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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE


November 6, 2013


Jim Grobe


THE MODERATOR:  Joined now by Coach Jim Grobe.
COACH GROBE:  Mike, we were disappointed this past weekend.  We lost what I think is a really good Syracuse team.  I thought they did a great job.  I thought our defense played pretty good but our offense struggled the whole day, which was a little bit of a tribute to Syracuse's defense.  I thought they had a good plan and came and got us pretty good but they're disappointing to come away with the loss and now we've got another really good team coming to town to say the least in Florida State.  We've got our work cut out for us.
THE MODERATOR:  Questions?

Q.  Without giving away your game plan, what are some things that you can do specifically to try and upset the apple cart, so to speak?
COACH GROBE:  Well, I think the key is against a really good defense you've got to find a way to make some first downs.  They're very stingy, they don't give up very many big plays.  You have to try to find a way to scratch out some first downs so your defense gets a chance to rest once in a while.
I think offensively they've got the potential to certainly just move the football, but I think they're averaging about 550 yards a game.  So they're hitting some big plays very, very talented.  So I think from a defensive perspective try to limit some of the big plays offensively try to stay on the field a while not be 3 and out all the time.
And Florida State's got a history of being good in the kicking game so you gotta be good there.  But this is one of those weeks where if you're going to have any chance at all, you can't have any of the three areas not play good.  You gotta play good as an entire team.

Q.  How would you evaluate your offensive line so far this year?
COACH GROBE:  Well, I think we've been okay.  I think we've asked them to do a lot.  We started out trying to run the football from an option perspective a little bit more, and then got back more to a dropback game and I think for the most part they've hung in there.  I wouldn't characterize it as good play, but I think we've got guys that are competing really, really hard.  Probably struggled the most this past weekend against Syracuse and obviously that group's gotta play better.  I don't think we've got a group that week in, week out is shooting the lights out for us right now.  So not just the offensive line but that receiver group has got to play better and we've got to challenge Tanner to play better each week.  But overall, I think the offensive line's not been as strong as we'd like for it to be, but they battled every week and that's kind of what you look for in that group.

Q.  With Campanaro sidelined, how does that change your offensive game plan and how do you kind of try to be as productive without that weapon?
COACH GROBE:  To be honest, it's going to be an issue for us.  I don't see another Campanaro out there on the horizon.  Maybe with some of our young guys down the road.  But to where we are right now, today, in game planning, we're going to have to try to spread the ball out a little bit.
We were honestly spoiled the last few games, we've really in a game plan sat in the offensive staff room and talked about ways to get the ball to Mike Campanaro and I don't see anybody that we would try to do that with right now.  So I think it's going to be more important for Tanner Price to spread the ball around and try to find some open receivers and not be as locked in as we were to Mike.

Q.  Is that a credible solution, I guess, if the rest of the receivers were that good, you wouldn't have been so focused on Campanaro or is that a tribute to Campanaro's ability?
COACH GROBE:  I think it's a tribute to Campanaro.  He's a guy that we know we have to put the ball in his hands 10, 12, 14 times, maybe more sometimes.
He's a punt returner for us, too.  That's another problem.  He does a good job for us in punt return.  This is just a guy that's impossible to replace.  And from a game plan perspective, you've got to try to spread the ball around.  But when you do that, those guys that you're spreading it around to have to really take every rep seriously and do a good job running routes and catching balls, because there's not, as I see it, we might develop somebody Saturday, but I don't see anybody that we would have that mindset that we want every snap possible get the ball to him.

Q.  The last time you played against Florida State at your stadium was a couple of years ago when they had E.J. and you guys upset them.  Have you showed your team that video about how you can beat a top 10 team like Florida State?
COACH GROBE:  No, I think our deal is not really to dwell too much on what's happened in the past.  I do think that our players are aware that it's really possible in this league to beat anybody.
I think this is the best Florida State team that we faced since I've been at Wake Forest.  That's 13 years of football.  I think this is the best one.
So I don't think that it does us a lot of good to dwell in the past right now.  I think we've got our eyes focused on the team we're getting ready to play.

Q.  Watching Winston on film looks like he's a very tall quarterback.  Have you faced a quarterback that's that tall in 13 years at Wake Forest?
COACH GROBE:  Yeah, we faced some big quarterbacks.  I don't know that we've ever faced one that's got as much talent to not only throw the ball but to move around.  He's a very athletic kid.  I don't know that we've faced anybody as big and as athletic as he is.  And we haven't faced too many people that has had as good a supporting cast.  We like the offensive line, I think the center is a special player.  I think they've got a good group of receivers to throw the football to.  Can run it well with the running backs.  I think the thing that's the problem is you've got a quarterback that throws all throws really well but he's got a good supporting cast.

Q.  With your passing game obviously kind of have to gear down some at least but how important is it for the running game to step up and give you a boost?
COACH GROBE:  Well, obviously not just this week but even back when we still had camp, the better you run the football, the easier it is to throw it.  And we've gotten to the point where we were trying to find some creases with line splits and give Tanner a little bit better windows to throw through.
But our game plan still revolved around Mike Campanaro and now we've got to try to balance that out a little bit, try to find some other receivers that can step up and help us throw the football.  But with that thought, it's probably even more important now that we try to find a way to run the football.  But this is not the week to try to do that, necessarily, Florida State defensive front is pretty solid, and they're probably the most balanced defense we've played.  They do a nice job in all areas.  I don't think too many teams have had much success running it or throwing it.
And so I don't think there's any question now with Mike down we'd like to balance the offense a little more and that would mean throwing it to a variety of receivers and trying to find a way to scratch out a running game.

Q.  Is Camp done for the rest of the regular season for sure?
COACH GROBE:  We think so.  He's got a broken collarbone.  And I think the first thoughts are 3 to 4 weeks.  But it will honestly be just how quickly that knits back together and heals solid enough that he can go back to taking contact.  That's going to be the issue.
He'll probably heal up to be a normal guy here pretty quick, but how quickly he can heal to the point that he can go out and play football and get run into, that will be the question.
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports


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