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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 3, 2018

Justin Fuente

Greensboro, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Virginia Tech Justin Fuente.

COACH FUENTE: Happy to play well last week against a very talented Duke team. Tremendous challenge this week with Notre Dame coming in. We're happy to be back at home, had a good week of preparation thus far. We're going to need to continue that to have a chance against these guys.

Q. We've got Notre Dame coming in, obviously No. 6 ranked, you played Notre Dame before. When you go against Notre Dame with their storied history, with movies made about them and everything else, their own network contract, sometimes do you feel like you're playing more than just the team, that maybe you're playing in an aura that surrounds Notre Dame?
COACH FUENTE: I don't know that I've ever felt like that. I felt like my one experience playing against them, I knew we were playing a very talented, well-coached football team. This time around I think we're playing an even more talented well-coached football team, going to provide us a lot of challenges on many fronts.

Q. When you're addressing your players who have maybe some were recruited or some wanted to be recruited by them, do you have to remind them they're just like guys like us and the better team is going to win this game?
COACH FUENTE: I don't think so. We've played some pretty good people in our time. That's not really a discussion that's come up, the fact of now we need to prepare in order to give ourselves a chance against a very talented team that's come up multiple times. But nothing really along those lines.

Q. I wanted to ask specifically for them about No. 21 the safety Jalen Elliott. When you watch film, what's the scouting report, what do you see from him?
COACH FUENTE: Well, he obviously understands the scheme they're trying to accomplish. Seems to be playing well. Looks good in space. Seems to be a good communicator back there and is one of many of their good players.

Q. As you look at that secondary as a whole, how good is that group and what makes them so good?
COACH FUENTE: They certainly play a lot of man coverage and have yielded very little yardage and points. When you look at the whole defense, obviously the secondary is good, the defensive line is good. Nobody's been able to run the ball or throw the ball very well with any consistency against them. They haven't given up many points the entire year. They held a very good Stanford team to 200-something yards. They're pretty accomplished all across the board.

Q. I'm sure this has been a really difficult week for Houshun Gaines and everything that he's had to deal with. Just wondering if you could tell us how he's dealt with everything and if he'll be available on Saturday?
COACH FUENTE: I anticipate -- first of all, I anticipate he'll be available on Saturday. Second of all, he's handled it as well as you could expect. Housh is an emotional young man to begin with and is obviously very close with his mother.

It's been a several-week situation, I guess you could say. I do believe that Housh has found some refugee with his teammates and his coaches. I do think this is a place that he can go and find support and feel comfort in a troubling, difficult time for him personally.

Q. Justin (indiscernible) and David Cutcliffe made it a point to mention how Ricky Walker was very difficult for them to handle. He's an accomplished player, obviously, but it seems like he's even better this season. What have you seen that makes him better.
COACH FUENTE: It's kind of hard to put your finger on it. You know, he plays with great effort and intensity. But he's always done that. He's a strong kid with low pad level but he's always done that. I do feel like he's playing at a high level. I do think some of it is due to experience and intelligence.

I think going against him, watching our offense, going against him on defense, he just seems to have a knack or a level of savvy that some guys don't have his intelligence levels what we're trying to accomplish defensively and what the offense is showing him is pretty special in my opinion. Just seems to really have a high football IQ out there on the field, combined with some other nice physical traits.

Q. Is there any way you guys could have (indiscernible) off that three-man front Saturday without someone of that caliber there in the middle?
COACH FUENTE: Well, I don't know. That's a good question to ponder. I know he played well. There was a couple other guys that did a really good job along with Ricky in terms of (indiscernible) and Rayshard Ashby are a couple guys that stand out in my mind, just off the cuff.

But certainly it would have been very difficult to pull off without Ricky, that's for sure.

Q. We talked to Hendon yesterday. I just wondered what you told Henley (indiscernible) Ryan, and what was the focus for him? What do you want him to do to be able to take the next step and be ready as a backup?
COACH FUENTE: Well, we just have open conversations with those guys. I mean, Hendon, I think the key point is that Hendon's not responsible for just a part of the game plan. Like he's going to be responsible for the entire game plan and continuing to develop.

I just can't tell you how much improvement this kid's made in his time here. And it's not always that guys just pick it up immediately. Sometimes there is something to development and sometimes that thing is time. Time on the job and I think the more reps Hendon gets, the more work he gets. And I think he's starting to see that, too.

I think he's starting to see -- the benefits of his hard work are starting to pay off a little bit in terms of him being able to play at a higher level. So I've been encouraged by him I guess is what I'm saying. And that's what I've tried to do with him is I see you working hard every day, you put a tremendous amount of work in in the summer times and it has -- you have improved. Now, don't get tired or frustrated of getting better. Keep at it, because I'm seeing things that are really, really good.

Q. Have you liked what he did in the game on Saturday and is that something that you guys are going to keep trying to go back to give him some looks and some reps in games?
COACH FUENTE: Yeah, I said he was perfectly fine. Again, something that we'll continue to visit about on a weekly basis. I think it's good for him to be prepared, to know that he could go in at any moment, probably (indiscernible) him in the game a little bit better just due to human nature. Knowing that you could be thrown in there at any second.

But we'll take it on a week by week basis, but I was pleased with what he did and the few snaps he got.

Q. I know it's early in the conference season, but with the rise of Boston College, Syracuse doing well and Duke doing well, does that kind of make this season even more -- is there more parity in the league this year?
COACH FUENTE: Well, I believe so. I mean, there's a little bit that I've seen. Obviously we played Florida State right out of the gate. So we didn't have any previous film on Florida State. And then we just played Duke. So those are the only two teams we've played.

But the little bit I've seen, I've seen Boston College on TV couple times. And I saw a little bit of the Syracuse-Clemson game. And I think there's some teams like that that are going to be really, really dangerous this year.

I think NC State's got a pretty good squad down there. Not many people are talking about them. But I think they've got a chance to have a good season.

So yes, to answer your question I do think it will be wide open. I'm not sure there's a huge difference between anybody with maybe one exception. But it should be interesting to see how it plays out. I think the league is fairly level this year and maybe some teams that people don't normally think about when they first hear ACC football, maybe some of the teams that people don't normally think about first are going to have pretty good years.

Q. Just hypothetical, if Clemson doesn't represent the league, doesn't win the championship and another team does, would the ACC, do you think, merit a berth in the college football like they have in the past?
COACH FUENTE: We have played four games. I have no idea. That thing is liable to get turned over, upside down 15 times on the way to that. So I've got no clue and anybody that says they do is full of it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.

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