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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 10, 2010

Randy Shannon

COACH SHANNON: This week's opponent is Georgia Tech. It's going to be a very tough opponent. Playing Coach Johnson it's a team that's always been very sound in what they do offensively, and especially defensively.
They're doing a great job of running the football and also ball controlling the football game with their offense. Coach Johnson has done a tremendous job of coaching his guys with what he wants up front and what he wants as a quarterback to execute and what they're trying to get done.
I don't think much of the offense will change. They'll run the offense exactly what he's been doing at Georgia Southern, Navy, and what he's been doing at Georgia Tech. So it will be vital for us to start off fast on defense and get the pace of the football game. That will be the key to our success.
Defensively, it's going to be a team that we haven't faced all season long with the three-four attack. They're going to do a lot of different blitzes, lot of different drops and zone drops, cover two, cover three. It will give us a different kind of look.
We haven't faced this type of defense all year, so it's going to be a big challenge for us to be able to establish the run game and throw the football in certain situations and key situations. It will be a vital game for both teams and both opponents because it's always in this division it's coming down to the last week.

Q. Last year you guys did a good job of controlling Nesbitt in the option. Is it different? I know you haven't seen a lot of it with the Washington kid running. It seems he has some skills but he's maybe not the same guy in the option. What problems does it present facing a guy like that?
COACH SHANNON: Oh, it's going to be tough and difficult for us because he's an athlete from what I've seen on film and watching clips in high school. But he's a very athletic young man.
He's going to run the offense and has been in the offensive system for a little bit. Just haven't gotten the snaps in game time. But I know they've worked very hard to get him all the snaps he needs and his reads down.
So I don't expect anything different from him than Nesbitt. Two good athletes at quarterback that can do some good things to effect what you're doing on defense.

Q. How does it affect your offense to game plan when you have an inexperienced quarterback like Morris as compared to Harris?
COACH SHANNON: Well, you know what, Morris is our four string quarterback coming into this season. So he just got here in January, so he didn't get the reps of being a second is team guy. So you know we have to go back like we did last week and evaluate what he did in camp, what he did in the times that he had the opportunities and what he was successful at. So we did those things and tried to bring it along that way.
The difference with their quarterback was he was the second team guy. He knows the offense well, he's getting a lot of reps at it. There will be two young kids going in there and trying to compete. Making sure that they give both teams opportunities to win the game.

Q. On the transcript from the ACC yesterday, you were referring to Tech using chop blocks. That that was something they do?
COACH SHANNON: No, you know what they do, Coach Johnson does a great job off the back side. What I was explaining that our guys have to do a great job of standing on their feet, because backside they do a good job of getting guys on the ground.
Chop blocks to me are not illegal. It's getting guys on the ground within the scheme. They do not high-low you. They just make sure they get you down on the backside.
So sometimes you know when people hear the word "chop block," they're thinking it's something negative. No, you do a good job of coaching what he wants and trying to get done. And I think that's something that we have to work on. I'm just working on something that we don't see very much and our guys know it.

Q. You had said last week that you just wanted Stephen to manage the game and not win the game and have people around him step up. But seemed like he did a good job of not just managing the game, but doing his part as well. Did you kind of thing he did even better than you expected last week?
COACH SHANNON: No, you know, it's what he did against Virginia. He did a great job of this game of throwing the football and getting the ball into guy's hands to get first downs and getting us into third down in five and six situations. Also giving an opportunity at the end of the game of completing some passes, but also making a big-time play to throw to Hankerson.
When you watch the way he managed the game, it's exactly what you want from a young guy. He threw two interceptions. One of them, the guy made a great read on it and got him. But what he did was the second one he went after the guy and got him on the ground to give us an opportunity to defense lineup and play and a big play came of it.
He stayed calm and collected in that type of game, and did a lot of great things. I'm really provide of him. Very happy to have him on our football team. And very, very excited to see how much he'll grow and get better from this Maryland game to the Georgia Tech game this week.

Q. Do you ask him to do even more this week or build upon that in any way?
COACH SHANNON: No, we're just building upon what he can handle. What he can do, what offensive part he can throw and what routes he can throw, what kind of concepts that he understands. And that is our job to find out what he can do.
It's not, sometimes in coaching, it's not what you want to do as a coach. Sometimes what the players can handle, and what they can do to make you successful.

Q. How important was, though you don't want to be trailing in the last two minutes, how important was it to have a true freshman in there under such circumstances and do you think he benefited from throwing sufficient a clutch touchdown pass to win the game in the final minute?
COACH SHANNON: Well, I think from the overall picture it was good to see him have that success and come up with a win for us for a start at the University of Miami. For a tough throw like that, taking the hit after making the throw, standing in the pocket knowing that. We told him when you see this front now, this blitz is going to come and here's the hot guy. If you can spin away from it and stand up and throw it, throw it. But you have to make sure this is the guy that's coming down and bearing down on you.
He stood in there, made a great throw. Kept his poise, and that is something that tells you about a young kid that is trying to get better each week and give us a chance to win and he did it.

End of FastScripts

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