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David Cutcliffe Press Conference Quotes: Wake Forest
11/17/2020 5:47:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe met with members of the media virtually on Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference.
The Blue Devils host Wake Forest on Saturday for their final of three straight home games. The contest will be broadcast on the ACC Network with Wes Durham, Roddy White and Taylor Davis on the call. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College through the TuneIn app or goduke.com
David Cutcliffe Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"I am first going to say, I'm really proud of this team being as resilient as it has been. They have not run away from work. The challenges mount. Obviously, we did not play well at all against North Carolina. But you don't hang your head. You don't run from the work. You don't make excuses. We had a bit more physical of an open date than we had on the first one. We felt like we needed to address a few things in both lines of scrimmage. We got better during that time. We have to get better. It's a challenging season when you're playing 10 conference games. You've got to be at your best. You got to take care of the ball. You got to create opportunities in the kicking game, on offense and on defense and the only way you're going to do that is to do it on the practice field. And that's how you have to win big games. And every week, it's a big game.
"We've got a huge challenge with Wake Forest, a team that's very veteran and a team playing extremely well. They take great care of the ball. They're very explosive and can score a lot of points as we all know. Defensively, a very system-oriented defense. They're veteran. They know what they're doing and an outstanding kicking game. So, a big challenge, but again, very proud of how our team has gone about preparation. We've still got a lot of work to do this week. But we've got to take what we're doing on the practice field and take it to the game field. So big challenge, but I believe this team will give everything it's got to be prepared Saturday to play a really outstanding Wake Forest team."
(Ref.: On team meetings following the North Carolina loss)
"Well, we do our meetings by position to start with to see the film to get specifics. We had a team meeting, which we have to do in the indoor because we have no other place to do it. But I addressed some of the things that are just not a part of our program. The way we play, the way we compete. I also showed them enough tape of when we do compete how well we can play. You take that balance, you take the challenge and we certainly had captains and players challenge teammates. We didn't win the battle in the trenches. We did not win the battle in that game in the back end. You have to address that on the practice field. It's not something you just talk about. I believe this team has done that. You hope it's an outlier. We've played some good football at times this year. At times we haven't been what we've expected ourselves to be. But consistency is what you're hunting, what we're hunting. And the only way I know to get that is to give everything you've got on that practice field, not every day, every play. And that's been our approach."
(Ref.: On working on physicality during the open date)
"Yeah, I think physicality is a mentality. No question, but it also requires technique. It requires pad leverage. It requires bringing your feet on contact and doing the little things. And the only way I know to address that is to create in an open date good ones versus ones lining up. Wasn't worried about seeing an opponent's look. Our defense playing our defense, our offense playing our offense and go head to head on some inside drills. The same thing on some outside drills. I think our players embraced that. They didn't view it as a negative. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy that was created from that. Competitiveness always creates energy and knock on wood, thank goodness we got no one injured. I think it paid dividends."
(Ref.: On adjustments in the depth chart during the open date)
"I don't know if we're going to see a flip of depth chart. But we've got people that have earned playing time. We're also having a look and we're still involved in some potential adjustments in position changes because of injuries and departures. We've got some areas that we're concerned with. As we continue, we'll have a physical practice tomorrow and Wednesday, and we'll make a few more final personnel decisions by Thursday."
(Ref.: On the team being able to get healthy during the open date)
"I think some of them have certainly been able to benefit from not having 50, 60 snaps in the game. The injury list is still long. Not everybody's quote red or out. We kind of have a green, yellow, red as you might imagine what that means. But we're closer. And it's just part of being late in the season. And our guys have got to continue to push to be their best not only for game day but in practice. We have that fine balance of how you can practice and what you have to do to get ready to play."
(Ref.: On scouting Wake Forest's recent game against North Carolina)
"Well you're always - you look at every game. And we do detailed breakdowns and so you're always going to get something in the previous game and I'm not going to identify what we think because you're getting ready to play that opponent. But you're always seeing things in the kicking game, defense, offense. Obviously both offenses had huge days and probably more concerns about how do you stop somebody than normal when you're playing an offense as potent as Wake Forest, and North Carolina's got a good defensive team. But you're going to pick some things out of there that can help you hopefully. Still got to execute it and play."
(Ref.: On what makes Wake Forest's offense difficult to stop)
"Well, what they do is they're always having a pass option for the quarterback. The longer that mesh the lengthier the read is. The defense has to commit run or pass and so they put you in a bind as well as anyone. They do a good job of limiting penetration up front with their blocking scheme. Their backs do a great job of picking and choosing holes once they do have the ball. It's their way of doing things. It's different than what you see in most instances. But it still comes down to trying to defeat blocks, tackle well, cover well. They just go about it differently than most people."
(Ref.: On the competition level of the ACC this season)
"I think the league is a lot better than people realize. The first thing you're trying to evaluate a league that's playing within a league, there's a lot of good football teams. There's a lot of balance. Boston College has had a very good year. Wasn't as predicted as maybe others. But when you're playing - when Miami's playing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg or Virginia is on the field or any of our teams. North Carolina certainly. Wake Forest certainly. NC State. These are all really good football teams, really good football teams. So, it's very difficult to sit and say, well, we're top heavy with Clemson and our guest Notre Dame. They're both great football teams no question. But those teams can be challenged by a multitude of teams in this league. Injuries are different in a year where you're playing 10 Power-5 football games so that changes. COVID 19 has changed some of our teams in this league. But when you lose a quarterback or you lose key elements of your defense. I think what you're seeing is very hard to sit there and say a league is this or that. I can just tell you, I've coached a long time, this league's a really good football league. That is a fact."
(Ref.: On Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman)
"He's got great hands, really quick hands. He's got a great throwing motion. Again, what they do offensively. He's got that mesh point. And he throws a lot of balls off their RPO's. He's a smart player. He takes care of the football, which is very, very obvious. It's like any other quarterback trying to disguise, give him different looks and it's very difficult to pressure him. But one of the things that you have to do, you have to get some form of pressure against a really good accurate quarterback. So, it's just an ongoing process. And you're not going to live and die with every play. If he completes three passes in a row the fourth pass you better be competing as well as you were, if not better than the others. He's a very efficient quarterback."
(Ref.: On ball security against the Wake Forest defense)
"Yeah, it's critically important. They're a very good zone coverage team and variations of coverage. They know what they're doing in the back end. They're very systematic. They play five DB's a great deal of the time. And again, zone defenses are going to allow you to actually be more of a turnover-interception team than man coverage generally is. They do a good job of changing up rush, changing up coverage. As I said a really systematic team. They're well coached and you have to know going in what you can and can't try to do. And it's going to always be a challenge with Wake Forest, so that's been a pivotal part of what we've worked on."
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