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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 31, 2016

Bobby Petrino

Greensboro, North Carolina

BOBBY PETRINO: We're excited about our opening game tomorrow night against Charlotte here in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. I think our players have done a nice job in camp and in our preparation and our competition for starting spots. I know they're ready to get out on the field and play a game, so we're looking forward to having a great crowd and a lot of fun.

Q. To look at your receiving corps coming through the fall, just what you can say about some leadership there. Obviously James Quick has done a lot of good things, what you can say about himself as well as the rest of the guys and how that's shaped up after the fall.
BOBBY PETRINO: Yeah, James does a great job in leadership by going out and setting an example. He practices extremely hard. He probably runs more than any player on our team and goes very fast. He's had a really good fall. He's catching the ball as well as he ever has, and I'm excited to see him come out and play.

Jamari Staples is another guy that provides a lot of quiet leadership. He really understands the offense and doesn't make mistakes, is where the quarterback expects him to be, and I think he's done a nice job, too, of catching the football for us.

The only other group of guys that are all competing for playing time between Reggie Bonnafon and Jaylon Smith and Devante Peete. We've got a crew of them that can all get in there and feel like they can make plays, too. I think when they get the opportunity, they'll be excited to see how it all plays out.

Q. When you look at Reggie, just what you can say about how he's taken on having a different role and obviously has gone through a transition at Louisville, just what you've seen out of him and how he's handled it on and off the field.
BOBBY PETRINO: Yeah, just a great young man. When we were in spring ball, Coach Galloway wanted us to move him full-time to wide receiver, kept bringing it up every day in the meetings, and finally I felt like it was the right decision, and I'm glad that he was adamant about it because I think once Reggie moved there, now he's getting better every day, understanding the technique and the details of the position. He catches the ball real well. He can elevate and catch the ball. We're still going to hand it to him and let him run with it, too, but he's a young man that truly only is concerned about the team and really believes anything he can do for the team he will.

Q. Just wanted to ask what have you seen out of Brandon Radcliff in camp and how he has maybe improved over last season.
BOBBY PETRINO: Yeah, Brandon came to camp in great condition. He's lighter than he was a year ago, which is what we wanted him to do, and he's much faster. He's just out there working hard every day. He's doing a great job carrying the ball. He's finishing every run which sets a standard for the rest of the running back corps, and he's really improved in his pass protection and his route running. I would expect him to go out and have a great year for us.

Q. How much more would you like to maybe throw to the running backs this season?
BOBBY PETRINO: Yeah, that was an emphasis for us in spring ball and in camp, and I think we've done a nice job doing it. You know, once you can get back to more of the drop-back passing game then the running back gets more opportunities to catch the ball, some on check-down routes and some on called routes, so it's kind of a combination. It really helps your receivers get open. The more you can be patient, dump the ball, particularly on 1st and 2nd down to the running backs, then as the game goes on, the receivers downfield become more open.

Q. Compared to past years where you've opened against Miami and Auburn, how would you describe this approach with Charlotte, which is just entering the second year at the FBS level?
BOBBY PETRINO: Yeah, I think it's been a situation where our players have done a really nice job of working hard in camp and getting ready for a game, preparing themselves. One of the things we've always talked about around here is the issue is us, how we go about our business in the meeting room, how we go about our business on the practice field, and we're really excited for the game. I think it'll be a great opener. I know our fans are excited for it, too.

Q. I don't want to say a relief, but is it different to have this kind of tune-in as opposed to just having to be ready on national TV like you've been the last couple years?
BOBBY PETRINO: Well, it's different. There's no question about that. We used to open up with Kentucky and then we had Miami and then Auburn and Atlanta. So there's a little bit different feel for it. But with the schedule we've got coming up early in the year, we're excited to get out on the field and play.

Q. I know you've talked about how you expect the offense to be better this year given all the players you have coming back, so what are you most eager to see about the entire group tomorrow night?
BOBBY PETRINO: You know, really just the execution, playing together. All 11 guys on every play doing their job and playing hard and showing that they all have a better understanding of what we're trying to do and what the defenses are trying to do. So it'll be fun for us. I think it'll be good for our players to get out on the field, get the coaches away from them and run the show out there. I'm excited for Lamar because he's done such a great job in his leadership throughout camp, and I think he's excited for the game to go out and throw the ball down the field a little bit.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Lamar in the sense that he came in as a true freshman last year and had to grow up under fire. Can you talk about the difference it makes, him having a year under his belt, to be the established starter now, and what different you see and expect from him?
BOBBY PETRINO: Well, he worked extremely hard in really studying the offensive schemes and being able to picture the plays in his mind as you gave them to him, either by signals or verbally, which a quarterback has to do. He's got to immediately put a picture in his mind of the formation and the play, and then be able to see what the defense is going to be. He's really done a nice job of that. He's worked extremely hard with his footwork and his consistency to be able to get his body in position so he can be more accurate throwing the ball.

I've been really impressed with the young man, his dedication and his eagerness to be coached and want to be coached. It's something that you don't see in every kid nowadays. I'm excited to see him go out and have a great game.

Q. He relied a lot on his running ability last year. That's obviously a risk to run a guy as much as he did. Is that still going to be a big part of his game, or would you like to cut that back a little bit?
BOBBY PETRINO: I think it'll still be a big part of his game. He's still 4.4 and he's fast and very agile. He doesn't get hit hard because he is so quick, and his movements are such that he probably gets hit harder in the pocket when he's throwing the ball than when he's running with it. We're still going to utilize his legs and do the things he does with that, but he is a passer. He can really throw the ball, and before it's over with, he's going to be a great drop-back passer.

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