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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 6, 2010

Jim Grobe

COACH GROBE: I think our team got a little bit better this past weekend, but we didn't finish. I thought we played a really good Georgia Tech team, tough, and showed a lot of improvement. We still have some issues at our quarterback position that we're trying to get resolved.
But I'm pleased with the effort that our team gave, and we're just disappointed that we came up a little short.

Q. In terms of your offense, I guess, until the quarterback thing kind of settles itself, I guess, do you have any hope of the offense getting cranked up there?
COACH GROBE: Well, I hope so. Our biggest problem right now is not only -- not necessarily who the quarterback's going to be, but when we have a quarterback, can he be consistent enough? That's our problem.
Last week we repped three quarterbacks. They each got a third of the reps. Typically we give our starter about 60 or 70% of the reps, and the back-up maybe gets 30 or 40%. So when you're trying to get three or four guys ready to play because you don't know from an injury standpoint who is going to be up on Saturday, it makes it really tough to be consistent.
You'd like to think that our offense will get better when you're quarterback play becomes more consistent.

Q. Navy had only six points last week. What do you see the keys are to beat the Midshipmen?
COACH GROBE: It's going to be really, really tough. We've had some battles with these guys in the past. We understand their offense pretty well, I think, but understanding it and stopping it are two different things. They execute it as well as anybody running the triple option.
It's got to be a team game. I think we've got to get some production out of our offense. One of the things with Navy that really impresses me is their defense. They're not giving up many yards or points to anybody right now. So in order to play good defense against this Navy triple option, we've got to have some help from the offensive side of the ball.

Q. I'm doing something on Florida State's defense. You saw them a couple weeks ago, you also saw them last year. I'm just wondering, what is the biggest difference you noticed in them that's causing them to be so much more effective this year on that side of the ball?
COACH GROBE: Well, I think the thing that they've done is they've become more of a zone football team. In the past they've played a lot of manned coverage. I think people had seen so much of their manned coverage that you devised plays specifically to beat man coveraged. Now I think what they're doing with their zone concepts is they're basically keeping things in front of them. They're not giving up big plays.
I think they're relying on their front four. I think their four defensive linemen up front are very talented, and they're able to get pressure out of those guys without having to blitz a lot. So I think probably the biggest thing that they've done is they've eliminated big plays.

Q. The schedule worked out favorably in the sense that you play Georgia Tech's offense and then Navy's offense which are obviously designed the same way. How much of an advantage is that? You guys did a very good job controlling Georgia Tech's triple option, what actually worked so well for you there?
COACH GROBE: Well, I think we're a little more familiar. We've played Navy so many times. Many of course, we've got both Navy and Georgia Tech last year that our kids are a little bit more comfortable seeing the triple option. I think two things that are a problem for us this week: I think the experience of playing Georgia Tech last Saturday helps us, but it also helps Navy because they could see some of the things that we did against Georgia, and some of the things that Georgia Tech did that hurt us.
Then the other thing is playing triple option teams back-to-back is a grind physically. You know, when you play wishbone teams that are really physical up front. Every play's a gut check. You've got to have your ears pinned back, and you're running into people on every snap.
So I don't know the last time any team took on two triple option teams back-to-back. But that's one of our concerns right now that last week's game was so physical, and then here we go again.

Q. I was wondering, how many hours a week do you spend on the film, and how much has the technology changed how you go about that from maybe ten years ago?
COACH GROBE: Well, I thought back in the day we used to watch a lot of film even when it was 16 millimeters and you had to splice film and carry it to the developer and get it back. I thought we watched a lot of film back then. But it's almost become overload now.
We watch more video than the law allows. We video everything that goes on in practice. There is literally nothing that we do at practice that we don't take a look at the next day.
Then when you combine that with all the opponent video that you look at, you basically spend most of your days, you know, watching video and you have planning involved, certainly, for practice and game-plan type stuff, but it all comes off the video.

Q. How long did that Stanford game linger? Is there any concern that losing a game the way you did last Saturday, there might be a lingering effect with that as well?
COACH GROBE: Well, there could be. I think the Stanford game was one that was a little easier to put behind us. The hardest thing about the Stanford game was the trip, you know, trying to get the trip behind us.
I had some of my older kids who were pretty trustworthy tell me by Wednesday or Thursday they were still a little bit tired prosecute the Stanford trip, getting ready to go down to Tallahassee to play Florida State.
Our danger now is the sting of losing a game that was so close that either side could have won, and we came up short. So I think sometimes when you get beat by a big score it's a little easier to put it behind you and get on to the next game.
The good news for us is even though we lost a game that really hurt, I think we're starting to play a little bit better. So there is some encouragement that we're playing better, but there is no question that a close loss like we had hurts a little bit more.

Q. Have you seen signs this week in practice that being competitive was a good thing, and that the guys are maybe feeling better about what you guys are asking them to do?
COACH GROBE: Well, I think our guys feel better about the way they're playing, there is no question. But our guys have gotten to the point now where there really aren't any moral victories for our guys. Our guys don't like to lose. They expect to win.
So they're hurting pretty good. I thought we had an okay practice yesterday, but a lot of that is from putting in some new things that we're going to work on.
But I feel like our kids have a better feeling of that, especially our younger players, that we're making improvements. And I think one of the things that's happening to us is I think some of our younger players are starting to realize it's not good enough to just be playing, you've got to go out and play well.

End of FastScripts

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