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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 12, 2011

David Cutcliffe

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, we're glad to be back in game week coming off an open date. Had two good practices yesterday, and this morning. Something to get us back in the game week swing, and I think our guys are excited about the challenge.
As we look at them, all three phases, their kicking game is pretty incredible. You look at the numbers and you look at the tape, and it backs it up.
Defensively an incredible pass/rush group that will be challenging for us, and a lot of weapons on offense, particularly when you put E.J. Manuel back in the fold, and back into his practice reps.
So a big challenge for us, and one we're excited about getting back to playing and certainly excited about being at home against a great Florida State program. So with that we'll take your questions.

Q. Having the speed of FIU, does that help for Florida State?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: I think we've played two extremely fast teams in Stanford and FIU. I think probably as Florida State looks at that FIU game, I'm sure we'll see some similar approach offensively. So they're very tough match-up games for us, and certainly we are anxious to see how we do match-up with them.

Q. Do you feel this is a Florida State defense that you can score some points against this week?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: I think that Florida State is not going to give up -- I hope we can. I think we can score against anybody. But Florida State is a big challenge because of the pass/rush match-up.

Q. You've won three in a row, and I don't know if the Open date from that standpoint may have come at a time when you have preferred not to have it. I don't know do you feel does that rob some of the momentum that you have to get rolling again or does it have any effect?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: I don't know that it has any effect. We needed it. We were pretty beat up after five ballgames, and it's helped to some degree. I wish we had another week to get well, but that was the biggest issue. Otherwise, I'd rather keep playing. I really would.
At this day in time the game is really physical, and the college kids today, 12 games, one open date, that's a challenge. It really is. So kind of having one near the mid portion of the year is welcome as far as I'm concerned.

Q. Were there some guys that have healed up enough that you think they'll be available that maybe haven't been for a week or two?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: Right now I think Desmond Scott is obviously better. He played a little bit against FIU. It's really helped him running back. It's helped Will Snyderwine, our placekicker, which was huge, because he hasn't been well all year long. That's been very significant. Whether we can get a couple of other guys still kind of remains to be seen, kind of using this week as well.
I'm hoping it gets a few back. There are a few unfortunately that are out for the year, and a few that were dinged up pretty good against FIU that we still don't know about. I wish that was cut and dry and they were back, but we're kind of hanging in there and seeing what the rest of the week brings.

Q. What's been nagging at Snyderwine for most of the season?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: His is the foot and ankle. The peroneal tendon, and it's been pretty significant. We've tried to give him three days rest, tried to get it done. We tried to kick our back ups and none of that worked successfully. So over the open date I was able to shut him down completely for eight days, and it looks like it's the magic.
It's the best he's been. He's not a hundred percent, but he may be 95% finally. We need that weapon. He is a weapon.

Q. Talk about the challenges of Florida State. They have not one, but two book ends that can protect the quarterback, so you can't necessarily shift blocking to one side or shift to one particular end?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, that's what you start seeing in this league now more and more, which has been kind of my career having to deal with teams like that. You know, the most critical thing you do is throw the ball on time. We've tried to adapt a little bit on our quarterback throwing spot to help alignment.
You certainly already mentioned some things. We take shots at guys and slow them down, but it makes you work on those things. Then they do a good job of moving Jenkins around, standing him up and putting him in different places, so you kind of have to hunt him a little bit.
They've got talent. They've got interior people that can rush. They have now multiple -- what FSU's been, they've got about eight of them, so they can keep them fresh and that helps them a great deal. So against a team like us that throws the ball a good bit of the time, I expect we're going to see all of them.

Q. What about Warner? You mentioned Jenkins and how they move him around. What is it about Warner that makes him so tough to block?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: He has strength and he's got violent hands. Really uses his hands well, in what I would call relentless. He just keeps coming at you. He plays really hard. I'm impressed with him. To be as young as he is in the football world, he's very impressive.

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