Meet the Press: Georgia Tech Game
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Head coach Al Golden and selected student-athletes met the media Tuesday to discuss Miami’s upcoming ACC Coastal Division road game at Georgia Tech. Prior to Golden’s visit with the media, senior RB Mike James was surprised with a trophy for his inclusion to the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Opening Statement…
“Thanks so much for covering the Miami Hurricanes. We appreciate it. We’re getting ready for a big test here. We’re excited to be 2-1 and 1-0 in the conference, and going to Georgia Tech. After studying them for the last 48 hours, this is a complete team. Very experienced, mature team. Obviously they’ve had 50 points back-to-back on offense, averaging 365 yards rushing. They have a veteran leader in [Tevin] Washington at quarterback, explosive playmakers on the perimeter, and I think this is the most physical and rugged and strongest offensive line that they’ve had.
“The biggest difference right now in Georgia Tech is how physical they are and how rugged they are on both sides of the line and how mature they are. On defense, they haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown. They look like their personnel – the way Coach [Al] Groh would want them. They’re long up front, they’re big, and they’re physical. All four linebackers are 235 pounds-plus. They’re 6-6, 270 at the ends, and their nose [tackle] is about 345 pounds. They’re a big, strong, physical group. They give you multiple fronts, very aggressive linebacker corps, playmakers. The biggest change is how aggressive they are on the back end, and how they’re challenging the receivers on the perimeter. It’s going to be a great test, and we’re excited about the opportunity.”
On Georgia Tech’s personnel…
“They have the type of team they want. They’re very long at the wide receiver position. All their receiver are 6’2 – plus. The only reason I bring that up is because for their system they need big, strong, physical wide receivers that are unselfish, that are great at catching hitches, post-and-go’s. To do that, you have to have length, and I think he has that. [Head Coach Paul Johnson]’s got the speed that he wants at the slot. He’s got the kind of maturity and decision-making he wants at quarterback. Both sides of the ball have the personnel the way they want. When you turn on the tape, they look like it. They really look like it.”
On the difference in blocking schemes…
“Everything’s new. We don’t have to worry about this being any more new than anything else. I think the biggest thing is everyone does their job. You’re going to have to really execute, and you’re going to have to find a way to take the ball away. They’re excellent at the time of possession game. I think the biggest change right now is how explosive they are – they’re scoring quickly. They’re making teams play from behind. I think clearly for us on defense; it’s going to be assignment football. We have to be able to keep our poise. There’s always some nuances that will show up in our game versus our scheme that may not have shown in the previous three. We have to be able to adjust quickly to that.”
On how the offense can help out the defense…
“It’s important to score. It’s important to convert on third down; you have to do a good job converting. You don’t get that many chances – you don’t get as many chances as you normally would. The defense has to do their part getting off the field on third down. Takeaways help against a team like this. If you don’t get takeaways, it’s hard to play from behind.”
On the importance of the deep passing game…
“It needs to translate to games. Stephen [Morris] knows that, Jedd [Fisch] knows that, I know that. We have to do a better job there. There’s nothing in practice that wouldn’t say it shouldn’t translate to the game. We have not connected on as many as I would like. Certainly Saturday we didn’t connect on some that we should have hit.”
On the importance of ACC games…
“We’ve got such a long way to go. I just hope the ACC Coastal serves as a trigger. I think it’s important our guys know who those members are, and this is one of those games. This is a team that has played for the [ACC] championship twice in the last seven years. This is a great challenge for us. The Coastal [Division] games have to feel different. They have to, if you want to at some point be a competitor to get into the championship game.”
On limiting Duke Johnson’s play count…
“I don’t think his play count has been crazy. I don’t think we’re getting to a point where he’s going to carry it 30 times. Obviously Eduardo [Clements] and Mike [James], I want all three of them active in terms of the running game, and I think all three of them were the other day. There are a lot of plays on game day that he’s not getting the ball, but he’s on the field. It’s not just when he’s on the field he’s getting the ball. In general, all those guys we have to make sure we take care of them during practice. Yesterday was a good example – we came out in shorts just to stay fresh and keep the team moving forward. The kids responded in the pads practice today. By Thursday or Friday, we get them fresh and ready to go to the game.”
On the temptation of increasing his play count…
“There are a number of guys I’d like to see us get the ball to more: Phillip Dorsett, [Allen] Hurns is back this week. Malcolm Lewis, Rashawn [Scott], Mike James. I keep challenging Clive [Walford] to take that next step. Clive didn’t factor into that game Saturday as much as I wanted, even though he played hard and gave us good effort. We have to start making him available. I don’t want to be a one-dimensional team on offense. A lot of guys touched the ball the other day, but we need more explosive plays when the guys touch the ball.”
On the impact Duke Johnson has had…
“I think his approach has had such a positive impact. He’s never “on a list.” He’s not a guy that misses anything – misses class, misses study hall, misses workouts. He takes care of his business, and he prepares. He works really hard, he’s tough, he’s in good condition, and he’s rewarded because of that. He gets his opportunities because of that. He’s a very mature kid in terms of understanding that process early on. Obviously he’s had a positive impact as far as his playmaking ability, but he’s also had a positive impact with how you prepare, how you approach, and how you execute roles.”
On how Stephen Morris needs to adjust…
“He’s going to have to do. I want you to understand this is a little bit of a departure from what Coach [Al] Groh has done. He’s a lot more aggressive. I know him well enough to know that he’s confident in the maturity and dependent-ness that those kids have, and their ability to communicate, that he’s being more aggressive. There’s no question Stephen’s going to have to recognize what they’re doing at the line of scrimmage. We’re going to have to do an excellent job of protecting Stephen.”
On the state of the team’s rushing defense…
“I hope we’re better. We’re going to be tested. This is the best. They’re the best at what they do in the country. They do it really well. It’s a great challenge. I want to make sure the kids look at it and appreciate the opportunity, and not look at it as ‘this is a running team.’ There’s no question we need to do a better job stopping the run. But what better challenge do you have than stopping the team that’s the best at running the ball? That’s the way I approach it, I know that’s the way the defensive coaches approach it. With Denzel [Perryman] down, we’re going to need some guys to step up. Jimmy Gaines and Gionni Paul are going to have to step up. Some of those guys that have been on the field versus this look in the past – Tyrone Cornileus, [Kelvin] Cain, Darius Smith, [Anthony] Chickillo, [Brandon] McGee are going to have to step up for us and play really well.”
On practicing against triple option earlier in the season…
“I think you always try to give it a look either sometime in spring ball, just so there’s some recall or they understand it. Clearly there are a lot of kids who weren’t with us in the spring that are playing for us. We’ll respond – those kids worked hard today. They worked hard in practice today, the scout team was good. We’re trying to make sure we represent the speed of the game as well as we can – that’s the challenge right now.”
On the progress of offensive lineman Jonathan Feliciano…
“The biggest difference with [Jon] Feliciano right now is his weight’s down, his conditioning is up, and he’s finishing better than anyone else on the offense line right now. He’s playing with a lot of energy – down the field, pushing piles, finishing blocks. To be honest with you, a guy who is right on his heels playing with energy right now is Seantrel [Henderson]. We need everybody on that offensive line to play with that kind of energy. I think Jon’s playing really well right now, I really do.”
On the importance of the Coastal Division…
“All I’m saying to them I just understanding that since we’ve been in the league, we haven’t played in the championship game. There’s only one way out. You have to block everything else out. It’s a bridge; our path from here to there is through the Coastal [Division]. That’s the only way out of this. That’s all for training camp and for spring. Right now, this is a process and here’s what we need to do. I’m not talking about any of that. Our kids know that if we want to get out and get back to being who we want to be, it’s going to be through the Coastal Division.”
On how safety Deon Bush has responded…
“Deon did a really god job for us the other day. The mistakes he made in the game weren’t really mental errors, meaning pre-snap protocol, his lineman assignment or things of that nature…I think Deon has got a good look, he’s poised, he’s selfish, he does a great job for us on special teams. His approach so far this week has been good.”
On what makes Georgia Tech’s Paul Dodd Stadium special…
“It’s a traditional football place. Obviously you have a lot of tradition and history there, going all the way back to Coach [Bobby] Dodd. It’s one of the special places to play. You’re right there in downtown, and it’s a great atmosphere. It’s going to be a challenge. We understand that. I want our kids to appreciate and look forward to these opportunities and not be anxious about them. Hopefully we got in there prepared and go in there with a lot of confidence and be ready to go.”
