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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 18, 2013Jim GrobeJIM GROBE: We lost a tough game this past weekend, had a chance and didn't get it done. I think we played a pretty good football team, especially offensively. But we have to get better and so hopefully this week we'll have a good week of practice, and got a another tough challenge this weekend going up to West Point. They are doing, as usual, a great job, running the football. I think they are playing a little better defense‑‑ or a lot better defense this year than last year. So we know we have got a challenge, but hopefully we can bounce back and play better Saturday. Q. How much of the option you've gone to‑‑ have you been studying what Army has been doing the last couple years, leading the nation in rushing, when you were putting together that option? JIM GROBE: No, to be honest, I wish we could run it as good as Army runs it. They are as good as anybody in the country I think. They are an under‑center option team. We are really more trying to get a run game based on really what we do out of the shotgun, throwing the football. We really want to be a throwing team that runs some option, and obviously we are not very good at running the football right now. But you know, want to continue to throw the football and run some option to kind of balance things out, but there's nobody better in the country running the option than Army right now. Q. How about what Michael brings to your team, Campanaro, his game last week, he had a big game against Army last year that really helped you to a victory. Can you talk about him, his career, and even how he seems to be getting better and better? JIM GROBE: Well, Mike brings a lot to us. You know, the only thing that has hurt Mike the past couple years is just he's been banged up. He stayed banged up last year and missed our first game this year being banged up. I think he's about to get totally healthy. The thing that Mike does, he brings so much to our football team because he's a punt returner; he's a good receiver, and can run the football. Actually, as a freshman, we played him some at tailback. Just a really, really good football player. I do think for us to be a good offensive football team, though, we've got to have some balance. So we really need a couple of other receivers to step up. I thought it was encouraging this past Saturday that Orville Reynolds, who we moved from running back to receiver, actually had a good day and what you'd like to have, I think, you know, Michael caught 16 balls this past Saturday, but you'd really like to spread that out. You hate to have one guy catching that many passes. I'll be happy if he does that every week, but I'd love to have some other guys step up and take some of that pressure off. Q. How big of a game is this, because both teams are coming off some tough losses and where they really put out a lot of energy; how big of a game is this for your team on Saturday at West Point to bring the energy early against Army? JIM GROBE: Well, we need to get a win. I mean, I'm sure Army looks at it the same way. They played a great Stanford team, really tough this past week and had a chance to win. I know they are feeling like they are doing some really, really good things. I think we have lost to a couple pretty good football teams, and so we need to play with a little bit of a sense of urgency. I think that's one of the issues I've had, you know, from an offensive perspective, I don't think we've really taken the field with kind of a sense of urgency about it and kind of take some possessions for granted I guess. I know from watching Army on film, their offense grinds you up pretty good. They are really, really talented. I'm really impressed with what they are doing defensively. That's where they have really improved and so we know that we have got a great challenge, but it's very important for us to play good this weekend. We haven't played our best football the past couple weekends, and for us to have a chance up at West Point, we are going to have to play really good football for four quarters. Q. Reading some of your comments after the game, very introspective there. Is there a temptation to‑‑ do you have to fight any kind of temptation to do anything drastic or too dramatic after a game like that? JIM GROBE: Oh, you do. I think that's the problem you've got is you're always trying to find better ways to do things, and I think the approach that we've taken is, is try to teach better than we're doing. I think some kids get their buttons pushed in different ways, and so we are just trying to find a better way to do it. I think some of the things that we are doing are really pretty good, but for whatever reason, our kids haven't grasped it very well. So I think we are trying to rely on experience; the tendency is to try to scrap everything you're doing and find something better. I think for us, it's finding a way to teach it better. Q. Just looking at the numbers, you guys right now are in the top 20 nationally in the total defense. Can you talk about how your defense has played overall? Is that an area you're happy with? JIM GROBE: Well, I think so. I wouldn't say happy, because I think, you know, when we were up at Boston College, we really played a pretty physical offensive football team and BC had a little over 300 yards against us. I thought the biggest problem was, was about half their yards were on about five plays. So I was pleased that we hung in there and limited them to a little over 300 yards, but we gave up too many big plays. This past week, I was really pleased with the way we hung in there. We had very little offensive production and just kept putting the defense back on the field against a pretty slick quarterback, a pretty good group of receivers. And in the end, we gave ourselves a chance to win, because the defense just kind of hung in there. So I'm pleased with what we've been able to do without much offensive production. I guess that's the best way to put it. I really think at Boston College, had we played a little better offensively, and here at home this past weekend, had we been more productive offensively, I think our defense could have even played better. So I'm hopeful that the defense can continue to improve. We need to improve in certain areas. I think, you know, at BC, certainly we needed to improve our run defense a little bit. And then this past week, we gave up a bunch of yard throwing the football to a pretty talented Louisiana Monroe team. But I think in both cases, had our offense performed better, we would have played better defense. I think, you know, I'm not necessarily unhappy with the defense right now, but I think as you look at it, I think there's some encouraging things that make you feel like if the offense can get a little bit better, maybe our defense will play even better than they are right now. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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