On Tuesday afternoon, Miami edge rusher Marquise Ligthfoot, defensive lineman Herbert Scorggins, and offensive lineman Samson Okunlola spoke with the media to recap the Hurricanes win over the Central Michigan Chippewas and their focus on the Clemson Tigers. Check out everything they had to say down below:
OL Samson Okunlola
On the younger offensive linemen: A bunch of younger guys are doing very good right now. They're playing in games, getting a lot of experience, valuable experience. I see them understanding it little by little. They're seeing things faster and faster and faster and growing on their little techniques that they got to work on. So they're all growing in the ways they need to grow in the little things.
On the identity of the offensive line: We have a standard. We have a standard to chase and finish and a standard to show up every play. So we have a standard we have set for ourselves, and that standard is the standard. So we're going to try to achieve that standard every game, and we're going to grow in the things we need to grow on each game as well.
On the young offensive linemen's majority: Yeah, the maturity is how they sit up in the meeting room, how dialed in they are, how many notes they're taking, and I see it all. Our young guys are very mature.
On how the offensive line has lived up to the standard: I feel like we still got to improve. Just like any football team, when you start the season, after the first game, you're looking to improve and improve because improvement is never stopping. So we're just looking to improve and grow each game and be the best that we can be.
On what standouts about going up against Marquise Lightfoot: Lightfoot, he has a want to finish. He's going to finish each play. He's going to show up each play. Lightfoot is just a hard worker. He's going to do what he needs to do to be great, and I see it.
DL Marquise Lightfoot
On what he learned from Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor: I always say their work ethic taught me a lot, with just how I operate on and off the field, just taking time and to just evaluate myself and upgrade myself as a player and as a person. Like, I just watch them, just be so attention to detail, and, like, they just implement the same things onto me. So, basically just trying to do that and implement the same things onto the young guys.
On if they gave him any feedback from the first couple of games: Yeah. I just spoke to Akheem the other day. He just want me to keep going, telling me I've been busting my *** off. So, that's a good feeling—I call him my uncle.
On what he has learned the most since arriving at Miami: The work ethic, understanding that I'm a football player at the end of the day, and I got to prioritize everything that goes into that, which is my health and how I eat. I'm a defensive end, I'm gaining weight, so a lot goes into that. But I just say work ethic mainly.
On what he has seen from Damon Wilson: I say the main thing would be just us working together as a team. Like, it's a lot of spots that has been filled up, especially with a couple guys going down. But, like, us just working together as a team. I feel like that's the best thing that's just gonna come out of it. Like, we understand that, we got guys on and off the field right now in the D-line room. Damon's an amazing player.
On how he has improved by stopping the run: This whole offseason just trying to focus on just changing that narrative, so people just think I'm too small to be a defensive lineman or whatever. So, just playing with violence. And that's the main thing Coach Hetherman says, just play with violence.
On Clemson's offense: They have an amazing offense, amazing team. So, we just gonna continue to move forward, 1-0. This week we're getting prepared for them. So, y'all just gonna see it at the stadium. You're just gonna see how I end up.
On Miami’s defense working toward the same dominance and consistency as last season: We believe that we can continue to just continue growing as a defense. Like we haven't showed or thrown our best punch yet at all. So we seen this, we know this. So we just gonna continue just getting better and playing together as a team on defense.
DL Herbert Scroggins
On what's clicking for him this season: Just understanding the details and what Coach has planned for me, and just understanding my assignment through just my alignment and just my technique as a defensive end. So, I had to really just lock in on details and fundamentals every day during practice, and it carried on to the field.
On the leadership in the defensive line room: We compete a lot and we train a lot, together as a unit. We go after practice and do little hands and things. Like just now we were just working on the tire sled and things like that and doing a little hand stuff, day by day. But just their ability to push me I push them and just correct, just little small things in my game and me doing the same in them. So, the growth is there just around us. So it's just the ability to push each other through technique, just fundamentals and alignment assignment.
On staying engaged and focused during his spring setback: I just locked into my rehab and I just took it very seriously. Like I said, day by day and just getting the exercise down pat and still being out there where I can, visualize me on the field and visualize things, like technique, because, I couldn't really do it. So I'm just visualizing the technique and putting it into my head. So when I got back, I can really do it 100%.
On learning from Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor: Last year being a freshman, just learning from Rueben and Akheem and just how they took the game, and I'm just a high person on technique and fundamentals. So, they was too. So I just understood them and how the game was, and I just put it in my game. It just carried on to this year, and, you know, just me following the role that Coach JT gave me and just being ready to hit the field at any given time.
On being coached by Jason Taylor: First of all, it's a blessing, to be coached by him. I learned so much from him. He's a very hard coach and very detailed and fundamental-oriented. He gets on me every single day about, the details, footwork, strike. And we always talk about balance, balance, balance. So, he gets on everybody behind in the room. So, it's just a blessing to have someone that can coach you every day and be hard on you, and you still understand what he's trying to do to you.
On Clemson's offense: They some dogs. We just gonna be ready to know what our game plan is, but, I'm looking forward to going against them.
On his weight room progress and reaching his goal weight: Well, I'm kind of at my goal weight, 245, 250. I'm trying to stay there and just lean it out and, try to get a little stronger, day by day while we in the weight room. So, that's really it. I ain't really nothing too crazy.
OL Samson Okunlola
On the younger offensive linemen: A bunch of younger guys are doing very good right now. They're playing in games, getting a lot of experience, valuable experience. I see them understanding it little by little. They're seeing things faster and faster and faster and growing on their little techniques that they got to work on. So they're all growing in the ways they need to grow in the little things.
On the identity of the offensive line: We have a standard. We have a standard to chase and finish and a standard to show up every play. So we have a standard we have set for ourselves, and that standard is the standard. So we're going to try to achieve that standard every game, and we're going to grow in the things we need to grow on each game as well.
On the young offensive linemen's majority: Yeah, the maturity is how they sit up in the meeting room, how dialed in they are, how many notes they're taking, and I see it all. Our young guys are very mature.
On how the offensive line has lived up to the standard: I feel like we still got to improve. Just like any football team, when you start the season, after the first game, you're looking to improve and improve because improvement is never stopping. So we're just looking to improve and grow each game and be the best that we can be.
On what standouts about going up against Marquise Lightfoot: Lightfoot, he has a want to finish. He's going to finish each play. He's going to show up each play. Lightfoot is just a hard worker. He's going to do what he needs to do to be great, and I see it.
DL Marquise Lightfoot
On what he learned from Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor: I always say their work ethic taught me a lot, with just how I operate on and off the field, just taking time and to just evaluate myself and upgrade myself as a player and as a person. Like, I just watch them, just be so attention to detail, and, like, they just implement the same things onto me. So, basically just trying to do that and implement the same things onto the young guys.
On if they gave him any feedback from the first couple of games: Yeah. I just spoke to Akheem the other day. He just want me to keep going, telling me I've been busting my *** off. So, that's a good feeling—I call him my uncle.
On what he has learned the most since arriving at Miami: The work ethic, understanding that I'm a football player at the end of the day, and I got to prioritize everything that goes into that, which is my health and how I eat. I'm a defensive end, I'm gaining weight, so a lot goes into that. But I just say work ethic mainly.
On what he has seen from Damon Wilson: I say the main thing would be just us working together as a team. Like, it's a lot of spots that has been filled up, especially with a couple guys going down. But, like, us just working together as a team. I feel like that's the best thing that's just gonna come out of it. Like, we understand that, we got guys on and off the field right now in the D-line room. Damon's an amazing player.
On how he has improved by stopping the run: This whole offseason just trying to focus on just changing that narrative, so people just think I'm too small to be a defensive lineman or whatever. So, just playing with violence. And that's the main thing Coach Hetherman says, just play with violence.
On Clemson's offense: They have an amazing offense, amazing team. So, we just gonna continue to move forward, 1-0. This week we're getting prepared for them. So, y'all just gonna see it at the stadium. You're just gonna see how I end up.
On Miami’s defense working toward the same dominance and consistency as last season: We believe that we can continue to just continue growing as a defense. Like we haven't showed or thrown our best punch yet at all. So we seen this, we know this. So we just gonna continue just getting better and playing together as a team on defense.
DL Herbert Scroggins
On what's clicking for him this season: Just understanding the details and what Coach has planned for me, and just understanding my assignment through just my alignment and just my technique as a defensive end. So, I had to really just lock in on details and fundamentals every day during practice, and it carried on to the field.
On the leadership in the defensive line room: We compete a lot and we train a lot, together as a unit. We go after practice and do little hands and things. Like just now we were just working on the tire sled and things like that and doing a little hand stuff, day by day. But just their ability to push me I push them and just correct, just little small things in my game and me doing the same in them. So, the growth is there just around us. So it's just the ability to push each other through technique, just fundamentals and alignment assignment.
On staying engaged and focused during his spring setback: I just locked into my rehab and I just took it very seriously. Like I said, day by day and just getting the exercise down pat and still being out there where I can, visualize me on the field and visualize things, like technique, because, I couldn't really do it. So I'm just visualizing the technique and putting it into my head. So when I got back, I can really do it 100%.
On learning from Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor: Last year being a freshman, just learning from Rueben and Akheem and just how they took the game, and I'm just a high person on technique and fundamentals. So, they was too. So I just understood them and how the game was, and I just put it in my game. It just carried on to this year, and, you know, just me following the role that Coach JT gave me and just being ready to hit the field at any given time.
On being coached by Jason Taylor: First of all, it's a blessing, to be coached by him. I learned so much from him. He's a very hard coach and very detailed and fundamental-oriented. He gets on me every single day about, the details, footwork, strike. And we always talk about balance, balance, balance. So, he gets on everybody behind in the room. So, it's just a blessing to have someone that can coach you every day and be hard on you, and you still understand what he's trying to do to you.
On Clemson's offense: They some dogs. We just gonna be ready to know what our game plan is, but, I'm looking forward to going against them.
On his weight room progress and reaching his goal weight: Well, I'm kind of at my goal weight, 245, 250. I'm trying to stay there and just lean it out and, try to get a little stronger, day by day while we in the weight room. So, that's really it. I ain't really nothing too crazy.
