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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE


September 17, 2014


Frank Beamer


COACH BEAMER:  Certainly your conference games are a priority.  This is our first one.  It's certainly a priority.
I think the two teams have shared this title several times.  But I think this year there's probably more players involved.  But still, it's the first conference game.  You want to get ahead of the thing.  You don't want to get behind.
It's critical for both of us.

Q.  Frank, as you look back on some of the problems in your pass defense, how much do you think it was just poor play on that given day versus maybe a systemic problem you need to change?
COACH BEAMER:  I think it's a combination.  Number one, East Carolina had some guys with size that went up and get it, as does Georgia Tech.  I think this quarterback made some great, great throws.  I think he put the ball exactly where it needed to be.  Georgia Tech has that capability also.  Then I think technique‑wise, we need to work on some things there.  Coach Gray emphasized it yesterday in practice.  I think we'll be better in the future on the deep balls.

Q.  As you look at this run game, you talk about so much wanting to improve it this season.  You were behind early against East Carolina which forces you to throw it, but do you see improvement in your run game?  How satisfied or not satisfied are you with that?
COACH BEAMER:  I think we're improved.  I think the potential is there from a personnel standpoint.  We certainly don't want to get down 21 and throw it as many times as we did the other day.  I think we need to change up our launch points for the quarterback to help us there.
I think there's some different things that we can do to help that.  But number one is not get behind so much early and feel like you got to score quickly.

Q.  I know he wasn't your top receiver or even your number two, who in your mind is going to have to step up and replace what Josh Stanford was able to do for you guys?
COACH BEAMER:  I think Newsome is kind of the same guy.  A little thicker.  Got explosive speed.  I like the two freshmen.  I think both of those kids will continue to get better, Ford and Phillips, as we go along.  Asante is back in the mix.  I like that kid.  I think he's a tough guy, we get him out there as a headhunter some.  He's got some ability.
We're fortunate that I think we do have some possibilities.  But we'll miss Josh's production, his toughness.  Had a great pre‑season practice.  He'd been playing extremely well.  Had a couple drops, but that wasn't a factor as far as him needing some time away.
We'll miss him.  I mean, anytime you have a good player like Josh, you're going to miss him.  But we've got some other guys that's got to step it up.

Q.  On defense, Riley was going to start this week from Facyson.  How big of a concern is it at this point in the season?
COACH BEAMER:  I talked with him yesterday.  He just needs more reps out there.  He missed so much time.  He's just getting back in the flow of it.  I don't think from a physical standpoint he was 100%.  I think he gets closer to 100% every day, just keeps working.
In the end, in the big picture, I have all the confidence in the world in him.  I think he'll get back to where he was last year.

Q.  Frank, Shane said something last night.  He said this weekend is as big a recruiting weekend as he's been a part of.  I know you can't talk specifically about the guys, but how big of a recruiting weekend is this for the program in general?
COACH BEAMER:  Well, it's big.  We've got a couple new guys in here working just totally with recruiting.  I think part of that goes back to them.
But it does allow you to have in‑season official visits.  You got some people that are totally dedicated to that.  We've worked out a schedule for Sundays where we can do our recruiting but get other video graded, try to be efficient in both areas there.
The way this recruiting is going, I think things happen sooner so you need to have official visits during the season.  But I think it's made possible because we do have two guys there that's just totally working with recruiting.
The coaches can do their coaching and then take part in the recruiting when it's scheduled for them by our two guys.

Q.  About Ford and Phillips, the way they've been able to make an instant impact this season, where did the natural instinct come from?  Did you sense when you were recruiting them they were two guys that would be able to jump in immediately, the college game wouldn't be too big for them?  How impressed have you been with how they've done early in the season?
COACH BEAMER:  Very.  I watched the two guys yesterday.  I mean, they were very good at practice.  Both of them have some really good ability.  I think I've said in the past Isaiah came here with the idea that once he got settled in in football, he'd try to get basketball.  I visited with a lot of kids.  Hey, yeah, you want to play football and basketball.  But this is about one of the first ones that I ever thought was a legitimate shot to do that.
I watched him play basketball.  He's very good at that.  He's a very calm, very smart, very intelligent guy.  He understands the games.  He's got some real ability.  His mom has just been great.  To me, he's the total package.  You like being around him.  He understands the game.  He's productive.

Q.  How do you stop the option on Georgia Tech?  Every year they run the option.
COACH BEAMER:  Well, I think you got different schemes and you got to keep it changed up.  I don't think you can do one thing all day long.  I think Paul, he's done this thing a long time, and he has a little sheet over there not very big.  He calls plays.  He has that sheet that's not very big because he's seen most everything, knows how he wants to adjust.
I think you got to stay flexible, then you just got to play hard, take your assignment, play off the blocks, stay on your feet, be a good athlete.  I think that's kind of the plan in general.

Q.  Coming off a tough loss to East Carolina, what do you have to work on this week to not have a repeat?
COACH BEAMER:  I think generally speaking, it's another 12 noon game.  I think the mental part of it's important.  I think when you get up about 7:30, you got your pregame at 8:00, you got to mentally wake up and get ready to roll there.  We're going to try to do a better job of that this week.

Q.  Frank, I was wondering if you had any updates on Corey Marshall, Luther Maddy, whether you think they'll be able to play?
COACH BEAMER:  We're going to check both of them today.  Both of them are positive.  I think it's one of those games you better be ready to play totally because it gets rough out there against these guys.  You better be full tilt.
We'll see how it goes over the next couple days.  But they're both positive about it.

Q.  If they aren't 100% and you won't be able to have them, how much more challenging does that make things for you against this type of team?
COACH BEAMER:  Well, inside there, that's where it all starts.  Stopping these people, you got to be stout right there inside.  We're going to work Alfred a little bit in there today in case he needs to come down from his end position.  Woody Baron, Nigel Williams, both those guys are solid kids.  Ricky Walker may get thrown in there early.
It's kind of tough for a new guy to go against an offense he may never have seen in the past from his high school days.  We just got to get him in there, get everybody playing hard, playing correctly, doing the right technique.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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