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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 13, 2013David CutcliffeCOACH CUTCLIFFE: Obviously a huge challenge for us this week with a very talented Miami team coming to town. Our guys are really familiar with them. Obviously the team we play every year and our players have the utmost respect for their speed and size and strength and they've been a very difficult match‑up for us and will be again. The thing we have to do is focus on being the best Duke team that we can possibly be and not get outside of that. So with that, I'll take your questions. Q. What are some of the things that you've been working on specifically to make some strides offensively? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, we have not played very well. You focus on the execution. So we have put ourselves under a lot of pressure because the key is to make practices much like a game as we can, Heather, and put our quarterbacks under great pressure. We have played timely offense and at times played extremely well. So consistency and putting a little bit more pressure on our quarterbacks and working against our defense. We've done a lot of work the last few days going good against good, our best against best. So I think that is the fastest way to get you better quickly. Hopefully that's occurred. Q. Do you guys go into this thing‑‑ is the mood of the team thinking that this year's different? This year we actually can beat Miami? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I think we've got a team that's been confident all year and not in a false way at all. But I think these guys believe they can compete with Miami and know that we have to play well. But we've known we have to play well in a lot of ballgames that we've played. So we've got quite a few fourth and fifth year guys on this team. So they understand. They've been in the battles. I think that helps you. Q. What is the biggest thing that you've done well in these recent games that you need to keep up or do better this week? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, we've tackled better and avoided giving up big plays. That is going to be critical against a team as talented and gifted as Miami on defense. We've been very timely on offense with critical plays at critical times. Then we continue to play the kicking game well. I think this is a game, this type of game, playing a team as talented as Miami, we're going to have to have all three phases make critical plays, and we've had that over the last few weeks. It's really given us a boost at some key times in the ballgame. Q. What can you say about DeVon Edwards game? With back and back consecutive returns off consecutive plays. That would be one guy I'd be hard‑pressed to think if I've seen that before, and then he throws in the 100‑yard kickoff return. How do you summarize that performance like that? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, the first thing, it couldn't happen to a nicer young man. You know, DeVon prepares so diligently. It's a great lesson for our players. Our players are very aware of how serious DeVon takes practice. He gets to the practice field and he's so focused. That's that old saying when preparation meets opportunity, and when his opportunity has come, he's been prepared for it. He's taken over a starting role at safety and certainly taken advantage of that. He's taken over a starting role as a kickoff return man. So I think there is a great lesson for young people in there to be prepared for the time for when your time comes, and I think DeVon is the epitome of that. Q. With his focus and intensity in practice, does he ever aggravate your offensive players with the way he improves? COACH CUTCLIFFE: I think all of our defensive guys try to do that, and I think our offensive guys try to aggravate the defense. We're a little more competitive over here this year in that regard. I do think in all honesty, it's one of the things that have made us better all wait back even into spring practice. Q. What are you seeing on film from Miami's offense? I know sometimes they have the running game going but they lost Duke Johnson. What do you see on film since Duke Johnson going down? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, first thing is they've got that big offensive line and tight end and fullbacks. They're still blocking people. That's where our run game begins. Any running back will tell you that. They're very gifted in that regard. We had a difficult time with them a year ago. I think they ran for 260‑plus yards against us a year ago, and they have other backs that are extremely talented. I don't see that they really are missing a beat in that regard. So they're a difficult match‑up for us because we're not the biggest team in the league, and they may well be. So I think that is the key for us is being able to manage and match their physicality as best we can. Q. Is this a big game in Durham for you guys and your program? Having a top 15 come at you guys? COACH CUTCLIFFE: I think it's huge. The thing that we've done is we've put ourselves in position to be playing in a big game in November, and we've done that two years in a row. You hope lessons learned and opportunities are coming your way that you take advantage of it. But we had a great home crowd a week ago with NorthCarolina State here, and we're certainly looking forward to the same with Miami coming to town. Q. I wanted to ask you about your linebacker plan. I know you had some injuries there that have slowed the rotation down a little bit. But it looks to me like the linebackers have really emerged. David Helton at mid‑season has kind of emerged as a top flight‑‑ I mean, he's really stepped his game up. And Kelby, obviously, getting a little healthier maybe has made a difference. Can you address that and how well that tandem has played for you? COACH CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I tell you. It's been significantly different. It's one of the reasons that our defense has taken a surge upward. Those guys got to be play makers. Kelby is healthy and Kelby is a really fine football player. He's an all‑conference caliber player and he makes plays all over the field. He just makes people around him better. I think David Helton has made a big jump from earlier in the season, and you've seen it on a weekly basis here from mid season on. We've had Tyler hurt, and C.J. hurt, and it's just an interesting year and certainly Kelby hurt in that regard. But we've settled in a little there., those guys look like they're in double digit tackles and leading us in tackles. You know we've been a team at times since we've been here where the safeties were our top two or three leading tacklers, and you would much rather be your linebackers. So it's good to see that happening particularly right now at a critical time in our season. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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