Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Boston College

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

The Blue Devils travel to Boston College for a Friday night contest with the Eagles at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, and Dawn Davenport on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com

Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Welcome back. It is good to see everybody. It is nice to get a week off to recharge and refresh. The bye week is extremely important. I thought we did a really good balancing act last week, giving the kids enough time to refresh and get caught up and healthy for the final part of this season, but also making sure we got enough work in that we were able to stay crisp and sharp moving forward. Coming off the win and heading into the bye week makes things a lot better. A couple injury updates, Eli Pancol suffered a lower leg injury in the Miami game toward the end, so we won't have him for probably the rest of the year. That is unfortunate, but we will get him back healthy as fast as we can. On the Charlie [Ham] situation, I am again going to say Charlie's dealing with a little bit of a personal situation. It is not performance based and it is not something that I am going to comment on, but Charlie won't be available this week and is just continuing to work through some stuff. That is all I am going to say on that situation.

"Moving ahead to Boston College, they are a team that has had a little bit of the ups and downs, but when you watch them they play extremely hard. I think they are still continuing to fight and compete every single week. On offense they are extremely dynamic. When you look at their receiving core, they've got a really good group. Zay Flowers obviously headlines it, but they've got three kids out there that can really make a lot of plays. Phil Jurkovec at quarterback, a kid I am familiar with from my time at Notre Dame, he is a very talented player and has tremendous success throwing the ball when he is able to get time in the pocket. I think a little bit of their challenge has been having to go through a lot of injuries on the offensive line. I know they are starting to get healthier. They got their center back last week and certainly expect them to bounce back this week on offense and give us their absolute best and we know we are going to need to be at our best to stop them.

"Defensively, I think they are a very aggressive group. They're very physical and load the box a lot. They put themselves in a lot of single high defenses and mix it up between man and zone and really challenge you to execute the throw game. They take a lot of your run lanes away and play with good pad leverage and level. It's a group that plays exceptionally hard and they've been really effective on third down getting off the field. I think they have a really good blitz package and do a really good job with that. I have a lot of respect for Jeff Hafley. I think he's done a really good job. I've known Jeff a long time and he was a really good defensive coordinator and is doing a really good job with that Boston College program. We fully expect them to come out and play their absolute best game of the season Friday night. Their program has a lot of pride and I know they're going to want to respond and rebound. It is going to take everything we have this week for us to bounce back and get another victory."

(Ref.: With Eli Pancol not available, who steps up in that role)
"You are going to anticipate Sahmir [Hagans] having to take on a bigger role. Jontavis Robertson, Malik Bowen-Sims and Darrell Harding Jr. are going to have to play extended roles and it will just have to be next man up. That is kind of how it's been for us all year and it will continue to be that way."

(Ref.: On what Darrell Harding Jr. needs to do to have an extended role as a senior)
"Just be a little bit more consistent. Darrell is a great kid and works extremely hard, but we would just like to see him a little bit more consistent executing what we are trying to get done."

(Ref.: With Jurkovec being banged up, do you anticipate him being the quarterback or doesn't that matter for scheme purposes)
"I think they are both very similar. Him and [Emmett] Morehead are kind of similar quarterbacks. Phil has played a lot more football and is a lot more experienced, but I don't think there's a tremendous skill set difference between the two. I fully expect Phil to be the quarterback and be out there Friday night. He's a tough kid and I am sure he is going to want to go."

(Ref.: On how much of the bye week was spent working on fundamentals and self-scouting)
"That is what last week was. We practiced and it was more good on good stuff. It was self-scout, cleaning up our packages, putting in the system and reemphasizing parts of the system that we know we are going to need down the stretch. We got going yesterday on Boston College and picked up an extra day to get ready for this one. Yesterday and today moving forward is all Boston College prep."

(Ref.: On if things change during the bye week after self-scouting the first half of the season)
"I think there is probably a little bit too much made of the bye week in that regard. I think good coaches do that every week. We don't wait until eight games in to try to figure out what is working and what isn't working. That is kind of a self-evaluation we do every Sunday. Sometimes there is this thought that the bye week is this big self-review and overhaul, but we do that every week. I look at what is working and what isn't working. What we are calling and what our tendencies of calls are. We pay attention to that stuff on a weekly basis, so I think all you are doing is saying okay we have a few extra days, what are some things that we can really clean up. What are some parts of the pass game and run game that we have struggled with that we could use a little bit of extra work. It could be this run scheme against this pressure giving us a little bit of a problem so let's clean it up or this route against this coverage hasn't been exactly what we've wanted it to be so let's work on that and get that cleaned up. I think that's kind of more the emphasis that were putting on things, so it's not this big revelation its more just concise ways to fix some problems that have existed."

(Ref.: On how much healthier the team is after evaluating and reassessing some things during the bye week)
"I think you are healthier. Again, probably another misconception that I talked to the kids about all the time is you're going to fell 100 percent sometime around the middle of February. If you are anticipating it happening before then, keep dreaming. It is a physical game. You are going to get banged up and you are going to have to learn how to play banged up. Obviously, we are going to be more fresh coming off the bye then we would if we just played an 80 snap game on Saturday, so that part is great. There is a little bit of a pep in their step when they get a few days off. They get to regroup and recharge for sure, but the nicks and bruises are still there. Our injury list is still pretty long of the kids that are actually banged up and beaten up."

(Ref.: On the status of Jaylen Coleman)
"Coleman's been practicing. It is not that he hasn't been out there practicing. He has been practicing every day for about the last four weeks. The challenge has been when we get him to Saturday, just is he healthy enough to play at the level we need him to play at to take the other back off the field. Last week he suited up, so he made it through pregame last week against Miami and suited up, we just didn't feel the need to get him in. He just wasn't quite there yet. This has certainly helped a kid like that. Kids like him and Anthony Nelson that have long term injuries. Getting the extra week of rehab and preparation certainly helps. We are optimistic that both those guys will be able to go this week."

(Ref.: On preparing for a talented receiving core and identifying Zay Flowers on defense)
"It is a little bit of a game of where is he. They do a really good job of moving him around and moving him to a lot of different locations. We have got to do a really good job of identifying where he is, but we also have to know that we can't commit too much coverage to him, because they have other dangerous weapons. They obviously have the ability to run the football as well. It is just kind of identifying and understanding where they like to put him and what he likes to do from those kinds of spots and making sure we just have the coverage set right on where he is."

(Ref.: On if becoming bowl eligible early in the season takes pressure off the guys heading into the final stretch)
"I am going to try to answer this the right way. It'll be exciting for sure and to get six wins is something that will be a really big step for this program, but you've been around me long enough to know that as soon as we get six, we are going to want seven. It has been a goal that we have talked about from day one and we have never hidden the fact that an ACC football team should be going to bowl games. We have talked about that from day one and we've talked about it that way in our locker room. It is an expectation for our program. It is something that you aren't always going to reach, but it is an expectation for our program every year. Hopefully we can go out and get it done as soon as possible, but it's not going to be this big celebration when it happens either. It is just going to kind of be what we are about."

(Ref.: On playing meaningful games in November)
"Yeah, that is something that we have spent a little bit more time talking to them about. I think understanding when November football comes around and there are things at stake and things that you're playing for is what it is all about. How you push your body through the final stretch of the season. The level of intensity and focus that is required to win meaningful games in the month of November. We talked to them earlier this week about being a championship program. That is what we want to build here and to do that, you have to be a successful team down the stretch in the month of November. We've talked all year about finishing the fourth quarter of games and this is a little bit like finishing the fourth quarter of our season. We want to be stronger down the stretch then any of our competition and that is something that we do spend a lot of time talking to our guys about."

(Ref.: On how the motivation level changes from 10-point underdogs to 10-point favorites)
"It shouldn't be. Everyone is going to say well coach you are just saying that, but it's the reality that we look at it that way. We have never gone into a week talking about this is a big game. We have never gone into a week talking about how we are getting slighted, or nobody is giving us respect. It's not about that stuff. That stuff just doesn't work. We talk about ourselves and talk about making sure that we go out there and play the best game of football that we can possibly play. Whether that is Temple or N.C. A&T or Northwestern or Miami or North Carolina, it doesn't really matter. If we go out there and we play the game the way we're supposed to play it to the level we are capable of playing it, we are going to give ourselves a chance to be successful and if we don't we won't. It really doesn't matter who is on the other sideline, because if we don't play at the level that we are capable of we won't win. That is something that we have had a conversation about from day one around here and the messaging doesn't change. Our kids understand that. They understand who we are and how we go about our business and that is really what matters more than anything."

(Ref.: On if there was a mandate to your staff to take time off or go recruiting)
"Yes, all of it. That is the balance of the bye week, is trying to do all of it. You are trying to make sure schematically you do a really good job with what you are trying to get done. Obviously, you want to try to have a leg up on the game that is coming out of the bye week. I think taking advantage of the extra time schematically is really important and I think we were able to do that. You also want to make sure that you get out recruiting and we did that. The whole staff hit the road and got all over the place. Some in state and some out of state, but you want to get out because there are certain coaches that just can't get out much during the season. It is an opportunity for your coordinators to get out, your line coaches to get out and do some of those things. So, we did that, but you also want to be sensitive to the grind of a football coach too. We took Saturday off and gave the guys a day to recharge the battery and come back fresh like the kids did. You try to balance all of it the best you can as a head coach and try to make sure you are getting everything done that needs to get done without burning your staff out because they burnout like the kids do. If you wear them out now, they won't be fresh down the stretch either."

(Ref.: On how much extra juice the defense has after forcing eight turnovers at Miami)
"I think they've been around me long enough to know that they have to do it again and that the eight turnovers don't carry over. If we want to continue to have success we have to continue to play at that level, but I do think there is confidence that comes in all reality. I think every time we go out there and compete and our kids start to understand the level of success that they're capable of, I do think that grows confidence. Every time that they go out there and see that if they do things the way they should be done, I'm capable of doing it with the intensity that is required and with the level of technique that these coaches are teaching me I can have success regardless of opponent. That is something that is really permeating through our locker room. That is something that is tangible and real and you want to see that continue."

(Ref.: On Todd Pelino stepping up in an expanded roll against Miami)
"I am very proud of the kid. You know he's a freshman and it's not the ideal way to go into your first game as a kicker. He handled it really well and made all his kicks. We tried to split the load and let Jackson Hubbard handle the kickoffs, but then Jackson tweaks something so Todd is out there doing the kickoffs too. It is a credit to the kid, and it is what you want in your program. We talk about next man up and everyone has to be ready and it doesn't mean you are going to get in, so it's really cool to see when kids do that. You are seeing that in a lot of places right now. It is stuff that we try to point out to a lot of our own guys. You see a kid like Cameron Bergeron make an enormous play in the Miami game, stripping the ball on the kickoff. He maybe is not getting all the reps that he would want because Brandon Johnson is playing at a really high level right now at the nickel position, but he still goes out and finds a way to impact the football game. Tony Davis is a kid who maybe didn't get all the reps that he wanted at corner and in the last two weeks has been thrust into a bigger role and has had to step in. We talked about it with Jaquez Moore at running back and now Justin Pickett is starting to play on the offensive line a lot more and he's stepping up, so you just really want to build that mentality in your program that says when it's my turn I've got to be ready because there are a lot of people counting on me. It doesn't mean you always get it, so you are really proud of the kids when they actually step up and actually do it."

(Ref.: On how players like Todd Pelino continued to perform in practice until their number is called)
"I think that is how every backup in our program is and Todd is no different. It is very challenging to say I am going to go out to practice, I'm not guaranteed any reps, and I am going to give everything I have to get myself as ready as a I can possibly be in the chance that I am needed. It is the messaging you try to get across, but when your culture is not right or isn't strong it is hard to get those things done. We can keep coming back to it, but we have a really good culture in our locker room. Those kids really care about each other. When you start at that place, and you do care about the program and each other it makes it easier. Every Tuesday we go out to practice, and we do split PATs and field goals and we put the ones on one half of the field and the twos on the other half. Our ones get the same number of reps as our twos, and it's been like that every week all year. That doesn't mean that he has to take those reps seriously. It doesn't mean that he has to get himself in the right mental focus to play, but he did, and it is a credit to the kid, and he goes out and helps us win a football game."

(Ref.: On how important the scout team is to the program and what you can discover from it)
"I don't know if I'm surprised, but it is certainly critical. When the season started, I think kids were a little surprised by how we looked at scout teams. I told them everyone on this roster is going to play somewhere. If you are going to get reps with the ones and twos then great, but if not, you are going to go play scout team. There were times where we had our eighth offensive linemen taking reps on scout team and sometimes, we had our fifth defensive tackles taking reps on scout team. Those guys were still traveling, but just from a preparation standpoint, kids have to play football. That is one thing that gets lost a little bit is you can't get better at football without playing football. We tried to create a mentality that it is not a punishment to be on scout team, it is an opportunity to go out there and continue to develop and get better. You have different degrees of it. You have maybe that fifth guy at a certain position who doesn't get a lot of reps with the ones and twos but may get his number called at some point during the season. You have some young kids on scout team who are maybe redshirting and for them it's an opportunity. We have offensive linemen who are redshirting that are blocking an ACC defensive line every day and if that is what they aspire to do in their future and they are getting a crack at it every single day. Then you just kind of create a culture where your scout team doesn't just get beat up by the offense or defense every time. The scout team is allowed to make plays. If you go out to our scout teams sometimes our wide receivers will catch balls and you know Trevor Horton is spinning balls on DBs and having fun. That is what you want it to be about. It is no different than if we were just competing in spring ball. That is what we get at every day and that builds competition and builds depth in your program."

(Ref.: On if anyone has embraced that scout team culture and impressed him)
"Ryan Smith started on scout team and now I think he is impacting games. Cameron Bergeron was on scout team a little bit in the beginning of the year, I think he is impacting games. Terry Moore was on scout team in the beginning of the year and now he is carrying the ball in the four quarter for us when it matters. Those are just three that jump into my head. We watch that stuff too. We point it out to the roster and say listen this kid wasn't traveling last week, but he's traveling this week because I watched him on scout team, and he is getting himself into a position to where he can help us and we're going to find a role on special teams to get it started and kind of see where it goes. In a lot of ways that is what happened with Ryan Smith."

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