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Manny Diaz Press Conference Quotes: NC State
11/4/2024 7:41:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke football head coach Manny Diaz, offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke met with members of the media Monday afternoon for the program's weekly press conference.
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Duke (6-3, 2-3 ACC) travels to NC State (5-4, 2-3 ACC) on Saturday for the Blue Devils' second straight conference, and road, tilt. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network.
HEAD COACH MANNY DIAZ
Opening Statement:
"The calendar says November, which means we're coming down the home stretch for the final three games. Pulling the lens back, in the last two games we've played two teams that look like they're on a collision course to play for our league championship. One of those teams we lost to by a point in overtime and the other we were winning by 11 at their place in the third quarter. I think we've shown our pathway to becoming a championship program. I think we've shown that we can play with anybody. To go on a 28-3 run on the road anywhere is very impressive, but to do it against the caliber of a team like Miami and the athletes they have was a sight to see.Â
"I think now we analyze where we are and where we want to go. We have to learn how to win on the road. Of all the things that have been on the positive uptick here [at Duke], road conference wins have been the one metric that's been lagging.Â
"If you look at our two road losses in the league, we had second half leads in both games and, combined, were outscored by 32 points in the fourth quarter. In our other seven games, where we're 6-1, we're outscoring the opposition by 42 points. What's happening on the road? How do you close somebody out? That's a learned skill that's not easy to do. You're going to get a response, especially when you have the lead, which we had second-half leads in both of our road games. You're going to feel the momentum of the home crowd as they get into it, as their team starts to make a fight back. That's going to happen.Â
"We feel kind of blessed this week, to go on the road and play an in-state rival at one of the better atmospheres in our league. We have the opportunity to go challenge ourselves and be in this position again – to try to learn how to make the plays in the fourth quarter and win a game. We say all the time, greatness is being consistently good. We have shown we can put together runs that are very, very impressive. We just have got to get to a point where we can close on the road, which is the hardest thing to do. Winning on the road in the league usually separates the teams at the top. That's going to separate the teams that get to the College Football Playoff versus the ones that are close by. We do not feel, as a program, that we're very far off based on the evidence of the last 14 days. We have a great chance to do it against a very hot NC State team. Their starters never punted this past week. So, it should be a great atmosphere on their Senior Night as well. It should be a fun game."
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On the defensive mistakes made Saturday…
"When the heat gets turned up in an environment, which is going to happen when you're playing on the road, you're going to feel that question of – what's instinct and what's not instinct. When Miami lined up in the bunch in the boundary to run the screen and go, which we had already seen once in the game, and we looked at how we lined up and managed who has who within the defense we're playing, it is one of the first defenses we call in August. At that moment, was it instinct? That's what you're finding out.Â
"The other big play was just the same thing. It's a play that they had seen and already defended well the previous few times on an RPO. This time, we didn't defend it well. It's that consistency and performance that are needed.Â
"What we talk about all the time is great players and great teams, they just punish mistakes. But you're in control of your mistakes. I think that was the part that the film showed – for all the great players Miami has, and they certainly do have great players, everything great that happened for them during the game coincided with a mistake.Â
"When we say a mistake, what we would think would be an easy mistake, we don't look at that as casting it off, as it's easy. [Those mistakes] show what we don't have mastery over. We showed a couple of examples, some of our turnovers on offense, some of our missed opportunities on third downs on offense and on things we've been running again and again and again.Â
"At that moment why is a route not running exactly to the right spot? They're just little details, right? That's what has to happen to win those types of games. I think that's where games like [Saturday] are great teachers. They show you. We know it, but do we know it?Â
"As we talk about all the time, we're on a pathway to mastery. Games show you what skills pop up in a game you don't master. We made a similar point to the team last week. We showed them Game 5 of the World Series. Nobody thought that game was going to be won by a pitcher not covering first base. And it also was won by a Los Angeles Dodger running out a ground ball when it looked like he hit a terrible hit. You can never predict those little things, which get practiced from the very first day any little league team gets together. We practice certain things and then in crucial moments, when the heat is turned up, can you do simple things well? That's really what we're trying to pride ourselves in within the program – doing simple well."
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On returning to NC State…
"I had six really, really good years there, including one of the best years in school history by beating Notre Dame and winning 11 games. Two of the great players on that team are on their staff – Dantonio Burnette, who is their strength coach was our middle linebacker, and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay coaches on their staff. Stephen Tulloch, who played for me there, was on the sideline at Miami this past week. There are a lot of good people. There were fun times.Â
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"I learned a lot. I was still really young in this profession. So I learned a lot of great lessons seeing a program built from day one. Having a front-row seat of how difficult it is to try to get a program into orbit is one of the hardest things a head coach has to do. Gravity is relentless.Â
"Two of my sons were born in Raleigh so we'll be excited to return. We went back to Miami a few years ago and played over there during the COVID year. I know it'll be a good environment on Saturday."Â
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On deciding when to kick field goals at Miami…
"The fourth down decision was a solid go. We felt great about the play that we had in that scenario to get it. And it worked out exactly as we thought. In the other one it was fourth-and-seven and I didn't feel as good. You're in a tight yard, restricted territory with less space for a defensive cover. I didn't feel great about what we would have in that scenario. Even though you knew field goals weren't going to win the game, it made it a one-point game. In the worst-case scenario, we get the ball back with it being an eight-point game. Even though eight is not always exactly a one-score game, it can be. We felt if we came away with zero in that scenario, then we could go down two proper scores and have a really hard time coming back."
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OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN BREWER
On the number of turnovers seen in last week's game against Miami…
"I think sometimes when guys get in moments, they feel like we are there. Now, in the first drive we hit a slant and didn't turn it into a first down. Guys started pressing like – I need to make a play. I need to make a big-time throw. We tried to get out there and give him [Maalik Murphy] a chance to get a one-on-one with Jordan Moore, one of our best players. They ended up double-teaming. We have to be disciplined enough to throw it away or scramble to get yards. But to not put the ball in jeopardy. I think after those two plays there, Maalik settled in. He was dialed in."
On the breakout performances for Sahmir Hagans and Peyton Jones…
"Well, Sahmir, it all starts from practice. If you watched practice last week, he was on fire. He was out to prove a point. He took advantage of that week. What you practice is what you get. If you practice like your hair is on fire and you're ready to go, he gets [opportunities]. I'm not surprised. We see it all the time. He has had breakout games for us before.Â
"It was nice to see Peyton. We train our running backs to be like receivers. Coach [Willie] Simmons and Coach [Cam] Clark came to me during the week and said, 'hey, we were looking for a way to get a vertical ball on a MIKE linebacker. The running backs have been doing great in our drills. We trust him'. I said, 'All right, let's put him in this set. If we get this look, he's going to let it rip.'Â
"They gave us a look. He almost executed what you want to do on a vertical ball to perfection."
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DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN PATKE
On the coverage mistakes of the second half of the game against Miami…
"I think when you look at the game as a whole, it's a one-point game in the fourth quarter. It's crazy when you break it down. With 15 plays left in the fourth quarter, three of those turned up to be touchdowns on explosive plays. We had two of our better players on Restrepo. They both missed the tackle, and it goes for a touchdown. What we told the defense was what Coach Diaz talks a lot about – making our layups. In this game, we didn't make our layups.Â
"Whether we were mentally fatigued, or physically fatigued, did the heat get to us? Did the crowd get to us? The crowd got involved. Did we feel the pressure of a "big" game? I don't know. We're trying to get to the bottom of that.Â
"I think our guys understand all we have to do is make our layups. We were very simple. That was the plan going into that game – to play our day-one coverage and be good at it.Â
"Ultimately, it came down to tackling and some crucial missed tackles that led to touchdowns against really good players. A good quarterback is going to find your mistakes, right? Great quarterbacks find those, and he found them."
Â
Looking at NC State's offense…
"A young quarterback that has grown each week. He goes through his progressions really well. He's coached really well. I think he's pretty careful with the ball. He knows where to go with the ball. He can get out of trouble with his feet. I think their experience is on the offensive line. They have a lot of experience up front. Then they have a rotation at running back. They have pretty good backs they roll in the game. Obviously, one of the best slot receivers we've seen. He's an explosive player with the ball in his hands. They do a great job of getting him the ball to him in many different ways. Whether they hand it to him, put him in the backfield and hand it off to him, pitch it to him or get him on a motion. They do a great job of finding ways to get the ball to No. 10. It's going to be a great challenge. I'm looking forward to it."
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#GoDuke
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Duke (6-3, 2-3 ACC) travels to NC State (5-4, 2-3 ACC) on Saturday for the Blue Devils' second straight conference, and road, tilt. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network.
HEAD COACH MANNY DIAZ
Opening Statement:
"The calendar says November, which means we're coming down the home stretch for the final three games. Pulling the lens back, in the last two games we've played two teams that look like they're on a collision course to play for our league championship. One of those teams we lost to by a point in overtime and the other we were winning by 11 at their place in the third quarter. I think we've shown our pathway to becoming a championship program. I think we've shown that we can play with anybody. To go on a 28-3 run on the road anywhere is very impressive, but to do it against the caliber of a team like Miami and the athletes they have was a sight to see.Â
"I think now we analyze where we are and where we want to go. We have to learn how to win on the road. Of all the things that have been on the positive uptick here [at Duke], road conference wins have been the one metric that's been lagging.Â
"If you look at our two road losses in the league, we had second half leads in both games and, combined, were outscored by 32 points in the fourth quarter. In our other seven games, where we're 6-1, we're outscoring the opposition by 42 points. What's happening on the road? How do you close somebody out? That's a learned skill that's not easy to do. You're going to get a response, especially when you have the lead, which we had second-half leads in both of our road games. You're going to feel the momentum of the home crowd as they get into it, as their team starts to make a fight back. That's going to happen.Â
"We feel kind of blessed this week, to go on the road and play an in-state rival at one of the better atmospheres in our league. We have the opportunity to go challenge ourselves and be in this position again – to try to learn how to make the plays in the fourth quarter and win a game. We say all the time, greatness is being consistently good. We have shown we can put together runs that are very, very impressive. We just have got to get to a point where we can close on the road, which is the hardest thing to do. Winning on the road in the league usually separates the teams at the top. That's going to separate the teams that get to the College Football Playoff versus the ones that are close by. We do not feel, as a program, that we're very far off based on the evidence of the last 14 days. We have a great chance to do it against a very hot NC State team. Their starters never punted this past week. So, it should be a great atmosphere on their Senior Night as well. It should be a fun game."
 Â
On the defensive mistakes made Saturday…
"When the heat gets turned up in an environment, which is going to happen when you're playing on the road, you're going to feel that question of – what's instinct and what's not instinct. When Miami lined up in the bunch in the boundary to run the screen and go, which we had already seen once in the game, and we looked at how we lined up and managed who has who within the defense we're playing, it is one of the first defenses we call in August. At that moment, was it instinct? That's what you're finding out.Â
"The other big play was just the same thing. It's a play that they had seen and already defended well the previous few times on an RPO. This time, we didn't defend it well. It's that consistency and performance that are needed.Â
"What we talk about all the time is great players and great teams, they just punish mistakes. But you're in control of your mistakes. I think that was the part that the film showed – for all the great players Miami has, and they certainly do have great players, everything great that happened for them during the game coincided with a mistake.Â
"When we say a mistake, what we would think would be an easy mistake, we don't look at that as casting it off, as it's easy. [Those mistakes] show what we don't have mastery over. We showed a couple of examples, some of our turnovers on offense, some of our missed opportunities on third downs on offense and on things we've been running again and again and again.Â
"At that moment why is a route not running exactly to the right spot? They're just little details, right? That's what has to happen to win those types of games. I think that's where games like [Saturday] are great teachers. They show you. We know it, but do we know it?Â
"As we talk about all the time, we're on a pathway to mastery. Games show you what skills pop up in a game you don't master. We made a similar point to the team last week. We showed them Game 5 of the World Series. Nobody thought that game was going to be won by a pitcher not covering first base. And it also was won by a Los Angeles Dodger running out a ground ball when it looked like he hit a terrible hit. You can never predict those little things, which get practiced from the very first day any little league team gets together. We practice certain things and then in crucial moments, when the heat is turned up, can you do simple things well? That's really what we're trying to pride ourselves in within the program – doing simple well."
Â
On returning to NC State…
"I had six really, really good years there, including one of the best years in school history by beating Notre Dame and winning 11 games. Two of the great players on that team are on their staff – Dantonio Burnette, who is their strength coach was our middle linebacker, and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay coaches on their staff. Stephen Tulloch, who played for me there, was on the sideline at Miami this past week. There are a lot of good people. There were fun times.Â
Â
"I learned a lot. I was still really young in this profession. So I learned a lot of great lessons seeing a program built from day one. Having a front-row seat of how difficult it is to try to get a program into orbit is one of the hardest things a head coach has to do. Gravity is relentless.Â
"Two of my sons were born in Raleigh so we'll be excited to return. We went back to Miami a few years ago and played over there during the COVID year. I know it'll be a good environment on Saturday."Â
Â
On deciding when to kick field goals at Miami…
"The fourth down decision was a solid go. We felt great about the play that we had in that scenario to get it. And it worked out exactly as we thought. In the other one it was fourth-and-seven and I didn't feel as good. You're in a tight yard, restricted territory with less space for a defensive cover. I didn't feel great about what we would have in that scenario. Even though you knew field goals weren't going to win the game, it made it a one-point game. In the worst-case scenario, we get the ball back with it being an eight-point game. Even though eight is not always exactly a one-score game, it can be. We felt if we came away with zero in that scenario, then we could go down two proper scores and have a really hard time coming back."
Â
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN BREWER
On the number of turnovers seen in last week's game against Miami…
"I think sometimes when guys get in moments, they feel like we are there. Now, in the first drive we hit a slant and didn't turn it into a first down. Guys started pressing like – I need to make a play. I need to make a big-time throw. We tried to get out there and give him [Maalik Murphy] a chance to get a one-on-one with Jordan Moore, one of our best players. They ended up double-teaming. We have to be disciplined enough to throw it away or scramble to get yards. But to not put the ball in jeopardy. I think after those two plays there, Maalik settled in. He was dialed in."
On the breakout performances for Sahmir Hagans and Peyton Jones…
"Well, Sahmir, it all starts from practice. If you watched practice last week, he was on fire. He was out to prove a point. He took advantage of that week. What you practice is what you get. If you practice like your hair is on fire and you're ready to go, he gets [opportunities]. I'm not surprised. We see it all the time. He has had breakout games for us before.Â
"It was nice to see Peyton. We train our running backs to be like receivers. Coach [Willie] Simmons and Coach [Cam] Clark came to me during the week and said, 'hey, we were looking for a way to get a vertical ball on a MIKE linebacker. The running backs have been doing great in our drills. We trust him'. I said, 'All right, let's put him in this set. If we get this look, he's going to let it rip.'Â
"They gave us a look. He almost executed what you want to do on a vertical ball to perfection."
Â
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN PATKE
On the coverage mistakes of the second half of the game against Miami…
"I think when you look at the game as a whole, it's a one-point game in the fourth quarter. It's crazy when you break it down. With 15 plays left in the fourth quarter, three of those turned up to be touchdowns on explosive plays. We had two of our better players on Restrepo. They both missed the tackle, and it goes for a touchdown. What we told the defense was what Coach Diaz talks a lot about – making our layups. In this game, we didn't make our layups.Â
"Whether we were mentally fatigued, or physically fatigued, did the heat get to us? Did the crowd get to us? The crowd got involved. Did we feel the pressure of a "big" game? I don't know. We're trying to get to the bottom of that.Â
"I think our guys understand all we have to do is make our layups. We were very simple. That was the plan going into that game – to play our day-one coverage and be good at it.Â
"Ultimately, it came down to tackling and some crucial missed tackles that led to touchdowns against really good players. A good quarterback is going to find your mistakes, right? Great quarterbacks find those, and he found them."
Â
Looking at NC State's offense…
"A young quarterback that has grown each week. He goes through his progressions really well. He's coached really well. I think he's pretty careful with the ball. He knows where to go with the ball. He can get out of trouble with his feet. I think their experience is on the offensive line. They have a lot of experience up front. Then they have a rotation at running back. They have pretty good backs they roll in the game. Obviously, one of the best slot receivers we've seen. He's an explosive player with the ball in his hands. They do a great job of getting him the ball to him in many different ways. Whether they hand it to him, put him in the backfield and hand it off to him, pitch it to him or get him on a motion. They do a great job of finding ways to get the ball to No. 10. It's going to be a great challenge. I'm looking forward to it."
Â
#GoDuke
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