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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 16, 2013Jim GrobeCOACH GROBE: We are excited to be back with a week getting ready to play. We had an open date this past weekend and I think that was probably good for us. It gave us a chance to‑‑ we didn't have a lot of major injuries, but I think some of our guys were bumped and bruised pretty good, so gave us a week to catch up on some of those things. Mentally, it was nice to have a weekend to be off, so it's exciting for us to get started again. We have a really good team in Maryland coming to town. Q. How much different do you think Maryland is with C.J. Brown in the lineup, what does he bring? COACH GROBE: Well, I think both quarterbacks, C.J. and Caleb, both throw the ball really, really well and they have a great group of receivers to throw to. But I think the difference, obviously C.J. is a little bit more of a runner and they like to get him carrying the football more, but I think from a scheme standpoint, we are preparing for all the things they do, and your thought process would be depending on which one is in, one is going to run the ball probably a little bit more than the other. Q. Last time you guys were out, it seemed like your offense finally got clicking a little bit. What was the difference for you guys in that game? COACH GROBE: Well, I think we played with a little bit more energy. I thought we kind of bounced around a little bit better. I think we have found a couple things that have been good to us. I think we are kind of settling in. We probably asked Tanner to do too many things early in the season and some things that he wasn't real comfortable with. So I think we're starting to get a beat more on where our guys fit the best and we'll see going forward if that continues to be the case. But I thought, you know, probably more from anything else, Tanner played better. Q. In this day and age of these up‑tempo offenses, how difficult is it to build a dominant offense in college? COACH GROBE: Well, I think the key, all the up‑tempo offenses are different. It's kind of funny. Some press you so fast that you can hardly get lined up and others kind of call themselves up‑tempo, but basically they are checking at the line of scrimmage at the sideline to figure out what play they want to run based on the way you line up defensively. So there are a lot of offenses that call themselves up‑tempo, but I think the decision to go up‑tempo is probably determined more by your personnel, whether you can move the ball and score a lot of points. You really don't want to be an up‑tempo offense if you don't have the right personnel because you're a quick three‑and‑out and putting yourselves right back on the field. So I think probably personnel is the key to being up‑tempo and having the kind of personnel that can score points and move the football pretty effectively. Q. I know you guys are worried about your game this week, but how big a week is this for the ACC, with the Clemson/Florida State game, Miami playing on Thursday night? And for a league that's taken a lot of shots over the years for its football, is it gratifying that the league is getting some positive attention for the sport? COACH GROBE: Well, I think so. I think the key is that we've got a couple teams ranked in the Top‑5, and Miami is really pressing right now being undefeated. They are a heck of a football team. I think the thing that we've lacked the past few years are teams that are really getting in the conversation as far as the National Championship is concerned. So I think having three teams that are being looked at right now as teams that might make a run at it certainly give the ACC more credibility. I've always felt like the ACC top to bottom is a great league and tough every week. Every week is a tough out. You've got to play to win, and that's all the teams from top to bottom. But this year I think having two or three marquis teams that are taking the lead has been really good for us. Q. Can you use that out on the recruiting trail when you say, hey, look, what the ACC is doing and you can be a part of it if you come to Wake Forest. COACH GROBE: I think when kids are looking at schools, one of the things they want to look at the school ‑‑ and of course from our standpoint, we are looking for kids that are not only looking for playing football at the BCS level but academically; being at a school like Wake Forest with a great academic tradition. But I think that a lot of kids tie the conference to who they want to be recruited by, and there are a lot of kids that may not be offered by a Clemson or a Florida State, but they want to play in the ACC. And certainly the more attention that we get, especially nationally, helps recruiting‑‑ not really for much maybe Wake Forest, it's more national recruiting schools.  You know, we are more of a regional school. But I think the more attention the ACC gets, the better it is for everybody in recruiting. Q. Talk about the wide receiver for Maryland. What do you have to do to stop him on Saturday? COACH GROBE: Well, I think stop the other guys. You know Diggs is going to catch some balls. He's a big‑play guy and he gets everybody's attention. Got our attention last year, actually caught a ball at the end of the game that beat us in the stretch in the fourth quarter. So we know he's a dangerous player but the Long kid is a really, really good player. They have got two big‑play guys in Long and Diggs. But the other guys we've seen, they have a done of people that have caught balls. I think the problem is if you just try to focus on Stefon Diggs, you're making a mistake because there's so many other guys that can hurt you. Q. Talk about Coach Edsall, what kind of coach is he? He's getting the program up and running and they are having the best season so far under him; do you see any similarities when you first came to Wake Forest like he's doing right now? COACH GROBE: Well, we've gone against Randy, not only at Maryland but when he was at Connecticut. Always had battles with him. Always felt like they were one of the best coached teamed that we've played. So I think that is kind of a hallmark with Randy Edsall's program. He's got a well‑coached team. I think that's what happened, Maryland, we have always felt like is a very talented football team. They have always had good talent but I think the kids are starting to fit into his system and I think they are comfortable with it. It's amazing, when you've had kids in your system for two or three years, all the calls that you're making that they have heard over and over and over become almost second nature. We like to think that when our players are kind of bored with what we are doing offensively or defensively, that we have got it taught pretty good. I think you're just seeing a Randy Edsall football team right now where the past couple years, they have been picking up his system, and that's what I think you're seeing right now is just a more experienced group that are comfortable with what he wants them to do and they are just playing great football right now. Q. How do you get yourselves ready for C.J. Brown, who is a mobile quarterback, in the pocket, and he can move around even if he has nobody to throw to? COACH GROBE: Yeah, it's a problem. We have some quarterbacks in our league, Tajh Boyd is that way and there are some other quarterbacks that can beat with you their feet and with their arm. It's an issue. You're trying to figure out ways to have the right coverages and have the right pressures up front. But then you've got to figure out, okay, where are our rush lanes and where is C.J. Brown going to be, because he is dangerous when you cover everybody as when you leave somebody open. That's the problem with a guy like C.J. Brown is he throws the ball so well, but when you do a great job covering him, your job is just halfway finished because when he takes off and runs with the football, he's so dangerous. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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