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Oct. 28, 2008
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U. Miami Football Press Conference 10/28/08
Head Coach Randy Shannon
Opening Statement…
We have Virginia this week. It’s another conference game, but it’s also a big game on the road for us. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us, because Virginia is on a four- game winning streak. They are doing a nice job of rebounding back from earlier in the season when they had a few losses. I think the quarterback is doing a tremendous job for the offense of managing the game. [Cedric] Peerman is doing a great job of running the ball for them and creating third downs that are very short that they can make. Defensively, their senior linebackers are unbelievable. Those guys seem like they have been there a long time. They make a lot of plays. They are playing a lot better than earlier in the season. But, that’s typical of coach [Al] Groh. He does a great job of getting his guys responding later from earlier in the season. It’s always best to have the NFL mentality of late in the season is when you want to do your best, and I think they are doing a great job of doing that right now. They are not a team that makes a lot of mistakes. They are very well coached. They do a great job of getting guys in right situations – offense, defense and special teams. They execute what they want to get done to win games.
On Virginia’s quick turnaround after losing to Duke…
You just keep coaching your guys, and sometimes it’s not the scheme, but the person or maybe the way you are coaching and teaching. I think they have done a tremendous job of responding and getting those things changed.
On strength of the offensive line…
They are doing a great job. We have had so many injuries – the injuries have played a vital part. But, when we get guys back, we are able to move guys around and give guys a break. They have done a good job of protecting the quarterback for the most part, compared to last year.
On RB Graig Cooper getting less touches…
He had seven touches against Duke, and I think he had 90 yards rushing, so it’s all about how we move the sticks and move the chains. Sometimes in games you have to take advantage of what people are trying to give you. A nine-man front on defense is difficult to run against. We have to use different things to try to get people out of certain situations.
On what is important against a 3-4 defense like what Virginia runs…
You just have to execute assignment football. They can do a lot of things out of it, They can zone blitz you. But also, you have to be able to block the odd looks. That is the biggest thing.
On RB Javarris James…
I think he is coming back into it now. Last week, he showed that he was about ready to get going a little bit more. You will see him a lot more this week, he and [Graig] Cooper will be a lot more featured this week. You don’t know until he has that breakout game if he is really back.
On keeping players focused…
We just talk about the one game. The only thing we talk about is the game we just played. The next thing is what we do in practice. How much are we – offensive line wise – going to finish the blocks. How are we going to get the receiver to not drop a pass even in a warm-up drill. We have to emphasize the little things. Defensively, are you going to work on stripping the football? Those little things are going to a make difference in your game.
On playing the best at the end of the season…
We are starting to come around. The younger guys are starting to understand it, and you have some older guys, like Sam [Shields]. Sam knows his role on the team. Sam’s role is to win football games for us. Even though he dropped passes at the beginning of the season, we kept coaching him. We kept using him on special teams, and he has done a great job for us covering punts. He did a tremendous job on the reverse on the kickoff return, and he caught a third down pass that was key in the [Wake Forest] game. Everyone is starting to get better as the season goes on, but the one thing you have to be careful of is patting guys on the back.
On playing in Charlottesville…
There is going to be a great crowd and a great atmosphere, because they are on a four-game winning streak. It is a Noon game so everyone will be up and ready to go.
On advantage of recruiting players from high school teams that play a lot of games…
It helps you out because they can keep their minds fresh. What we have to do as a coaching staff is make sure that we keep them physically fresh. It is a little bit different because of the speed factor and the learning process, and the physical part of it is different from high school.
On not talking about last year’s game against Virginia…
We are a different team. Some of the older guys, you may talk to them and they will say yeah they remember it, but most of the guys were in high school trying to win state championships and playoff games. Revenge sometimes can hurt you, because it is all built-up inside of you. You have to make sure you go into the game with a fresh mind. Most people make mistakes when they are tired or mad. You are going to say something wrong or you are going to make a mistake in those situations. So, we won’t be tired and we won’t be upset. We are going to be positive. We are going to be fresh, and we have to worry about what we have to do on offense, defense and special teams here at the University of Miami.
On progress of defensive line…
It has been coming along okay, but not great. We always want to say great, but they are coming along well. I think the young guys, especially at defensive end, you look at those guys and see how they are starting to make plays late in the game to give us turnovers and things like that. Those guys are starting to respond, and I think the rotation has helped those guys out a lot.
Quarterback Robert Marve
On Virginia game last year…
Obviously, it was a rough game for UM. It was my first year here, and I really didn’t know much at the time. That was last year’s team.
On Virginia running the 3-4 defense…
Football is going to be football with any kind of scheme. The big thing is they have good players over there. They have players that know their assignments. They run the 3-4 very well, and they have a good linebacker core. So, we are definitely going to bring our A-game and be ready to play ball.
On taking advantage of his running skills…
Whatever he [Coach Patrick Nix] thinks of to attack the defense, I am down for whatever he calls or whatever he needs me to do. I am not sure if he thinks that is better for our game plan.
On what he has done well and what he needs to improve upon….
I think the biggest thing is knowing when to be smart with the play. Knowing when is a good time to force the ball and when it is not good to force the ball. That is probably the biggest thing I am still trying to get. I am still getting used to the offense, just the game feeling. Being out there and seeing different coverages, different reads and different situations. That is something I have to get used to. Things I have been happy with are managing the game, making the play when it is time to be made, and sticking in there to fight.
