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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 19, 2011

Al Golden

COACH GOLDEN: We're excited. We've got a great opportunity this week. Excellent Georgia Tech team coming in. One of the most prolific offenses on the schedule and certainly in the ACC and in the nation. So it's going to be a great challenge for us in all three phases.
It's a new look for us to defend on offense with the option. We have not gone against a three-four unit yet on defense, and certainly their special teams and the way we played last week, we need to really improve our kicking game and special teams.
So we're excited about the challenge. We're three practices into this week, and just getting ready to go. So with that, I'll open it up to questions.

Q. This unpredictable conference race is pretty much par for the course in the coastal division. Since it's the first time through for you, I wanted to get your take on what it's like being a part of it. Two conference losses. You're right in the mix against this game and Georgia Tech can do some big things for you guys. What is your overall feeling on being part of the ACC race especially in a year which it is, again, so unpredictable?
COACH GOLDEN: It's our first time through. For me, it's just about one game at a time. I don't want to sound cliche, but we'll add them up on the end. We've had so much going on here over the last six to eight weeks that we've really just become process oriented and we've got our head down, and we're just working.
Georgia Tech provides a great challenge, and it doesn't do us any good to worry about the race if we don't perform well against this offensive attack this week.

Q. The other question I wanted to ask you was particularly about Jacory. It's three straight games now without an interception. What's been the difference for him? Better decision making or more comfortable or offense or what?
COACH GOLDEN: I think it's both those things. Obviously Jed's doing a great job. He's trusting not only Jed, but he's trusting his teammates, the guys around him and letting them do things with the ball.
He got sacked a couple times the other day. He protected the ball very well. If he's going to get sacked, don't give up a sack fumble. He threw it out of bounds other times and found his second receiver or his check down a bunch of times.
He's doing a nice job. He's level headed, consistent, and very mature and experienced. And he's playing the way we thought he would play.

Q. Did you feel Jacory had any kind of bad wrap? Were you led to expect less than you've received?
COACH GOLDEN: I don't think there's any question. I think there were a lot of naysayers out there with the notion that he wasn't going to change or improve. And I don't think that's fair in college or with student-athletes.
I think you've got to give them an opportunity to find the thing that's they do well and capitalize on them. From the beginning I was looking at his assets, his strengths, the number of games started, his football intelligence, maturity, his leadership. We coupled that with some good decision making, his ability to distribute the ball and obviously he's protecting the ball and getting us in the right place. So very pleased with him so far.

Q. I'm wondering, does having been with Al Groh as many years as you have give you any sort of insider help this Saturday?
COACH GOLDEN: I don't think. I know Al looks at every game differently. Again, he's excellent at it. He's the master at it. Not only every game, but he looks at each situation.
He taught us situational football in terms of red zone goal line, backed up, two minute. He looks at every one of those situations differently week to week. Certainly there are things that carry over from week to week. But I don't think we'll -- we'll see a lot of the same things that they used against Virginia and even Maryland to that extent. Every game is its own plan, if you will. So I don't think there is a lot of carry over.

Q. This is kind of an odd question. But Georgia Tech since Paul Johnson got there in 2008, his opponents have been the least penalized in the ACC. I'm curious do you have any theories why that may be?
COACH GOLDEN: He doesn't give us the ball enough. You know what? I think that's the ultimate. It is. I really believe that. I believe it's the ultimate kind of tip your hat, if you will, to Paul. He controls the time of possession. Most of the penalties -- I think you would admit that most of the penalties are on special teams or on the offensive side. Because he holds the ball so well, and because he goes for it so often on fourth down, I think there is less opportunity. He does it really well.
His team's penalties are down, his team's time of possessions are up, and he's always plus on the turnover ratios. So I think that's the ultimate tribute to Coach Johnson and his system.

Q. Is there any added excitement in your locker room knowing you're not going to have to leave the state of Florida for the rest of the regular season?
COACH GOLDEN: No, I think that's a good sound bite. But I don't think our guys are really thinking about it. Nor will playing the odd defense for the first time this year or playing the option allow us to think about anything else right now.
But Georgia Tech from a logistical standpoint, that's great. From a weather standpoint, that's great. But I don't think our guys can even attempt to think about that right now given the complexity and design of both the offense and defense of Georgia Tech.

Q. What kind of lift has beating North Carolina on the road given the program. Obviously, some close losses, the big win at Ohio State when you're at home, but just what you accomplished last weekend. Any kind of turning point there?
COACH GOLDEN: I wouldn't go that far. To me we're trying to develop consistency, so it's hard for me to gauge that. I want us to be the same team. I want to have the same process week-in and week-out. I want a team that buys into the process and prepares and invests, and then reinvests in every game emotionally, physically, and mentally.
I think our guys did. If I learned anything about the team, we came back from Blacksburg in a heartbreaker, and reinvested enough to start fast in the next game.
So we've got to do the same this week. Obviously, that is the trademark of a good program, and that's what we're fighting right now is that kind of consistency. I think we learned that about ourselves that we were able to reinvest.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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