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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 9, 2011

Randy Edsall

RANDY EDSALL: Well, we're looking forward to the great opportunity that we've got on Saturday night right down here in our backyard and on national TV going against just an outstanding football team and an outstanding football program in Notre Dame. We're looking forward to that and excited about that opportunity.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about elevating Hendy to starter and Hughes to starter? Was that based on game performance last week, and is that a permanent move?
RANDY EDSALL: Yeah, you know, I just felt that both those young men played very well as they were in there and deserved to be the starters this week. And again, we'll see how that all plays out, but no, I've been -- I was excited what they did when they went in to play. So again, they'll be starting this week, and hopefully that will continue.

Q. One of the standout players they've got is Michael Floyd at wide receiver, and I just wondered when you study him on film what is it that makes him so exceptional?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, he's got some height to him; he's a strong guy; his ball skills are outstanding; he can go up and get the ball; he knows how to keep people off his body; he's got above-average speed; and he's somebody that they move around so he's not always in the same place. You know, you have to be cognizant where he's lined up. But he's a really good athlete who has, like I said, exceptional ball skills and really knows how to go up and get the football.

Q. Also their offensive line, five 300-pounders and they move around very well, too. What concerns does a line that size cause?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, they're a good line, and they've been running the football a little bit better. Mike Golic is going to be starting this week because they had an injury in their offensive line. But no, you can see their offensive line has improved, and they work well together. So again, that's something -- they've only given up five sacks the whole year, so that's something that -- they protect their quarterback. The quarterback does a good job of getting the ball out of his hands very, very quickly, so there's things there that you have to try to do to get pressure. But again, they do a good job of protecting, they do a good job of getting the ball off.

Q. I just wanted to see if I could get a quick thought from you on Perry Jones from Virginia. Obviously what he did to you is what he's pretty much been doing to everybody.
RANDY EDSALL: Yeah, I mean, I knew that going into the game. That's the one thing that I said that coming into the game he was a guy that was a really good player, and not only running the ball but also catching the ball. I mean, he was an outstanding player, and we didn't do enough to be able to slow him down. But he's a very good football player.

Q. If I might ask you an unrelated question, as you go back and evaluate your quarterbacks from this past weekend, how many dropped passes did you have? I'm not asking you to identify the people who dropped passes, but were you able to catalog how many balls you dropped?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, we had way too many, and that's one of the things -- I talk about consistency, and that's the one thing, we just haven't been able to get the consistency in either phase, but offensively dropped passes have hurt us, a missed assignment has hurt us, and things along those lines. It's not always on the quarterback when things don't go well. There's other parts that are there. Like I said, if somebody misses a block and a guy comes free and now the quarterback has got to run and move out of the pocket, that disrupts things. But yeah, there was about eight of those this past weekend.
So that's something that we just continue to work on, their focus and concentration, and we work on telling them get your hands away from your body to make the catch, and then it's eyes to the tuck. Look the ball into your hand and then take your eyes there and take it all the way to the tuck.
It's just those things that we have to continue to preach and continue to harp on.

Q. I guess here it is the final month of the season. Are there certain key things you still think can be fixed and improved upon in this last month?
RANDY EDSALL: Yeah, we're working on everything and trying to get better in everything that we do. And that's what we've been doing in practice. Yeah, sure, you're learning the game plan, but you're still trying to get better at the things you do fundamentally, and that's never -- that's always going to be the case as long as -- I think you've always got to try to get better every week as far as your fundamentals and techniques and keep trying to make that progress and then work for consistency. That's what we've been doing and that's what we're doing to continue to do.

Q. When you watch the games from Notre Dame, what jumps out to you as, wow, that's going to be hard to deal with?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, they've got good skill athletes, got a quarterback that's playing well who knows where to go with the ball. The biggest thing we've got to try to do is get some turnovers. That's the biggest thing that has hindered them through the season. You see they've moved the ball against everybody, but they've had some turnovers. We're going to have to do the same. They have good running backs. They've got good receivers. They've got a very good offensive line. Defensively they have a lot of big guys up front in that 3-4 that they play, got very active linebackers and good secondary people. Again, what we've got to do is, again, make sure we get some turnovers, but what we've got to be able to do is get some rhythm and be able to move the ball. If we do that, then we give ourselves a chance.

Q. Being from Pennsylvania and all, what are your thoughts on the Penn State situation given it sounds like today that Joe Paterno will be coaching his final season?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, I think it's very tragic. I just feel for the alleged victims and their families in terms of what they must be going through. You know, like I said, I think it's very, very tragic.

Q. I know you started the season with a Monday night game nationally televised, you've been on TV all the time, but can you speak about, is there any difference playing Notre Dame with their name, their history on national TV on a Saturday night? Does it offer a better chance for exposure than, say, an afternoon ESPN game or something?
RANDY EDSALL: Well, there's not as many games on on Saturday night, you know, and during Saturday noon, 3:30, there's a lot of people playing you don't get as many. You probably have more of a captive audience when you play at night. This is different than the Labor Day night, we were the only game on TV that night. There's other games on on Saturday night, but it's network TV, so you know everybody is going to get it.
But yeah, I think there's something a little bit different about it in terms of the atmosphere and everything else because you're one of, what, maybe two or three or four games maybe that are going to be on, whereas when you're on TV in the afternoon there's not as many, so it's a chance to have more exposure, but again, I think Notre Dame is one of the most storied programs in the history of college football. But again, I think they're a team and we respect them, and they're a very good team. But we've played some very good teams this year, as well, Clemson, Florida State, other people.
But again, just in terms of that stage that you have, you just try to do the best you can and prepare for it. But again, we're looking forward to that opportunity.

Q. I understand they're going to unveil a new helmet with the shamrock. You guys have kind of been on the cutting edge of uniform design. Do you have anything planned for Saturday night?
RANDY EDSALL: No, we don't have anything new planned for Saturday night. We'll end up having something I think that we've worn before. But no, we don't have anything new.

Q. How much did you recruit against Joe, and why do you think he was so successful later in his career? I think they've been to three out of the last six BCS Bowls.
RANDY EDSALL: A lot of it is -- yeah, I've recruited against him a bunch, coaching at Syracuse for all these years and even at BC and Connecticut. They had good players, for one thing. You know, they -- like I said, they had good players and they did a good job with them. I think that's why they've been able to have the success on the field that they've had.

Q. People negative recruited against him because of his age, but did it almost turn around the other way and guys say, I want to play for this guy, I want to say I played for this icon?
RANDY EDSALL: You know, I don't know. That's something that I think only the kids could -- the people that went there could make that determination.

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