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Q+A With Duke Football: Gunnar Holmberg
9/29/2021 1:45:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – The Voice of the Blue Devils, David Shumate, sat down with graduate student quarterback Gunnar Holmberg for a brief question and answer session.
DS:Â The offensive stats have been crazy out there the last few weeks. What has been working for you so far this season?
GH:Â I think when you have backs like Mataeo Durant and Jordan Waters with the way they are running the ball and how talented they are, teams are going to zone in on that and try to stop it. The goal for every defense is to stop the run first and foremost, which has been opening up lanes for me. The o-line has done a great job pass protecting and run blocking for me. Receivers have been making really good plays too - Jake Bobo, Eli Pancol, Jalon Calhoun and Jake Marwede. They look really good and are making my life easier.
Â
DS:Â There's a picture of you, Jake and Mataeo circulating from when you guys were getting recruited. All of you guys are bigger than you were then. Who is getting it done in the weight room the most?
GH:Â That's a good question. Bobo is a guy that is hard to get out of the weight room. They have to make sure to lock it up when the coaches aren't in there because he tries to sneak in. Him and Mataeo are hard workers and its good to see it pay off, especially for older guys with how much they care about this program. Bobo and Mataeo couldn't care less if they had zero yards and we won, but to be a part of the win and knowing they are helping us out goes a long way.
Â
DS:Â You know what it is like to win and have the victory bell. What have the conversions been like with your teammates this week?
GH:Â We are trying to win every practice. We want to make our Tuesday better than their Tuesday and our Wednesday better than their Wednesday, and so on. It leads back to being serious in your preparation so when Saturday comes you know what you are doing. When you can do that, you have a much better chance of coming out with a win. People know the bragging rights about it so that just makes it a little more fun for us.
Â
DS:Â With Duke's campus being near your hometown, when new guys come to campus do you have a couple restaurants you like to take them to?
GH:Â Kind of a basic one, but the local wing place is always a good one. There are a lot of really good Mexican places around here also. There are a bunch of them that my family and I always go to.
Â
DS:Â If the quarterbacks all went to the wing joint, who would win the wing eating contest?
GH:Â Riley Leonard can eat. We go out to eat sometimes and once he got two whole pizzas. In pre-game dinner he will have 12 pieces of bread. He's an eater, surprisingly.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
DS:Â The offensive stats have been crazy out there the last few weeks. What has been working for you so far this season?
GH:Â I think when you have backs like Mataeo Durant and Jordan Waters with the way they are running the ball and how talented they are, teams are going to zone in on that and try to stop it. The goal for every defense is to stop the run first and foremost, which has been opening up lanes for me. The o-line has done a great job pass protecting and run blocking for me. Receivers have been making really good plays too - Jake Bobo, Eli Pancol, Jalon Calhoun and Jake Marwede. They look really good and are making my life easier.
Â
DS:Â There's a picture of you, Jake and Mataeo circulating from when you guys were getting recruited. All of you guys are bigger than you were then. Who is getting it done in the weight room the most?
GH:Â That's a good question. Bobo is a guy that is hard to get out of the weight room. They have to make sure to lock it up when the coaches aren't in there because he tries to sneak in. Him and Mataeo are hard workers and its good to see it pay off, especially for older guys with how much they care about this program. Bobo and Mataeo couldn't care less if they had zero yards and we won, but to be a part of the win and knowing they are helping us out goes a long way.
Â
DS:Â You know what it is like to win and have the victory bell. What have the conversions been like with your teammates this week?
GH:Â We are trying to win every practice. We want to make our Tuesday better than their Tuesday and our Wednesday better than their Wednesday, and so on. It leads back to being serious in your preparation so when Saturday comes you know what you are doing. When you can do that, you have a much better chance of coming out with a win. People know the bragging rights about it so that just makes it a little more fun for us.
Â
DS:Â With Duke's campus being near your hometown, when new guys come to campus do you have a couple restaurants you like to take them to?
GH:Â Kind of a basic one, but the local wing place is always a good one. There are a lot of really good Mexican places around here also. There are a bunch of them that my family and I always go to.
Â
DS:Â If the quarterbacks all went to the wing joint, who would win the wing eating contest?
GH:Â Riley Leonard can eat. We go out to eat sometimes and once he got two whole pizzas. In pre-game dinner he will have 12 pieces of bread. He's an eater, surprisingly.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Players Mentioned
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TE
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