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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 18, 2017

Dino Babers

Greensboro, North Carolina

DINO BABERS: Well, we obviously are going down to play a fine University of Miami team, undefeated, ranked in the Top-10. Coach Richt does a fabulous job. These guys are well-coached. Their speed, there's so much speed on tape; you just can't deny how fast that football team is, yet they are still physical.

You can see they are well-coached. It's going to be a tough task and playing at their place, it's going to be hot and humid and we need to get used to that because we're just a dome team and we're not used to playing in those elements.

Open it up for questions.

Q. To look at fourth down efficiency for your team so far, I believe you're 15 of 23 for the first seven games 65 percent of the time making sure you convert that to a first down. Just what can you say about being a coach that wants to go for those opportunities and those chances and then finding the success in your offense in converting on fourth down?
DINO BABERS: Well, we're lucky, I guess. Sometimes I just like to go with my gut in those situations. Momentum is a big part of it.

But it can work to be -- it's a two-sided sword because if you go for those things on fourth down and you don't get it, you're giving momentum to the other team. I think we're just a little bit lucky at it and we try to play it by ear.

Q. As far as, as you said, in the hot and humid elements that are coming up here in Miami, and obviously some of the things that happened in the Georgia Tech game most recently with the rain and whatnot, you spoke about not being used to those elements. What have you done to maybe try to create a hot and humid environment? Have you done anything in practice a little bit differently this week to make things kind of feel as much as you can like it may feel in Miami?
DINO BABERS: You know, I've been down in Miami. We can't duplicate those weather conditions up here this far north.

So we're just going to have to go down there and battle it for the very first time. We can't recreate that here.

Q. What's the biggest thing that you learned about your team on Friday night?
DINO BABERS: That they are capable. We played a complete game on offense, defense and special teams. We turned the ball over one time, and that one turnover was actually a ten-point swing because I felt like we were going to be in position for a field goal opportunity and we fumbled the ball and they picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown.

Being able to lose the turnover battle and play a team like that and still find a way to win, I think just goes to show you how well we can play when everything's functioning together. Now, whether we play that well again, this week, back-to-back, it's tough to do. But that's the task and we're going to go see if we can -- if we're capable of doing that two weeks in a row.

Q. It is tough to do, as you just mentioned. What goes into what you tell your team or the preparations during practice this week that will allow you to be able to do it back-to-back weeks?
DINO BABERS: Well, you know, first of all, it has to do with injuries and everything else, which I'm not going to talk about. The same team we started with against LSU three, four weeks ago, is not the same starting lineup that we're playing with now.

As the depth chart changes, we don't have a lot of depth on this football team, so we've got a lot of younger players that have to step up and play we're going to need the same thing to happen down in Miami.

Unfortunately those guys are so gifted that if you put the wrong guy at the wrong spot, they can be exploited very easily.

Q. The fact that you were able to beat Clemson last week and the fact your offense was able to put up 27 points against their defense, have you noticed any kind of defense in how the team believes in itself now or how the team is carrying itself as a result of that?
DINO BABERS: You know, I think there's definitely confidence on that side of the ball. They are getting better. I think that obviously the offensive line is getting better with the two freshmen playing in there. The quarterback is playing at a high level. We have some outstanding receivers, and the running backs are coming long on the offensive side of the ball.

I think overall, I just think it's just the team belief, the family; that they have been in some close games and they didn't win them and now they have finally been in a close game and they won, and I think that gives them a lot of confidence.

Q. After two makes last Friday against Clemson, Murphy leads the ACC in field goals this year, only seven away from the program record. What would you say has fueled his turnaround from last year?
DINO BABERS: You know, I just think his freshman year, I think he had an outstanding percentage of making field goals. I just think that maybe last year was a junior slump.

I think he's been doing a really good job, and I know that we wouldn't have won the game without him.

Q. Working on something, Devin M. Butler and Devin C. Butler relationship. Do you have a funny story of those two and how do you address them without confusion?
DINO BABERS: You know, this is a little embarrassing. It's Devin Butler offense and Devin Butler defense (Laughter).

Q. You've been a pretty busy guy the last couple days, going on radio shows all over the country. What has this week been like for you?
DINO BABERS: Tiring. My schedule is pretty filled out as it is and when you add all the extra media stuff, it makes me have less time to sleep during the night because there's still things I need to do, as obviously the head football coach and being a part of the things that go on in the offensive staff room.

It's a tiring week; lack of sleep, and hopefully right now I can make that up on the back of the week.

Q. How does this compare to after the Virginia Tech win last year?
DINO BABERS: How does this compare to the Virginia Tech win last year; is that the question?

I would say it's been more. The Virginia Tech win was out standing and there was a lot of notoriety over it but Clemson being No. 2 and defending national champs and undefeated, I would say it's a lot more than the Virginia Tech win the year before.

Q. I want to deal with the term "upset". Do you consider the win Friday night an upset or your program just finally playing up to it's potential?
DINO BABERS: You're talking about defending champs, undefeated, Dabo Swinney and Clemson; I consider that an upset. But that team is still probably going to play for the National Championship. A one-loss Clemson team is probably going to be in the Final Four. That means you have an opportunity to win the ACC Atlantic and if you win the ACC Atlantic, you should be having an opportunity to play for the ACC Championship and play in the Final Four.

So I mean, you can't take away what those guys have done and what they are capable of doing. I would say it was an upset -- we were underdogs.

Q. On a scale of 1 to 10 how does this help recruiting next year, beating Clemson?
DINO BABERS: I would say at least a solid 9.

Q. Last year you had those back-to-back wins and the upset over Virginia Tech, and you beat Boston College and did not win again last year. Do you have a sense coming off the back-to-back wins it's going to be different with this team this year; that there's potential to build upon these back-to-back wins?
DINO BABERS: I think that some of that stuff had to do with us losing our quarterback in the Clemson game, and that's not to take away from other people.

When you lose your starting quarterback in an offense like ours, it's very, very difficult to get your No. 2 guy the type of reps he needs to be able to operate and function at the level that we need to be able to generate the points that we need to generate based off the speed that we operate at. So I would think that had something to do with it.

This football team, as long as you stay healthy, I think that they may stand a little better than the 2016 football team did.

Q. You had spoken when you came to Syracuse, faith and belief without evidence. Now the victory over Clemson, as well, and we're seeing some of that evidence come out, what can you say about the team's buy-in from the beginning and the faith they had and the dividends that it's paying off currently as they move forward?
DINO BABERS: I would say in 2016, we had 50/50 faith. I think after the win on Friday, that we probably have 90 to 95 percent faith. But more importantly, I think that we have the trust of the community. I think that we have the trust of the student body. I think that we have the trust of this administration that we know what we're doing and now with that trust, let's fill up our home place. Let's really get this place going. Let's start the engine and see if we can turn this thing into something special up here.

Q. When you look at the team, I saw some of the players this week said during your speeches, when you take that break and put your hands on your knees and you're silent, they said that's the most exciting part of it because they know that's when something good is coming. They feel your energy and they feed off your energy but what can you say about feeding off their energy in moments like that?
DINO BABERS: Oh, my God, the energy, when you look into their eyes, it's like the Energizer Bunny on the commercials, are you kidding me, beating that drum. Those kids, there's so much youth and there's so much energy in their eyes and that's what gets me going. That's what charges my batteries, I mean, unlimited, unlimited energy coming from those young people.

They say youth is wasted on the young; I tell you what, if we had their energy at our age we would probably get the whole world in trouble. But those young people, they get me going. I love seeing them excited and I love giving them a moment being a part of something that will stick with them the rest of their lives and stick with their kids' lives and their grandkids' lives. That's the stuff that gets me going.

Q. I was pretty impressed with how quickly the guys had cigars going in the locker room after the game. I think we all kind of know it wasn't the first time there were cigars lit up in the dome this year. Just curious, did you and the coaching staff have them ready? What went into that?
DINO BABERS: You know, I didn't know anything about it. I was at the press conference with you. I didn't have one. That was behind the scenes. I didn't know all those guys had cigars, but I was at the press conference.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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