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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 18, 2017

Justin Fuente

Greensboro, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente. Just a brief opening statement and we'll go to questions.

COACH FUENTE: First of all, happy birthday to Coach Beamer here from everyone on the staff. Appreciative of him and everything he's meant to Virginia Tech. And second of all we're looking to playing at home. It's homecoming this week and we're looking forward to getting back in Lane Stadium and playing another ACC opponent.

Q. James mentioned yesterday about, talking about the kicking game that Travon McMillian might get some work back there. What is it about Travon that makes you think he's suited for that role?
COACH FUENTE: He runs well. He's got good speed. He's got good vision and has some strength.

Q. How would you evaluate the success or what you've been able to do so far on kick returns?
COACH FUENTE: I think we've been okay. We hit a big one in the very first game. And James Clark is banged. We haven't been able to put him back there. Henri Murphy has jumped back there.

And I think we've been just all right. I don't know that we've been a game-altering unit thus far, but we've taken care of the football and punched it out and had some decent returns.

Q. Looking at the Coastal Division, your adversary this week, Larry Fedora, had spoken about at any given time, any given season the Coastal Division is wide open. Miami obviously is improved. Virginia is improved. You've seen success at Virginia Tech. And Georgia Tech has gotten better from last season. What can you say about being inside the Coastal Division and the level of talent when it comes to coaching and the level of talent in general?
COACH FUENTE: Well, I just don't think there's a nickel's worth of difference from the top to the bottom right now. When I watch the cross-over film I think anybody can beat anybody on any given day. I think it's going to be tough, hard grind for anyone to make it all the way through.

I know there's some really, really good football players throughout the division, some fine coaches and programs, and I just think it's going to be rough. It's going to be hard. And it could go about a thousand different ways.

Q. When you come from a program like Memphis that you had obviously found a lot of success with before you had moved on to Virginia Tech, what can you say about the transition over and what you've seen from the ACC in about a year and a half's worth of time about, like you said, there's not a nickel's worth of difference from the top to the bottom? What's impressed you, maybe surprised you or are there any surprises in the ACC in your opinion?
COACH FUENTE: Sure. Well, I mean, I think there's a lot of pride in the product that we're putting out. I know just in the coaches meetings, we took great pride in being the best league in all of America last year.

And trying everything we can to make that an annual thing. And to me last year, when I watched ACC football, the thing that astounded me was the quarterback play. I thought it was absolutely fantastic, from top to bottom.

Just every week you were playing a quarterback that could beat you. And there's been a lot of turnover at the quarterback position at many of those schools, but I see a lot of young guys across the league stepping up and guys that have really bright futures.

So the talent level is obviously very high. The coaching acumen or the coaches that are in the league, I think, are very accomplished and do a fantastic job getting their players playing well and playing disciplined football. But the thing that stuck out to me the most is the quarterback play.

Q. Wondered whether you had a chance to watch the Clemson/Syracuse game since you guys were on a bye last week or maybe you were out recruiting?
COACH FUENTE: I watched a little bit of it on my way back from recruiting. So I got to see a little bit of the second half.

Q. Do you have any impressions about what Syracuse was able to do in the parts that you were able to watch?
COACH FUENTE: Well, I just think Dino and that scheme cause people a lot of headaches. And obviously they caused problems for Clemson. They go so fast, and they're adept at throwing the football.

And then by the end of the game they could run the ball on the inside, which was a product of Dino doing a great job getting those guys ready and a product of the number of snaps that Clemson had been on the field.

Just really a masterful job of working and game planning. And that offense is dangerous now. It's like there's extremes. There's Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, which you may never, ever see the football again when he's got it.

And then there's Dino at Syracuse, where they're going to go so fast and throw it so much that there's multiple possessions and multiple opportunities and the games can go a bunch of different ways now.

Q. Just what you can say about being on the other side of Dino in a loss at the Dome last season, just what you've seen from him in the league (indiscernible) in the ACC from last year to this year, having a win over your team, Virginia Tech, and now against the reigning champion, Clemson? Just what's your take on Dino Babers at this point?
COACH FUENTE: I had to coach against him while I was at Memphis and he was at Bowling Green, and he had a great team there. And at the risk of just giving a recruiting spiel for Dino and Syracuse, I think recruiting kids up there to go play in the Dome and throw the ball around is going to be appealing. They're going to be successful.

He's got a great personality. He's fun to be around and I think he's got a really bright future. He's got those guys playing hard. They believe in him and they're playing their tails off.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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