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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCEAugust 27, 2014Frank BeamerFRANK BEAMER: The opening game with William & Mary, they certainly have our attention. If you look at the last four years, they beat Virginia back in 2009, they lost by four to North Carolina, they lost by one to Maryland, they lost by seven and it was tied up late in the game to West Virginia. Certainly Jimmye Laycock's team is very capable, and they welcome these kind of games. They certainly have our attention and certainly have our respect. We need to go out there and see what we are. The thing that's concerning is you've got a lot of new guys playing the first time, and you don't really know how they're going to play. You think you know how they're going to play, but we need to‑‑ it's the time of year we need to play somebody and find out where we are as a football team, get a starting point and go from there. That's what we've got here this Saturday. Q. I wanted you to talk about you guys focused so much in the off‑season on improving your run game. You have a rebuilt offensive line, you have a lingering injury with Trey Edmunds at tailback. How good do you feel like this run game can be and how much do you think it's improved? FRANK BEAMER: Well, I do feel like it's improved. I think we've emphasized that I think the parts around it hopefully will make it a better running game, meaning I think those two freshmen tailbacks, they're a load. Trey has been hurt, J.C. Coleman is very dependable and a year older, I like Rogers a lot at fullback, I like our wide receivers and the ability, I think, that they've got‑‑ I think there's more ability to take a five‑yard gain and make it a 25‑yard gain, and I like our tight ends. I think they block, they're tough guys, they'll block, but you can get them out in space a little bit and they're athletic where they can do that. All those things together I'm hoping will help our running the football. Q. For so long Jimmye's calling card was offense, but the last three or four years it's been a very defensive‑oriented team with so many players back from last season. What type of challenges do they pose for Michael in his first start? FRANK BEAMER: Yeah, well, they're very, very sound. They play extremely hard. They're tough kids. I've been very, very impressed with their football team and been very impressed with their defense. I know they were high up in the stats when they finished the year. I think they were really high there before actually the Richmond game, and then Richmond hit them for a few yards. You know, they're for real. Any time you can play defense the way they play it, it gives you a chance, and we understand that and respect it very much. Q. There's not much tape out there on Cluley. How do you prep for him? FRANK BEAMER: Well, you read about him a little bit, so that‑‑ just got to be sound in your defense. That's number one, regardless of who the quarterback is and how athletic and so forth. You've got to be sound. Q. You mentioned the uncertainty with how young this team is coming into the season. Is that more so than past years, and does this team remind you of any in the past that you've had that have been this young and you don't know quite what you have coming into a season? FRANK BEAMER: You know, I just know we've got some new guys there, Phillips and Isaiah Ford at wide receiver. Isaiah may end up starting for us. We think he's extremely talented, as Phillips is. But until you get out there, you don't quite know. But particularly in the second offensive line, there's a lot of new faces. Over on the defensive side, particularly in backup situations there's some new faces. You know, a lot of guys that we're eager to see how they perform in a game. Q. I wanted to ask you a follow‑up to the running backs. Do you know how much or what kind of role Trey will be able to have in the opener? FRANK BEAMER: Yeah, he's very much a part of‑‑ he'll get to be in the rotation there, and he'll certainly get some plays, no question. Q. I just wanted to ask you about your offensive line. You guys have been kind of shuffling around. You've moved three guys from the defensive side of the ball there in the past year. How do you feel the continuity is with that group and how comfortable are you going into week one with the group that you have there right now? FRANK BEAMER: Oh, I'm comfortable. I think you look at them out there, I think they're really working very hard. We've stressed play tougher, and I think I see that. But I've seen it against our own guys, so I need to see it against the opponent. But yeah, I feel good about them.  I think Caleb Farris and Wang has given us some good leadership, and I think McLaughlin and Gibson are athletic out there, Conte is an athletic guy, Hansen that we moved over from defense, he's got good athletic ability, just learning the position. Taylor, Alston Smith, Gallo, Pettit, all those guys I think are very good athletes, particularly for an offensive lineman. You know, we'll keep working at it and see where it goes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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