David Cutcliffe Press Conference Quotes: Northwestern

DURHAM – Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe met with members of the media on Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference.

The Blue Devils host Northwestern on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network with Wes Durham, Roddy Jones and Lericia Harris on the call. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield through the Varsity app or GoDuke.com

David Cutcliffe Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Just to sum up last week, North Carolina A&T didn't disappoint. I knew that they would be a week better. I knew that they would be physical. They test you. They're well coached. You always want to start fast, but when you don't, you got to look back and say, 'OK, well, maybe it's good that it wasn't easy.' We had to play harder, fight harder, forced by them. Thank goodness we did respond. Are there a lot of things that we have to continue to clean up and work hard at being better? We were close in a lot of areas to some bigger plays and bigger opportunities in the kicking game and defensively, we got better as it went along. We tackled better, but we have to tackle better right out of the chute. So, a lot of positives that we learned from that game that we can build on.

"Now, the key is building on it, and we're playing a power five team, a power five program. That's a great program, not just a good team. I've had, I guess, the misfortune, I should say, of coaching against Pat Fitzgerald when he was a player, and his teams play like he played as a player. They're physical, they're fierce, they're competitive. They're one of the best coached teams every year in all three phases. They're going to be well-coached in the kicking game, well-coached on defense, well-coached on offense. They don't beat themselves. So, it's a huge test, as it always is. We are two programs that probably mimic each other as best we can, a lot of ways, in our recruiting, etc. So, a big challenge. We've got to just hit the practice field with that mentality. We have another chance to get better this week."

(Ref.: On playing Power 5 opponents for the remainder of the season)
"Yeah, we talked about Northwestern yesterday more than the rest of the schedule, but I think they understand. They know that if you're going to have a really good football team, you're going to have to be a consistent football team. You got to compete at a high level every down. When you talk about Northwestern, you talk about that in those terms. We had the good fortune of Saturday getting to watch film and kind of put the A&T game behind us. We really introduced Northwestern in a little more detail yesterday. I think when they put their eyes on the film, they realize what they're looking at and you know you've got to get better."

(Ref.: On how games like this impact recruiting and the optics of a program)
"I think winning is probably the number one focal point that any program has. It affects everything. It affects recruiting. It affects the next week and the mood and the focus of your practices. You can't ever guarantee it. But what you have to do is you have to take that week and be the very best you can that particular week. I don't know that even in Tuscaloosa, that they think they're going to win every game every time they play. They might, but we have to have that same mentality, that same focus, regardless. I do believe that whether it's recruiting, or whether it's your day-to-day operations, there's a value to understanding and I've said it before standing up here to what Kipling said. Regardless of what the previous week, we should be hungrier this week than we were the first week, because it's the third week, not because we lost the first week and won the second week. We have to maintain that type. That's how you become a consistent program."

(Ref.: On the final possession of the first half)
"Well, it is a big deal, but you put him in that big deal in practice. We do that about every third day going ones against ones. If you flip it over, if that were at the end of the half or the end of the game and we're on defense, we have to have the same type of response. I told our team at the hotel we were going to play on the aggressive side anyway. Knowing that they're getting the ball first in the second half, you don't just sit on it. And I told Gunnar (Holmberg) -- I said, as always, in any two-minute drill, the most important aspect of it is that you have possession of the ball when the play ends. Nothing stops a two-minute drill faster than a turnover, right? Even a fourth down is not nearly as fast as a turnover. So, trusting him comes through practice. I thought the whole offense executed it well. We've talked already about the risk there at the end, but I could see in every player's eyes what they wanted to do. I told them we were going to be aggressive. So basically, I said go get the job done. They were begging for it. That old saying, be careful what you wish for. Well, I'm glad they wished for it. They came through."

(Ref.: On Gunnar's leadership technique as a captain)
"He's not overly talkative. I wouldn't even go close to loud. He's not a very talkative person. I believe the reason that Gunnar was elected a captain is work ethic. Coming to work every day, coming to work when it's not a workday. I mean, they see Gunnar's commitment level and it's always been there. I think it's more he leads through how other people respect and see his work ethic, which probably still is the greatest form of leadership there is. Belief, respect in people seeing that you're doing every little thing that anybody could ever expect of you."

(Ref.: On Gunnar coming from a family of athletes and how that impacts him)
"I think the family's a competitive family, and I don't think there's any question it's in his DNA, but it's also in the way he was raised. It's one of the things I liked about Gunnar as a high school player was that very thing that you see. It just is how important it was to him and how he worked at his trade."

(Ref.: On Gunnar's increased confidence as he plays more games)
"He was much more comfortable, confident, if you will. You could sense it in pregame. I could sense it in in the locker room before the game in conversation. That pays dividends, because when you say you're in the building, sometimes you're not in the building when you're in the building, if you understand what I'm saying. I love the term be where your feet are. I have to remind young people that all the time. They come in and they're not really there. I can stand in front of a team meeting and I can tell who's in the room and who's not in the room or who's in the building, who's not in the building. Gunnar has always prided himself of being in the building. There may be more to what he said than you might think."

(Ref.: On if Northwestern has changed anything schematically)
"No, not really. Pat Fitzgerald is Pat Fitzgerald as long as I've been seeing his teams. As a defensive coordinator himself and then as a head coach, they're going to be pretty similar and very systematic in how they approach things. What I think they do a good job is taken their talent, and every team changes a little bit in college through graduation, they adjust. They're a little different, but they're a little different based on who they're playing with in the system that is in place."

(Ref.: On how the Duke defensive line has played so far this season)
"Well, I think we got another level we got to reach and get to. It kind of goes with the whole consistency thing. Defeating blocks is where that all starts. Not just making plays. We've got to defeat more blocks at the point of attack before you can make plays. You've got to finish pass rushes before you get sacks. All of those things are a culmination of good play. We're a little young there. We're learning that process as it goes. I want to see us play more and more people, because I think we have so many inexperienced players, we're going to see a lot of them get better quickly. Then I think we all realize that part of being a successful defense is playmakers stepping up and making plays. We've seen DeWayne Carter do that and we've seen Christian Rorie do that and RJ Oben and Aeneas Peebles. But it's got to be more consistent and less flash. If we can get Gary Smith III back in the rotation and get moving in the right direction, I think we can be a very effective defensive front."

(Ref.: On if Gary Smith III is on his way back from injury)
"I think he is. Until I see him on the practice field on a weekly basis, one thing I'm not ever going to do is put a player out there that is not full speed and can't protect himself, particularly in a defensive front. So, we'll see how the week of practice goes."

(Ref.: On if Duke's penalties were due to youth)
"No. I mean, when you get the stuff in the secondary those guys are on an island. They're fighting, scratching, and clawing. A lot of it sometimes is where you place your hands. You guys watch football like I do, can you all clearly tell when it is or isn't? Holding's easier to tell. You can't grab in and hold. We haven't had a whole lot of discipline penalties. We've had some technique things. There's a huge difference in the two. It's not been a sloppy circumstance. We're competing at a high level. We had two on Josh Blackwell in the secondary. He's getting back, he's coming off a long layoff. We're going to stay aggressive, and the officials have to do their job and they do a good job of doing their job. We just got to do our job better."

(Ref.: On Northwestern's special teams play)
"We've already met. Coach Kirk Benedict and Matt O'Donnell and myself have already sat down and looked extensively and planned extensively. I think we've got a great plan on paper, but we don't play on paper. So, when you ask me later in the week, I'll know whether I think we're ready. Always, they're good. Always, we're good. We've made plays against them. They've made plays against us. That's determined the outcome of this game some. My first game against them, we snapped the ball over the punter's head, and it really basically cost us the game, when games weren't easy to come by at all. They're still not. But really, then. I think it always determines the winner of this game often and we have to be up to the challenge."

(Ref.: On how to create pressure on the Northwestern quarterback)
"I think they've given up maybe four or five sacks. They're good up front and they use various protections, what we would call slide protection, some man protection. Again, that goes back to somebody making a play. A lot of times you've got to remember, sack's come from a quarterback having to hold the ball. Coverage sacks, we've all heard that term, but you also have to have sacks that defeat somebody one on one. That's a big part of what we have to do to take a guy with that much arm talent and not pressure him is to make it hard. It's a big emphasis every week. Let's see someone step up. We're ready to crack that stat line."

(Ref.: On taking care of the ball on offense and limiting turnovers)
"He (Gunnar Holmberg) really is believing what we always say at the end of the play, the most important part of every play is that we still have possession of the ball. He had the one fumble, really one is what we've had, the other one was a product of a desperation play. I took credit for that. I told him that. I meant that about protecting the football and understanding traffic and situational football. If you really understand situational football, then if it's third-and-four and you throw the ball away, you haven't failed. If you needed to throw the ball away, you have failed when you've forced something. You understand what I'm saying? So, really, a big part of that is your team and staff, a quarterback and every skill player buying into what you're teaching. As a staff it's an easy thing to get to where you're telling -- telling and teaching are two different things. I used to hate to hear coaches say, well, I told him. Really? It's not what I'm seeing. He didn't hear you. So, I'm telling myself to be honest with you. We've done a better job of teaching. I shouldn't say we, I should say I have done a better job teaching and the student is listening better."

(Ref.: On the emphasis in practice on causing turnovers)
"We emphasize it every single day in every way. Sometimes you get in ruts where it doesn't happen. When you're a man-to-man team there is probably not as big an interception opportunity as when you're sitting in zones and break in on the ball. We play an awful lot of man, you got to play tighter. You got to try to tighter to the ball up. We work on every bit of that, and again, I have to do a better job of teaching the things that create turnovers. When I do that, the numbers will go up. I believe our effort is outstanding and if you keep your effort and your focus and your intensity, it'll come. The turnovers will come."

(Ref.: On being aggressive in play calling and on the field)
"Well, I think we were that way against Charlotte. There was maybe one play that I might have, instead of punting, I might have tried a field goal. You could argue that one either way. I've learned through the years, aggressive doesn't mean just take every chance, go for every fourth down. It doesn't mean blitz every down, etc. What aggressive means is that we all have to be on the same page as a unit. So, if you're aggressive on offense, you know who has to really be aggressive? Your defense, because if you fail, they have to come out and be aggressive. Then, the kicking game is the blend of both. So, I've always believed in that. You're coming off a season that was an outlier and these guys need that aggressive nature and we're going to stay in that approach. It was a tough year last year in every way imaginable. I think maybe the way to put it behind you in the rearview mirror is always be on the attack. That's kind of the reason for it."

(Ref.: On anything to teach on from last season)
"Oh, if it's not, they're not all here. They're not where their feet are, I could tell you that. You got a real short memory if you don't remember what you went through. We got a number of players on our team that lived it. We talked a lot about this in January, February and March and through spring practice. It's not recent. Embrace every opportunity that you're getting right now. Think about March, April, May half of it, but June, July that they didn't get, embrace it. What a lesson in that for all of us, you never know when something's going to be taken away from you. One of my favorite lines is by John Mellencamp. He wrote 'life is short, even in its longest days'. We best remember that. I love that line and he's a great writer, not just a great singer. I told him that before, I really appreciated that line. He said he got it from his grandmother. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what he said."

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David Cutcliffe Press Conference Quotes: Northwestern

Players Mentioned

Josh Blackwell

DeWayne Carter

Gunnar Holmberg

Aeneas Peebles

Christian Rorie

Gary Smith III

Duke information

David Cutcliffe Press Conference Quotes: Northwestern

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Players Mentioned

Josh Blackwell

DeWayne Carter

Gunnar Holmberg

Aeneas Peebles

Christian Rorie

Gary Smith III

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Duke information