ACC Teleconference Week 10 - Oct 31

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Atlantic Coast Conference Football Media Conference
Wednesday October 31, 2018
Dino Babers
Syracuse

DINO BABERS: We're excited about having another opportunity to good on the road, try to get the monkey off our back, so to speak, to try to find a way to get a win. We understand that we haven't won at Wake Forest since I've been the head coach, and Coach Clawson does a fantastic job. Those guys are 2-0 against us, and we're looking forward to going down there and playing the contest.

Questions?

Q. Outside of the very tight game you played with Clemson, it seems like that program has maybe pulled away from the rest of the ACC. Do you think that's a fair characterization, and how do you see it?
DINO BABERS: Well, I just think that we have a very, very good league, and there's no doubt that Clemson has been fantastic for a long period of time. But I think in our league, if you get the right -- you play the right team at the right venue that there's always a chance that you could stub your toe.

Q. I just wanted to see if you had an update on how Chris Fredrick and Ifeatu Melifonwu were doing?
DINO BABERS: Both of those guys, not yet. We're going to see. They're both banged up. I don't know how it's going to look like at the end of the week.

Q. And then just to kind of follow up, a question on the pass defense. Obviously NC State has some really, really good players in Harmon and the rest of those receivers. I'm curious when you look at their success this weekend, how much of it is just based on you guys playing a really, really good team, or did you see some things kind of within your defense that are kind of fixable and you're trying to address moving forward?
DINO BABERS: I think there's always time for improvement, not only on the defense but the special teams and the offense, as well. So we're always trying to get better. If we stay the same, if we stay at week 4 or week 6, we're not going to be able to accomplish the goals that we've set for this season. We're always trying to get better.

Q. How much of a factor has Eric been in helping you instill a culture that you want to instill in the program?
DINO BABERS: I don't think it's just Eric. I think it's all our seniors. When you're recruited by one head coach and then he leaves and you have to play for another, I think it's important that you get the senior leadership and the older guys on the football team, as many as you can, to buy in, because they will help you to establish the culture. And I think his class along with other people in his class have helped us to do that.

Q. But he's been an exemplary leader, has he not?
DINO BABERS: Yes, he has.

Q. Is there any aspect of your team that has been better than you thought it was going to be this season, any aspect that you were kind of concerned about going into the year that's been a pleasant surprise for you?
DINO BABERS: Well, you're always concerned about your special teams. I really feel like our special teams have overshot the mark. They've raised the bar on what my expectations were, and now I'm not going to lower them again. I think that Coach Lustig, our special teams coordinator, does a fantastic job, and I'm really happy with the results so far this season.

Q. In terms of what, what part of the special teams has really caught your attention?
DINO BABERS: All of them. We're really good at all of them.

Q. What does becoming bowl eligible mean to you, all the hard work that you've been in at Syracuse over the years?
DINO BABERS: Well, I don't even look at it for myself, I look at it for the football family. I think you're going to get some young men that have been here four and five years have never gone to a bowl game, they've never had a winning season, for them to get that monkey off their back and have an opportunity to not only leave major college football as a winner for one of their seasons, and then to have the opportunity to experience the things that go on in bowl games, I think that those two things will be something that they'll be able to cherish the rest of their lives, and that's the thing that makes me the most excited about getting to that sixth win.

Q. Talk about Wake Forest's run offense. How are you going to stop that Saturday?
DINO BABERS: Well, hopefully we're going to be able to tackle that running back. I think any time it comes to stopping the run, I think you need to tackle well, and I think that in the times that we have not been able to do that, missed tackles has a lot to do -- a lot to say with what kind of results you have and whether you're positive or negative in stopping someone's running game.

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Atlantic Coast Conference Football Media Conference
Wednesday October 31, 2018
Dave Clawson
Wake Forest

DAVE CLAWSON: We're coming off a good win Louisville and keep some of our goals alive for this season.

Now we're excited to return home and play a very good Syracuse team. In my five years here, this is the best Syracuse team that we've played. They are very explosive on offense. They are led by a fifth-year senior quarterback, Eric Dungey, who I have great respect for. They are doing a great job with turnover margin. Very improved on defense, and some of the very best special teams in all of the ACC. This will be a really tough challenge for our football team, but we're excited to be home and it's going to take a great effort this week for us.

Q. The rushing attack that you have with Colburn and Carney, and the inside stable of running backs you have this year, Syracuse has struggled with stopping the run in recent games and throughout this season. Is that one of the places you key in on in film and what can you say about the running backs you have that are obviously prepared for the weekend?
DAVE CLAWSON: I mean, we're going to run our offense, and part of our offense is to run the football and it's part of our RPO system. When we get the look to run it, we hand it off and our offensive line played really well last week. I thought Matt and Cade both ran the ball well.

You know, so that's something we try to do every week. Some weeks we do it better than others.

Q. You spoke a little by on Syracuse being the best that you've seen since they have come in and played up against you. Just what you can say about Eric Dungey and Tommy DeVito, the fact that they have two different quarterbacks that are both prepared and play and have won games this year. What's that done in your preparation and what have you seen from both of them on film?
DAVE CLAWSON: They are both very good players. Obviously we have seen a lot more of Eric on film. I've watched Eric for four years and I think he's just a great competitor. He just looks leak one of those guys that I'm sure they love coaching him. I mean, he'll throw his body out there and do everything he can to make a play, and he played really well last week against NC State. Made a lot of plays with his arm. A lot of plays with his feet.

He's just a great competitor. You know, we a year ago didn't play against him, and the year before when we played him at home, it was a big storm, and you know, that certainly had a the love impact on the game.

So this is the most healthy he's been. He's playing at a very high level and they obviously have confidence in DeVito. You know, they have put him in pretty cool games at critical situations and he's played well, also.

So they have got two good quarterbacks which you know, I don't think the offense changes that much with either one. They kind of run and they do what they do and they have got a great system and they stick with it.

Q. It seems like in the league this year, Clemson is as strong as usual, but after that, does it seem like there's a lot of balance and no one stands out to you; everyone is capable of winning?
DAVE CLAWSON: Well, the way you approach it as a coach is every week's a one-week season. So I don't ever look at the league holistically and say -- there's a lot of good teams in our league, and I think anybody is capable of beating anybody on any Saturday, maybe with the exception of Clemson right now. They are just playing at a completely different level than anybody else and we experienced that firsthand in not a good way.

You know, they are right now the class of the league. They have been that way the last three years. I think the rest of us are all trying to play catch-up with them, and right now, none of us are doing it successfully.

But I do think that, you know, a lot of teams are improving. BC is having a great year. Syracuse is having a really good year. NC State is really putting together some good seasons.

I believe our program's improved from where it was three and four years ago. You know, so I think there's a lot of teams in this league that have gotten better, but like any conference, when everyone beats everyone else, you know, maybe you don't have a lot of teams with ten wins at the end of the year, other than Clemson.

But I just think as a coach, you worry about the next team and the next game, and you see all the things they do well and what they are capable of, and we're focused right now on how good Syracuse is and how much they have improved.

ACC Football Media Conference