Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 We'll start with Corey.
00:01 You guys obviously had a lot of three and outs in that game.
00:08 And other than one or two--
00:09 seemed like there's one or two drives in the second quarter.
00:11 Seemed like you guys played really well.
00:13 What were some of the improvements you guys made,
00:16 I guess, this week?
00:18 I mean, I was happy to see some of the production on third
00:20 down.
00:21 I thought we started the game really fast.
00:23 We had three three and outs to start the game.
00:26 And I just-- whether it was motions,
00:29 whether it was communication, whether it was effort,
00:31 whether it was tackling, I thought
00:34 to open the game that way was really impressive.
00:36 I thought they answered the call of starting fast
00:38 and did a really good job.
00:40 I think as the game went on, there
00:42 were some sloppy moments that we got to shore up.
00:45 But overall, it was good to get Akeem Dent back,
00:49 good to get Conrad involved, just
00:53 good to get some behind the lines sack numbers there
00:56 up front.
00:57 So I thought overall, obviously, a good win.
00:59 Definitely some things that we could take from it.
01:01 That's some things that we got to fix, too,
01:04 and continue to move on from it.
01:06 What were you called for for the delay of game
01:12 when it went from--
01:13 I guess I think it was going to be second and 17, or third
01:15 and 17, to second and seven.
01:16 What was that call?
01:17 Yeah, so when we communicate, especially when
01:20 we're on defense at home, it's loud.
01:22 And I never want our guys to turn around
01:25 when they're confirming that they're hearing
01:27 the things they need to hear.
01:28 So our second half was talking to our linebackers,
01:31 and they were patting their backside
01:33 to let people know that we got the communication.
01:36 And I guess one of their offensive linemen jumped,
01:38 and they thought we were doing it in a way
01:40 to get them to jump.
01:42 So I know Mike explained to them,
01:44 we do that about 50 times a game just on how we communicate.
01:48 So I guess the interpretation, however they saw it.
01:50 But I think that's how it all played out.
01:55 Coach, you got some young people in the game early,
01:57 linebacker and safety with Conrad.
01:59 Can you talk about what you were looking to do there,
02:07 whether it be rest players or get guys experience early?
02:12 But how did that affect you?
02:15 Because they're awfully young.
02:17 Yeah, well, go to Conrad first.
02:20 Conrad's somebody that I believe a lot in.
02:23 I think he's got a lot of ability.
02:25 He loves football, plays with a lot of passion and energy.
02:28 He's got really good skill set.
02:30 We knew that when we recruited him.
02:32 But everybody's on their different journey
02:34 as far as the time.
02:35 And I thought that week, that bye week,
02:38 he really started to accelerate just his play.
02:43 It's always been there.
02:44 We're just looking for a little bit more consistency
02:47 with how that looked.
02:48 I thought he followed up with a good week of prep for Virginia
02:50 Tech.
02:51 And so sat down with Coach Sertain, we talked,
02:53 and we knew we were going to get him in early.
02:56 Even with the return of Hakeem, it's still
02:59 about each individual.
03:00 And obviously, there's got to be opportunities,
03:03 and he earned one.
03:04 And so he went in there, and he's
03:06 been doing some good things on special teams.
03:08 But he really went in there and made an impact on defense.
03:11 And so we've got to continue to develop him,
03:14 continue to grow him.
03:15 But the greatest reward is the opportunity to do more.
03:18 And he continues to raise his play and his preparation,
03:22 and those opportunities will continue to come.
03:24 So I was proud of him to go in there,
03:26 and excited to see his family after the game,
03:28 see him have success.
03:31 Yeah, Blake, Tatum had kind of a slow week
03:36 just coming off that last game.
03:39 And it was going to be kind of game time
03:42 how much he'd be able to give us.
03:44 And so Blake is another one.
03:46 We feel really confident about what
03:48 it's going to look like for him with Tatum's reps being really
03:52 limited and really down on defense,
03:54 to be honest with you.
03:55 We knew Omar's reps would go up.
03:57 DJ and Kalen's reps would pretty much stay similar.
04:00 And then we would just have to eat some of those reps,
04:03 and Blake was the next man up.
04:05 And I think you can't replicate experience,
04:09 especially out there, especially in real time.
04:12 And so I think we'll continue to see Blake in that development.
04:17 He's actually shown up on special teams
04:19 in a really good way.
04:21 He's done some good things in kickoff cover
04:23 and just continue to build things off
04:24 of what Blake gave us.
04:27 Syracuse offensive skill and talent, obviously,
04:30 very familiar with Garrett Schrader.
04:31 You guys have played him a lot, but some of the other guys
04:33 are somewhat new faces, it seems like.
04:35 Yeah, it is.
04:37 Chris, the last three years we've played Syracuse.
04:41 So we know Schrader really well.
04:43 We've played against him three years in a row.
04:45 And he's an ultra competitor, obviously big body,
04:48 really good athlete.
04:50 He's played a lot of good football in our league
04:52 now for multiple years.
04:54 There's two of the offensive line
04:55 we played against last year.
04:59 The back was really the backup for Tucker,
05:01 so obviously he didn't get as much.
05:03 But definitely a team we're familiar with.
05:06 I know their offensive coordinator
05:08 moved on last year, but I think the guy that's calling plays
05:11 now, and obviously Coach Babers is probably very involved.
05:14 So there's a lot of similarities.
05:16 You're just trying to peel through what's new,
05:18 what's the same.
05:19 But when they have a quarterback back there,
05:22 and they do have a talented group of skilled players,
05:25 and looking forward to diving into this week.
05:28 And it's good having history with them,
05:31 because you can go back.
05:33 But kind of new year, new teams, and looking forward to that,
05:37 what the plan's going to be.
05:38 I'll just be the officials guy this week.
05:43 What did Byron Turner do wrong?
05:46 I assume it looked like he hit the quarterback just
05:48 like Kalen hit Clemson's quarterback,
05:50 other than he didn't have the ball,
05:52 but it was almost instantaneous after he got rid of the ball.
05:54 What did he do wrong in that instance?
05:56 And second part, is that one of the craziest interceptions
06:00 you've ever seen, just from a pure athletic standpoint?
06:04 First question.
06:05 So with Byron, I mean, I'm an emotional person myself,
06:11 but Mike deals with the officials.
06:13 And thank goodness he does.
06:16 And I try to just go to the next play.
06:18 And I think we have an interception,
06:21 and I start hearing it's going to be reviewed,
06:23 so I just think AZ might have stepped out of bounds.
06:25 So I'm trying to get them back to go back on the field.
06:28 I heard it was a late hit.
06:31 I don't really look too much at it,
06:33 because there's not much I'm going to do about it.
06:35 I obviously had a chance to kind of watch it post-game,
06:37 and I'm just coaching Byron to continue to play hard,
06:41 because I thought he did.
06:42 And there was some wasted footwork early in the play,
06:45 but just how we went and how we made a play,
06:47 and I thought he did everything he was
06:50 supposed to do on that play.
06:51 And Rosario, I mean, he did a great job
06:55 the line of scrimmage, kind of funneled the guy out of bounds,
06:58 and zone turned up, and just an incredible play.
07:02 But Rosario's got that in him.
07:04 I mean, there's a reason we use him in the way we do,
07:06 and dime in a corner.
07:08 And he's definitely got that ability.
07:10 It wasn't shocking to see him make that play.
07:12 I've seen him make those catches before.
07:14 Just wish it could have counted.
07:15 When you talk about Conrad and his ability,
07:22 I mean, he didn't get a spring.
07:25 And I think he was limited a little bit
07:27 during the fall camp.
07:28 So what makes a guy like that--
07:31 it's not just athletic ability.
07:32 What makes a guy like that be able to earn
07:35 playing time this quickly?
07:37 I think, Aaron, as they go, just the consistency,
07:40 because we're trying to make practice
07:43 as game-like as possible.
07:44 That's the only chance to have a chance,
07:46 because the emotions on game day and the environment
07:50 up the emotions.
07:51 And you're trying to create that intensity constantly,
07:54 whether it's a Thursday walk-through,
07:55 whether it's a Friday pregame meeting.
07:58 You're always trying to put them in the moment.
08:02 And Conrad, just like any player that comes in the program,
08:05 there's an adjustment that needs to go.
08:07 I mean, the language changes.
08:09 The expectations change, techniques, all those things.
08:14 And so he just needed time, and he needed reps.
08:19 And part of that building is him gaining trust
08:23 with his teammates, him gaining experience.
08:26 And as a coach, when you say, these
08:29 are the steps you need to do in order for you
08:31 to have more opportunities, well, when they do that,
08:35 I'm going to be to my word.
08:36 And we're going to give them those opportunities.
08:38 And we do them because that's the process of improvement
08:41 that we know it's going to take for him to go in the game.
08:44 And it's our job, even if he goes out there and doesn't
08:47 have success, which he did, if he's doing everything right,
08:49 we're going to continue and invest in that
08:52 and give him opportunities, whether that's in the kick
08:54 game or whether it's on defense.
08:55 And I just think it's hard when you don't come in in the spring
09:02 because you miss all that time.
09:04 But we've had it done before, guys that may well come in.
09:07 And some guys matriculate a little bit quicker than others.
09:10 Everybody's on their own journey, as we say.
09:11 But I think Conrad continues to do what he's been doing.
09:16 I think we'll see more of that type of play.
09:18 If I could follow up on--
09:23 so the play where he comes up on the swing pass,
09:28 it looked special to us.
09:29 But is that routine?
09:30 Is that just what he should be doing?
09:32 Or was there something special about that?
09:34 I mean, it was part of the work that he--
09:38 that was him and Kalen's play to make.
09:40 There was going to be one blocker.
09:41 And who that guy blocked was kind of up to him.
09:44 But they both had the key work to trigger and go
09:47 make the play based off how it all played out
09:50 with the back and the screen and all that stuff.
09:52 So what I love about him is he never broke stride.
09:56 And he took as much grass as possible.
09:58 And he took straight direct lines
10:00 and finished in a legal way and in a violent way.
10:03 So it was a really good play.
10:06 Looked good, didn't it?
10:09 Thanks, guys.
10:10 See you, guys.
10:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]