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Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Florida State
10/16/2023 9:05:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke football head coach Mike Elko met with members of the media on Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference.
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The No. 16 Blue Devils travel to No. 4 Florida State on Saturday for a nationally-ranked ACC matchup. The game will be broadcast on ABC with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The contest can also be heard on the Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
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Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Thanks for coming out. Recapping the other night, I thought it was a great team win. Obviously for us to get another ACC win is always big. Anytime you can get an ACC win over an in-state opponent, those always have a little bit extra weight for sure. I thought defensively we did a really nice job of setting the tempo on the line all night. I thought it started with the opening drive of the game. We really challenged them, holding NC State to a field goal and I just thought we made plays all night. It was great to see Tre Freeman step up and have a phenomenal night. I thought Brandon Johnson did some really explosive things. It's good to see DeWayne Carter continuing to elevate his game, so I just thought defensively we played really well and so with happy with those guys and how they performed.
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"Offensively, I thought we did the things that we needed to do. We knew it was going to be a little bit of a feast or famine night, regardless of who was playing at quarterback. They're just so aggressive. There are so many people in and around the box. They do such a good job with their scheme of creating disruptive plays. We just had to stay patient. I think we were able to do that and, we were able to hit the big explosive pass for the touchdown. We had the explosive run for a touchdown, and I thought converting the interception into seven points as opposed to three was really important to us as well. I thought we did a nice job with field position. I thought the three times were backed up inside our own 10-yard line to start a drive, we were able to get it out of there every single time and flip the field, which I thought was really good. I thought our special teams did a really nice job. Porter Wilson had a really good game. Obviously great to see Todd Pelino have a nice bounce back night and make the 52-yard field goal and I thought that was Charlie Ham's best night kicking off. I thought it was a good complete team win and really happy with where we are.
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"A quick recap on players of the game -- our scout team players of the week were Luke Mergot on defense, Spencer Jones on offense and Dawson Andrew on special teams. Our lineman of the week was Jacob Monk on offense and DeWayne Carter on defense. Congratulations to Jacob for being the ACC lineman of the week on offense. On offensive players of the game were Jeremiah Hasley and Jordan Waters. They kind of split it on offense. Obviously, both those guys had really big nights for us. Tre Freeman no doubt was the defensive player the game and he was also the ACC co-linebacker of the week. Todd Pelino was our specialist of the game for the job that he did.
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"Looking ahead to Florida State. They are an extremely talented football team. Ton of respect for the job that Mike Norvell has done down there. I think he has built a program, not just a team, but a program. You can see it with how those kids play and the energy and passion that they play the game with. Offensively, this is an extremely talented operation. It starts with the quarterback, Jordan Travis. He is playing at an elite level and really has been for the better part of two years now. He knows exactly what he wants to do in that system. He's managing it really well. You can see him have complete command of the offense not only as a quarterback but also as a leader. It's really impressive to see. They've got skill players all over the place. The two really talented wide receivers in [Johnny] Wilson and [Keon] Coleman. Tall, athletic, can run, can separate, can make explosive plays. They rotate through four or five other guys with no drop off at all. They're really talented at the wide receiver position. Jaheim Bell is a kid that I'm really familiar with from his time at South Carolina when I was at [Texas] A&M. He's a really athletic tight end. They play two or three tight ends that are all very talented. The offensive line has played a ton of football and so this is a complete offense for sure and it will be a big challenge for us defensively. I've known Adam Fuller, the defensive coordinator, probably as long as I've known most coaches in this profession. He does a really good job. He's a really good football coach. He's got that defense playing at a really high level. I think it's the best front we've seen in our time here at Duke. Extremely athletic, really talented pass rushers. Really disruptive getting off blocks. The two linebackers are all over the field making a ton of plays. Kalen DeLoach is a big-time playmaker and plays the game at an awfully high level. The secondary is extremely aggressive. They're going to get in your face, they're going to press, they're going play a lot of man-to-man. They're going to challenge every throw and really try to make the game very difficult for you. It's a complete team. We're going to be down there on their homecoming, at night, under the lights in Tallahassee. It's a big challenge for us and certainly a challenge that we're looking forward to and we'll get our guys ready to go to go down there and play our best football."
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(Ref.: On the growth and completeness of DeWayne Carter this season)
"Yeah, just in the last three weeks, he probably has gotten completely healthy. He had some things in the offseason, some nicks in camp, and I think he maybe would even tell you the first handful of games he wasn't as disruptive or effective as he would have liked to have been the last two or three games. He's now healthy and playing like a one-year better version of DeWayne Carter. I think he's making plays in the run game. He's disrupting blocks. I think in the throwing game, he's active. He's getting to the quarterback pocket areas, rushing the passer well, and so I just think he's really taking the next step that we hoped he would add to his game."
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(Ref.: On if he feels better with the focus of the team already having two prior primetime games this season)
"I'll give you the same answer I keep giving you. Anytime you get on a stage again, it's better and then this stage again presents a different type of challenge, right? There's a challenge of being on the road that creates a whole different type of atmosphere and environment and level of emotions that you've got to push through. I think our team is now used to going through a week where they're talking about the game that we're going to play. I think they're used to having the idea of what a spotlight game is. But we haven't done this on the road yet. So, we'll have to go do that and there'll be a new challenge for us to kind of rise to."
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(Ref.: On an update on Riley Leonard)
"Yeah. Day-to-day."
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(Ref.: On overall thoughts with Henry Belin IV's first career start)
"I thought he had good composure back there. I don't think he panicked. I thought he kept his eyes down the field the majority of the night. I thought there was a little bit of up and downs. The ups certainly, the deep ball that he threw to [Jalon] Calhoun was a big-time throw. I thought the out-route that he threw off the RPO and the second drive of the game was a really good throw. I thought he made a couple other really good throws that we maybe could have come down with and then there were a handful I'm sure that he wished he had back and that's probably just the nerves of the first time start. I think getting that composure and getting that under his belt now he's one game further along from a maturity standpoint, which will pay huge dividends I think for him moving forward."
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(Ref.: On the growth and ability of Jeremiah Hasley, stepping into the starting tight end role)
"I think it speaks on so many levels. I think it speaks to the character of our team. Jeremiah comes in and he wants to be the starting middle linebacker, and it doesn't look like it's trending in that direction. So, you bring them in, and you say 'listen, here's an opportunity and a potential spot for you to be more of an impact player this year. I know it's like going to Mars, but you know, what do you think?' They don't blink because they just say, 'let's do it'. So, he flips over. He played tight end in high school, so it's not like we didn't know he could be a tight end, but he certainly didn't know anything about the offense. The cadence, snap count, how we call a play, like none of that stuff other than what maybe he stole as the middle linebacker, but still learn everything. That takes a tremendous amount of work ethic and time and devotion to do that. Then to practice at a level that you need to practice so that when your number's called against an in-state rival, you can go out there and play at a high level and he did that. So, I think it's a huge testimony to who he is and really who these guys are, because I think those stories keep reoccurring from our locker room."
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(Ref.: On the interception that Henry threw early in the game)
"Yeah, I think what happened was they didn't quite get the coverage set. I think at the end of the day, Jordan [Moore] probably read the coverage right and snapped the route off. I think Henry's mind as the ball got snapped, they weren't set, and so he kind of had a vision of it going in a different direction. I don't know that I would put it on either guy, to be honest with you. I think I understood what Henry saw and I also understood what Jordan saw and it just kind of was an unfortunate situation that kind of ended up with the interception."
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(Ref.: On what he attributes the growth of the secondary to)
"I think it's a couple of things. One, it's one year further along in our system, and I think that means a lot. I think the way we play coverage is just a little bit different. To get all of the intricacies of what we're trying to do and go out there and be able to be confident and play fast. It takes a little bit of time and I think that's a part of it. I think we had some young guy's last year playing for the first time, who are playing now as second-year players and have made tremendous strides. Chandler Rivers, Jaylen Stinson, Brandon Johnson, even as dynamic and impressive as he was last year. I think he's doing it again at an even higher level this year. Joshua Pickett has done the same. Then we continue to talk about the pieces that were added. I think the pieces that were added have really given us a lot of diversity back there. You bring in Miles Jones and Al Blades Jr. You bring in Jeremiah Lewis, you flip Terry Moore over, and he has a heck of a game the other night. I think that creates this versatile group that you can try to utilize in the ways that allow them to have advantages."
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(Ref.: On the difference playing in a primetime game on the road against a Top-5 opponent)
"It's probably a little bit different. The Clemson game was the opener, right? So, there wasn't a ton of like finality to that one. It was just two teams that were playing on a national stage for the first time trying to establish themselves and as big as the Notre Dame game was and as huge of a stage that was, that was still a non-conference opportunity. That plays a role a little bit. Now you're playing a primetime game between two unbeaten teams in the ACC, and at the end of this, someone's going to have a clearer path to Charlotte than the other one. That's something that's critical and that's not lost on anybody in our locker room. It is an in-league, big stage, big opportunity for our guys to go kind of rise up to and take advantage of."
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(Ref.: On his team being fourth in the country in scoring defense and holding opponents to under 10 points per game)
"I think our defensive staff is elite. I think every single guy in that room is doing a phenomenal job. I think the development of that group. You put up a points per game slide from two years ago to last year to this year, it would probably be one of the most impressive turnarounds you've probably ever seen and so that's a credit to all of those guys, and it's a credit to the kids. I think what you see from our group is a group of kids that are bought into 11 guys playing together as one. I think they understand how to play together, they feed off each other. There's a ton of energy and excitement when those guys play. You don't see anybody really care about who gets to make the plays. They just have fun when the plays are made. They play extremely hard. There's a ton of people in and around the football, and they're really talented. That's the part of it that maybe the outside world just seems to struggle with. But some of those kids are really talented football players and I think maybe people are just starting to take notice."
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(Ref.: On Florida State's tall and athletic wideouts and how to contain them)
"Yeah, I mean just one is you have to get your body in a great position, and you have to know that the route's not over until the ball is on the ground, and I think there's just a mentality that goes into that competitive nature. You can be in great coverage, and you can know that there's probably a window to throw them the football with these guys. You can be in phenomenal coverage and there's still a window to throw them the football and so you've got to compete, start to finish until the balls on the ground and I think it's just a mentality in how we play the ball and how we finish on the route is going to obviously be critical because they're certainly going to throw the ball when maybe you would see him as covered because they have guys that have the ability to elevate and go make plays and make contested catches."
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(Ref.: On his team's ability to limit the explosive plays on Saturday)
"It's their ability to make contested catches. I think they do a good job with their scheme for sure. I think they create ways to get guys into one-on-one matchups, and that's something Mike Novell does a really good job of, their offensive staff does a really good job with. And then those kids are really really capable of climbing the ladder and making some big time impressive athletic, contested catches and that's the challenge, right? That's the challenge that these guys present and so, we haven't given up a ton of them. They've made an awful lot of them and so probably will play a huge role in the success in the game one way or the other. I think whatever team is able to win that battle the most, they're certainly going to make some, we're certainly going to make some, I think whoever makes it the most is probably the team that has the most success Saturday."
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(Ref.: On the next man up mentality throughout the team over the last two seasons)
"You look at Brian Parker II. Steps into the Notre Dame game and has to start at left tackle and nobody notices. You look at what [Jeremiah] Hasley did. Even a kid like Joshua Pickett, who you know isn't necessarily in the rotation and then Miles Jones goes down and he has to step in and all of a sudden, he's got to play at a high level. Guys have gone down since we've been here and you have two thoughts in this game: you can complain about the injuries, you can cry about the injuries, you can make a big deal about the injuries or you can just understand that there's a game Saturday that you have to play and someone's got to go on the field and play it. I think our kids have bought into that mentality. Take anybody on our two-deep and I think right now they're doing the things that they need to do. It's a shame that we're not able to play more of them. It's a competitive room. Take a kid like Jaylen Coleman. He's not a young kid, but if you could come out and watch him practice, he's practicing extremely hard every day. We continue to try to talk about how we can get him some carries and then Jordan Waters averages 9.8 yards per carry. So how do you take him off the field? It's what you get when you get in a competitive program. It's why character and culture is so important because it allows those next guys to just feed off of each other and keep going and knowing that at some point that number is going to get called. Seems like that's developed more hunger in the past. You saw some guys come in, not that maybe weren't quite ready for the moment. But these guys seem to relish, they seem hungry, they want it. I think if you had to spend eight months with Coach [David] Feeley, and then get to the season, you would want to play. There's a confidence in the way we go about our preparation. There's a confidence in our locker room right now. I think the guys feel that they're playing football at a really good level. That's not just the guys that are out on the field. That's even some of the guys who aren't getting their opportunities. I don't think there's anybody in our locker room that doesn't want their name called or to be put in that spot where they can go out and shine and I think you see even with guys on special teams stepping up and making plays. They can visualize, at some point his numbers going to get called and he's going to go out there and play."
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(Ref.: On if he learned anything about Henry Belin IV after Saturday's start)
"I think it's probably more what he learned. I think it's more of that. We have a ton of confidence in him. We know who Henry is. We know that he can function and operate in this offense at a really high level. We believe in him. We believe in what he's capable of doing. I don't think that we were looking to figure that out. It's when you go out there and you go through it for the first time, the speed of the game, how fast things are moving and having to operate with the play clock and just what it all really truly feels like to start an ACC football game. You just can't simulate that and that's why any level of angst that went into the game was just around the first start. It was the same thing with Riley [Leonard] last year. It was no different in his first start. 'What is it going to be?' So, I think what he learned is how the game operates, the speed of the game, how it all really feels. I think it'll allow him to slow down, and I think he'll be able to play a little bit more like he's capable of more consistently. I think there were some ups and downs in how he played. I think you'll see a lot more ups the next time he goes out there because he'll be a lot more confident a lot more comfortable himself."
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(Ref.: On if Tyler Santucci has exceeded expectations in his first season as defensive coordinator)
"I think Tyler's phenomenal. I think he's as good of a coach as there is in America. So, I don't know that you could exceed those expectations. I think the performance of our defense, I don't know that I would have sat here and told you I bet we're not giving up 10 points a game midway through the season. I don't think I would have called that. So maybe the performance of the group is exceeding expectations, and that is the testimony to everybody in that room, but I hired Tyler -- what at four different schools now? I don't mean that in a bad way but, I don't know that I can have more confidence in a coach than I do in him. I certainly anticipated him doing this at a really high level. I don't know that he exceeded them but certainly I think our overall results, would have been hard to predict it would look like this."
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(Ref.: On if the relationship between Kevin Johns and Mike Norvell helps game planning this week)
"I don't know. I think every offense kind of changes with personnel and with people over time. I'm sure there's some familiarity that we have with their system, because there is a little bit of crossover. I'm sure they have the same with us. I've known Coach Fuller for a long time. He knows us. So, there's a little bit of that. I just think things evolve and change so much over time that I don't know how much that really truly impacts how the game will play Saturday."
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(Ref.: On if culture is built through recruiting or if it can be learned)
"Probably a little bit of both. Certainly something that I think you try to develop. I think people throw that word culture around all the time and it can mean so many different things. I think one of the things that we spend an awful lot of time around here on is mindset. Learning how to compete, learning how to chase greatness, learning how to look in the mirror every day and figure out how I can take a little bit and become better in every aspect of my life. I think that's something we spend a lot of time within this program, just developing people. For some reason that all of a sudden makes us this developmental program and I don't mean it like that. I just think we try to improve kids. We get kids at 18 and they leave us at 22. I think part of our responsibility as college coaches is to improve them in every aspect of their life while they're with us, and that's something that we are very intentional about. So, part of it obviously is getting the right kids. If you get the wrong kids, then none of that comes to any type of fruition. So, you got to get the right kids and fortunately, we inherited a lot of kids who were the right kids and that's a testament to Coach [David] Cutcliffe and the job he did, but we are very intentional, I think with how we develop that mindset through our offseason."
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The No. 16 Blue Devils travel to No. 4 Florida State on Saturday for a nationally-ranked ACC matchup. The game will be broadcast on ABC with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The contest can also be heard on the Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
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Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Thanks for coming out. Recapping the other night, I thought it was a great team win. Obviously for us to get another ACC win is always big. Anytime you can get an ACC win over an in-state opponent, those always have a little bit extra weight for sure. I thought defensively we did a really nice job of setting the tempo on the line all night. I thought it started with the opening drive of the game. We really challenged them, holding NC State to a field goal and I just thought we made plays all night. It was great to see Tre Freeman step up and have a phenomenal night. I thought Brandon Johnson did some really explosive things. It's good to see DeWayne Carter continuing to elevate his game, so I just thought defensively we played really well and so with happy with those guys and how they performed.
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"Offensively, I thought we did the things that we needed to do. We knew it was going to be a little bit of a feast or famine night, regardless of who was playing at quarterback. They're just so aggressive. There are so many people in and around the box. They do such a good job with their scheme of creating disruptive plays. We just had to stay patient. I think we were able to do that and, we were able to hit the big explosive pass for the touchdown. We had the explosive run for a touchdown, and I thought converting the interception into seven points as opposed to three was really important to us as well. I thought we did a nice job with field position. I thought the three times were backed up inside our own 10-yard line to start a drive, we were able to get it out of there every single time and flip the field, which I thought was really good. I thought our special teams did a really nice job. Porter Wilson had a really good game. Obviously great to see Todd Pelino have a nice bounce back night and make the 52-yard field goal and I thought that was Charlie Ham's best night kicking off. I thought it was a good complete team win and really happy with where we are.
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"A quick recap on players of the game -- our scout team players of the week were Luke Mergot on defense, Spencer Jones on offense and Dawson Andrew on special teams. Our lineman of the week was Jacob Monk on offense and DeWayne Carter on defense. Congratulations to Jacob for being the ACC lineman of the week on offense. On offensive players of the game were Jeremiah Hasley and Jordan Waters. They kind of split it on offense. Obviously, both those guys had really big nights for us. Tre Freeman no doubt was the defensive player the game and he was also the ACC co-linebacker of the week. Todd Pelino was our specialist of the game for the job that he did.
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"Looking ahead to Florida State. They are an extremely talented football team. Ton of respect for the job that Mike Norvell has done down there. I think he has built a program, not just a team, but a program. You can see it with how those kids play and the energy and passion that they play the game with. Offensively, this is an extremely talented operation. It starts with the quarterback, Jordan Travis. He is playing at an elite level and really has been for the better part of two years now. He knows exactly what he wants to do in that system. He's managing it really well. You can see him have complete command of the offense not only as a quarterback but also as a leader. It's really impressive to see. They've got skill players all over the place. The two really talented wide receivers in [Johnny] Wilson and [Keon] Coleman. Tall, athletic, can run, can separate, can make explosive plays. They rotate through four or five other guys with no drop off at all. They're really talented at the wide receiver position. Jaheim Bell is a kid that I'm really familiar with from his time at South Carolina when I was at [Texas] A&M. He's a really athletic tight end. They play two or three tight ends that are all very talented. The offensive line has played a ton of football and so this is a complete offense for sure and it will be a big challenge for us defensively. I've known Adam Fuller, the defensive coordinator, probably as long as I've known most coaches in this profession. He does a really good job. He's a really good football coach. He's got that defense playing at a really high level. I think it's the best front we've seen in our time here at Duke. Extremely athletic, really talented pass rushers. Really disruptive getting off blocks. The two linebackers are all over the field making a ton of plays. Kalen DeLoach is a big-time playmaker and plays the game at an awfully high level. The secondary is extremely aggressive. They're going to get in your face, they're going to press, they're going play a lot of man-to-man. They're going to challenge every throw and really try to make the game very difficult for you. It's a complete team. We're going to be down there on their homecoming, at night, under the lights in Tallahassee. It's a big challenge for us and certainly a challenge that we're looking forward to and we'll get our guys ready to go to go down there and play our best football."
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(Ref.: On the growth and completeness of DeWayne Carter this season)
"Yeah, just in the last three weeks, he probably has gotten completely healthy. He had some things in the offseason, some nicks in camp, and I think he maybe would even tell you the first handful of games he wasn't as disruptive or effective as he would have liked to have been the last two or three games. He's now healthy and playing like a one-year better version of DeWayne Carter. I think he's making plays in the run game. He's disrupting blocks. I think in the throwing game, he's active. He's getting to the quarterback pocket areas, rushing the passer well, and so I just think he's really taking the next step that we hoped he would add to his game."
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(Ref.: On if he feels better with the focus of the team already having two prior primetime games this season)
"I'll give you the same answer I keep giving you. Anytime you get on a stage again, it's better and then this stage again presents a different type of challenge, right? There's a challenge of being on the road that creates a whole different type of atmosphere and environment and level of emotions that you've got to push through. I think our team is now used to going through a week where they're talking about the game that we're going to play. I think they're used to having the idea of what a spotlight game is. But we haven't done this on the road yet. So, we'll have to go do that and there'll be a new challenge for us to kind of rise to."
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(Ref.: On an update on Riley Leonard)
"Yeah. Day-to-day."
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(Ref.: On overall thoughts with Henry Belin IV's first career start)
"I thought he had good composure back there. I don't think he panicked. I thought he kept his eyes down the field the majority of the night. I thought there was a little bit of up and downs. The ups certainly, the deep ball that he threw to [Jalon] Calhoun was a big-time throw. I thought the out-route that he threw off the RPO and the second drive of the game was a really good throw. I thought he made a couple other really good throws that we maybe could have come down with and then there were a handful I'm sure that he wished he had back and that's probably just the nerves of the first time start. I think getting that composure and getting that under his belt now he's one game further along from a maturity standpoint, which will pay huge dividends I think for him moving forward."
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(Ref.: On the growth and ability of Jeremiah Hasley, stepping into the starting tight end role)
"I think it speaks on so many levels. I think it speaks to the character of our team. Jeremiah comes in and he wants to be the starting middle linebacker, and it doesn't look like it's trending in that direction. So, you bring them in, and you say 'listen, here's an opportunity and a potential spot for you to be more of an impact player this year. I know it's like going to Mars, but you know, what do you think?' They don't blink because they just say, 'let's do it'. So, he flips over. He played tight end in high school, so it's not like we didn't know he could be a tight end, but he certainly didn't know anything about the offense. The cadence, snap count, how we call a play, like none of that stuff other than what maybe he stole as the middle linebacker, but still learn everything. That takes a tremendous amount of work ethic and time and devotion to do that. Then to practice at a level that you need to practice so that when your number's called against an in-state rival, you can go out there and play at a high level and he did that. So, I think it's a huge testimony to who he is and really who these guys are, because I think those stories keep reoccurring from our locker room."
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(Ref.: On the interception that Henry threw early in the game)
"Yeah, I think what happened was they didn't quite get the coverage set. I think at the end of the day, Jordan [Moore] probably read the coverage right and snapped the route off. I think Henry's mind as the ball got snapped, they weren't set, and so he kind of had a vision of it going in a different direction. I don't know that I would put it on either guy, to be honest with you. I think I understood what Henry saw and I also understood what Jordan saw and it just kind of was an unfortunate situation that kind of ended up with the interception."
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(Ref.: On what he attributes the growth of the secondary to)
"I think it's a couple of things. One, it's one year further along in our system, and I think that means a lot. I think the way we play coverage is just a little bit different. To get all of the intricacies of what we're trying to do and go out there and be able to be confident and play fast. It takes a little bit of time and I think that's a part of it. I think we had some young guy's last year playing for the first time, who are playing now as second-year players and have made tremendous strides. Chandler Rivers, Jaylen Stinson, Brandon Johnson, even as dynamic and impressive as he was last year. I think he's doing it again at an even higher level this year. Joshua Pickett has done the same. Then we continue to talk about the pieces that were added. I think the pieces that were added have really given us a lot of diversity back there. You bring in Miles Jones and Al Blades Jr. You bring in Jeremiah Lewis, you flip Terry Moore over, and he has a heck of a game the other night. I think that creates this versatile group that you can try to utilize in the ways that allow them to have advantages."
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(Ref.: On the difference playing in a primetime game on the road against a Top-5 opponent)
"It's probably a little bit different. The Clemson game was the opener, right? So, there wasn't a ton of like finality to that one. It was just two teams that were playing on a national stage for the first time trying to establish themselves and as big as the Notre Dame game was and as huge of a stage that was, that was still a non-conference opportunity. That plays a role a little bit. Now you're playing a primetime game between two unbeaten teams in the ACC, and at the end of this, someone's going to have a clearer path to Charlotte than the other one. That's something that's critical and that's not lost on anybody in our locker room. It is an in-league, big stage, big opportunity for our guys to go kind of rise up to and take advantage of."
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(Ref.: On his team being fourth in the country in scoring defense and holding opponents to under 10 points per game)
"I think our defensive staff is elite. I think every single guy in that room is doing a phenomenal job. I think the development of that group. You put up a points per game slide from two years ago to last year to this year, it would probably be one of the most impressive turnarounds you've probably ever seen and so that's a credit to all of those guys, and it's a credit to the kids. I think what you see from our group is a group of kids that are bought into 11 guys playing together as one. I think they understand how to play together, they feed off each other. There's a ton of energy and excitement when those guys play. You don't see anybody really care about who gets to make the plays. They just have fun when the plays are made. They play extremely hard. There's a ton of people in and around the football, and they're really talented. That's the part of it that maybe the outside world just seems to struggle with. But some of those kids are really talented football players and I think maybe people are just starting to take notice."
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(Ref.: On Florida State's tall and athletic wideouts and how to contain them)
"Yeah, I mean just one is you have to get your body in a great position, and you have to know that the route's not over until the ball is on the ground, and I think there's just a mentality that goes into that competitive nature. You can be in great coverage, and you can know that there's probably a window to throw them the football with these guys. You can be in phenomenal coverage and there's still a window to throw them the football and so you've got to compete, start to finish until the balls on the ground and I think it's just a mentality in how we play the ball and how we finish on the route is going to obviously be critical because they're certainly going to throw the ball when maybe you would see him as covered because they have guys that have the ability to elevate and go make plays and make contested catches."
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(Ref.: On his team's ability to limit the explosive plays on Saturday)
"It's their ability to make contested catches. I think they do a good job with their scheme for sure. I think they create ways to get guys into one-on-one matchups, and that's something Mike Novell does a really good job of, their offensive staff does a really good job with. And then those kids are really really capable of climbing the ladder and making some big time impressive athletic, contested catches and that's the challenge, right? That's the challenge that these guys present and so, we haven't given up a ton of them. They've made an awful lot of them and so probably will play a huge role in the success in the game one way or the other. I think whatever team is able to win that battle the most, they're certainly going to make some, we're certainly going to make some, I think whoever makes it the most is probably the team that has the most success Saturday."
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(Ref.: On the next man up mentality throughout the team over the last two seasons)
"You look at Brian Parker II. Steps into the Notre Dame game and has to start at left tackle and nobody notices. You look at what [Jeremiah] Hasley did. Even a kid like Joshua Pickett, who you know isn't necessarily in the rotation and then Miles Jones goes down and he has to step in and all of a sudden, he's got to play at a high level. Guys have gone down since we've been here and you have two thoughts in this game: you can complain about the injuries, you can cry about the injuries, you can make a big deal about the injuries or you can just understand that there's a game Saturday that you have to play and someone's got to go on the field and play it. I think our kids have bought into that mentality. Take anybody on our two-deep and I think right now they're doing the things that they need to do. It's a shame that we're not able to play more of them. It's a competitive room. Take a kid like Jaylen Coleman. He's not a young kid, but if you could come out and watch him practice, he's practicing extremely hard every day. We continue to try to talk about how we can get him some carries and then Jordan Waters averages 9.8 yards per carry. So how do you take him off the field? It's what you get when you get in a competitive program. It's why character and culture is so important because it allows those next guys to just feed off of each other and keep going and knowing that at some point that number is going to get called. Seems like that's developed more hunger in the past. You saw some guys come in, not that maybe weren't quite ready for the moment. But these guys seem to relish, they seem hungry, they want it. I think if you had to spend eight months with Coach [David] Feeley, and then get to the season, you would want to play. There's a confidence in the way we go about our preparation. There's a confidence in our locker room right now. I think the guys feel that they're playing football at a really good level. That's not just the guys that are out on the field. That's even some of the guys who aren't getting their opportunities. I don't think there's anybody in our locker room that doesn't want their name called or to be put in that spot where they can go out and shine and I think you see even with guys on special teams stepping up and making plays. They can visualize, at some point his numbers going to get called and he's going to go out there and play."
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(Ref.: On if he learned anything about Henry Belin IV after Saturday's start)
"I think it's probably more what he learned. I think it's more of that. We have a ton of confidence in him. We know who Henry is. We know that he can function and operate in this offense at a really high level. We believe in him. We believe in what he's capable of doing. I don't think that we were looking to figure that out. It's when you go out there and you go through it for the first time, the speed of the game, how fast things are moving and having to operate with the play clock and just what it all really truly feels like to start an ACC football game. You just can't simulate that and that's why any level of angst that went into the game was just around the first start. It was the same thing with Riley [Leonard] last year. It was no different in his first start. 'What is it going to be?' So, I think what he learned is how the game operates, the speed of the game, how it all really feels. I think it'll allow him to slow down, and I think he'll be able to play a little bit more like he's capable of more consistently. I think there were some ups and downs in how he played. I think you'll see a lot more ups the next time he goes out there because he'll be a lot more confident a lot more comfortable himself."
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(Ref.: On if Tyler Santucci has exceeded expectations in his first season as defensive coordinator)
"I think Tyler's phenomenal. I think he's as good of a coach as there is in America. So, I don't know that you could exceed those expectations. I think the performance of our defense, I don't know that I would have sat here and told you I bet we're not giving up 10 points a game midway through the season. I don't think I would have called that. So maybe the performance of the group is exceeding expectations, and that is the testimony to everybody in that room, but I hired Tyler -- what at four different schools now? I don't mean that in a bad way but, I don't know that I can have more confidence in a coach than I do in him. I certainly anticipated him doing this at a really high level. I don't know that he exceeded them but certainly I think our overall results, would have been hard to predict it would look like this."
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(Ref.: On if the relationship between Kevin Johns and Mike Norvell helps game planning this week)
"I don't know. I think every offense kind of changes with personnel and with people over time. I'm sure there's some familiarity that we have with their system, because there is a little bit of crossover. I'm sure they have the same with us. I've known Coach Fuller for a long time. He knows us. So, there's a little bit of that. I just think things evolve and change so much over time that I don't know how much that really truly impacts how the game will play Saturday."
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(Ref.: On if culture is built through recruiting or if it can be learned)
"Probably a little bit of both. Certainly something that I think you try to develop. I think people throw that word culture around all the time and it can mean so many different things. I think one of the things that we spend an awful lot of time around here on is mindset. Learning how to compete, learning how to chase greatness, learning how to look in the mirror every day and figure out how I can take a little bit and become better in every aspect of my life. I think that's something we spend a lot of time within this program, just developing people. For some reason that all of a sudden makes us this developmental program and I don't mean it like that. I just think we try to improve kids. We get kids at 18 and they leave us at 22. I think part of our responsibility as college coaches is to improve them in every aspect of their life while they're with us, and that's something that we are very intentional about. So, part of it obviously is getting the right kids. If you get the wrong kids, then none of that comes to any type of fruition. So, you got to get the right kids and fortunately, we inherited a lot of kids who were the right kids and that's a testament to Coach [David] Cutcliffe and the job he did, but we are very intentional, I think with how we develop that mindset through our offseason."
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/ FootballCoach Diaz Media Availability: Clemson
Wednesday, October 29
Que'Sean Brown Media Availability: Clemson
Tuesday, October 28
Aaron Hall Media Availability: Clemson
Tuesday, October 28
Coach Brewer Press Conference: Clemson
Monday, October 27
