CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden met with members of the media Tuesday to preview Saturday’s pivotal ACC Coastal Division game vs. Virginia Tech.
No. 14 Miami’s Nov. 9 Homecoming game against ACC Coastal Division rival Virginia Tech will kick at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Miami is 50-26-2 all-time on Homecoming; Virginia Tech will be Miami’s Homecoming opponent for the fifth time in series history (Canes are 2-2 in those games).
| Head Coach Al Golden Quote Transcription |
Opening statement…
“We’re glad to get back into it yesterday and today. We had a good practice today and we’re getting ready, obviously, for a team that has been the dominant representative of the Coastal Division since we joined the league in Virginia Tech. They’re a well-coached team with one of the best defenses – if not the best – we’ll see all year. Phenomenal – 28 sacks, 29% on third down, 16.9 points per game, a world of experience on defense. Excellent kicking game, and an offense led by Logan Thomas. We’re 1-1 against him right now, with the first year a spectacular game. Last year we were fortunate to win but he made some really big plays in the game – obviously the quarterback draw was a phenomenal play – so we know what type of talent that he and the offense brings. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. I know our guys are excited. We went back to work here this week and got a chance to move forward and finish strong, and that’s where our mindset is right now – moving on to Virginia Tech.”
On the trickle-down effect of special teams without returner Duke Johnson…
“Dallas Crawford – we have to pull him back a little bit. That means Jamal Carter, Jermaine Grace, guys like that need to step up and do a great job for us. We’ll do that. We’ve made some adjustments already – we’ve added Gus Edwards and those guys to some other units. Certainly Eduardo [Clements] and Dallas are two of our better special teams players and we’ve had to pull back on some of their reps because of how many reps they’ll be getting on first, second and third down.”
On how he feels about the players’ reps up to this point in the season…
“Our reps are really down right now. I feel good about where our reps are as a team. We’ve done a good of managing that, we’ve played a lot of people, we’ve had sufficient amount of bye weeks and generated some other days off. I feel like we should be healthy, I feel like we should be strong. We have to be ready to go finish now. I think we have 26 days left in the regular season, if I’m not mistaken. We have to go dig in now. But, to your point, no one is really 100% this time of year.”
On why the team’s defense has struggled on third down in the past two weeks…
“Number one, we’re not getting our hands on any balls. We haven’t batted many balls at all in terms of deflections, so we have to do a better job with that. To be quite honest, we’re drifting too much in our zone coverage and allowing them to catch it underneath. We’re not making the tackles we need to have. We’ve been better in our man coverage, but sometimes we’ve been in man and let him out of the pocket, or let him scramble or create. It’s really a combination of all those things. It’s something we have to work on, just as much we have to work on the offensive side too. We weren’t very good on third down the other day, and it created a skew in terms of time of possession.”
On how important it is for his team not to look ahead and focus on Virginia Tech…
“Virginia Tech has won seven of the last 10 against us. They’re 4-2 in their last six trips to Miami. They know what’s coming into town – this is a tough, rugged team that’s built on playing hard-nosed defense and running to the ball. I think they have 28 sacks, so being disruptive. They’ve always been great on special teams. We know what we’re in for. But I also think the guys know there’s a plot to play for here in November. As much as it was a painful loss for us the other night, we really have to move forward quickly.”
On how he felt when Frank Beamer reached out to him at the conclusion of the NCAA investigation…
“It means a lot. I kind of cut my teeth at Virginia when Frank was growing that program, and learned so much from him. No matter how much that rivalry was between Virginia and Virginia Tech, Frank was always class, Bud Foster was always class, all those guys. They were blue-collar guys. It means a lot to me now, because obviously we have a rivalry here between Virginia Tech and Miami, and he’s always operated with class. In our conference, he is kind of the patriarch, if you will. When Frank talks, we all listen. He’s done it the right way. I was very appreciative and grateful that he did that.”
On if he has spoken to running back Duke Johnson since Monday’s surgery…
“I texted him last night. I didn’t get out until late because I had [Hurricane Hotline] until 8:45 or 9 o’clock. I think he was out by then. I left him a message last night and texted him this morning. I think he’ll be in a position where we can talk or we can go see him later on. All indications are that everything went well. He has a great personality, he’s resilient, and he’ll be back better than ever.”
On if he has spoken to the team about hazing and bullying given current NFL issues…
“Absolutely. I can’t speak to that, because it wasn’t until I got to the radio show last night that [Joe Zagacki] said something to me. I really have no clue what’s going on. But it is something we address. It’s something that in training camp we talk about. This year, I shared the article about what happened up at FAMU with their band. There’s really no place for it. There’s no place for it in the workplace, no place for it in athletics. It’s obviously something that has to be addressed on every level, and we’ll continue to support that. We believe we’re very proactive in our approach, and it’s our job as leaders to protect the workforce, there’s no question about it.”
On how his team moves forward after the loss to Florida State…
“I think we’re a resilient group. As it pertains right now, there aren’t a lot of one-loss teams in the country. We have a lot to play for. We have a team coming in that, it doesn’t take long to turn on the tape and they catch your eye. We know what’s ahead of us. It’s a shame, but injuries are a part of our game. As Clinton Portis told us a few weeks ago, there are no back-ups. You have to be ready for your opportunity when it comes. The coaches have to trust you. We have a lot of kids buying into that notion right now. All that we’ve endured over the past couple years has provided us lessons in how to move forward and control the circumstances that you can control, and let everything else go.”
On extra preparation for Virginia Tech’s special teams…
“There’s no question. It’s not just those guys. It’s protecting against punt blocks, which they’ve done so well, it’s protecting against field goal blocks, it’s the explosive returns they’ve had, and making sure everyone is in their coverage lanes. I could go on and on. They do a great job on special teams. They’re tough to prepare for, no question about it. It’s a great challenge.”
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