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Highlights from Diaz’s North Carolina Press Conference
9/23/2024 6:17:00 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 on Monday afternoon for the program's weekly press conference.
Duke (4-0, 0-0 ACC) returns home to open conference play against North Carolina (3-1, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday, Sept. 28. The two teams square off on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium at 4 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN2.
HEAD COACH MANNY DIAZ:
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, it's an exciting week here for us, not just starting off conference play, but starting it off with an in-state game and in-state rivalry. There was a good mood in the building yesterday, coming off the win at Middle Tennessee. I did think we took a step forward in all three phases, but as always, there's still a lot to work on. Our message to the team was that it's always easy to think about this type of week and talk about all of the distractions and things that really aren't the focus of what actually will matter Saturday at 4 p.m., which is, how will we block? How will we tackle? How will we throw? How will we catch? How sound are we in special teams? All of those types of things. We need to bring the focus back to us just trying to be one version better than we were a week ago. That is what we'll be talking about all week and that's going to be our focus."
On responding to Middle Tennessee's early touchdown…
"Flukey is not the right word to describe it because that would take credit away from them and make it sound as if it was something that was outside of our control. It was in our control. We just have to do a better job of understanding formations, backfield sets, and then if a run does get on our front set, we've got to get it on the ground. That was the biggest thing and that is going to be the challenge this week with the backfield that they have. What I did like was our response, not just in terms of getting stops, but the three turnovers in the first quarter that gave our offense the short field, which pretty much ended the game as a contest by the time we got through the first 15 minutes. But on defense, you can't just say we were good, except for these plays, that's the challenge for our guys. We're off to a good start through the first four games and we know the challenges will get tougher and tougher, so it's about being consistent every time we take the field."
On maintaining the team's mental toughness heading into a big week…
"You've got to train your guys 365 days a year for what it takes to be successful on Saturday. People will try to bring all of these things into play that have nothing to do with who runs the football harder on defense on Saturday, and who tackles better, who sets better edges, who protects their quarterback better? These games draw a lot of storylines around them, but when it's all said and done, the game will still be the game. It will still be a win and a loss for the same reason. It all comes down to who protects the football better and who can create and prevent the most explosive plays. That's really the focus. If you walk into our locker room and start saying 'hey, to win this week, we need to do this', there's going to be a panic that comes with that. We're trying to be the best version of us, a little better than we were, in all three phases, than we were in Murfreesboro last week."
On the team's success on offense…
"What I'm excited about is that I feel like we're coming in here every Monday and talking about a different guy. Jordan Moore is consistent and, in my opinion, one of the top players in the country at wide receiver. But now, you're seeing [Nicky] Dalmolin become the player of the game. Last week, we were all talking about Que'Sean [Brown] and Star Thomas, so now you're creating a problem for the defense because wherever they make a mistake, we have guys that can punish them at all spots. And Eli Pancol with his touchdowns. To be a well-balanced offense, you have to have weapons all over that would stress the defense and I feel like we have that."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN BREWER:
On the shifts made to the offensive line with players being out:
"Yeah, I thought they played really well. Not only did the offensive line have to shuffle at a Thursday afternoon meeting, then we came into the game, and they completely had a different defense than what we prepped for, so our guys had to prepare for different spots in two days. Then, we made that in-game adjustment after the first drive, I thought was outstanding by Coach Norrid and the offensive line."
On Nicky Dalmolin's performance against Middle Tennessee:
"Yeah, I think we looked at it from two weeks before and saw he was getting after it in the run game and blocking. He's such a viable weapon for throwing the football when we can get out wide. We've got to use him and make people defend him. We felt like the matchup was there last week, not only in the open field, but in the red zone. That was one of our game plans deals into that game, if Nicky was in those man-to-man situations, we had to get him the ball."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN PATKE:
On Chandler Rivers' physicality and intensity in back-to-back weeks:
"We have a lot of trust in Chandler Rivers. In the last two weeks, he's done a great job on two of the best receivers that have been really explosive. Shutting down their best weapon is what we try to do and try to take away their best option at all times. Chandler is a big part of that and he's done a great job. I know he can handle doing that. He's very savvy, we talk about how brilliant he is with X's and O's. He knows every defense, where to go, how to line up, what leverage to play. He's just very smart with what he does. He really showed his physicality in the Northwestern game and it always comes back to physicality. If you can't tackle, they'll find the ones that can't tackle and run at them. You have to show your physicality at all times or they'll find you, especially with a backline like North Carolina has."
On key points used to measure the success of the defense:
"Yeah we have a typical goal board after each game. We look at third down success rate, we
always measure tackles for loss and sacks, getting guys behind the sticks is the way to win third down because you give them third and long. We show our defense those stats all of fall camps and in every practice or game. Those are the key points that we use to measure our chaos rate. We show all of those things to our guys and use it as our measuring stick."
#GoDuke
Duke (4-0, 0-0 ACC) returns home to open conference play against North Carolina (3-1, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday, Sept. 28. The two teams square off on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium at 4 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN2.
HEAD COACH MANNY DIAZ:
Opening Statement:
"Obviously, it's an exciting week here for us, not just starting off conference play, but starting it off with an in-state game and in-state rivalry. There was a good mood in the building yesterday, coming off the win at Middle Tennessee. I did think we took a step forward in all three phases, but as always, there's still a lot to work on. Our message to the team was that it's always easy to think about this type of week and talk about all of the distractions and things that really aren't the focus of what actually will matter Saturday at 4 p.m., which is, how will we block? How will we tackle? How will we throw? How will we catch? How sound are we in special teams? All of those types of things. We need to bring the focus back to us just trying to be one version better than we were a week ago. That is what we'll be talking about all week and that's going to be our focus."
On responding to Middle Tennessee's early touchdown…
"Flukey is not the right word to describe it because that would take credit away from them and make it sound as if it was something that was outside of our control. It was in our control. We just have to do a better job of understanding formations, backfield sets, and then if a run does get on our front set, we've got to get it on the ground. That was the biggest thing and that is going to be the challenge this week with the backfield that they have. What I did like was our response, not just in terms of getting stops, but the three turnovers in the first quarter that gave our offense the short field, which pretty much ended the game as a contest by the time we got through the first 15 minutes. But on defense, you can't just say we were good, except for these plays, that's the challenge for our guys. We're off to a good start through the first four games and we know the challenges will get tougher and tougher, so it's about being consistent every time we take the field."
On maintaining the team's mental toughness heading into a big week…
"You've got to train your guys 365 days a year for what it takes to be successful on Saturday. People will try to bring all of these things into play that have nothing to do with who runs the football harder on defense on Saturday, and who tackles better, who sets better edges, who protects their quarterback better? These games draw a lot of storylines around them, but when it's all said and done, the game will still be the game. It will still be a win and a loss for the same reason. It all comes down to who protects the football better and who can create and prevent the most explosive plays. That's really the focus. If you walk into our locker room and start saying 'hey, to win this week, we need to do this', there's going to be a panic that comes with that. We're trying to be the best version of us, a little better than we were, in all three phases, than we were in Murfreesboro last week."
On the team's success on offense…
"What I'm excited about is that I feel like we're coming in here every Monday and talking about a different guy. Jordan Moore is consistent and, in my opinion, one of the top players in the country at wide receiver. But now, you're seeing [Nicky] Dalmolin become the player of the game. Last week, we were all talking about Que'Sean [Brown] and Star Thomas, so now you're creating a problem for the defense because wherever they make a mistake, we have guys that can punish them at all spots. And Eli Pancol with his touchdowns. To be a well-balanced offense, you have to have weapons all over that would stress the defense and I feel like we have that."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN BREWER:
On the shifts made to the offensive line with players being out:
"Yeah, I thought they played really well. Not only did the offensive line have to shuffle at a Thursday afternoon meeting, then we came into the game, and they completely had a different defense than what we prepped for, so our guys had to prepare for different spots in two days. Then, we made that in-game adjustment after the first drive, I thought was outstanding by Coach Norrid and the offensive line."
On Nicky Dalmolin's performance against Middle Tennessee:
"Yeah, I think we looked at it from two weeks before and saw he was getting after it in the run game and blocking. He's such a viable weapon for throwing the football when we can get out wide. We've got to use him and make people defend him. We felt like the matchup was there last week, not only in the open field, but in the red zone. That was one of our game plans deals into that game, if Nicky was in those man-to-man situations, we had to get him the ball."
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JONATHAN PATKE:
On Chandler Rivers' physicality and intensity in back-to-back weeks:
"We have a lot of trust in Chandler Rivers. In the last two weeks, he's done a great job on two of the best receivers that have been really explosive. Shutting down their best weapon is what we try to do and try to take away their best option at all times. Chandler is a big part of that and he's done a great job. I know he can handle doing that. He's very savvy, we talk about how brilliant he is with X's and O's. He knows every defense, where to go, how to line up, what leverage to play. He's just very smart with what he does. He really showed his physicality in the Northwestern game and it always comes back to physicality. If you can't tackle, they'll find the ones that can't tackle and run at them. You have to show your physicality at all times or they'll find you, especially with a backline like North Carolina has."
On key points used to measure the success of the defense:
"Yeah we have a typical goal board after each game. We look at third down success rate, we
always measure tackles for loss and sacks, getting guys behind the sticks is the way to win third down because you give them third and long. We show our defense those stats all of fall camps and in every practice or game. Those are the key points that we use to measure our chaos rate. We show all of those things to our guys and use it as our measuring stick."
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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