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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 15, 2010

Randy Shannon

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Miami head football coach Randy Shannon. Ask for a brief opening statement and then go to questions, coach.
COACH SHANNON: Just coming back after the tough loss against Ohio State, evaluate the film Sunday of last week and we found out a lot of things about our football team. The biggest thing is that you cannot turn the ball over four times and expect to win the game. Defensively, if you can't create turnovers, you can't match what other teams are doing.
So we learned a lot about that we have to focus on creating turnovers and making sure we're protecting the football. We have a lot of positive things that we can learn for this game to get us better for the rest of the season.

Q. With 12 days off, you were going to take a break somewhere. Did you consider coming back from Ohio State and practicing for a few days to sort of work on the correctable issues and then take in maybe the break over this weekend? Or were you set from the git-go that you were going to have these three days off up front in the schedule?
COACH SHANNON: Up front. We realized we were going to need the time off. Any time you play a team ahead of schedule and you know it's going to be a physical game, you take time off, and you get back for the next week's opponent.
We worked and got our kinks out on Sunday when we came back. We corrected those mistakes and now we have to move forward because we always have a motto here. Don't let the last game affect the next game that you have to come up to and play.
And I think the guys have done a tremendous job of watching the film Sunday and understanding where we're at as a football team. What we cannot make mistakes on, and looking forward to going out today for a seven on seven.

Q. Other than seven on seven, did you want the guys just to get away Monday and Tuesday from everything, or were guys around film and meeting and things of that nature?
COACH SHANNON: From what I hear, most of the guys were around. I was out of town recruiting. But most of the guys were around, coming up and watching Pitt film, getting treatment. Stopping by the office.
That is one thing about this football team, they don't shy away from a lot of things. And I think that the more these guys come around and be part of football on their own, and they watch a lot of film on their own, it's really made a big difference.

Q. The mistakes you talked about, were you anymore concerned with the mental mistakes or physical mistakes?
COACH SHANNON: No, it wasn't physical. Physical had nothing to do with it. I think the guys played very well, they played hard, they played tough. Defensively they kept us in the game by holding Ohio State to some field goals in the game, and we had an opportunity.
But you talk about the mental mistakes that you can't have in the red zone. You have two illegal procedures that really made a big difference in the game. Because one of them was on the 6-yard line, and the other one was when Lamar Miller ran down to about the five or the six.
Those are the kind of mistakes that you cannot make in games like that, and we've got to continue to stress those things and fix those things when they happen.

Q. The other thing I wanted to ask you about in general. Is there a fine line between allowing players to express themselves and having to be in a situation where you have to impose limits?
COACH SHANNON: Well, it's a free country, you know.

Q. It sure is.
COACH SHANNON: You know, sometimes you have to do what's best for your team. And as a team we feel like this is the best that we're trying to get done, and the players understand. You give them opportunities to handle it. And we're all in it together, and they understand what we're trying to get done.

Q. In regard to those turnovers that you talked about, some reporters have made a case that a number of those interceptions could actually be placed on the receivers and them not catching ball. To what extent do you feel that was or was not the case? And how is Jacory Harris handling that situation going into next week versus Pitt?
COACH SHANNON: Jacory's fine. He's bouncing around. It's a game. Like I said, we're going to learn a lot from this game. We weren't on the right page as receiver for us to route. One receiver's route went into one guy's hands and went into the defensive backhand. Another route, a receiver wasn't receiving -- when I talk about receivers, I'm talking everybody, running back, receivers, tight ends, didn't finish the route. Came up with another interception.
Those are things that happen in the game. And those are things when we say fix those things, they see it on film, hey, finish the route, you'll be okay. Catch the football, we'll be okay. Those are the things we've got to fix. When they see it on film, they can learn.
Like I said, one game, second game of the season, you've got a lot of football left. I think when those mistakes happen early, it can make you tune into what you're trying on get done late in the season.

Q. I know that Leonard Hankerson has been a primary part of the passing offense for you. What do you think needs to happen for some of the other receivers to be able to become more of an asset in the passing game for Miami?
COACH SHANNON: I really think all of them have done a great job. Travis Benjamin had four or five catches, I think, and LaRon Byrd had some catches in the game. I think for the most part all of them have been really catching the football well.
I think Hankerson has been a guy that's been open a lot. When he's been double teamed or double coveraged, those guys have an opportunity to make plays in the half.

Q. I'm not sure if you spoke about your decision to have the guys not to Twitter anymore. Can you talk about that decision and why you thought that was important?
COACH SHANNON: We just thought about it as a team. You talk to the players about it early in the season, and you give them an opportunity to handle it. As a team we all make decisions together. We felt like at that present time we talked about it, okay, we can handle it. But as a time now we feel like as a team we need to shut it down and get back focused on football.

Q. Do you feel it was a distraction at all this weekend?
COACH SHANNON: No, just from the standpoint when you're at the University of Miami, like anybody, you represent your program or your firm or the business that you're in. I think that at the University of Miami we have standards here that are held high, and we want all our football players to understand it.
They understand sometimes when things happen, we'll all be held accountable for it.

Q. I want to talk to you about the offensive line. First big test, obviously, for them as a group. You ran the ball pretty well, a couple sacks. How do you feel like those guys played overall?
COACH SHANNON: You know what? I'm really excited about Orlando Franklin and Jermaine Johnson, because those three guys were the first time playing offensive tackle and going against a good defensive line that Ohio State had. They really showed a lot of good things.
We got a sack up the middle one time, And I think some kind of pressure up the middle. But I think for the most part the tackles did a phenomenal job of holding up for the first time being a big game, number two ranked team in the country. And we've got a lot of football left to see if those guys will hold up even better. But I'm really happy in their progress of adapting to playing tackle.

Q. We all know what a successful kicker Matt Bosher is. What did you see on film in analyzing the blocked field goal? Was it more about Matt or the special teams, or what did you see?
COACH SHANNON: Just overall. The process wasn't the way it was supposed to have been, and those things happen. If it's not fast enough, you can get one blocked. If the guy's not protective, you can get one blocked. So it's everybody from the operation aspect. We didn't operate as firm and sternly as we normally do.

Q. Just following up, as far as Facebook goes, Randy, are the players still allowed to use Facebook, and, if so, why the difference?
COACH SHANNON: Facebook hasn't been a problem with us right now. That is the only thing. If it becomes a problem, then we'll address it when those things happen.

Q. You see a team like the Saints in the NFL. They walk around a lot on defense and they try to create I.D. problems. Does that happen much in college football? Are teams trying to walk around and create I.D. problems for quarterbacks? Do you see that kind of thing?
COACH SHANNON: You see a lot of it on third down. Lot of people go to two-man fronts, three-man fronts, one-man fronts on third down a lot in college football. But you get it from the NFL.
You have to designate somebody as the down lineman, and the running back are designated for the guys that's not considered a down lineman. But it's the same philosophy. But if you're not counting it the right way and designating who is the D lineman, then you can get in trouble.

Q. Why do you think more teams are going to three-fours in college football?
COACH SHANNON: You know what, I had a talk with Jack Del Rio a long time ago about it. It goes in cycles. You'll see the full three-four for a while, and then the four-three for a while, and it just goes in cycles. And on the personnel of what kind of bodies that you're able to find coming out, just like the NFL.
You've seen teams run the three-four for years then you see teams go back and run the four-three. You look at the Ravens when Ray Lewis and Goosen were there, they were a three-four team. Then the bodies were restructured and now they're a three-four. So it's just predicated on what's available out there now.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.

End of FastScripts

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