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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 20, 2013Randy EdsallCOACH EDSALL: Well, we are very happy with the win that we got last week down at Virginia Tech. I thought our kids played hard and came away with a good victory. Now we have Boston College which we know is a tremendous challenge with Andre Williams in terms of what he's done playing football and they are playing very, very well. We have to make sure that we have a good week of practice and give ourselves an opportunity to win on Saturday. Q. The ACC has done a great job of getting teams Bowl eligible. There's already eight including yourself and there could be more. Just wanted to know from your perspective, when you have to fight so hard to get into the post‑season, how important is it that the conference does what it can to find a home for everybody, even though there's probably going to be more than the slots that the ACC has partners with? COACH EDSALL: Well, the thing that we can control‑‑ we just have to try to win as many as we can. You know, you appreciate the number of spots we have, and you hope that everybody has an opportunity that is eligible. You hope it works out, but with other conferences and everything else, you're not sure of. But we appreciate everything that everybody will try to do to make that happen. Q. What do you feel you did particularly well against Virginia Tech that you need to keep that up in that regard this week? COACH EDSALL: Well, I thought we played very hard. I thought we didn't make a lot of mistakes. You know, we didn't give up a lot of big plays to their offense, and we made the plays when we needed to against a very tough defense that Virginia Tech has. You know, we just stuck with it and we just believed in each other and knew that we could win the ballgame. So we just need to keep having that kind of feeling and have that kind of focus and preparation and really not beat ourselves. Q. You had a lot of sacks last week, but obviously facing Boston College this week, how do you feel about your defense, especially a run defense this week? COACH EDSALL: Well, you know, we'll be prepared. They present a tremendous challenge with what they do running the football. They have an outstanding running back who is an All‑American in my opinion and a Heisman candidate. And so we have got to make sure we put the best plan together and give our kids the best opportunity to go out there and be as productive as they can. Q. Yesterday a couple of the players were saying how getting that sixth win and Bowl eligibility was like taking a monkey off their back, alleviating the burden. What do you think about that? And in some ways did, it help maybe remove that pressure that had been hanging over them for a couple weeks now? COACH EDSALL: You know, I think there is something to that. And again, I know‑‑ we know the goals that they have and what they want to accomplish, and I think that they knew the magic number, the least to be eligible, doesn't guarantee anything, but you have to continue‑‑ we got that and we have two more games to go. Now I think what they want to do is just continue to work to get better than what we were last week, and knowing that they do have six wins under their belt, but they are not satisfied with six wins. Q. Playing Boston College this week and Senior Day, what does Senior Day mean for you with these outgoing seniors? COACH EDSALL: Well, it's just a chance to honor them for the job that they have done throughout their career here at Maryland and for people to recognize them. You know, you're proud of all of them. All of them have contributed to the success in different ways. You know, it's just neat to be able to have a day for them before the game starts, where you can honor them and their families. All of these kids are great kids and, they are going to be successful in whatever they do after football. Q. Last year you coached against the Boston College coach when he was at Temple. What type of offense is he running this year, while he was at Temple last year‑‑ is it the same offense or different? COACH EDSALL: It's a little bit different. A little bit different but same principle. Steve is a guy that always likes to run the football and be hard‑nosed, and big, physical offensive linemen that get after you. It's really the same principles but some different things than what he ran a year ago. It's not as much quarterback‑oriented in terms of running as it was a year ago. Q. I wanted to ask you about Andre Williams and defending him. He has more than a hundred carries more than anybody in the ACC and he's already broken the ACC rushing record. What makes him so tough and what do you have to do to stop him? COACH EDSALL: Well, he's strong, he's powerful, he's explosive. He's got great lower body strength and he can run with his pads out in front of him. He's flexible. He's got a good offensive mind, too. But he wears on you. And what you've got to do is you've got to tackle him. You've got to wrap and tackle and bring your feet. He's an outstanding player. Q. Can you tell me how confident you are in your rush defense? You've had some very good games against the run. You had a couple where you got chewed up a little bit. What's the difference in the games where you've been very successful and the ones you haven't? COACH EDSALL: Well, the thing about anything on defense, it's about everybody doing what they are supposed to do collectively on each and every play, and if we can get everybody doing that, then we'll give ourselves an opportunity to play well against the run. But you can't miss gaps. You've got to tackle. You've got to be able to get some penetration. You can't let them stay on schedule. So it's a mixture of just playing great team defense. When you play great team defense, then you have a chance to stop the run. But if you're not playing great team defense, then it's hard to stop the run. Q. Is there anybody on your defense that you think is a key to stopping the run? COACH EDSALL: I think all 11 guys are the key. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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