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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE


August 27, 2014


Bobby Petrino


COACH PETRINO:  Good morning.  Still in the middle of our preparation for the Miami game.  It's a long week not playing until Monday.  I think our players are handling it real well.  We've been focused.  We've had a good camp.  We're relatively healthy with the exception of DeVante Parker, so that's good for us.
We know it's a tough matchup.  Miami is a very experienced team with a lot of really good athletes.  But we're looking forward to opening at home on Monday night.  It will be a lot of fun.

Q.  What have you seen with Miami on film?  You're still working on pre‑season right now.  What have you seen on film that looks different from last year?
COACH PETRINO:  Well, what we're watching is last year.  That's what we're evaluating is their games, the study from last year, last year's bowl game.
They're very, very talented on the defensive front, return a lot of starters in the secondary that have done a really nice job for them.  Experienced inside linebacker that can run and hit.
Offensively they've got very, very good talent at the wide receiver spots, very good offensive fronts, one of the best runningbacks in the country.  It's certainly going to be a great challenge for us.

Q.  Talk about your quarterback play.  How is he ready for the spotlight for Monday?
COACH PETRINO:  I'm looking forward to Will getting in there and getting going.  He had a really good spring.  From the minute we stepped on campus as a new staff, he has kind of set the tone with the players that he was the leader.  Jumped in there right away, took control, which was good to see.
He's very talented.  He's big, strong arm, can make the different throws that you need to make.  So I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes out and plays.

Q.  Bobby, with Andrew Johnson moving into that starting corner spot, what have you seen from him so far here in camp and how is he adjusting to the responsibility?
COACH PETRINO:  Andrew has done a nice job.  He's very experienced.  He has really good knowledge of the game, knowledge of what we're trying to do scheme‑wise, but also understands the receiver position, what they try to do according to splits and routes that they run.
He's a good tackler.  I think that's the number one thing that has impressed me this fall is how well he's come to the run and how well he's tackled.

Q.  You said on Monday that Monday and Tuesday would be key for you guys finding out how Michael Dyer is standing.  Where do you see his progress now?
COACH PETRINO:  He's continuing to improve.  He's still questionable.

Q.  We've heard a lot about James Quick during this camp.  What has impressed you about him?  What do you think he can do in this offense?
COACH PETRINO:  James has had a good camp.  First and foremost, he's been very mature.  He's been very motivated.  Obviously he's felt like he has something to prove to the coaching staff and to himself.  That's been really good to see.
He's really talented.  Got good feet and good speed.  I think the thing that has impressed me from watching his video from a year ago, where he's at right now, has been his consistency in catching the football, his ability to make the different catches you have to make.
We're going to need him to be a play‑maker for us because he does have such good speed.

Q.  Do you feel there's something extra in this game just because of the results of the bowl last year and the fact there are a lot of guys on the team from the South Florida area who want a repeat of what happened in the bowl?
COACH PETRINO:  Yeah, I think so.  I think that's human.  Got a lot of guys from that same area that played against a lot of players on their team in high school, have known each other for a long time.
It's going to be real important for us to focus on the process, focus on our performance one play at a time.  The end result will take care of itself if we can just stay focused and do the things we need to do one play at a time.  That gives us our best chance to win the game.

Q.  With your loss of your marquee offensive player, how do you feel about the receiving corps in the wake of Parker's injury?  Does that change your approach to offense?
COACH PETRINO:  I think we're fortunate that we have a lot of experience at the wide receiver spot.  We got a lot of seniors and guys with experience that have made a lot of plays around here for a number of years, have made plays in big games.
They're a confident group so they believe in themselves.  I think they see it as a challenge to step up and improve their game.
Obviously for us, we've got to be able to get production from a lot of different guys, our wide receivers, our tight ends, our runningbacks to make up for the loss.  Our guys have a good attitude and they've been very focused.

Q.  I wanted to ask about the philosophy of opening with such a monumental game.  You get great national exposure.  What is your philosophy about that?
COACH PETRINO:  I've always enjoyed opening with a game that had a lot at stake.  When I was here before, we used to open with Kentucky every year.  I think it really helps you in the off‑season.  I think it helps you in with your motivation in your early morning workouts, everything you do throughout the summer.  So I like that.
This is a great opener for us, to be able to play on a Monday night, national TV.  So our players are excited about it.  I think it's a great opportunity for us to go out and play well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports


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