Dino Babers previews matchup at Virginia Tech.
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00:00 >> All right, excited to have an opportunity to go down and play Coach Price.
00:07 Very, very good football team, 2-1 in conference, Virginia Tech.
00:11 It's one of the atmospheres that people in college football all hear about and know about,
00:17 and it's going to be an exciting deal.
00:19 And I think we have some outstanding practices.
00:23 We're ready to go, and we're looking forward to our opportunity to go down there.
00:26 Questions?
00:27 >> Sorry, Emily in the front.
00:32 >> You know, I know a big goal for the bye week was getting healthy.
00:34 I'm curious about two in particular, Kaelin Ellis and Trevor Pena, just their statuses
00:39 in this week.
00:40 >> Will not be in this week, either one of them.
00:41 >> We'll go up in the back right here to Jesse.
00:42 And then we'll go to Tyler right here on the left after that.
00:43 >> First of all, Coach, good to see you.
00:44 I hope you enjoyed the bye week.
00:54 You mentioned the environment.
00:57 How do you simulate that environment in practice?
01:01 >> Can't do it.
01:02 Can't do it.
01:03 We'll turn on the speakers, and we'll do all those things, but that place is different.
01:07 I had an opportunity to play for my first time, I don't know, one or two years ago.
01:11 Can't remember exactly, but it is -- that atmosphere was exciting, and that will be
01:16 nothing what we're going to face Thursday night.
01:18 It's really going to be electric.
01:19 There's no doubt about it.
01:20 >> Coach, just curious, this year compared to last year, how the players on the team,
01:27 the captains, how everybody has responded to a losing streak, and if maybe some of the
01:32 players that were on the team last year learned from losing last year and are rebounding better
01:36 this year?
01:37 >> You know, I think the biggest thing is you can't compare two teams.
01:40 There's no doubt that we understand what happened last year, and this is an opportunity to make
01:46 sure it doesn't happen again.
01:47 I thought the captains really controlled practices during the bye week, and I think they did
01:53 a really nice job.
01:54 So, it will be fun to see what happens, but we're taking this week as 1-0, as we did before,
02:02 and the bye is kind of the closing of the first chapter, and we're going to open up
02:05 the second chapter of what's going to happen.
02:08 >> Coach, is there anything -- with the game being on a Thursday, is there anything you
02:12 guys have done different in terms of preparation, or does the bye week really just mitigate
02:16 that?
02:17 >> No, you have to change.
02:19 We had a -- like I said, we had a practice today, which is unusual for us.
02:23 This is an off day for us.
02:24 We had to practice on Sunday, which is something I just don't do.
02:29 That's not something I'm in favor of, but we had to do that as well.
02:33 So those are the unusual things, and then we're going to fly out Wednesday, which is
02:37 a little bit different, and then play on Thursday.
02:39 >> We'll go to Tommy in the second row, and then CJ can go citrus right after that.
02:47 >> Coach, how's Isaiah Jones doing in getting back to 100 percent?
02:50 I know we've seen him out there, but do you expect his role to be increasing more as we
02:56 get out of this bye week?
02:57 >> You know, he's slowly getting better.
02:58 I can't -- when you say the word increase, I think he's slowly getting better, and when
03:02 he gets back to where he can help us, I think he'll be one of those guys that you'll see
03:06 get the ball to him.
03:08 But we're still hoping that he can -- continues his growth of getting better on the health
03:13 department.
03:14 >> Coach, how does the road experience of beating Virginia Tech two years ago at Lane
03:17 Stadium help for this week?
03:20 >> Absolutely none.
03:21 It's a good feeling.
03:22 You know, I'm glad that we won instead that we lost, but it has absolutely nothing to
03:25 do with it.
03:26 Coach Pryor is a different guy.
03:28 I've had an opportunity to meet him.
03:31 He's really cool.
03:32 I like him.
03:33 Now, that doesn't mean we're not going to line up and want to, you know, make sure that
03:37 our teams do well, but I really like his personality, and I think he's someone that's going to do
03:41 extremely well at Virginia Tech, and I know he's going to have his team ready to go.
03:45 >> We're down to Kyle Wiley.
03:47 Michael?
03:48 >> Coach, I know you said you expect this offense to kind of bounce back and return
03:50 to form that it was in the first four games.
03:53 How do you kind of expect that to happen, and what are your expectations for this upcoming
03:57 game for that offense?
03:58 >> Well, I think the biggest thing is hopefully when you -- the kids right now, the young
04:03 men right now are fresher than they've ever been since July.
04:06 I mean, once camp starts, you start to get worn down, and you start the season, and you're
04:12 not going to feel fresh.
04:13 You're going to have your alleys.
04:14 You're going to have your bumps and bruises.
04:15 You're not going to feel fresh until the bye.
04:18 Now, that doesn't get you back to 100, but it should get you back healthier than you've
04:21 ever been.
04:22 Now, unfortunately, you know, Virginia Tech's coming off a bye as well, so what you're going
04:26 to see is two of the healthy teams again going back at each other for the best -- for the
04:31 most help that you can get, because they've got guys that are missing, and we've got guys
04:35 that are missing, but you're going to see a fresh contest between two football teams.
04:40 >> Michael?
04:41 >> Coach, one more injury question for you.
04:44 How do you anticipate Joe Moore's status is for this week?
04:47 >> Joe Moore is available.
04:49 He's in our depth as a second-team player.
04:52 >> Thank you.
04:53 >> We're going to go right in front to Chris Damley.
04:58 >> Do you know, did the open week give you a chance to look any deeper into personnel,
05:03 and do you expect any sort of substantial changes for Virginia Tech?
05:06 >> The answer to the first part of the question is yes, it gives you an opportunity to look
05:10 deeper into the personnel.
05:12 I can't anticipate right now any changes.
05:15 >> Three days away, you can't anticipate?
05:16 Or you just won't tell?
05:19 >> Pretty much the last thing you said.
05:24 >> You guys share two common opponents so far this season with Virginia Tech, Purdue,
05:28 and then FSU.
05:29 I'm just curious if anything stood out in watching their game film against those two
05:33 guys, just getting ready to prepare for them?
05:36 >> No, just that I would say that Purdue and ourselves and Virginia Tech are similar.
05:43 So as far as what you think you can do physically against each other, I think that game is a
05:49 good game to watch for both sides.
05:51 >> We'll go all the way in back to Maddie.
05:56 >> Coach, you talked about the frustration that these guys are dealing with heading into
06:01 the rest of the season.
06:02 >> Yeah, I missed.
06:03 Was it frustration?
06:04 >> Frustration.
06:05 >> Can we start again, please?
06:06 >> Coming off the bye week, how do you see that frustration kind of wean and the guys
06:12 mentally reset heading into the rest of the season?
06:15 >> The meeting that we had going into before the bye I thought was a fantastic meeting.
06:21 And the big thing is you have to close.
06:23 You can't treat everything and you can't carry the first part of the season into the second
06:29 half.
06:30 It's totally different.
06:31 So I really believe that we did a good job of closing the book.
06:35 My mom and dad think they're doing a good job of something, but it really takes brothers
06:38 and sisters and older brothers and older sisters to make sure that the rest of the family has
06:41 it and that's the job of the captains.
06:43 I watched their practices.
06:45 They came out here, they practiced well.
06:47 We practiced well before, okay?
06:49 But they really did practice well.
06:51 So I'm looking forward to see how the rest of the week goes and see what kind of performance
06:54 they put on on Thursday night.
06:56 >> Go ahead in front to Chris.
07:03 >> After losses, people say things out of frustration.
07:08 Garrett a couple weeks ago mentioned you need to find an identity on offense.
07:14 What's your sense of the confidence level the offensive guys have in what you're doing
07:18 after kind of three difficult performances?
07:21 >> When you say what we're doing, you mean what the family is doing?
07:25 >> What you guys are doing on offense.
07:26 What's their level of confidence with kind of the plan and if it's going to work?
07:31 >> I think you guys should ask them.
07:32 We give them access to them.
07:33 You can ask that question directly to them.
07:36 >> We'll go second row to Tommy.
07:45 >> You mentioned good practices.
07:48 What are good practices for you right now at this point in the season?
07:51 Is it specifically, is it sharpness?
07:53 Is it communication?
07:55 What are you really wanting to see that the Havs are leaving saying I liked what I saw?
07:59 >> Details.
08:00 Details.
08:01 Details and energy is how you do it.
08:03 Your attitude is your altitude.
08:05 So we want to be able to climb.
08:07 We got to have the right attitude and we got to do it with fantastic details.
08:11 That's a good practice to me.
08:13 >> Tyler in front.
08:16 >> Just a short follow up on the offense.
08:18 After the Florida State game, you had mentioned that after the bye, you expect the offense
08:22 to get back to its efficiency that it had at the start of the season.
08:25 Is that going to be because of rest or were there changes you actively made personnel
08:30 wise or scheme wise that are going to maybe play a bigger factor?
08:33 >> I think the biggest thing is the rest.
08:35 You're going to get a lot of guys that are going to get rested.
08:38 We should see the better side, the better side of a lot of guys that haven't had an
08:42 opportunity to rest.
08:43 And the other thing is there's rest away from the coaches too.
08:48 We practiced one time last week and those guys had a big long weekend where they can
08:52 go home and see their families if they live close enough.
08:55 And then we brought them back and we went Sunday and we went today, which is the reason
08:58 why I'm dressed like this.
09:00 So I think sometimes for them to get away and to eat mama's cooking and then be able
09:07 to listen to all their friends and moms and dads and uncles and aunts and of course and
09:11 everything social media and the news has to say.
09:14 And then to get back here with family and kind of refocus and reboot, reset so to speak
09:18 and get ready to go for the second half.
09:23 >> Coach LaQuint Allen had a good game on the ground against Florida State, but he's
09:26 also at the moment the team leader in receptions.
09:29 How important is it to be able to utilize him in both ways going into the last five
09:33 games of the season?
09:34 >> LaQuint's a very good player and I will also say not only do you have a good game
09:38 against Florida State, but the offensive line had a good job, did a much better job blocking
09:43 the run game at Florida State.
09:45 And I told him as such, but LaQuint is a versatile player.
09:49 He's a first down, second down, third down running back in the National Football League.
09:54 So he can catch, he can block and he can run.
09:58 >> What would you attribute that better performance by the offensive line against Florida State
10:06 to?
10:07 Is that just like they've finally hit a point where they've clicked or did something change
10:11 there?
10:12 What would you just attribute that to?
10:13 >> I think they understand as all good football teams, as the elephants and hippos go, that's
10:20 how we go.
10:21 Elephants and hippos, they run the show.
10:23 So O-line and D-line, they run the show.
10:25 And we really need those guys to play at a certain level if we're going to be able to
10:29 give our best and everything else.
10:31 And I thought that the offensive line definitely improved against Florida State.
10:35 I'm excited to see what might happen this Thursday.
10:38 >> Is there anyone specifically on the offensive line who's like stood out to you and kind
10:41 of rallied those guys and helped make that happen?
10:44 >> I think the guy who's playing the best right now in the O-line is Bly.
10:47 He's doing an exceptional job and he's doing a good job in leadership as well.
10:50 >> Henry Uniform.
10:52 >> Coach, what have you seen from Derek McDonald at least just throughout the season so far?
10:58 Has he improved at all in certain aspects of the game or is there anything that has
11:01 really stood out to you with him?
11:02 >> Derek McDonald is really, really good.
11:05 He does not get the due.
11:07 He does not get his due.
11:08 And I'm telling you right now, he's one of the better linebackers.
11:13 And I think the world of him.
11:17 You can see, I can't hide, I'm a terrible poker player.
11:20 I'm bad.
11:21 I get four of a kind.
11:22 Everybody folds.
11:23 I have nothing.
11:24 I put my money in there, everybody calls.
11:26 You can read me.
11:27 But that guy is good.
11:30 And he represents what you want on a good football team.
11:33 He's a tough guy, never gives up.
11:36 And he'll do anything for the team.
11:38 Extremely unselfish player.
11:39 >> And I know you really don't like those online grading systems.
11:43 Usually they don't grade them as well.
11:45 You know those online grades that grade players after the game?
11:48 >> Okay, yeah, I don't like them, but go ahead.
11:51 >> They typically don't grade them well, but does that value typically not get seen by
11:55 some of those outlets?
11:56 >> I don't know.
11:57 Is his grade low on that?
11:58 >> It's pretty low compared to other linebackers.
12:01 Exactly.
12:02 >> Yeah, that's my point.
12:04 Yeah, no.
12:05 Really good player.
12:07 Believe the coach, don't believe the grades on this one.
12:09 >> Questions?
12:10 We'll go back to Tommy in the second row.
12:16 Coach the -- >> Tommy, I'm not used to seeing you sitting
12:18 down.
12:19 >> I know.
12:20 I'm normally messing with the camera.
12:21 I'm feeling confident with it today.
12:22 >> You are?
12:23 Okay, let's go with it.
12:24 >> I'm comfortable.
12:25 The tush push, the brotherly shove, it's become a big -- it's become a big part of football
12:37 this season.
12:39 Do you see it as something that's really kind of revolutionizing the game?
12:43 Do you see it sticking around for years?
12:45 Do you see defenses more so finding better ways to stop it?
12:50 What is your whole take on it?
12:51 >> My whole take is this.
12:53 Based off of what's going on with it, defensive coaches will probably get together, create
12:58 some kind of rule that it's not legal anymore, and get it out of the game.
13:02 Until then, it's a very effective play.
13:03 >> Do you want to keep it in the game?
13:04 >> Yeah.
13:05 It's okay.
13:06 >> Anything else for Coach?
13:07 >> I'm going to go with it.
13:08 I'm going to go with it.
13:09 I'm going to go with it.
13:10 I'm going to go with it.
13:11 I'm going to go with it.
13:12 I'm going to go with it.
13:13 I'm going to go with it.
13:14 I'm going to go with it.
13:15 I'm going to go with it.
13:16 I'm going to go with it.
13:17 I'm going to go with it.
13:18 I'm going to go with it.
13:19 I'm going to go with it.
13:20 I'm going to go with it.
13:21 I'm going to go with it.
13:22 I'm going to go with it.
13:23 I'm going to go with it.
13:24 I'm going to go with it.
13:25 I'm going to go with it.
13:26 I'm going to go with it.
13:27 I'm going to go with it.
13:28 I'm going to go with it.
13:29 I'm going to go with it.
13:30 I'm going to go with it.
13:31 I'm going to go with it.
13:32 I'm going to go with it.
13:33 I'm going to go with it.
13:34 I'm going to go with it.
13:35 I'm going to go with it.
13:37 In terms of like staying healthy, right?
13:38 We saw what could happen if you ran around against Clemson.
13:40 There's no sort of these next five games he can sort of let it loose anymore.
13:46 You know, I think the – we still had some runs for Garrett in those games,
13:50 but, you know, we need to find a way to be 1-0.
13:55 And all we're trying to do is win one game this week,
13:58 and we'll do everything we can to win that game.
14:02 Brian, and then Emily.
14:04 Coach, before you closed the chapter on the first half,
14:07 what was like the prevailing thought you had before you moved on
14:10 on how this team performed before that?
14:12 You know, I thought obviously ran the non-conference.
14:16 We could have came out of that non-conference 3-1,
14:19 but we found a way to come out 4-0.
14:21 And just talked to the players about, you know,
14:24 you only get so many opportunities to play certain types of teams
14:27 and certain types of situations, and you don't want to look back as, you know,
14:33 you can do everything that you can do.
14:34 And you want them to really work hard and really see that opportunity.
14:37 And, you know, we didn't get an opportunity to capitalize.
14:40 And that was – it was disappointing for me, but it's something they can't get back.
14:44 I've got 39 years' worth of games.
14:46 You know, they only get – well, COVID year they may get five to six years of games,
14:49 which is a little bit different.
14:51 But you just don't want those opportunities to pass you by, you know.
14:55 To see Virginia get that win over North Carolina, that was exciting.
14:58 And I was excited for his coach.
15:00 I know he got 1,000 text messages, but I'm not going to text him.
15:04 I'm going to walk right up to him and I'll tell him exactly what I think the next time I see him.
15:07 But really happy for him based off everything that's gone on at that university.
15:12 But that's the biggest thing, you know.
15:15 As you're older, you start to see it.
15:18 And you just don't want young people to pass up and have an opportunity like that,
15:22 to really go after it.
15:23 Just little talks.
15:26 Emily?
15:27 Similar question, but a little different.
15:29 What's the biggest lesson that you feel like either you yourself as a coach
15:32 or just the team as a whole is taking from the first half of the season into the second?
15:38 Again, my opportunities, they came out 4-0 and that was good.
15:43 And then we played three really good teams.
15:46 But, you know, we have to play well against those type of teams.
15:51 And we didn't play our best games against them.
15:53 So the outcomes were the outcomes.
15:55 Take two more for Coach when everybody's gotten them.
15:57 Otherwise we're good.
15:59 Thanks, everybody.
16:00 Thanks.
16:03 Is this room getting cold to you guys?
16:05 It's a little chilly in here.
16:06 Thank you.
16:07 [Laughter]
16:08 [Break]
16:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]