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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 25, 2017

Bronco Mendenhall

Greensboro, North Carolina

BRONCO MENDENHALL: After learning a lot about our team, our program, our current level of progress after seven games this year, continuing to learn, apply and grow versus another ACC opponent. Looking forward to playing.

Q. I was wondering if getting to five wins so early in the season, is it a double-edged sword for your team?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I think it's played out that way. I was trying to keep a finger on the pulse of my team each and every week and focusing on the present. Success is relatively new to this team, as none have been to a bowl game before. Even though it was never mentioned by me, I think it was in their mind. I think it moved us thinking more to about outcomes than the process and staying in the present for our work.

I can't say that's for sure. Boston College played really well against us, and we didn't play as well. Whether that was a contributor or not, I'm not sure. But we're certainly addressing it at this point, and hopefully we have a new set point going forward.

Q. How are you addressing it?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: Really with the way we framed our off-season and the message we framed our off-season with, the way we framed our summer, our spring practice, our fall camp. We have very specific metrics for every single play. We think each play is all that you can focus on. Once you focus on more than a given play in relation to the metrics we've given our team to gauge success for that play, anything else other than that actually diminishes your chance to have success.

A lot less about outcomes and more about one play at a time.

Q. Talk about Pitt. What do you see getting ready for that game? They're struggling this year, have injuries at quarterback.
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I think they are another quality ACC opponent. They've had a tough early-season schedule. They're certainly capable of beating anyone in our league on any given day. They're talented enough. They're well-coached enough, and they're capable enough. It will take everything we possibly have to get the outcome that we're hopeful for.

But I like their identity. I like their scheme. I like the way they're coached. I'm impressed.

Q. What are the three keys for you to pull out a win?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I'm not sure if we have three keys that are separate for this particular game. We are very consistent. We don't stray much based on week-to-week. For us, the points certainly matter, the field position matters and turnovers certainly matter. Those are three pillars of our program.

Q. The ACC has a bunch of all-purpose guys who are pretty high up in national rankings. You'll be facing one this week in Quadree Henderson. What kind of problems do those guys present for you on a weekly basis? Is it a signature for the ACC?
BRONCO MENDENHALL: I think it's becoming a signature of not only the ACC, which I think the coaches are very strong and innovative in our league. I've been impressed that way. I think it's becoming more prevalent in college football. Also, when you have, man, a very good football player, you want him on the field as much as you can. I know when I coached Brian Urlacher at New Mexico, we had him play defense, return punts, cover kicks, we threw the ball to him in the blue zone on fades. I just think the talent in the ACC, when you have a player or players on your team that are capable of doing more than one thing, the more you can do, the more you can do, which helps your team. I think the ACC coaches are a little bit more progressive in using them.

Q. They really can make a difference in games, like Hines at North Carolina State is unbeaten in the conference.
BRONCO MENDENHALL: That's exactly right. The player that we're playing this week, any time a player of that capability has the ball in his hands, no matter how you get it to him, whether he's intercepting it, passing it, catching it, running it, that helps your team, so why not.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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