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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 11, 2017

Paul Johnson

Greensboro, North Carolina

PAUL JOHNSON: Good morning. We're excited to have the opportunity to get back into the mix and play. I think that we had a good bye week. We worked on several areas that we've been deficient in in the last couple days, and now we've got a good challenge ahead in playing what's a very talented and very good Miami football team this weekend.

Q. Good morning. Obviously, you beat them three years ago. That was a rare win for you guys in this series. Why has Miami so often been a bad match-up for you in recent years?
PAUL JOHNSON: I don't know. We haven't played particularly well. I mean, up here last year, we turned the ball over. They scored, I think, three touchdowns in 45 seconds. The last time we went to Miami, we took the opening kickoff, went right down the field and lost our quarterback on the first series. We lost to them in overtime up here the time before that.

So it's just been a tough game. They've kind of had our number.

Q. As you prepare for the Miami passing game, what have you liked about your pass defense so far this year?
PAUL JOHNSON: I'm not sure we've played anybody that can throw the ball with the type of skill that they have. But we've been pretty good defensively this year through four games. It will be a big test for us this week.

Q. Coach, what do you see on the film about KirVonte Benson, their -- I'm sorry. Obviously know him well -- about Mark Walton. Had the wrong guy there. Mark Walton. What makes him such a standout runner?
PAUL JOHNSON: Well, he was very talented. Before he got injured, he was a really good player. He had great speed, great balance. And I'm sure he's going to be a good player in the NFL or for Miami again when he comes back.

Q. Coach, just talk about Miami's punting game, their special teams. Feagles, he kept Miami in the game last week against Florida State with his punts and all that stuff. What do you guys have to do to disrupt that this week?
PAUL JOHNSON: I don't know that you can disrupt it. He's a talented guy. They've got a good punter and kicker, and that always helps.

Hopefully, we can force him into some punts and see if we can either set up a return or get some pressure on him, but he's an awfully good player.

Q. I know you guys play in Atlanta. But you'll have to go to South Florida to play in Miami. Sometimes the weather down there doesn't help out with the players. What do you have to do to keep yourself hydrated and all that stuff so you don't have issues of cramps and all that stuff?
PAUL JOHNSON: We haven't talked a great deal about that. It's pretty warm here in Atlanta in the south. The humidity is probably going to be a little different, but like any other game, you've got to hydrate, be ready and just go out and play.

Q. Coach, I think I've got players sorted out now. Malik Rosier, what do you see, the kind of quarterback he is and how he's performing for them? He's got an excellent set of wide receivers too.
PAUL JOHNSON: They've got some really good skill players and he's played very well. I think that he's taken care of the ball and distributed it the way they like to do to their playmakers. Of course, he had the big drive last week with 1:20 to go to come back and win the game. So he's made a lot of plays for them, been a really good player and he's been really accurate on film for the most part.

Q. What about defensively, what do they show you?
PAUL JOHNSON: They're very aggressive. They've got a big front seven. They run well. May have the best group of line backers in the league. And they take a lot of chances. They're very aggressive. And when they happen to guess right, they get you, and hopefully we can guess right some against them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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