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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: GEORGIA TECH v FLORIDA STATEDecember 1, 2014Quayshawn NealyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Q. You and the other seniors had experience in the ACC championship game two years ago against Florida State. A lot of turnover. The way you competed in this game, does that have any bearing on how you think you're going to compete on Saturday? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: I mean, not really. There's a lot of carryover from then until now, especially throughout this season. I don't think it's going to have much to do with this game. We treat each game differently. We're going to definitely think about the last time at the ACC championship. It's going to be definitely heavily on our mind. But I don't think it's going to have that much of a bearing. We're going to play GT football and go from there. Q. In that game, Georgia Tech was there because Miami and North Carolina, who had finished ahead of you, had some NCAA difficulties. You went in there, competed very well, represented the Coastal well that year. Is that an indication of the senior class, how you aren't intimidated by a big‑time atmosphere? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Yeah, definitely. We're going to go out there and treat every game the same, fight our butts off no matter what the score is. You play for four quarters. Despite what anybody may say, what the score may be on the scoreboard, you just go out there and fight. Our senior class, along with the others on our team, go out there and give it their all every game. Q. I'm not sure how much film study you have started already, but what have you seen from Dalvin Cook out of Florida State? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Obviously, we haven't seen no film at all on Florida State. We're going to get going today. I've been told that he's a very explosive kid, very shifty. I think it will be a good matchup. The last back we faced was really shifty, a downhill runner. It's going to be another task for us to overcome. Q. Does that help at all having come off a game where you know Georgia had talented runningbacks? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Yeah, it definitely helps. There's a lot of carryover from game to game. It's all about understanding what you did wrong, fixing it. We're definitely going to have to build a line of defense so there won't be that many creases. It definitely has a lot of carryover. We're going to look back over the Georgia film and correct that first and foremost, then move on to Florida State. Q. One of the big keys for you guys defensively the last few weeks has been the ability to create turnovers. You got 17 in the last five games. Is there something you've done differently that has allowed that to happen, creating havoc and having guys in the right place at the right time? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Honestly, creating havoc, having the right guys in the right place at the right time. We practice week in and week out with takeaway drills. We've been doing that all the years I've been here. Guys want to get the ball out, do better for our team, get the ball back in our offense's hands. I give credit to everybody on defense that keeps fighting, hacking at the ball, being ball hogs. Q. With the way that your offense works, chews up clock because of the offensive style, when you get a takeaway, it's almost like you're getting two because the opposing team isn't going to be out on the field for the next five, six minutes of game time. When you combine it with the turnover numbers, how much impact can that have on the game? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: It's huge. Anytime you can keep your defense fresh, it's huge in any type of game. With our offense eating up that much clock, it keeps us fresh. We get out there, get a three‑and‑out, that's like a turnover in itself. Anytime we can get a turnover, get those guys back on the field, it gets them going, then it wears and tears on our opponent's defense. Just keeps us fresh. Q. How did some of the off‑season problems that y'all experienced bring y'all together for the success you're having this year? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: I mean, I guess it brought us together by just opening up guys, giving them the realization of what's at stake here, how fast things can come and go. We definitely miss Jabari, all this and that. At the same time guys have to step up and fill that position and role. They're doing a great job so far. It just brought us that much closer together. Guys are not selfish. Everybody wants to win. They just do their job. Q. Did it surprise you that you lost some of those guys, then the success that the defense has had? Losing starters, difficult to replace. QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Yeah, definitely. At the same time, it's the next guy up. We don't have that much falloff. We lost some great players, no doubt. At the same time we brought in some great players. It took them a while to get going, but now they're playing like veterans. They're really playing with a chip on their shoulder, playing behind their pads, giving us everything they've got. Q. Does Florida State, with some of the close calls they have, does this seem like a good time to catch them? Do you see them as being vulnerable? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: I mean, I don't see them vulnerable. I just see them as a team. They go out there and win every time. They're still undefeated. Everybody has close games no matter what. When you're at the top, you're going to get everybody's best, regardless of who they are. You're going to get their best. For them, that just says a lot about their football team. I mean, you're going to get their best shot at the end of the day and it's going to be a great game. Q. How much confidence does it give you, the last two wins you've had, Clemson and Georgia? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: It builds confidence every week. I can just speak for the defense. We're just getting takeaways, putting our offense back on the field. It gives you a great feeling to go out there and do great things on defense, put your team in a better position to win. I mean, it just builds week in and week out. We can't get complacent. We're going to go back to the drawing board. There's still things we can work on and get better at. We're going to build from there. We look to bring it to the field against Florida State and have a good game. Q. Charles Kelly, before he became the defensive coordinator at Florida State, was at Georgia Tech. What do you remember about playing under him? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: Coach Kelly, definitely a fun guy to play with. I mean, a very passionate guy, definitely a very passionate guy. Will get after you, hands down. He brought a lot of energy here for Tech. It's definitely going to be emotional seeing him out there because he was here for all my years except the last two. I definitely look forward to playing against him. Q. What do you think about him possibly game planning against you, knowing you so well? QUAYSHAWN NEALY: He's going to do a great job. He knows our offense. There's still some wrinkles in there that he hasn't seen in two years. But I know he's going to do a great job with the game plan, telling the guys about some of the things that we do. I just wish him the best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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