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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 25, 2013Mike LondonQ. Paul Chryst called it a track meet last week. What are the keys for your defense to avoid getting into one of those this week? COACH LONDON: I tell you, you look at the film and see a lot of points scored quickly, a lot of quick plays and lot of dynamic plays. Obviously, we're the type of defense that wants to apply pressure and not allow long throws or long runs. So it's important for us to limit their explosive plays. They do a great job of running the ball and running the play action off of that, so you can see why the passing game has opened up and been almost prolific for them against Duke. But we just had to play our style of defense, being aggressive trying to create those long third down situations and pressure the ball when applicable. But definitely, you watch the game and there are a lot of points going on and both sides enjoyed quick plays, long drives, and dynamic play by some really good players? Q. How do you feel you match‑up against them? COACH LONDON: When you look at both teams, you look at they like to run the ball. Coach Chryst has brought his style of influence from Wisconsin. Although the Duke game, they did a great‑‑ the quarterback Savage did a great job with the six touchdown passes you know, we are designed to stop the run. You look at two teams like that, and I think it's one of the games that our defense will have to play well against their offense. Our offense will have to do what they need to do against their defense, and I believe special teams will probably be the key in this particular game when you see some similarities as far as statistically as far as the style of system that's we play. Q. Two of your players said the other day that you placed an emphasis on scoring off of turnovers, which obviously hadn't happened a whole lot. How do you make that happen? It's not as if your guys are intercepting passes and falling down or anything. So is it just a matter of getting more turnovers? COACH LONDON: It's a matter of just keep preaching the fact that if you get multiple hats to the ball, as much pressure is being applied, if you look at just kind of the style of the defendants the more pressure applied, then the opportunities for the ball to be elevated a little bit more than normally and have a safety or corner underneath of it. More hats to the ball, more tackles for a loss applies that getting the ball out and trying to strip the ball from the runner. So I think it's just more of the concept of you always want to try to score on defense. Or you want to try to set up a score on defense by field position you give the offense. Fourth down stops, or third down big plays or plays after sudden change. It's more of a mindset, Doug, to keep talking about, guys rallying to the ball. The more you're aggressive in that matter, the more good things that can happen to you. Q. Why do you think the team hasn't intercepted more passes over the last two years? COACH LONDON: Well, I can only go for what's going on right now with this year. It's a different style. So after a couple games here, if you saw last week there were a couple of hits in the hands defensively, so you've got to make those plays. I think as the season goes on and you start looking at who is doing what, that you'll see guys that are in position and they keep learning the defense. They're in better position. We just keep improving and I believe the turnovers will come. Q. I wish you'd talk a little about the two Pitt receivers. Street came into the year with a big reputation and has played well, but they found the freshman in Boyd that seems to complement him very well. Is that how you see it? COACH LONDON: Yeah, when you look at them, Al, they are two dynamic players. Obviously, 166 yards, two touchdowns, second straight game the boys had over 100 yards in receptions. Street is a tall athletic receiver. Boyd is very athletic. He's a freshman and gets out there and gets it done. You look at the yards per reception, almost 20 yards ‑‑ above 20 for Street and almost 20 for Boyd. You see their style of offense, run the power, run, run, run, then just when you set that safety down or the corners or whatever you do, and all of a sudden they play action pass off of that, those guys get behind you. So that is our job. One of the things you want to make sure, you want to stop the run. But at the same time, you have to be cognizant of two wide receivers like those guys are, so that will be a challenge for us for sure. Q. You mentioned stopping the run. They've been giving to a freshman named Conner. What do you see from him? COACH LONDON: Well, you see a guy that right now is averaging 6.9 yards per rush, and that is pretty good. Over 100 yards a game. So they're a young team that has found some young players to fill in key spots for them to be productive. That is kind of like what we're trying to do as well. So Coach Chryst's young guys have really stepped up, and guys like Tom Savage, a veteran and older guy that's facilitated the ball to those guys and he's done a good job of that. Q. Were with the team when the Cavaliers played up in Pittsburgh? COACH LONDON: Yes, I believe I was on the staff on three different occasions when they came here, when we played them here and we played them in the bowl game, the Continental Tire Bowl when Larry Fitzgerald was there. Q. What was it like playing up there in Pittsburgh? It's a nice place for college football and NFL football combined in one stadium. COACH LONDON: When you look at it, the players are excited. That's where an historic football franchise the Steelers play. Pittsburgh also has the benefit of playing in a great stadium. So the venue is something the players all know, they all talk about. I'm quite sure it's our first travel game on the road, so all those things that we'll have in dealing with those things. But we're excited about coming up and playing. Q. A quick question about your defense. You guys lined up in the nickel lot the first three games. Is that based off the teams you're playing or something we're going to be seeing more coming here? COACH LONDON: Based off kind of a personnel match‑up that we like. We try to match the style of player that can go on the field and address whatever issues that the offense lines up in. So there are several team that's we have, nickel, dime, dollar, so many different things. We try to match player's individual talents versus the personnel that teams have on the field. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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