What They Are Saying: Duke Week

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are in the midst of a short turnaround after its latest contest with No. 4 Florida State on Saturday, as the Deacs hit the road to take on the Duke Blue Devils Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.. The game will also be airing on ESPN.

Ahead of their matchup, the Deacs met with the media to discuss the matchup and other news around the Wake Forest program.

Head Coach Dave Clawson
Opening Statement
"Just wrapping up Florida State, as I said after the game I'm disappointed we weren't more competitive. Certainly a lot of credit goes to Florida State. But going back and watching the film, on defense we missed opportunities early in the game to get off the field. We dropped an interception. We had their quarterback in a sackable position twice on third down. He was allowed to escape once and get a first down. Another time he scrambled for a touchdown. We knew going into that game that getting third down stops and getting off the field was going to be really important. As the game wore on, we just gave up too many explosives.

On offense, it was the opposite problem. We couldn't stay on the field. Our lack of our passing game in the first half. Our inability to convert third downs and stay on the field. We really put our defense in a bad position. The one thing we couldn't do on special teams was give up big returns and we did that. They are a very good football team. I'm disappointed we didn't play better and make the game more competitive. But you have to move on.

We're moving on to Duke, which is a great challenge of its own. Coach (Mike) Elko and I have a long history together. Mike is the only assistant coach who worked with me at all four institutions: Fordham, Richmon, Bowling Green and Wake Forest. He is one of the best coaches I've ever worked with and did a great job at all four places. He's smart and is a really good football coach. He's done an amazing job at Duke the last two years.

Defensively, this is one of the very best teams we will play. It all starts up front. I watched last year's game and I watched the game from two years ago. It's really amazing. It's all the same players: R.J. Oben, DeWayne Carter, Ja'Mion Franklin, Aeneas Peebles and Dorian Mausi. All these guys have been playing for them for three years. To see how much better they are, how much they've improved and how hard they're playing — they look like completely different players than they were two years ago.

Then on offense, they want to run the ball and be physical, but they're also very explosive. The running backs, Jaquez Moore, Jordan Waters and Jaylen Coleman, can all make big plays. Their receiver, Jalon Calhoun, is a really good player. Then up front guys like Jacob Monk, Graham Barton and Maurice McIntyre have all played a lot of football. They're really good at special teams and their quarterback is one of the best athletes and quarterbacks that we'll face all year. This is going to be another great challenge for us. It's great to have in-state rivalry games in November. For two years in a row we're going to head to Wallace Wade Stadium and play a really good Duke Football team. We're excited about the challenge and the exposure of being on national TV."

On if they change routines during the short turnaround
"You have to. When you go from a Saturday to Thursday, especially in November when there's always those bumps and bruises that guys have. A lot of times the healing process between the end of practice Thursday and Saturday is when you get them back. We've got some guys banged up, but that's not a disadvantage, because Duke played on Saturday too. I'm sure Mike would like to have another 24-48 hours for his guys to heal up. We have the same situation. Our game Saturday was a little earlier, but they don't have to travel, so all that kind of balances out."

On if depth is important this week
"Anytime you get into November, depth is really important. One of the good things about the way we run the program in terms of trying to redshirt players is there are certainly a handful of guys who haven't played at all, where we now get their four games. So we're hoping some of that depth will come from guys you haven't seen yet. They weren't ready to play in August and they weren't ready to play in September. But they've got progressively better. We've been giving them backup reps and some of those guys you're going to see on the field for the first time ever. Without giving names away. If we could just get through Florida State and stay relatively healthy, then you have some reinforcements on the way. Some of these guys, we've been giving them backup reps on special teams every week. If we can stay healthy, then this is when you're going to have your chance to play and start playing college football. It'll help us this year and will help their career for next year."

On pulling the team back together
"You just put it out there that we're 4-4. We still have two of our biggest in-state rival games the next two weeks. Our ultimate goal every year and aspirational goal isn't just to be bowl eligible, but it is a goal that still remains. It's still out there. It becomes much-tougher to get if we don't get this one. We're playing a team we have a lot of respect for. They're a really good football team and are well coached. I know when I got here, I felt like Duke was one of the programs we had to catch. I'm sure Mike when he got there targeted Wake Forest. We're similar in terms of academics and in the same state. Our profile and football histories are somewhat similar. We have similar opportunities and similar challenges."

On the new ACC scheduling model
"I'm to the point here where I just control the controllables. My opinion on that doesn't matter. Our commissioner did a great job of securing the ACC. At Wake Forest we're proud to be in the ACC and we've added three great institutions. We're going to get some frequent flier miles in the next few years. My prediction that the ACC in the first year would send us out there (California) proved to be true, but that's fine. The way they did it was very balanced. I'm very excited that we get to play Duke and NC State every year. For our fan base and home crowds, the idea of losing a game that you've played more than 100-consecutive years. It's not like I'm dying to play them. They're a good program. Dave (Doeren) has done a great job there. They are a good football team. In-state rivalries and games like that are really important to the fabric of college football. The fact that we play them every year, Duke every year and North Carolina four out of seven years is really positive. If we have to get on a plane and fly to California every other year because of that, it's no big deal."
On if the offense not staying on the field will wear down the defense
"Absolutely. Very worried about that. One of our major goals last Saturday was to win time of possession. We knew what we were defending and we knew their skill and the explosive plays they could make. Every time we could stay off the field for three-or-four more plays it keeps their offense off the field another two-of-three minutes. That was one of the failures in the execution of the game plan. We didn't do that. We were 3-of-14 on third downs. There's a lot of reasons that happened. A lot of the things we've been good at the last six years — third down conversions, red zone efficiency — obviously we're struggling in a lot of those areas now. We're playing good defense for the first time in seven years, but we're just putting too much pressure on them."

On reviewing the tape on quarterback Mitch Griffis
"I'd say very uneven. I thought in the second half he played more instinctively. It was nice to see him make a few throws. It was nice to see him make that 15-yard run. In the first half, he played extremely tentatively and cautious. In the second half he played a little better. There were probably two plays when I watched the film that he probably held onto it too long. Some of the other ones, he either didn't have a chance or the pass rush was too quick. One play was well protected, his receiver was open and then was tripped. He was wide open for a first down and then was tripped. When things aren't going well, those things tend to happen more than you like. I'm not going to sit here and tell you he played great. He played better, but he still missed too many throws and at times he didn't manage the pocket as well as he should have. I was encouraged with some of the things he did in the second half. We're continuing to get him reps and Santino (Marucci) reps. Every time Santino gets reps, he's able to run more of the offense and it's not as limited with him out there. It's not his fault. A year ago he was a safety. It's hard to get two quarterbacks ready, much less three. And Mitch and Michael Kern were getting 95 percent of the reps."

Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Michael Jurgens
On how the team is responding to the loss against Florida State on a short week.
"Yeah, I mean it was hard. The mood at halftime was pretty down but shout out to Malik. He did a really good job of getting us together and delivered a really good message for us. He said that, 'everyone that we needed was in that room.' We know we're going through struggles this year, how we were going to come out to that second half and how we were going to play. We thought it was going to be a defining moment for us for these last four games. The second half of the Florida State game wasn't perfect, but we were pretty proud of what we did, especially in the third quarter. So it's tough. Honestly, the way the schedule worked out, having this short week was kind of nice. It's a chance to move on and get the taste out your mouth. Usually we say we have the 24 Hour Rule. It was more like a 24 minute rule. We were right to Duke. It was tough, but it's good to have a short week to move on."

On how the team responded to Florida State calling out their runs in the first half.
"They were a well coached team. When they were calling out runs, they weren't always correct. They call it out on that one, 60-yarder that Justice had. They are a well coached group and every team has tendencies. But we did a good job breaking our tendencies often because they called out the wrong run number times too."

On the progress that the offensive line has built over the season.
"What I've been most happy about the past two weeks is resiliency that goes without saying. This is more injuries than we've had in my six years here. Coach Tabacca probably in his 10 years has seen more injuries than we've ever had. And that goes without saying that our group did a great job of handling it. Guys are playing in different spots but specifically in the last two weeks, We've significantly cut down on missed assignments. There wasn't one missed assignment against Pitt, and I don't think there were any last week. That's just a sign that guys are moving in the right direction. That's the expectation. So it's disappointing that we weren't there at the start of the year. But it's definitely encouraging and like I said, just the way the guys have worked and when things have gotten hard, we haven't pointed fingers and splintered, we've doubled down on our habits and our tendencies. We really tried to invest in little details hoping that the aggregation of all those little details sum up to something bigger than you know bigger than we could have hoped. We're in a good spot going forward."

On what the team has seen out of Duke during the week.
"They're a really good group. They're probably one of the most complete groups we'll see all year.
Those two inside guys have been there forever. And they're great players. They might be the best inside one-two punch in the conference. They're really well coached. Obviously, we have that relationship with their staff specifically on defense. And Coach Simpson too, I know he's a great coach. And they're a really well coached group. Some of it is similar, it's one of those weeks I don't know what we'll get. I'll never forget that first play last year, turning around, looking at Sam and just laughing like this is the first time that staff had ever run a three-down defense in their entire career with a three safety shell. We're gonna do what we always do, we are going to prepare. Teams have tended to play us more in their base defense than they have in the past. It is a product of how our offense has changed this year. We don't know what we'll see but we'll be ready for whatever it is."

On if he is ready for the change to colder weather.
"Today we were just joking. Some of the freshmen from Florida had a tough practice today, it was a little cold for them. But I'm excited, back around the bye week maybe the week after Clemson week we had a false week of fall. So I'm excited for the colder weather. We also obviously have Notre Dame coming up. I would love to have a snow game. I don't know if Coach R might be mad at me if he heard me say that. I would love to play in a snow game."

On how the offensive line stays positive after losing with no missed assignments against Florida State.
"They're definitely a really good group. There weren't any breakdowns in protection last week. There weren't a ton of instances of people just getting outright beat. We need to be firmer. The way that the pocket is designed requires the tackles to keep it wide. And at times the tackles collapsed and inside had to keep it firm. So the quarterbacks can step up once those ends bend around. Specifically, the first sack on that first drive is the one on my mind where they had like a five down front and everyone's good. Nobody got beat but the pocket just collapsed too quickly. And we need guys winning those matchups. Obviously the prerequisite to that is it's doing your job so it's encouraging that we were doing our job. Now we just need to play with confidence and I've seen it out of everyone in the room. I know everyone in the room can. Everyone playing can win those matchups. We just have to execute it. It's a really hard thing to do."

Junior Defensive Lineman Jasheen Davis
On how the team is preparing for the Duke game on Thursday night.
"It's going pretty well, just coming off a short week. We had dialed back on the physicality. So the first few days we did walk through type of drills. Then today it was like our first physical day of practice, but the preparation for Duke has been going pretty well. I'm excited for this next opportunity to play again. So I'm looking forward to it."

On how much time they spent reviewing tape from Florida State.
"We kind of burnt it. I mean, obviously there were things that we needed to fix from the last game. So we went over it. We couldn't dwell on last week's game, we had to get prepared for Duke. So we basically spent the first half of Sunday reflecting on a Florida State game. And then we spent the second half of the game preparing for Duke."

On if it is beneficial to not have to dwell on the last game for a long time.
"Yeah, I believe so. Because you always want to have short term memory. Especially in football, because plays aren't always going to go your way. But if you have that next play mentality, then you'll be prepared for the next play. I feel like it goes the same for this week here. I know, we lost against Florida State and we learned from it. But at the same time, we have a game on Thursday. Duke also came off a loss too. So you know, they're hungry to try and get this win just like how we are. So like I said, it's going to be a good one"

On the message from the older players and coaches for the next four games.
"We need to have resilience. This is the last stretch of the season, we've got some big games coming up and we have to play to the best of our abilities. We can play with the best of the best, we have to believe that. So that has been the message."

On what the team has seen out of Duke leading up to the game on Thursday.
"Yes, sir. Obviously, last year going into Duke we had a tough loss. We had the opportunity to win the game, but this year, we have the same opportunity to go back to Durham and get a good win. I feel like we need this win because it's an in-state rivalry. So the game is going to be pretty intense. Like I said, I'm just excited for this opportunity to see what we can do. I have faith in our team, and I feel like the sky's the limit."

On the defense being tired from containing mobile quarterbacks over the past few weeks.
"At this level everybody's mobile. I just have to be prepared for it. I'm just trying to stay in shape and going into practice every day trying to play every rep full speed. So that's how I get prepared for mobile quarterbacks."

On if Davis prefers to play in cold or hot weather.
"I prefer warm weather to be honest. but it's football at the end of the day. Whatever weather comes with the season whether that be cold or hot weather. I just have to adjust to it."

On if there is a toughness to playing in the colder weather.
"That's more of a mental thing. The weather is the weather. Sometimes you have to play when it's really hot. Sometimes you have to play when it's really cold. So you just can't let the weather or the elements affect how you play."

On how the team still feels confident at this point in the season.
"I feel like this season obviously hasn't been going the way we have wanted it to. I feel like at the end of the day we're still very competitive. We still have a brotherhood, we still rely on everyone and we still trust in everyone here. We trust in our quarterbacks and everybody to make plays. I know 4-4 is considered a down year compared to what we went through the last couple years. But I feel like at the end of the day, that we're in a good position to win games and we just have to capitalize on those opportunities."

On what goals are driving the team through the latter half of the season.
"Yes, obviously we have been to seven consecutive bowl games. So we're still trying to strive to make it the eighth consecutive year. So that's our main focus now, but we have to take it one game at a time. We can't just look at the overall picture. If you take it one game, with the Duke game up next on Thursday. We need to go into play to the best of our abilities, get the win, then we're one step closer to achieving that goal. So we just have to take it one game at a time. It is a one week season."

Sophomore Defensive Back Nick Anderson
On what the mindset of the team is going into Thursday night against Duke.
"We've been here before at Wake Forest. For us, this is nothing new to face adversity. It's just another little little challenge to get over. The week of preparation has been great. It's been uptempo, in terms of mentally it's a short week so we're taking care of our bodies, but the team is ready to go. I'll tell you that much."

On how Anderson's role changes when playing a mobile quarterback.
"He's really dangerous with his legs and we have to keep an eye on that. You can't just sell out all the way for the pass. Then when you get a chance and he's scrambling, just have your feet under you and have everyone under control to bring them down. So what turns into a small run doesn't become a big run because of a missed tackle. So we just need to be under control and know that he has that capability."

On Malik Mustapha rallying the team at halftime during the Florida State game.
"Malik is a true leader. And like any true leader, nobody likes to lose but when times are tough, and people are down, someone has to step up and make a difference and that's exactly what he did. We came out that second half and we didn't get the result we wanted but we found some things. It just goes to show you when times are tough he's never going to quit and guys rally around someone like that."

On what the team will be focusing on during the next few weeks.
"It's a four game season for us right now. I am going to continue to fix the little things that have come up week after week and put an emphasis on what has been not great for us. But like I say it's a four week season for us. So we're just focused on 1-0, this week at Duke and then continuing to elevate throughout the next four games."

Wake Forest Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Jasheen Davis

Mitch Griffis

Michael Jurgens

Michael Kern

Malik Mustapha

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