be in the right place. There's no detail to what they're doing. They are just trying to keep their head above water. You can't have successful defenses in this league if that is the mindset. We have to get past that and to where they know they're doing, what they're saying and where they're aligning. Then they can start playing with details. That's why a lot of times freshmen don't play. It takes a special freshman to come in and play with detail. That's what we've been pushing. We're repping the heck out of these kids — like 100 reps a day. We're just grinding J.J. Roberts, Nick Andersen, Gavin Holmes and Caelen Carson. (Wake Forest coach Dave) Clawson always talks about it taking a thousand reps to get where you can play with that detail, and that's what we're pushing for with this group."
Did you learn more about the defense in the early-season games than you did in fall camp?
Hemphill: "After a few games, you know who you are. We've said from the beginning that we needed to be an ascending football team. Well, we have to be an ascending defense. There was nowhere else to go. I think we will be. I'm not promising shutouts or 100-yard games, but I think we will consistently get better as the season progresses, as long as we stay healthy and avoid COVID-19."
How has the defense been able to force so many turnovers this season?
Hemphill: "If you want to be a good football team, you need 25 of them. When you boil it down, if you want to be a top-25 football team in the country, you have to get 25 of them. It doesn't sound like a lot, if you play 12 games, but you need 25 of them. If you can get 25-30, you're going to have a good season. That's always been our mantra around here. It's good that it's been happening, but we have to keep that going for sure. Give our ball to the offense. Take it away. That's obviously one of the keys to every game for us."
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