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Quotes: Duke 41, Kansas 3
9/13/2014 9:26:00 PM | Football
Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe
On the team's solid overall performance:
“It really was wire-to-wire good defense. I thought our special teams played really well, very consistent. I told our players in the locker room after the ballgame, 'I want you to really feel good about your coaches. You were well-prepared by your position coaches and your coordinators. In all three phases, we were as well-prepared as we could get.'
“At halftime we made some very good adjustments, particularly on offense, that resulted in some really fine play. The best part of this game is that we played better in the second half than we did in the first half and that is absolutely what you want a football team to do.”
On freshman running back Shaun Wilson's performance:
“When I saw him play in person in high school, and I came back, I think everybody here thought I was overreacting a little bit to his talent level. And I kidded with Shaun on the phone after that week. I said, 'You had your shirt tail out running the ball,' which is not one of my things.
“He got tackled twice by his shirt tail. I said, 'Shaun, if you'd tuck your shirt in, they wouldn't tackle you.' And he chuckled. But the next game he played, I watched it on tape – he tucked his shirt in and I don't think they tackled him.
“He's a nice young man. He's a Charlotte product, which is important. We love the fact that we can recruit the state of North Carolina and find players like that.
“The best part of our running back position is I don't think anyone was happier than Josh Snead, Shaquille Powell and Joe Ajeigbe. It's a group of people who are the most unselfish young men I've been around in that regard, and that's a great tribute to them and their families.”
On the defense holding Kansas to just the three points:
“They realized they had the chance to put a special day together. In this era, when you hold people to three or seven or 10 or zero, it's pretty spectacular. It's hard to stop. This is a Big 12 football team that put up 24 points in the first quarter last week.
“Our guys played well. We played a lot of people. David Helton, again, is just so focused. He's an equipped young man. He's mature. He's a fourth-year senior, not a fifth-year senior, but he's very equipped to handle being a leader and the pressure that goes with being a Mike linebacker.”
Duke Wide Receiver Max McCaffrey
On the takeaway from today's game:
“It was amazing coming out here and playing well. It was a team effort. It's awesome to see a freshman running back come out like Shaun Wilson and set the school record for rushing yards in one game.”
On downfield blocking:
“All receivers work on [downfield blocking]. Coach [Jeffrey] Faris has us out there doing blocking drills every individual period. We're all coached to finish through the whistle. You just come out every day and work on that skill.”
On running routes across the middle:
“It's a great answer for zone coverage. We have other answers built in too, if they decide to go man. All of our plays have built in answers. On those ones specifically, it's just a matter of what they do.”
On playing as favorites:
“It's a lot different. I remember coming in my freshman year, and we were the underdog just about every game. Coming in as the favorites in the game, we are just focused on us. We know we can't be complacent because we know anyone can catch up to you in a game.”
On playing alongside Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney:
“Both of those guys make it very easy for me. They get open and the defense has to start playing to cover Issac and Jamison. I'm just fortunate to have such great receivers and a great quarterback like Anthony Boone.”
Duke Running Back Shaun Wilson
On changing gears after breaking through the line:
“That's what Coach presses us on, get in the hole, fill it up, and then you have to switch gears, get into open space and score. That's an exciting experience, hearing the crowd go crazy as you get closer and closer to the goal line.”
On setting a single game rushing yards school record:
“We approach it one game at a time. We came out with what we went through during the week and we executed.”
On breaking through the Kansas defensive line:
“The type of defense they play, we had different reads on different formations that they play.”
On celebrating the school record with running backs coach Re'quan Boyette:
“At the end of the game, I realized I broke the record for single game rushing yards. I was very excited, so I went over and gave coach a big hug.”
On Duke's running back by committee approach:
“Having a four-back rotation keeps our legs fresh and makes the defenses tired, so when you bring a new back in and he's fresh, you can eat at the defense.”
Duke Linebacker David Helton
On the play of the defense:
“Every team is going to have big plays. A big emphasis for us has been to be a good red-zone defense. We were today. I was telling some other people, I'm extremely proud of our whole defense, from our secondary to our linebackers to our D-line and to our coaches. Everyone did a phenomenal job. Really solid, so it was fun to watch and play.”
On the influence of strong play by the defensive line:
“A linebacker would be arrogant to say they're the one that make all the tackles. The d-linemen are the ones that keep the linemen off of us. The linebacker core and the D-line were able to make a lot of tackles today. I could not credit our linebacker success without the interior D-line doing such a good job.”
On the chemistry of the linebacker group:
“I absolutely think it's starting to settle in for us. Two young guys playing WILL are still learning. They're going to be learning throughout the year, but they're getting much more comfortable playing the game, playing at the speed of college football. They're two very athletic guys. It's fun to see them really starting to get going. They'll continue to learn throughout this whole year. They're doing a great job.”
Kansas Head Coach Charlie Weis
On the first quarter setting the tone:
“The first play set the tone. It wasn't really the first quarter. That was the biggest disappointment. I knew -- therefore we knew -- that Duke's point of emphasis this week was the first quarter because in both of the first two games, they scored 21 in the second quarter. They really didn't come out sharp early, and we knew playing at home and having won a couple of games, that was going to be the point of emphasis. We have the quarterback-center exchange on the first play for minus 13. Now we're punting and we go three-and-out. Now they come down and score and really set the tone early for the game. With that being said, I think the defense sucked it up in the second quarter and actually started to get a handle on things. At the end of the day, two things stood out to me. I know we can run the football, but if we don't throw the ball better than that, it's going to be a problem as we move on. Number two, I'm not making excuses for the defense because you can't give up big plays and allow long runs on zone pressure, but at the end of the day, the defense was out there a whole bunch in the first half and I think that led to them being a little bit worn out in the second."
On the individual matchups between Kansas and Duke:
"Their strength going into this game was their passing game. What'd they throw for, 180? McCaffrey gets open on a play-action for a touchdown, and then down close they run a pick play and he comes underneath. Other than that, I thought their biggest strength going into the game was their passing game, which I thought we minimized. But (Shaun Wilson) had 12 carries for 250 [yards] and three touchdowns. All they were running were inside zones. It wasn't like 'what scheme are they running?' They were running inside zones. They hit a gap and, next thing you know, they're bouncing their head off the goalpost."
On what allowed Duke's long runs:
"I believe that multiple times we were in zone pressure to try and get some heat on them. And if one guy in a zone pressure, if you're slanting the wrong direction because you're playing linebacker, the only person left is the guy deep in the secondary."
On Kansas' option run getting strung out by the Duke defense:
"That happens when there's penetration. Usually all options that work are all downhill to the edge. When you want to go downhill to the edge but you can't go downhill to the edge, it's a different deal."
On the team's solid overall performance:
“It really was wire-to-wire good defense. I thought our special teams played really well, very consistent. I told our players in the locker room after the ballgame, 'I want you to really feel good about your coaches. You were well-prepared by your position coaches and your coordinators. In all three phases, we were as well-prepared as we could get.'
“At halftime we made some very good adjustments, particularly on offense, that resulted in some really fine play. The best part of this game is that we played better in the second half than we did in the first half and that is absolutely what you want a football team to do.”
On freshman running back Shaun Wilson's performance:
“When I saw him play in person in high school, and I came back, I think everybody here thought I was overreacting a little bit to his talent level. And I kidded with Shaun on the phone after that week. I said, 'You had your shirt tail out running the ball,' which is not one of my things.
“He got tackled twice by his shirt tail. I said, 'Shaun, if you'd tuck your shirt in, they wouldn't tackle you.' And he chuckled. But the next game he played, I watched it on tape – he tucked his shirt in and I don't think they tackled him.
“He's a nice young man. He's a Charlotte product, which is important. We love the fact that we can recruit the state of North Carolina and find players like that.
“The best part of our running back position is I don't think anyone was happier than Josh Snead, Shaquille Powell and Joe Ajeigbe. It's a group of people who are the most unselfish young men I've been around in that regard, and that's a great tribute to them and their families.”
On the defense holding Kansas to just the three points:
“They realized they had the chance to put a special day together. In this era, when you hold people to three or seven or 10 or zero, it's pretty spectacular. It's hard to stop. This is a Big 12 football team that put up 24 points in the first quarter last week.
“Our guys played well. We played a lot of people. David Helton, again, is just so focused. He's an equipped young man. He's mature. He's a fourth-year senior, not a fifth-year senior, but he's very equipped to handle being a leader and the pressure that goes with being a Mike linebacker.”
Duke Wide Receiver Max McCaffrey
On the takeaway from today's game:
“It was amazing coming out here and playing well. It was a team effort. It's awesome to see a freshman running back come out like Shaun Wilson and set the school record for rushing yards in one game.”
On downfield blocking:
“All receivers work on [downfield blocking]. Coach [Jeffrey] Faris has us out there doing blocking drills every individual period. We're all coached to finish through the whistle. You just come out every day and work on that skill.”
On running routes across the middle:
“It's a great answer for zone coverage. We have other answers built in too, if they decide to go man. All of our plays have built in answers. On those ones specifically, it's just a matter of what they do.”
On playing as favorites:
“It's a lot different. I remember coming in my freshman year, and we were the underdog just about every game. Coming in as the favorites in the game, we are just focused on us. We know we can't be complacent because we know anyone can catch up to you in a game.”
On playing alongside Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney:
“Both of those guys make it very easy for me. They get open and the defense has to start playing to cover Issac and Jamison. I'm just fortunate to have such great receivers and a great quarterback like Anthony Boone.”
Duke Running Back Shaun Wilson
On changing gears after breaking through the line:
“That's what Coach presses us on, get in the hole, fill it up, and then you have to switch gears, get into open space and score. That's an exciting experience, hearing the crowd go crazy as you get closer and closer to the goal line.”
On setting a single game rushing yards school record:
“We approach it one game at a time. We came out with what we went through during the week and we executed.”
On breaking through the Kansas defensive line:
“The type of defense they play, we had different reads on different formations that they play.”
On celebrating the school record with running backs coach Re'quan Boyette:
“At the end of the game, I realized I broke the record for single game rushing yards. I was very excited, so I went over and gave coach a big hug.”
On Duke's running back by committee approach:
“Having a four-back rotation keeps our legs fresh and makes the defenses tired, so when you bring a new back in and he's fresh, you can eat at the defense.”
Duke Linebacker David Helton
On the play of the defense:
“Every team is going to have big plays. A big emphasis for us has been to be a good red-zone defense. We were today. I was telling some other people, I'm extremely proud of our whole defense, from our secondary to our linebackers to our D-line and to our coaches. Everyone did a phenomenal job. Really solid, so it was fun to watch and play.”
On the influence of strong play by the defensive line:
“A linebacker would be arrogant to say they're the one that make all the tackles. The d-linemen are the ones that keep the linemen off of us. The linebacker core and the D-line were able to make a lot of tackles today. I could not credit our linebacker success without the interior D-line doing such a good job.”
On the chemistry of the linebacker group:
“I absolutely think it's starting to settle in for us. Two young guys playing WILL are still learning. They're going to be learning throughout the year, but they're getting much more comfortable playing the game, playing at the speed of college football. They're two very athletic guys. It's fun to see them really starting to get going. They'll continue to learn throughout this whole year. They're doing a great job.”
Kansas Head Coach Charlie Weis
On the first quarter setting the tone:
“The first play set the tone. It wasn't really the first quarter. That was the biggest disappointment. I knew -- therefore we knew -- that Duke's point of emphasis this week was the first quarter because in both of the first two games, they scored 21 in the second quarter. They really didn't come out sharp early, and we knew playing at home and having won a couple of games, that was going to be the point of emphasis. We have the quarterback-center exchange on the first play for minus 13. Now we're punting and we go three-and-out. Now they come down and score and really set the tone early for the game. With that being said, I think the defense sucked it up in the second quarter and actually started to get a handle on things. At the end of the day, two things stood out to me. I know we can run the football, but if we don't throw the ball better than that, it's going to be a problem as we move on. Number two, I'm not making excuses for the defense because you can't give up big plays and allow long runs on zone pressure, but at the end of the day, the defense was out there a whole bunch in the first half and I think that led to them being a little bit worn out in the second."
On the individual matchups between Kansas and Duke:
"Their strength going into this game was their passing game. What'd they throw for, 180? McCaffrey gets open on a play-action for a touchdown, and then down close they run a pick play and he comes underneath. Other than that, I thought their biggest strength going into the game was their passing game, which I thought we minimized. But (Shaun Wilson) had 12 carries for 250 [yards] and three touchdowns. All they were running were inside zones. It wasn't like 'what scheme are they running?' They were running inside zones. They hit a gap and, next thing you know, they're bouncing their head off the goalpost."
On what allowed Duke's long runs:
"I believe that multiple times we were in zone pressure to try and get some heat on them. And if one guy in a zone pressure, if you're slanting the wrong direction because you're playing linebacker, the only person left is the guy deep in the secondary."
On Kansas' option run getting strung out by the Duke defense:
"That happens when there's penetration. Usually all options that work are all downhill to the edge. When you want to go downhill to the edge but you can't go downhill to the edge, it's a different deal."
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