|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 18, 2013Randy EdsallRANDY EDSALL: We were pleased with getting a win last weekend just in Connecticut. I thought our guys really overcame a lot of self‑inflicted adversity, most especially offensively. We removed the ball very well, but didn't get in the end zone. But we hung in there and did the things necessary in order to get the win. And now we've got a very tough opponent in West Virginia up in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium, and we really look forward to the challenge and the opportunity that that game is going to present to us. Q. What did you see out of West Virginia? They don't have the Geno Smiths and Austins they had last year up in Morgantown. What did you see in the video? RANDY EDSALL: Well, they are a team offensively that's a little bit more multiple than what they were a year ago. They are running the ball with much more efficiently than a year ago.  Charles Sims, an outstanding running back; Ford Childress, their quarterback, big, strong, live arm guy; and then Mario Alford and Kevin White and Ronald Carswell are very good in terms of receivers. So they present you a lot of problems with the multiplicity that they have offensively and what they do, and then they have, you know, quite a few experienced guys in the defensive line, two outstanding safeties in Karl Joseph and Darwin Cook who have played really well for them, and just the defense, it's very active and gets after you and they are very sound and solid in the kicking game. Q. Talking to the West Virginia coach yesterday, he wants to continue this rivalry between Maryland and West Virginia because now they are going out more western with the Big12. Do you see more West Virginia games against Maryland in the future? RANDY EDSALL: You know, I don't know. That's something that I think we would have to sit down and talk about in terms of, you know, where we are with our Big Ten schedule. And then only having three non‑conference games to play outside of a nine‑game conference schedule, I think that's something that I'm sure Kevin Anderson and I will sit down and talk about in terms of the philosophy and where we want to go with our schedule, because we are kind of looked all the way up through 2021. So that's something that we'll just have to sit down and have a discussion about. Q. Playing games in NFL stadiums, is that difficult for college kids, because when they get there, it's huge and they are like, oh, my God, this is where the Ravens play; how do you get yourselves ready to go for the game on Saturday? RANDY EDSALL: The field is still 120 by 53 1/3, so that's really all that matters. Once you get in there, you go in there you and take a look the day before, you get in there, you see that. But once you‑‑ and they have played in big stadiums, so it's a thrill to be able to play there and it's something that I know guys are excited about. But when you kickoff, the game is just the same as any other game. Q. What was the recruitment process like bringing Yannick Cudjoe‑Virgil in as a transfer, and how much of a chip on his shoulder do you think he plays with, given that he started out as a D2 guy and didn't get a lot of looks? That's something he's talked about pretty much at length. RANDY EDSALL: We found out that he was interested in transferring, and watched film him on tape. He was a young guy that you saw had some ability. He came in here as a walk‑on and when he got here, you just see a guy that worked extremely hard in everything that he did, weight room, practice field, classroom. And then as you just watched film him and that he couldn't play last year, he said, you know, here's a young man that has some talent and alls he's done is really worked and he earned himself a scholarship and somebody that we're very thankful to have. I think any time that there is‑‑ maybe if a guy feels like he's overlooked and might have that chip on his shoulder, and I think that's something that it's good to always have the chip on your shoulder, but you've got to make sure you channel it in the right way, and I think that he has and he's playing really well and we hope that he can continue to play well. Q. How does the injury to Dexter McDougle affect that position, and I guess Will Likely is the next man up there, what can you tell me about him? RANDY EDSALL: Well, the good thing is, is that a lot of our guys have been getting reps, but Will and Isaac Goins are our starters; they were our backups. And now Jared Ross and Alvin Hill will back them up. We have tremendous confidence in Will and eyes accurate, and even if we have to play Jared or Alvin. Will is just a young man who I've talked a lot about since he got here in January, just love the way that he competes. Love his ability. You know, he was well‑coached coming out Glad Belle Central down there in Belle Glade, Florida; somebody whose football intelligence is very high. Just a competitor to the extreme level, and he's just a young man that's fun to be around. I just love the way he competes and how he practices and everything else. He's not the biggest guy, but you know, what he doesn't have in size, he makes up for in fundamentals and techniques and heart and football knowledge and football savvy. Q. What's been your evaluation of C.J. Brown so far? RANDY EDSALL:  I think C.J. has played very well. I mean, with all the things that we ask him to do‑‑ nobody is ever going to play a perfect game and with what we ask him to do in the passing game, and what we ask him to do in the running game, he's executed things pretty darned well for us. There's been some mistakes in each game, but again nobody ever plays a perfect game in football in my opinion. I think the thing is, C.J. is just going to continue to keep getting better and be more effective as the year goes on because of the things that we are doing and he's seeing and how he studies the game and how he can make the corrections and do those things. So I've been very pleased with what he's done in these first three games, and again, I think that ‑‑ and he'll be the first to tell you that there's things that he has to do to continue to get better and he works on them each and every week, and that's what will happen. He'll just keep working to get better each and every week. Q. I wanted to ask but Marcus Whitfield. I know Richardson didn't start last year; has he started before in his career? He's leading the ACC in sacks right now. Can you talk about him and how he's playing? RANDY EDSALL: I think the biggest thing with Marcus is he has not been a starter but I think the biggest thing with Marcus is he's just gained a lot of confidence. He's a guy that was kind of a shy guy when I first got here, and you know, you've just seen him come out of his shell. I think sometimes guys just‑‑ and he was never a bad kid or anything like that, but I think it's a maturity thing. It's a comfort level thing. It's a confidence thing, and I think alls he's done is he's just gained more confidence each year. And now that he's in this role‑‑ and the other thing is, I think that Yannick Cudjoe‑Virgil has helped him, because he was behind him and he was pushing him, and it made Marcus work a little bit harder and do a few more things, and he responded. But it's good to see him playing the way he's playing, because he's put the time and effort in to being better, not only from a mental standpoint, but also from a physical standpoint. Q. Would you call him a pass rush specialist, or is he playing more all around? RANDY EDSALL: No, he's playing‑‑ he's our starter. He's playing every down. The good thing is, is that Yannick is behind him, so we can spell him. He can go a couple ‑‑ three series, and then we can give Yannick a run in there. But then when we go third down, both of those guys are in there on either side. So that's a pretty good combination that we've got going right now and hopefully we can continue the production that both of those guys have had in terms of pass rushing abilities really on third down. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|