Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:02 >> You've done this for a while now, how much different is it in a bye week?
00:08 [INAUDIBLE] And what did you guys,
00:10 what did you feel like you guys got out of last week?
00:14 >> Well, we got to go back and study a lot of fundamental things.
00:18 And each coach would go on the field for those workouts.
00:24 And we had some technique things to really concentrate and focus on.
00:28 And we spent both days working on certain things that we think
00:33 that we need to be able to execute to move forward.
00:36 So I think it was really good for us, in regards to our fundamentals and techniques.
00:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:50 >> And obviously start off strong as you guys did,
00:52 the loss is obviously unfortunate, not what you wanted.
00:55 But how have you seen a difference, or
00:57 have you seen just a different level of motivation in the guys?
00:59 And taking that whole one game season seriously and
01:02 just kind of focusing on what's ahead right now?
01:05 >> Well, I think so.
01:06 You could feel it last week that,
01:10 I don't think that they lost any confidence because we got beat.
01:15 Because we know why we lost.
01:19 We turned the ball over three times in the red zone.
01:22 So we're not gonna win.
01:23 So I don't think it was anything they had to come back from or
01:27 regroup or any of that.
01:31 You don't get to win if you turn the ball over like that in the scoring zone.
01:35 And our guys understand that.
01:36 So we just got back to work and started trying to clean up some technique things.
01:41 And really, as a coach and staff, study some of our concepts and
01:47 see what's best for us.
01:49 Get a lot of our guys back healthy so
01:52 we'll be coming in this week ready to go grind and prepare for the game.
01:56 But I don't think they lost any confidence because we got beat at all.
01:58 >> Garrett, how would you assess your group in the first half of the season and
02:05 what they've done out there on the field as a whole?
02:08 >> Yeah, well, the commitment, receivers, and
02:12 I talk to them about it all the time.
02:15 They're always open, they want the ball.
02:17 It's not just our group, it's every group.
02:21 But their unselfishness and their willingness to go block in
02:26 the run game consistently has really been impressive to me.
02:31 They all are into it, they all wanna go compete,
02:36 they wanna dominate the perimeter of the field.
02:38 Give our guys an opportunity to run the ball and get out in open space and do it,
02:43 and they're committed to it.
02:45 And that's been the most impressive part to me is the unselfishness.
02:50 And then in regards to the passing game, I think that, I mean,
02:54 obviously, Jamari is, he's lean right now.
03:00 I think he's done a really, he's matured exactly what we thought.
03:04 And he's been able to come through for us in clutch moments.
03:08 But we have a lot more guys in there that are playing for
03:11 us that have the ability to go impact the game.
03:16 I think we got six guys that we're playing with consistently, and
03:18 I think all six at some point during the season are gonna have to impact and
03:23 win us a game.
03:25 So I like all of them.
03:25 >> Coach, how frustrating was it when you went back and
03:28 watched that Pittsburgh tape?
03:31 And how do you coach your guys to play through maybe things that
03:35 don't go their way, calls they don't get during the course of the game?
03:38 >> And when you say calls that they don't get, what do you mean?
03:42 >> I mean, if they feel like they were interfered with and it wasn't called,
03:45 if they feel like there's clutching, grabbing, maybe it's not called.
03:48 >> Yeah, well, you really can't, I mean, you can't complain about that.
03:53 You just gotta keep playing.
03:55 I mean, there's times probably when we're blocking on the perimeter and
03:58 we gotta hold someone a little longer than we should.
04:01 You just gotta keep playing.
04:02 And they weren't frustrated.
04:06 We got some calls, we didn't get some calls, but
04:10 it's a hard job to be out there as a referee and make that call on the spot.
04:14 We understand that.
04:15 We're not using any excuses about that.
04:17 We just need to play stronger, which is what we worked on.
04:21 Play with more force and more power.
04:23 We need to go attack the ball in the air and not wait for the ball to get down.
04:29 So that really was our concentration and focus all week.
04:32 >> Great, yeah.
04:33 >> Before the pick game, there was some speculation that Jomari wouldn't play.
04:36 He did play with the pad on his hand.
04:38 How much did that limit him?
04:40 And how healthy will he be for this set?
04:43 >> He'll be fine.
04:44 He just wanted some attention.
04:47 >> [LAUGH] >> He's fine.
04:50 He's fine.
04:52 >> How much did it limit him in the last game?
04:54 >> Well, we really, it didn't.
04:59 I mean, he played a really good game.
05:01 He wasn't able to block with both hands.
05:04 He was able to put one of his hands on a guy, but
05:08 we didn't really want him to overextend himself and risk getting injured.
05:11 But he's tough.
05:13 He played and caught the ball well.
05:17 There's a couple of plays I would bet he wishes that he had back, but
05:21 it didn't limit him much.
05:22 And he got a week off last week.
05:24 He's ready to go.
05:25 He had a good practice yesterday.
05:26 He's ready to go.
05:27 >> When you look at Duke's defense, obviously you guys have some common
05:30 opponents, but what do you feel like they just do that's so difficult?
05:33 Or they're only giving up, I think now it's 13 points a game before,
05:36 Florida State was only nine.
05:37 >> Well, they're a veteran crew.
05:40 They're well coached.
05:46 They don't make mistakes, so they're not gonna give you anything.
05:49 You're gonna have to work for everything you get.
05:51 They're physical on all three levels of defensive front.
05:55 They're aggressive, they're quick.
05:59 They tend to understand the snap count and when to come off the ball.
06:04 They play different packages.
06:07 They have a three out package and a four out package, and
06:09 there's different linebackers on the field.
06:11 But those linebackers are communicating with everyone.
06:14 And then their secondary, they're playing with three corners and two safeties.
06:18 And one of them is a sophomore, I believe, but
06:21 the rest of them are grad students or seniors.
06:24 So they've played a lot of football, and they don't make mistakes.
06:27 They communicate and they play hard.
06:29 So we got our hands full.
06:31 We gotta prepare during the week.
06:34 And get ourselves ready to go compete like crazy for 60 minutes.
06:38 Cuz this is a veteran defense.
06:42 They're well coached, and they don't make many mistakes out there.
06:45 >> Chris has got seven of his 11 catches in the last three games,
06:51 I think is what it is.
06:52 How much have you seen him improve?
06:54 Is he now doing the stuff you thought you talked highly of him in preseason?
06:59 Is that kind of what the stuff you've seen from him?
07:01 >> Yeah, Chris has played really hard.
07:05 He's one of those guys that you don't wanna say it, but
07:10 you gotta tone down sometimes.
07:12 Sometimes he's kind of wild out there on the field in regards to blocking and
07:16 searching for contact.
07:18 But his practice sessions have been much,
07:21 I think the first game of the season, Chris was a little nervous.
07:26 And then he came back, we played Murray State out there.
07:29 He had a good week of practice.
07:31 He made a mistake.
07:32 He jumped off sides on the left side of the field.
07:34 And then from then on, I think he really started to understand what was going on,
07:39 know how to get lined up, watch the signals, and
07:42 you could just see him playing better and better.
07:44 So I think this guy is a lemon for Chris.
07:47 He's a freshman, he's a redshirt freshman.
07:49 Big, strong, catch, he's competitive.
07:54 I just, I love that guy.
07:56 That guy's gonna be a star around here.
07:58 >> Have you seen his confidence with those kids?
08:01 >> His confidence is up, and
08:02 that's, he's the type of kid that needs his confidence to be up.
08:06 If you really get to know him, he can get down on himself fast.
08:11 And once you get to know him and know how to deal with him,
08:14 that there was maybe a game, he dropped a slant out here on one of our home games,
08:20 on our sideline.
08:22 It's the moment where you get on him about it, or
08:24 do you lift him up and move him forward?
08:25 Well, we were in the middle of the game, so let's just keep him moving forward.
08:28 So it's just probably that I've got to know him and
08:32 what his temperament's like throughout the game so I can keep him motivated.
08:37 Wait until Sunday to get on him real good.
08:39 >> [LAUGH] >> Having been with Coach Brown for
08:42 a couple seasons, what is it about his approach that's allowed him to have
08:45 success in, quote unquote, bigger games, whether it's upsets or ranked opponents?
08:49 >> Well, we just believe that it's a one game season.
08:53 I know that sounds like a cliche around here, but hey man,
08:56 just win the game we're playing this week.
08:58 That's it.
08:59 Don't focus on anything else, just let's go undefeated this week.
09:05 Now, there's a process to winning each game.
09:08 And we have a schedule that we believe in, that this is what we do on Tuesdays,
09:14 this is what we do on Wednesdays, Thursdays.
09:16 We try to freshen our guys up.
09:18 Friday we have our walk throughs, and then we turn them loose on Saturday.
09:22 But we believe in, you just play this one game, you don't focus on anything except
09:28 winning the game we're playing, and I think our kids are starting to buy into it.
09:32 >> Yeah, to help me understand, you mentioned the three turnovers in the red
09:38 zone, probably the critical one was the 86 yard interception from the touchdown.
09:43 It appeared on that play when Jamari was running his route,
09:47 that he got knocked off of his route.
09:49 Is that a legal defensive play, or
09:52 is that something that shouldn't be allowed to happen?
09:55 >> Well, I'm gonna let you ask the referees that question.
09:59 >> [LAUGH] >> I don't know, it's over now.
10:03 That's something you have to ask the referees.
10:06 It's a fortunate thing that happened,
10:08 because I don't know that he could have avoided it.
10:09 I just saw a football play that happened.
10:11 We just ended up on the bad end of that.
10:14 >> Does it come down to whether the ref determined it's intentional or
10:18 inadvertent?
10:19 >> Yeah, I think so.
10:19 It's a split second play, so it's hard for
10:24 a referee to see it and say, all right, what really happened?
10:27 You know what I mean?
10:28 Cuz it happens that fast, but I don't know.
10:31 You're not gonna trick me into giving you- >> No, I'm not.
10:35 >> [LAUGH] >> I'm gonna try to understand it,
10:37 cuz it was very obvious that he got knocked off of his route, and
10:41 I just didn't know if you're allowed to do that inadvertently.
10:44 >> I don't know.
10:46 >> [LAUGH] >> I'm gonna run through it.
10:49 >> I had to ask.
10:50 >> I'm gonna run through it.
10:52 >> Yeah, kind of bouncing off that in the red zone defense,
10:55 Duke has been, their defense already is very, very solid this year,
10:59 especially in the red zone.
11:01 How much are you honing in on your guys finishing plays,
11:03 finishing in the red zone, and getting to see more of that?
11:06 >> Well, red zone offense and defense is probably the most important thing in
11:10 football.
11:11 If you can get, on defense, if you can get a third down stop and
11:16 force a field goal, that's a four point play.
11:20 Whereas on offense, if you can convert the third down and
11:22 get a score instead of the field goal, that's a four point play.
11:26 So red zone offense and defense is something that coach, he's all over.
11:32 It's how you win or lose games.
11:33 You can't get down there and continue to get, if you get two field goals, and
11:38 then they go score a touchdown, you're behind.
11:40 And when you're in position to score, you definitely can't turn it over,
11:46 because now you're taking the points off the board.
11:49 We had a clip, the player talking about, we were down there in the scoring zone,
11:53 could have got a field goal, and then they end up scoring on a play.
11:56 So that's almost a ten point swing.
11:59 So red zone offense and defense is critical to winning any kind of football.
12:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]