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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 17, 2010

Dabo Swinney

COACH SWINNEY: Just getting ready for another well-coached team this week in Wake Forest. A team that they've had a tough season so far. Kind of like ourselves, but just continue to play hard. It's obviously a big week for us and trying to get bowl eligible this week and get our first win on the road. Something we have not done yet.
Big game for them too. It's their last home game, Senior Day and all that stuff. Look forward to hopefully playing our best game on the road this week up there in Winston-Salem against a team I know is going to give us a great effort.
We should get Courtney Brown back this week from an injury standpoint. Question Mark on Brandon May. Last night in practice it looks like we might have lost Bryce McNeal for this game as well. He came down and had a heel injury, and he's on crutches today. So does not look good for him this weekend. With that I'll take whatever questions you've got.

Q. What is the status on Ellington?
COACH SWINNEY: He's definitely out this week. We've got to make a decision by Tuesday of next week. That's what we're shooting for in trying to get him ready for the Carolina game. Hopefully, we'll be able to get a green light on Tuesday. If not, then we'll have to go ahead and do the surgery and move on. But we're still hopeful for that.

Q. It looked like Harper really stepped up last week to fill that hole. Can you talk about the job he did?
COACH SWINNEY: Oh, man. Your heart breaks for a guy that you don't get the W on the scoreboard. We had some great, great individual performances in our game versus Florida State last week, and Jamie Harper was one of them. 140-something yards rushing. Had another eight or nine catches, I think, almost right around 200 yards all purpose. Just had a great game and really tried to put the team on his back.
Really proud of how he has stepped up and has imposed his will to try to get us on the right side of things here in the last couple games that Ellington's been out. If we're going to have a chance to win out, he's going to have to continue to play that way.

Q. How do you get your team's attention against a team that's lost eight games in a row like Wake Forest has? Because they can look at the record like anybody else, and they may feel like well, this is one we're going to go get. But obviously it's not that easy. Wonder how you get that message across?
COACH SWINNEY: Well, for us it's really more about our situation. If we were a 10-0 team or something, I might be a little more concerned about that. But we're a team that is scratching and clawing, and we've had our share of disappointment as well.
Boston College had lost several games when we went up there. You know, this team here will certainly be capable of beating us. There is no doubt about that. Wake Forest plays very tough at home, in particular. If you look at who they've played at home, their games are close. We'll have to play a good football game.
Our focus is not as much on them and their record and all that stuff. It's about how we play. When the game kicks off, all that stuff goes out the window. It doesn't matter what your records are or what has happened previously in the season or what's to come. It's about that day, that play. For us, it's about trying to have a consistent performance throughout the game so that we can win the football game. That's really all we're trying to focus on.

Q. Have you talked to your guys about or the aspect that if we win this one, we're bowl eligible, or do you think they're aware enough of that that they don't need to be reminded of it?
COACH SWINNEY: Oh, no, no. They're very much aware of what's out there. This is a huge game from a bowl eligibility standpoint. At this point in the season you want to finish as strong as you possibly can. Any time you lineup and play you want to win.
For us this is a big game because we can secure bowl eligibility. One of our goals every year is to win our bowl game. You can't win your bowl game if you're not in one. So that's a big deal for us.
We want to get to the very best bowl game we can, so we've got to win as many games as possible to better our chances of moving up the ladder. That's what this week's all about. It's about securing that bowl eligibility and putting ourself in position to have a strong finish.

Q. I want a quick thumbnail evaluation of your offense at this point. I know you've had some injuries with the guys you graduated last year. Just kind of your evaluation as you look forward and back towards what your offense has done and sort of the things you're looking to improve on these last couple of regular season weeks?
COACH SWINNEY: The team's playing hard as a whole and offensively in particular. We've done a lot of good things. We're definitely missing some explosiveness, there is no doubt about that, without having Ellington. He's kind of our big play guy. So we're hitting a lot of doubles, as I said yesterday, hitting a lot of doubles and leaving guys stranded on third. Kind of a thumbnail sketch of where we are offensively.
But I couldn't be more proud of how our offensive line has played. It's tough being an offensive lineman right now here because these guys are playing the best football that we've probably had here in the offensive line in a long time. I mean, a long time.
We played the number one sack team in America the other night, and they couldn't sniff our quarterback. We're moving the ball up-and-down the field, averaging four and a half yards a rush on a good team at their place.
These guys, you know, we lead the league in not giving up sacks. One of the top 15 in the country in not giving up sacks. But we're not getting the points in the red zone.
The biggest problem for us offensively is red zone scoring is a combination of touchdowns and field goals, and we don't have a good combination right now. We've scored 21 touchdowns, but we're 6 of 12 from the 20 in on field goals and that's really hurt us. That's been the difference in probably two or three wins for us, especially with how our defense has played.
At the same time, having said that, our offense is doing a lot of good things. We're just not finishing some drives with some points. That has become a real frustrating thing over the last few weeks.
But Kyle Parker's really playing well. Jamie Harper's playing well. Our young receivers that we all knew that was going to be a transition for us this year, our young receivers have emerged like I hoped they would.
Hopkins is going to be a great player over his career here. Jaron Brown is a special guy that is a sophomore, and Bryce McNeal has done some good things as a freshman as well.
They've made some big plays the other night to put us in position to win. So we're doing some good things, the biggest thing is missing some of those explosive plays that Ellington brought to the table and some of those guys last year.

Q. How has practice been this week?
COACH SWINNEY: Really good. That is the one thing I'm probably most proud about this team is how they've responded. We've had some -- it's not like we just have been drug up the field and you just take a whipping and go to the house. These guys have battled every play. And four road losses by 17 points, that's our season right there.
We haven't won on the road and we've been in position to win the number one team in the country. You lose by a field goal, and you lose by a 55-yarder at the buzzer the other night at Florida State. It's tough. As young people you worry about that.
But these guys have gotten stronger. They're closer. Enthusiasm is good at practice, and I'm really proud of that. And I think that's a good sign that we have the right things in place from our program from a coaching standpoint and how the coaches talked to them. How the leadership on the team is and that type of stuff. It's been good.
It's been as good as you can possibly expect from a team that's had to deal with some of the disappointment that we've had.

Q. You mentioned DeAndre Hopkins just a minute ago emerging. Obviously as a freshman he's made a big impact lately. What qualities does he bring that makes him effective as a receiver?
COACH SWINNEY: He's got off the charts competitiveness, first of all. I mean the guy is a great, great competitor. Then he just has excellent athleticism, he's got a long body, and has great hands. He has the ability to make whatever catch is required.
If you've watched him this year, you've seen just about everything. He's made some great plays, one handers behind him. Low, high, he's going to be some kind of player as he continues to develop.
He's got to get stronger. He's still a young guy. He needs another year in that weight room. But his instincts, his competitiveness, and his ability to catch the football make him special.

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