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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: FLORIDA VS VIRGINIA

December 28, 2019

Todd Grantham

Miami Gardens, Florida

TODD GRANTHAM: I don't need somebody to tell me he's fast. He ran the read zone, he pulled it, and he accelerated so fast, I didn't need somebody to tell me the guy is fast. This guy is special. So from that day on, I knew the guy would be pretty special, to be honest with you. Really proud and excited to see him continue to work and develop himself as a quarterback and really they did a good job of taking and fitting the offense to his personality and his skill set. I think the guy has got a really bright future.

Q. When people were trying to make him a receiver or media were saying he could be a receiver --
TODD GRANTHAM: I think that's the easiest thing to say because of his athletic ability, but when you watch the guy, he understands where to go -- I saw the guy go from a freshman to a sophomore. We went all the way to like fifth or sixth in the country that year, and his development as a quarterback from day one until then was pretty special, and he understood progressions as far as one, two, three, where to throw the ball. I mean, any time you can put a guy like that with the ball in his hand every snap, things can happen. I think the Ravens, they've done a really good job, Greg Roman has done a really good job of fitting the offense to fit his skill set, which is part of coaching.

Q. How much of that ability that you see now shows up in recruiting, or is that all development?
TODD GRANTHAM: I think the development part of it, like if you watch, he can throw the ball. So you're going to have guys -- but it's how do you process, how do you handle the rush, how do you handle the disguise, the movement, how can you throw the ball into tight coverage, those kind of things, what's your accuracy. What kind of leader are you, do people embrace you, because the one thing with Lamar, guys liked him. Guys were excited to play for him. Like O-linemen wanted to protect, which is a good thing.

I think all of that is stuff that you really can't get off tape. I think that those things make the quarterback.

Q. How special is this kid --
TODD GRANTHAM: I think this guy is really special in the sense that one, if you watch from the continuity tape, I think he's gotten better every game this year. The end of the year probably averaging 300 yards a game passing. He's obviously athletic and can make things happen. I mean, he's carried the ball 100 more times than their tailback. You've got to understand that.

He creates an 11-on-11 game because of the style in which they play, which what that does is creates an extra gap defensively for you to feel because like if the quarterback is a non-runner or a non-factor, then it's really 11-on-10 and you can play with an extra guy in coverage and things like that, whereas when it's 11-on-11 you have an extra gap to fill so you've got to play it a little differently. You've also got to understand relative to the call how you rush, because there's six rush lanes so if you have four guys rushing, you've got to collapse the pocket outside in to keep the guy in the pocket. And then the thing on the pass plays is as you distribute because the guys are going down the field, a guy that is athletic like that, if he makes a guy miss and can get out in space, now you have an athlete with the ball in his hand in space. So that becomes an issue.

But I think the biggest thing that Perkins has done is been able to complete some vertical throws down the field. Honestly against Clemson, they really could have scored the first two possessions of the game and maybe could have changed it a little bit there.

You know, they're a talented team and we understand that we've got to play and he's a good player.

Q. With CJ not playing, how big an opportunity is it for a guy like Kaiir?
TODD GRANTHAM: Well, I think that number one, we haven't played with the same lineup all year. If you go back and look, we had our starters for the Miami game, and then after that, we've not had the same lineup all year, and we've had a lot of guys hurt, and because you play well and you win, sometimes that doesn't get noticed as much as when you don't win.

But I think our guys have always embraced it as an opportunity to get better, an opportunity to handle a challenge, next man up mentality. Our corners that are -- they're all young guys. I think they're excited that they get an opportunity to play now, and the work they've put in up until now, they get to go showcase their talents.

Elam is a guy that got thrown in there of the young guys first, and I think he does a really good job, shows his ability to play the ball in the air and he takes coaching, and I think the thing with all those guys is they've taken to coaching and worked hard to develop their skill set, and that's part of development.

It's very difficult to come in and play at an elite level right off the bat, and with the society that we live in today, sometimes we're not as patient as we need to be with guys. There is a certain amount of development involved in playing this position or this game, and those guys have worked hard to develop their skill set, so I think they look at it as an opportunity to go showcase their talents and what they can do, and they're all competitive guys, so I look forward to watching them play.

Q. Marco said (indiscernible)?
TODD GRANTHAM: Yeah, so when we were in Gainesville we had Anthony in there because early enrollees could do it so he was a pretty good role model for that, and since then we really balanced it between Sproles and maybe every now and then we might put a running back in there to give us the look we need from that standpoint.

Q. This is your last chance to show this group is elite --
TODD GRANTHAM: I think this team has done a really good job of playing pretty much to their -- playing consistent all year. I mean, from the standpoint of playing to their ability. I think the unfortunate thing is we've had some injuries that have made us mix and match and move some guys around and maybe not be at full strength for a few games in the middle of the season. But for the most part I think these guys have stayed the course and continued to play.

I think any time you can be statistically hard to score on, I think that's the most important thing. I think the other stats can get skewed relative to how you play. Like I think the more games you play, the harder it is to be statistically a good defense because teams are going to throw the ball, so you give up yards. Just like when we played South Carolina, we're up by three scores. We're going to play that differently than if we're up by one score and the score is tied.

I think sometimes stats can get skewed. I think the biggest thing is being hard to score on and not giving up many points. If you do that, you have a chance to be in every game that you play, and that's really the focus is not to give up points.

Q. You've been around a lot of head coaches now. What does Dan do differently in terms of creating a culture where people buy in?
TODD GRANTHAM: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is you have to learn to -- first of all, I think it's the way we start the season, meaning that we have to develop competitive toughness, and you've got to be all in. So I think that we're all creatures of habit, and if you develop those habitual traits and you have that mindset that I'm going to finish, well, then, as you go through the season, it's like anything, every week I've got to finish, I've got to compete. And then once you get to the end of the year, you've been doing it for 12 weeks. Now you have a reward.

So I think the important thing is you have to make it fun, and they have to learn to balance having fun with their job, which at the end of the day when they leave here, that's what they've got to do, too. When they go out and get a job, they're going to have to balance work time with their free time, and their free time can't affect their job performance. And if that happens, you're not going to have your job for long.

In some ways, that's presented to them that way. And I think the biggest thing is letting guys have fun when it's time to have fun but also making sure that when it's time to work, work. But I think that to have that it's got to come from within the team, and I think that any time you have solid leaders like we have, they kind of take ownership in the team and make sure things happen the right way. I think that's the biggest thing.

Q. What was it like to see the pairing and seeing that you're going to be playing against a program that you were once --
TODD GRANTHAM: Yeah, I knew that game was going on between Virginia and Virginia Tech and there was a chance that we could play either one. So obviously being a former Hokie and from Virginia Tech, I understood the importance of that game when it was going down. And then when it came up that we were playing Virginia, it was something I was excited about because being from that area, they're a rival. So I look forward to playing them on Monday.

Q. Did this guy cover you?
TODD GRANTHAM: He actually hit me with a racquetball. Does that tell you how old I am? I don't think they have racquetball courts anymore, do they? I mean, he put up -- you ever get a spot on you with a racquetball?

Q. Those things will put your eye out.
TODD GRANTHAM: I got hit in the back, though.

Q. How did you solve the practice film yesterday when you've got guys wearing different numbers?
TODD GRANTHAM: I'll be honest with you, that kind of jacks me up because you're used to seeing this guy, hearing that number, and all of a sudden I see T.J. Slaton playing nickel, and I'm like -- so anyway, but they were ready to play, and they played with energy, and hey, it's about having fun. But you've got to perform, and they did a good job with it.

I adjusted. I think it was harder on the people maybe watching practice than it was us. But it threw me off. I mean, I saw Mohamoud out there, and I'm like the dude is stretching his jersey out all of a sudden.

Q. Did you have to make a conversion table?
TODD GRANTHAM: No, but I'll be honest with you, when I looked, I was like, who is that, because you get used to numbers in spots and things like that, and it's no longer there.

Q. What does that say about this team?
TODD GRANTHAM: I think they did a good job just in the sense of -- I think they're very united and I think they have a really good bond. I think they like playing together. I think that comes from the leadership that we have up top, and it kind of trickles down to guys playing with energy and effort and doing the things they need to do to be good.

Q. How important is it for the team to keep the momentum going?
TODD GRANTHAM: I think it's real important. The number one object is to win the game. Being a competitive person, you always want to win the game and compete. I think it does two things. I think number one, it allows us to get the 11th win of the season. It allows us to finish the season off the right way, but also it creates energy and excitement moving forward, meaning like last year when we had January, our first year here, there was a lot of uncertainty, guys kind of feeling their way, but after the Michigan win, we came in the next January, there was a lot of confidence because of what we had done in that bowl game propelling us into the off-season. I think it sets up your off-season the right way. I think it creates energy moving forward. I think it gives a sense of pride in the sense you know you've accomplished something, and the ability to win 21 games over the past two years would be something I think is pretty good.

I just think it sets up moving forward the right things, and I think that's important.

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