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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:07 >> All right, we'll start with Ira.
00:11 >> There was a lot of talk about the running game being a focus during the bye
00:15 week, and then to do what you guys did.
00:17 Were there many changes during the bye week, or
00:20 was it mostly just getting better, what you guys did?
00:22 >> Well, no, not changes, but we gotta be an offense that,
00:26 whatever the defense allows us to do, we gotta be able to do, whether it be running
00:30 or passing, and I would say we just focused on what we did well.
00:35 And cuz it wasn't a significant amount of carriage difference,
00:38 Trey just had more yardage and LT in those guys and Rodney.
00:42 So it was more just focusing on what we can do, giving them a focus assignment and
00:46 working on what we're gonna call.
00:48 And Trey did a good job, receives a good job on the edges.
00:52 I mean, just focusing on whatever they're allowing or giving up,
00:56 we gotta be able to do it no matter what part of it it is.
00:59 And I think that's just been the growth of our offense, because at one point,
01:03 if one of those things didn't go, we lost.
01:06 And now we're being able to find those space and yardage wherever it need be.
01:10 But it was good to see Trey get going, but remember from the past,
01:13 I never had any worry that it was gonna be fine as we kept getting better
01:17 toward the season.
01:20 >> The rotating of the guys up front,
01:21 that was something you guys obviously planned going to the season.
01:24 How much of it is a present moment, this certain game, this certain situation?
01:28 How much of it is planning for the future, just having guys ready throughout
01:31 the course of the season where you don't have any more off weeks left and
01:33 you gotta grind out some wins?
01:34 >> All of it is.
01:35 I don't like, no, we got some guys that can go in there and help us win games.
01:41 And I don't wanna limit just because of just numbers.
01:44 So we have more than five that can help us win games.
01:46 And also, matchups do come into account sometimes, but
01:50 it's just a matter of health.
01:52 I believe I had eight guys that can go in the game and help us win a game.
01:57 And I didn't wanna limit them and say, well, you gotta beat that guy out.
02:01 No, man, I can get you in there in certain situations that can help us out and
02:04 also continue to build that depth.
02:06 But no, it's already pre-planned when we go.
02:09 It was good to get Rob back out there.
02:11 We had him on a play count.
02:12 But not just one factor in determining when I rotate the O-line.
02:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:22 >> Trey had obviously a good day running, but he created the offensive line.
02:26 But also, Keon Coleman had some key blocks.
02:27 What did you see in the blocking that worked so
02:29 well that maybe has not been working in previous games?
02:32 >> Yeah, well, Keon, he was at the point of attack of a lot of the long runs,
02:35 which we wanted to give him credit because he takes ownership in that too.
02:39 And Johnny, who loves to block, and all those guys, man.
02:42 Even we gave Ja'Kai the point of attack on the slip screens,
02:47 the first play of the game when we threw it to the tight end.
02:49 He had to have two wonderful blocks on the perimeter.
02:51 That's how we started the game.
02:52 I mean, you gotta be a complete receiver.
02:55 And that's what we talked about with Keon is, I mean, he can do it all.
02:58 And we don't have to limit when he's at the point of attack on a run or
03:01 catching or anything like that.
03:02 But I don't think there was a significant difference of what we did or
03:06 how we executed.
03:07 The guys are getting better as the season goes, which you have to do that.
03:10 You have to use the practices during the season to keep improving.
03:13 But also, Trey's fast, man.
03:17 Once he get out in the open, if we can get him clear to the second level,
03:19 he can go.
03:20 >> Jordan mentioned on Saturday that one of the biggest focuses for
03:26 you guys has been playing consistently and carrying momentum throughout the game.
03:30 The first quarter that you guys had, really strong, and
03:32 then into the second and into the third.
03:35 What's key in making sure that you guys are working towards playing that
03:39 complete game?
03:40 >> Yeah, I mean, he's a real confidence opponent.
03:42 So we always talk about even before the game,
03:44 there's always gonna be a shift in momentum.
03:46 There's always gonna be that they make a play or we make a mistake or
03:51 a lot of drives we start on, we got a holding or a false start or
03:54 a snap infraction with Mo.
03:55 So it was more of like, all right, these things are gonna happen,
03:58 how's you gonna be a response?
03:59 But the constant pursuit of that perfect game is what keeps the standard
04:03 the standard, not basing it off the result.
04:06 And that's always been the expectation of us and Coach Norvell.
04:09 So we're always gonna have that high pursuit of that perfect game.
04:13 And then we'll come back and say, well, it ain't never gonna be perfect.
04:15 But we're always gonna choose our best and
04:17 whatever the result is after our best, we're fine with those results.
04:20 But no, I mean, we look into the response to adversity, play our best game.
04:26 Make sure the standard is the standard because that keeps the expectations of
04:28 what we need to be in this program.
04:30 >> There was a play first or second drive,
04:35 third and 11 where he hits Moorlach probably four yards short of the line.
04:39 But it looks like Jordan throws to the shoulder to turn him away from
04:43 the sideline knowing that he had room there.
04:45 Is that what he did?
04:47 And is that the details that maybe these veteran really good quarterbacks do that
04:51 maybe other quarterbacks don't?
04:53 Like he sees that if he throws, if he leads Moorlach,
04:55 he's leading him out of bounds.
04:56 So he throws it a little bit behind him to make him turn and get the first down.
05:00 >> Jordan can locate the ball and he understands coverage.
05:02 He understands when it's good to take the sack.
05:05 I mean, because he's done a great job of protecting the football beyond that.
05:08 But no, I think he was rolling to the left on that play,
05:11 which is always a difficult with a quarterback who's right handed.
05:13 But he's able to still throw an accurate and lead the ball to receive and
05:15 also take what the defense has given him in a long yardage situation.
05:19 Now we have a system where we know if we're gonna go or not.
05:22 And we let him know what's the situation, whether we're gonna go for
05:25 a fourth down and things of that sort when we talk about sequencing.
05:28 But no, man, Jordan is smart.
05:29 He can locate the football.
05:31 He understands when we always talk about we wanna end the drive with a score or
05:36 a kick, sometimes protecting.
05:38 But they come off, let's say we not score,
05:40 we say good job owning the football that we didn't turn it over.
05:43 I mean, he understands all of that, man.
05:45 He's played a lot of football, so locating the football,
05:48 understanding the situation, knowing we're gonna sequence the calls,
05:51 understanding not to make a bad play a bad day.
05:54 And sometimes that's not seen because you're like, why he didn't do this?
05:57 Like, no, I mean, I'm glad he did that.
05:59 Sometimes a punt ain't a bad play, but no, Jordan can do it.
06:02 >> I feel like we ask you about him every week,
06:08 but Darius stepping in at left tackle with Bless.
06:10 I don't know, he's struggled some at left tackle, some in the past.
06:13 I mean, it seemed like there was no problem at all, and
06:15 then even hopping over to right tackle.
06:17 I mean, what's it say about him?
06:18 I mean, we've talked about how he plays every position, can play every position,
06:21 but it seems like he's this year played three positions at a pretty high level for
06:24 you.
06:25 >> Yeah, man, I trust Darius, man, to go in there and operate however he need be.
06:29 And he's a staple in our room because I get to use him as an example of a guy that
06:33 can go in any places needed and
06:35 understand the game plan and still go execute at a high level.
06:38 He's always still in constant competition.
06:40 He's a part of the rotation too, because we built a unit where it's the unit
06:44 playing the game, not just these individuals on the field.
06:46 We're trying to go beat you with the O-line room instead of just two O-linemen and
06:50 that sort.
06:51 So he understands that and he embodies that.
06:52 So with him understanding that with those older guys like Rob and Moe and
06:58 of course Darius, who are like the foundation of the room.
07:02 If they're in there unselfish,
07:03 understand what has to be the standard and things like that.
07:05 When other people come in, that just sets the stage for it.
07:07 But now Darius is a good player.
07:09 He can play all five positions.
07:11 I'm glad we got him.
07:12 He can rotate at all fives, which gives us depth within depth.
07:15 And we fully trust him when he's out there.
07:17 >> Coach Norvell said that Syracuse's defense could bring pressure from any,
07:23 basically, any spot on the field.
07:25 When teams are like that, how do you prepare for that?
07:29 Are there the keys or how do you prepare?
07:32 There's not necessarily a normal game plan.
07:35 >> No, I mean, first, it's still dictating what you wanna do.
07:40 We still wanna be who we are and do what we do.
07:42 We just wanna make sure we're not putting our kids in a bad situation based upon
07:46 what they do on defense.
07:47 But I mean, the last years we played Syracuse,
07:49 they've been pretty consistent in causing a lot of chaos.
07:52 I mean, they're top ten in the country in tackle for
07:53 loss because they can confrate so many twists and different pressures and
07:57 keep you on your edge.
07:58 I mean, they wanna dictate to you what they want you to do.
08:00 And we gotta find that balance of not putting our guys in a bad situation, but
08:04 also not taking ourselves of what we do well.
08:06 And we gotta find that, I mean, it's still early in the game plan.
08:09 We're still searching for those answers, but that's the balance of it.
08:13 But they do a phenomenal job of dictating and
08:15 make sure you can't tell what they're doing.
08:17 They don't give away tips.
08:18 So I mean, it's gonna be a unique challenge, but
08:21 we gotta make sure we have our identity on display also.
08:26 >> You said last week, I think you did say it,
08:28 you wanna go maybe a little bit faster, a little more up tempo.
08:31 The first half especially, it's hard to go up tempo when you hit a 63 yard run and
08:34 85 yard run, granted.
08:35 But did you like the tempo and the amount of plays and
08:39 the amount of execution that started those first three, how quick it was going?
08:43 >> Yeah, good coaches always say that to play with tempo is earned.
08:47 You gotta be able to get some chunky orders or
08:49 some first downs to be able to call a tempo plays.
08:51 And if you're not doing that, you're not gonna be able to play with tempo.
08:54 So what I wanted to maybe refer to is we have to earn the right to do that.
08:58 We gotta have some efficiency on first downs, some efficiency.
09:01 We have to convert on third downs.
09:02 So that shows our percentage on third down conversions helped us play faster
09:07 because we had more opportunities to tempo and keep our guys on the field.
09:10 And maybe dictate some plays.
09:11 So as we continue to get efficient with early downs success, and
09:15 also once we get past descriptive plays and things like that, we have to earn that.
09:18 Right, and I thought guys did a better job of earning that so
09:21 we could play with some tempo and keep some guys out there.
09:23 But I mean, game five, we gotta continue to get better.
09:28 All of these games are continue a process to find that best game or
09:32 to just continue to fight to get better.
09:34 And I believe our guys are doing that.
09:37 We're getting better as we go.
09:38 >> Continuing on what Ira asked you about, Rocky Long defense,
09:43 what does he do differently than Syracuse has done in the past?
09:46 Also, anybody in their personnel that just flashes on film and stands out to you?
09:50 >> Rocky is the inventor of this defense.
09:51 I mean, he established it.
09:53 So everybody else do a good job, but he is not a carbon, he is the one.
09:59 He is the originator, so he understands the problems.
10:01 He knows how to, there's nothing you really can show him that he hadn't seen or
10:04 had an answer for.
10:06 So we gotta be efficient on time, but no, he, it's not a garbage defense.
10:11 People think they're just doing everything.
10:12 No, it's very planned and coordinated, and
10:14 their understanding with back alignment, tight ends, and things.
10:17 It is so much now, so if you look at it, it can be, man, they're everywhere.
10:20 But no, it's calculated, and it's coached, and it's coordinated.
10:22 So we gotta do a good job of making sure we're not giving up any tackles for
10:26 loss and being on point, and being efficient on early downs, and
10:29 also on third downs, cuz they get a lot of sacks too.
10:31 So we gotta be on point.
10:32 >> On that two point conversion by Courtney, how much is the offense
10:39 coordinated, how much say do you get when you guys get to go for two?
10:42 And then what did you see on the play?
10:44 And obviously, coach mentioned you guys practiced it and
10:46 were ready for that situation.
10:47 What did you see in that play to make it work?
10:49 >> It's my guy JP, man.
10:50 He does a wonderful job with the special teams, and
10:52 Coach Novell also has his hand in it,
10:54 cuz he has to decide whether we're gonna do it or not.
10:56 But all of those things, man, they seem so unique, but
11:00 like I said, we run them every day.
11:02 I mean, we have so many of those type of deals that we install and
11:06 have ready, cuz you never know, especially with the rules in overtime,
11:09 with all the two point plays and different things.
11:11 And you gotta be ready for all situations.
11:13 So we had the utmost confidence, and it was very similar to Oklahoma,
11:18 when we had the two point conversion versus them with the field goal team.
11:20 So we have a bunch of that stuff stored up, and
11:23 we don't wanna make those unique or trick plays.
11:27 We wanna make those regular plays, so we practice them a ton.
11:30 And so we got quite a few in the tank if we need them.
11:35 >> I know identity is one of those buzzwords when it comes to
11:38 what this offense is, what you guys could be.
11:39 I think through four games, you guys quite literally run the same amount of
11:43 running plays as you did past plays.
11:45 This past weekend, you guys ran kind of out of nowhere.
11:47 Is the fact that, can your identity be that you don't have one and
11:51 it just seemingly you're gonna figure out a way every Saturday just to make it work?
11:55 >> Yeah, well, I would say that it's the,
11:57 we can do what needs to be done to have good offense.
12:01 And in the past, I don't know if I could have came up here and
12:04 said the same thing, but if we need to throw the ball, we can.
12:07 If we need to run it, we will.
12:08 If Jordan needs to create, he will.
12:11 I was talking to Johnny.
12:12 I mean, I would have never guessed that game five would be his first touchdown
12:16 catch.
12:17 I would have never guessed that this season, but
12:19 that's the unique part of having the weapons we have, the uniqueness.
12:22 Whenever the ball is going to somebody, one other person,
12:24 somebody else is not getting it who's also a special and dynamic player.
12:28 So we try to pride ourselves in our identity,
12:31 meaning whatever we need to be done, we have the athletes to do it.
12:34 And our identity's also gonna be, we always wanna establish to run.
12:38 But we also wanna say, hey, if this is not working,
12:39 we're not gonna just give in.
12:41 We wanna make sure we got dynamic playmakers on the edge.
12:44 We got them in the middle, with Jaheim who had big games, and
12:47 then Morlock, this game was a big key piece to us.
12:50 We hadn't said his name in the main tray.
12:52 I mean, so whatever needs to be done, we got the skilled players to do it.
12:56 >> Coach, you have some moments of absolute explosiveness on offense.
13:05 And then almost immediately, it can go quiet for a while.
13:11 >> Yeah.
13:12 >> I'm sure you've done a lot of analysis of that.
13:14 Throughout the season, have you determined anything that is a cause or
13:23 things you're working on to be able to perform at a more consistent level?
13:29 >> Absolutely, it goes back to what I talk about,
13:32 earning a right to play with tempo.
13:33 Because we looked at our play counts during the bye week, and
13:35 we wanted to get that play up.
13:37 That comes from converting on third down.
13:39 That's a direct reflection of how we convert on third down,
13:42 our early down first and second down success, and also penalties.
13:45 This is the first game we had as many false starts as we had,
13:47 with snap infractions, holding calls on big runs, which limits you and
13:50 things like that.
13:51 So I think this particular game came down to every drive we stalled or didn't do,
13:54 there was a penalty involved.
13:55 And we went backwards and got ourselves clocked, and
13:57 maybe didn't convert an explosive and things like that, so we couldn't sequence.
14:02 And so there's many other factors, but it's all self-inflicted.
14:05 And so we have to study, if we're not converting on third down,
14:09 if we're getting penalties,
14:10 man, we can become one of the worst offenses in America very quickly.
14:14 So we have to make sure we understand that we're explosive, but
14:18 we gotta be on point.
14:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
14:21 >> You talked about Kyle Moorlach, I know coach said Jaheim was a little limited,
14:25 kinda able to only play a couple plays for you Saturday.
14:27 But it seemed like Kyle and even Marquise really took advantage of that.
14:30 I guess what's the benefit of having a tight end room that deep?
14:33 >> Absolutely, and Jaheim, he ain't never limited, but
14:36 we do a good job of protecting players from their selves.
14:39 And sometimes that's a little bit of a battle because they all have that itch
14:42 when they're on the sideline, everybody wants to do it.
14:45 But we gotta make sure we have enough where you don't have to go out there and
14:48 further hurt yourself, so you'll be fine.
14:51 But no, Kyle first played a game, he was the first target of it.
14:54 And then we had a screen to Marquise, who did a really good job on it.
14:58 So, man, and those guys have done it in games before.
15:00 I'm going back and watching old games.
15:01 I mean, Marquise has made some big plays in his program,
15:03 the winning touchdown against Oklahoma.
15:05 I mean, he's made some really good plays.
15:06 I've seen Kyle do it in practice multiple times, so we trust him.
15:10 And you still got Preston Daniels, who's done a really good job of making plays.
15:15 I remember a play popped up against North Carolina when he had a first
15:18 down conversion in 2020.
15:19 I mean, we've got some guys that can do it.
15:21 So I like to have those good offense problems.
15:25 When I say good offense problems, that means there's always somebody left out.
15:29 There's always somebody that can get performed.
15:31 But in-house, in our own network, we understand that, man,
15:35 it could be anybody's day.
15:36 And make sure you support your teammates.
15:38 But no, I mean, that tight end room is really, really good.
15:41 And I even look toward the future.
15:42 I'm looking at those guys.
15:43 We had the young guys scrimmage on Sunday, and those young guys are showing up.
15:46 With Jackson West being able to get back healthy, and Powers, and Jarrell,
15:50 and those guys, I'm excited for that room.
15:52 Okay, thanks, Coach.
15:53 Thank y'all.
15:54 Thank you.
15:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]