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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 11, 2017

Jimbo Fisher

Greensboro, North Carolina

JIMBO FISHER: I'm very proud of the kids, the way we competed so hard in the game against Miami. Great traditional rival. Miami did a great job in the game, one of the great games in college football and it played out that way on Saturday night. Two teams that competed very hard. Kids have gotten better, made a lot of plays in a lot of different areas. Just came up a hair shot. We've got to figure that out and find a way to make another play.

Have had a good week of practice so far versus Duke. Got a really good Duke team, 4-2, coming into this game. Outstanding on defense up front. Do a lot of stunting and twisting and problems. Line backers are very active, take very few false steps. Do a great job in the secondary.

Offensively, mix it up with the quarterback run and the passing game, great passing game, mix that quarterback run and make it really tough, run the football very well. And special teams, of course is very sound and does a tremendous job.

So we've got to have a great week, need to play week, need to bounce back and continue to practice well the rest of this week and get our situations worked in and go out and play a great game versus Duke.

Questions?

Q. Good morning. As you look at your offense, another game this year scoring in the 20s. Are you kind of thinking that that's kind of just the -- that's what the offense is going to be this year? It's going to be a team that scores in the 20s, so it ups your defense to kind of keep the opposing offense in the same range this year?
JIMBO FISHER: No, not necessarily. I think we've played some outstanding defenses. Miami is one of the top ranked defenses in the country. Alabama is and N.C. State is. Of course, we saw how Wake Forest was this weekend on their defense.

I think we've got a very good defense in the football teams we've faced. I think we've gotten better. I think we played a really good game offensively in this game. Missed a couple opportunities. But scoring against them like that, I think we'll be capable of continuing more. We're very close to getting one or two more touchdowns in the game if we can continue to make one or two more plays.

Our offense is progressing and I think it has a lot to do with the fact we played three or four really good defensive football teams.

Q. Jimbo, last year, after you got your third loss, really turned it around. That was a big pivot of the season. Do you reference that at all with the guys now, that the things you guys did last year to still turn that into a positive season for you guys?
JIMBO FISHER: You reference everything you can. You'll have a great season. Like I said, the reason we have lost, why we have lost, fixing those problems, that's big.

Last year, as a reference point, it can be done but you have to also realize you have to go back and do it. Those are points and things you can talk about, but you've got to continue to practice well and play well. Like I said, we've played some outstanding teams but we've got to play better. We have referenced things like that, but the whole key is don't worry about what the season ends up and just making sure we have a good day at practice so you can play well this weekend versus Duke and getting back to the day-to-day process of it.

Q. How is the team's mindset and the leadership at this point?
JIMBO FISHER: Excellent. We've had great practices. Our practices have not tailed off one bit. We've practiced our tails off. We've been you competing, getting after it really good yesterday. Attitude has been great, you can listen to them talk. They understand the things that have to go on. They also understand they've got a ton to play for. Individually, they've got tons to play for. When you play well individually, it makes you play well as a team. They've done a great job and our leadership has done a great job of speaking up to that.

Q. Jimbo, how you doing? Talk about Blackman. I was watching the game last Saturday against Miami and the final drive he marched down the field with the touchdown. Do you feel like he grew up on that last series getting the winning touchdown. Not a winning touchdown, but the go ahead touchdown?
JIMBO FISHER: I think it was a big moment. He played a great fourth quarter. The last three times we touched the ball, we scored a touchdown, a field goal and touchdown. He had a big part in a lot of it. I think he was 9 for 9 or 8 for 9. Made big throws on third down and continued to do it.

He made a part of that allowed him to happen is what he did week before against Wake. He made a big time throw at the end of the game. At times played really well against N.C. State. It's a constant growing process for him. I think he's getting better and better.

The way he played in the quarter, the magnitude of the game, the opponent and all the things that went on, I think he did take great steps.

Q. Talk about Duke's quarterback, Daniel Jones. He's improving every year. The last couple weeks, he's been struggling with interceptions. What do you have to do to on Saturday to control him from not having a big day?
JIMBO FISHER: He runs the ball and throws the ball equally well. He's big and strong. We've got to keep great leverage on the ball. We have to leverage the points on the perimeter when he has the Pyro Q runs and things like that. And mixes that in.

Then we've got to cover him tightly and make him have contested throws and be able to rush when we can to make him feel under pressure.

Q. I want to wish you a late birthday. Happy birthday on Monday. Good luck on Saturday. I'll see you Saturday.
JIMBO FISHER: Thank you, buddy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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