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- Feb 3, 2018
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Transcription:
On players practicing this week like they lost last game
"I think they know where I'm coming from. There's been an edge to them for sure. The proof will be in our performance Saturday night, but we've had a good week."
On Miami being an athletic team
"Yeah, that's what you would think you would see. I think Mario [Cristobal]'s done a really nice job on the line of scrimmage. You can tell that his demeanor as a former offensive lineman is ingrained in this team. They're tough up front, both sides of the football. They play good football on the line of scrimmage. Always had good skill down there. Their quarterback, a guy that believes in himself. It's a good football team we're playing."
On chipping, paying extra attention to Rueben Bain
"We've had to do it throughout the year, for sure. We will for him. He's a great player. A guy you like to watch. Wish he was on your sideline. Louisville's defensive end was the same way, [Ashton Gillotte]. I thought he was one of those guys that you have to know where he was the whole game. This league's got a lot of them. Clemson had two of them last week that are proven defensive ends. We have a couple, too. It's nice. You're going to see two good defensive lines playing in this football game."
On how much he's thought about previous matchups against Miami
"Only that they've been one-possession games. I told the team that. You need to be ready for a one-possession, four-quarter game. That's what this game has been the last several times it's been played. Different coaches on the sideline for some of those games, but definitely bringing that up to their attention. It's going to be a tough game. A lot ACC games are that way. You get into the league and you're seeing that now every team -- it doesn't matter what their record is -- they show up. They're well-coached, the kids play hard. They're recruited to those schools for a reason."
On how Miami O-line prevents sacks well
"Their ability to run the football is part of it. When you're not a one-dimensional front, it helps. Running the football is not going to allow sacks to happen. They're committed to running the ball. Quarterback gets the ball out quick. That's the other part of it. They're good in pass protection. It's a big group. They've got length and size. Their backs are a part of that as well. They do a good job. Sometimes they're in max protection where it's hard to get there."
On importance of special teams against Miami
"Every week. Critical piece of the game, critical. The kickers, the punters, the snappers, the returners. There are a lot of good ones in this game."
On his satisfaction with Wolfpack special teams
"Happy. We're top three in the ACC in every category. Top five in the country in a couple. But we're not done yet. There are four games of work. A lot of things can happen, good and bad. The thing about special teams is it's the only part of the game that every snap of special teams is going to equal 40 yards or more in field exchange. You think about offense and defense, it's very rare that there's a 40-yard gain or exchange on a play. It happens every time we kick the football. Those are massive plays in the game, the field position-wise. There's a lot that goes into that. Coach Goebbel does a tremendous job with those guys."
