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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 20, 2017

Justin Fuente

Greensboro, North Carolina

JUSTIN FUENTE: I was pleased to get the win at East Carolina last week. Our kids have done a good moving on to a really difficult task with ODU coming in here. Coach Wilder has done a fantastic job, literally just building that program from the bottom up. Got good players. Very well-coached.

We've had a good week of practice thus far. We will be without Adonis Alexander this week. We'll continue to evaluate that as it moves forward. We're looking forward to playing at home.

Q. The tunnel vision theme that you've been pitching to the guys this week, how well has that message been received? How focused do you feel your group is?
JUSTIN FUENTE: Well, I like the way they practiced yesterday. It's really not a new -- really nothing new for us in terms of how we handle every day around here. I'd be more worried about it if we had just started talking about taking things one day or one play at a time, but it's something we've been talking about for a long time.

I think the guys have done a good job thus far.

Q. Old Dominion, I think they had 16 sacks through their first three games. How are they getting to the quarterback, a straight rush, or a lot of exotic blitz looks in what they do?
JUSTIN FUENTE: No, I think the strength of their defense are their down linemen. They play quite a few. Their starting four really stand out. I mean, they've got some game experience. They've got size, explosiveness, they play hard. They can play at a lot of places. That seems to be the way they've created the most pressure. They haven't needed or haven't been forced into bringing a lot of people because they're so good up front.

Q. I've been asking coaches what NCAA rule they'd like to see changed. Is there one out there you would change if you had the power to?
JUSTIN FUENTE: Only one?

Q. You can give me as many as you want.
JUSTIN FUENTE: Oh, I'm not going to go all the way in on it (laughter).

I think just in general terms, I'm concerned about some of our recruiting legislation that we're pushing forward without really any idea about the repercussions. I'm all for player safety and player development and those sorts of things. Right now we have eight months for kids to take official visits during the year. That seems a little excessive to me.

Q. Old Dominion's pass-rush. On the flipside, you have allowed only three sacks. How would you evaluate how you have protected Josh thus far?
JUSTIN FUENTE: Well, I'd say some good and some bad. I think Josh has done a good job of getting rid of the football sometimes when we're in pressure, when he's under duress, I guess I should say. We've tried to stay out of, the best that we can, those obvious passing downs. We have been in some of them in third down particularly two weeks ago.

I think those statistics are a byproduct of a couple things. I think one is improvement up front. We continue to get better, understand what we're trying to accomplish. I think part of it is Josh doing a pretty good job handling those moments. The other part of it is trying to stay ahead of the chains.

Q. Old Dominion has lost both its best runningback and wideout to injury. As you have looked at tape from this season and last, do you see them changing much of what they do offensively to try to compensate?
JUSTIN FUENTE: I don't know if there's been too much of a change. Those were very fine players that they lost. They've kind of had a reemergence of No. 15 in the kick return game, kind of the perimeter screen game. He can really run. Their brand-new quarterback coming in kind of breathed a little life into them I think offensively.

I haven't seen a dramatic shift in their overall philosophy.

Q. Because you have Old Dominion scheduled for many years into the future, how important is it for schools to develop non-conference in-state rivalries? Do you see that as something you'll continue to do perhaps with other schools in the state?
JUSTIN FUENTE: Well, we're scheduled pretty far out, quite honestly. So I don't know that there's a lot of wiggle room in the next handful of years. I do think it's good for us to play in-state schools. If we can't do that, I think it's good for us to play regional games.

The ODU game is a unique event because it's also located in the 757 area, which has been a big place for us historically, will be in the future recruiting-wise. We've got games on their campus, as well, in the future.

In general terms, I'd say I like that. I like that general philosophy of trying to stay in state.

Q. Your stadium tends to be packed no matter who you're playing. The fact that it is somebody from in state, can that stir up a little bit more interest than playing somebody from a far-flung state out west perhaps?
JUSTIN FUENTE: Yeah. I just think it makes a little more sense. Just a little more familiarity, ease of travel for both sides. When you start thinking about trying to cater to your fan bases, giving them opportunities to see you play. It's kind of like playing in northern Virginia, our first game of the year. We kind of get a chance to go play in and around a large alumni base. I don't know if it adds to the 'rivalry,' but I think just in general terms it's good for both schools.

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