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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 11, 2017

Mark Richt

Greensboro, North Carolina

MARK RICHT: We finished our Wednesday practice. We always, like I mentioned before, we practice in the mornings. It was a really good hot, humid day. It was the second day in a row of that. Last week we were practicing in the Dolphins' facility in the air-conditioning on Tuesday. Wednesday we tried to practice outside, Thursday, and lightning struck again, and we ended up inside on Thursday, so we were in air-conditioning all last week and worried a lot about our conditioning, and this week we finally got back to back days of heat and humidity, which we're probably going to play in.

Q. With the huge win at Florida State, can you and your staff and players fully enjoy that ride, or was it on to Georgia Tech Monday? And if that's so, is that a problem with college football?
MARK RICHT: Well, we did enjoy it, and we have moved on. I don't think our fans have moved on. I don't think our student body has moved on, and they should be able to enjoy it longer than we can enjoy it. We've got to move on.

Now, in the summertime we may go back and enjoy it again, watch TV copy of it or something like that, but we have to move on mentally, or we're going to be in trouble because we're going to play a great football team this Saturday at 3:30 at home, and they've got a week off to prepare for us of rest and preparation. We just got done with a battle royale, an emotional battle, and we've got to regroup and get ready to rock and roll as fast as possible.

Q. You were at Georgia, you played Georgia Tech every year. Is that an advantage for you at Miami in preparing for the Yellow Jackets, or is it just going to be a problem with the offense they run?
MARK RICHT: Well, first of all, if I was a defensive coordinator and the guy that was year after year dealing with that from a defensive standpoint, maybe it would be some type of advantage. But I've had a few different defensive coordinators over the years during the time that I would play Georgia Tech and that offensive system. It's more on Manny Diaz to get the plan together and do the things that need to get done there, and I trust him with it. I'm spending most of my hours thinking about our offensive team and what we've got to do against Georgia Tech's defense.

Q. Do you feel like Malik in the passing game has progressed enough in the first four games where you're at a point where the offense can with stand the loss of arguably the rest running back in the ACC? How worried are you going forward?
MARK RICHT: Well, first of all, we think Travis Homer is a good runner and we have Trayone Gray and we've moved Deejay Dallas to running back from a wide receiver position, and we've got Crispian Atkins, who's a walk-on, who's actually been put on scholarship as a running back who knows what to do and can function. We're not just going to bail on the run game, but obviously we've lost a weapon as a runner, and we've got to be able to throw and catch well. We either have looked really, really good or we've struggled throwing the ball. It's been a little streaky, and it's been a little bit of a bother, but if everybody protects like they should and the quarterback reads his coverages and progresses properly and puts it on the money and guys reach out and snatch it, we'll be okay.

Q. How do you feel -- what's your assessment of your run defense heading into this test?
MARK RICHT: Well, I've seen great run defenses against traditional offenses get roasted for 400, 500 yards rushing. It's just a different style of running game. So whatever your rushing defensive stats are, you can throw them out the window because it's just a whole different world of how you've got to try to stop this thing.

I don't know if the stats mean so much. We've actually not been great on yards per carry against us. Our rushing defense really hasn't been lights out. We've really got our work cut out for us, and I'm hoping our guys will do a good job of tackling out there in space, defeating blocks, doing things you've got to do to try to slow them down.

Q. I know you're focused on Miami, but I know that you also recruited and coached a lot of the guys that led Georgia to this fast start. What's it been like from your perspective to watch Georgia kind of get off to this start and become this team that everybody has their eyes on?
MARK RICHT: Yeah, well, it's exciting to see that. I'm happy for Georgia. I'm happy for all the kids that I recruited, and I'm happy for all the guys I didn't recruit. You know, Georgia is a great place. It has a special place in the hearts of myself and my wife, and I'm all for them having a lot of success.

Q. I know you're busy with Miami, but have you had a chance to get to watch them? I know you probably haven't been able to sit down and watch a whole game, but even just highlights, what's the most impressive thing you've seen from this team so far?
MARK RICHT: Well, the most impressive thing is the scores. I really haven't seen any games. I've probably seen a little highlight here and there after one of our ballgames maybe watching TV and all that kind of deal. But just when you see the scores and the point differential and what looks like really lights-out defensive play, that's what champions are built on. But I just haven't seen how the games have gone. I'm certain both sides of the ball have done a great job.

Q. Berrios has stepped up in every game, he's got a touchdown in every game, several big moments in the FSU game. How impressed have you been with him this season?
MARK RICHT: He's been awesome. I mean, really and truly, as it was happening, it was pretty awesome, but then after the fact and watching the tape and even watching some TV copy of it, you can just see what a gutsy performance it was and really what a dominating performance it was. Guys that are 5'9" and 180 or whatever he weighs, usually they can't dominate a game the way he did against an elite opponent. But I thought it was pretty spectacular, actually.

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