Linebackers fifth-year senior Germaine Pratt, sophomore Louis Acceus, redshirt freshman Isaiah Moore and redshirt sophomore Brock Miller on the show tonight.
• Pratt said it’s nice to be ranked, but they want more attention and have to work for it.
• Acceus said that holding Virginia to a low rushing total was the goal of the defense.
• Moore said that coming into camp that they were focused on being the best linebacker group that they could be.
• Miller confirmed that the defense has a chip on their shoulder. Defense is taking a lot of ownership in what they want to do and have worked harder than ever before.
• On his close sack against Virginia, Miller noted it was a blitz and he got to the QB and thought he had it and Virginia QB Bryce Perkins threw it away. Pratt and Moore were excited for him but also giving him a hard time for not getting the sack.
• After Virginia recovered the onside kick, Pratt said it was all about putting the fire out and getting a final stop on defense.
• Pratt said defending the red zone is a mentality of stopping teams from putting six points on the board.
• Acceus said Pratt is a big help for the younger linebackers.
• Moore noted that communications is huge for the defense. Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Dave Huxtable wants them to be a “talking defense.”
• Miller sees a light at the end of the tunnel after his injury last year and it’s great to be behind a linebacker like Pratt.
• Pratt said Jerod Fernandez and Airius Moore set the standard for what the linebacker room will be about.
• Acceus, a New Jersey product, said it took awhile before he understood the accent in the South.
• They call Pratt “Old Man Larry Pratt” although no one understands where Larry came from.
• Linebackers very impressed with redshirt junior defensive tackle Larrell Murchison.
• Miller said that when the reserves are called upon they won’t miss a beat.
Spencer Brown, the quality control coach for defense, now joins the program.
• Brown has a hedgehog at home as a pet. Nyheim Hines also now has one so he feels like a trendsetter.
• Brown notes he has to stay a week ahead of the coaches so while the team was preparing for Virginia he was breaking down the film for Boston College to make Huxtable’s job easier.
• Being a quality control coach has some of the GA hours, early mornings but not quite as many late nights. He’s in the office at 5 a.m. on Sunday.
• Said he was real impressed with Perkins from Virginia just as a winner and getting the job done when he was breaking down the Cavs.
• Always looking to find opposing players that they might get an advantage on, and the other key for quality control coaches is looking for tendencies like they are 80 percent run when a certain personnel is on the field.
• Took great satisfaction in being a part of plan like the one against Virginia that took away their strength.
• Loves working for Dave Doeren and Huxtable.
• Said that new safeties coach Ted Roof has been amazing.
• The crew goes over lacrosse, which is part of Brown’s background.
Doeren is now on the show:
• Glad that they have a 12th game scheduled, especially for the players. The more wins the better the bowl game, and it’s an opportunity but also good for reps in practice.
• They find things on film that really bother them and they try to take them off the film, and the players have done a good job of taking a personal approach of fixing that. Will be a tougher test this week because Boston College is the best team they have played.
• Would have taken holding Perkins to his rushing total “1,000 times.”
• Third down defense is huge for the team and three and out is the goal for the defense.
• Pack leads ACC in scoring defense partially thanks to red zone defense (four TDs in 12 trips), and Doeren noted that they were top 25 red zone defense last season. Players have been resilient and have made key stops. They put a lot of time and energy in preseason camp on both sides of the football in red zone and third down.
• Liked that the team didn’t flinch after Virginia recovered the onside kick. Cavs did a great job executing onside kick but it still comes down to the hop on the kick.
• Notes that the receiving depth keeps them fresher than most defenses. Really likes the contact catches against Virginia.
• Backup right tackle (redshirt junior Tyrone Riley) and right guard (redshirt sophomore Joe Sculthorpe) were in the game when they drove for the field goal at the end of the first half.
• Murchison is off to a great start and has been disruptive. Is proud of him for redshirting, which is not common for a junior college player. Has been a good leader and inspirational.
• Likes the depth on the defensive front that is developing, citing fifth-year senior Deonte Holden at end and freshman Alim McNeill and redshirt sophomore Shug Frazier inside. Excited about some of the guys on the scout team as well.
• Pratt loves the X’s and O’s of football like he’s coaching, and at times that actually gets him in trouble because he sees the play and then the offense will change it up on him.
• Redshirt junior defensive end James Smith-Williams has improved himself as much as anyone on the roster. Likes his potential, and is happy for him because he does all the things right off the field as well.
• Bye week hits at the right time not just physically and mentally because it has been the hottest back-to-back months of August and September that they’ve had. Will be a welcomed break to reset.
• Running game is part of the DNA, and even quarterback Ryan Finley will acknowledge they are better when they run the football. Needed to get chemistry together with all the pieces which is starting to come together. Freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. also gives a nice change of pace.
• There’s a different feel for when you are able to get a local recruit who plays in front of their whole family and friends. Noted about 75 percent of the roster is now native North Carolinians. Have made that a concerted effort to make that happen because no one in the state was doing that.
• Told sophomore receiver Emeka Emezie for a guy who was crying on the sideline at Wake Forest last year he has come a long way and has faced and owned up to that adversity.
• Compliments Steve Adazzio at Boston College for recruiting players to his system. Bunch of seniors on that team. It’s going to be an old-fashioned, physical football game.
• Pratt said it’s nice to be ranked, but they want more attention and have to work for it.
• Acceus said that holding Virginia to a low rushing total was the goal of the defense.
• Moore said that coming into camp that they were focused on being the best linebacker group that they could be.
• Miller confirmed that the defense has a chip on their shoulder. Defense is taking a lot of ownership in what they want to do and have worked harder than ever before.
• On his close sack against Virginia, Miller noted it was a blitz and he got to the QB and thought he had it and Virginia QB Bryce Perkins threw it away. Pratt and Moore were excited for him but also giving him a hard time for not getting the sack.
• After Virginia recovered the onside kick, Pratt said it was all about putting the fire out and getting a final stop on defense.
• Pratt said defending the red zone is a mentality of stopping teams from putting six points on the board.
• Acceus said Pratt is a big help for the younger linebackers.
• Moore noted that communications is huge for the defense. Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Dave Huxtable wants them to be a “talking defense.”
• Miller sees a light at the end of the tunnel after his injury last year and it’s great to be behind a linebacker like Pratt.
• Pratt said Jerod Fernandez and Airius Moore set the standard for what the linebacker room will be about.
• Acceus, a New Jersey product, said it took awhile before he understood the accent in the South.
• They call Pratt “Old Man Larry Pratt” although no one understands where Larry came from.
• Linebackers very impressed with redshirt junior defensive tackle Larrell Murchison.
• Miller said that when the reserves are called upon they won’t miss a beat.
Spencer Brown, the quality control coach for defense, now joins the program.
• Brown has a hedgehog at home as a pet. Nyheim Hines also now has one so he feels like a trendsetter.
• Brown notes he has to stay a week ahead of the coaches so while the team was preparing for Virginia he was breaking down the film for Boston College to make Huxtable’s job easier.
• Being a quality control coach has some of the GA hours, early mornings but not quite as many late nights. He’s in the office at 5 a.m. on Sunday.
• Said he was real impressed with Perkins from Virginia just as a winner and getting the job done when he was breaking down the Cavs.
• Always looking to find opposing players that they might get an advantage on, and the other key for quality control coaches is looking for tendencies like they are 80 percent run when a certain personnel is on the field.
• Took great satisfaction in being a part of plan like the one against Virginia that took away their strength.
• Loves working for Dave Doeren and Huxtable.
• Said that new safeties coach Ted Roof has been amazing.
• The crew goes over lacrosse, which is part of Brown’s background.
Doeren is now on the show:
• Glad that they have a 12th game scheduled, especially for the players. The more wins the better the bowl game, and it’s an opportunity but also good for reps in practice.
• They find things on film that really bother them and they try to take them off the film, and the players have done a good job of taking a personal approach of fixing that. Will be a tougher test this week because Boston College is the best team they have played.
• Would have taken holding Perkins to his rushing total “1,000 times.”
• Third down defense is huge for the team and three and out is the goal for the defense.
• Pack leads ACC in scoring defense partially thanks to red zone defense (four TDs in 12 trips), and Doeren noted that they were top 25 red zone defense last season. Players have been resilient and have made key stops. They put a lot of time and energy in preseason camp on both sides of the football in red zone and third down.
• Liked that the team didn’t flinch after Virginia recovered the onside kick. Cavs did a great job executing onside kick but it still comes down to the hop on the kick.
• Notes that the receiving depth keeps them fresher than most defenses. Really likes the contact catches against Virginia.
• Backup right tackle (redshirt junior Tyrone Riley) and right guard (redshirt sophomore Joe Sculthorpe) were in the game when they drove for the field goal at the end of the first half.
• Murchison is off to a great start and has been disruptive. Is proud of him for redshirting, which is not common for a junior college player. Has been a good leader and inspirational.
• Likes the depth on the defensive front that is developing, citing fifth-year senior Deonte Holden at end and freshman Alim McNeill and redshirt sophomore Shug Frazier inside. Excited about some of the guys on the scout team as well.
• Pratt loves the X’s and O’s of football like he’s coaching, and at times that actually gets him in trouble because he sees the play and then the offense will change it up on him.
• Redshirt junior defensive end James Smith-Williams has improved himself as much as anyone on the roster. Likes his potential, and is happy for him because he does all the things right off the field as well.
• Bye week hits at the right time not just physically and mentally because it has been the hottest back-to-back months of August and September that they’ve had. Will be a welcomed break to reset.
• Running game is part of the DNA, and even quarterback Ryan Finley will acknowledge they are better when they run the football. Needed to get chemistry together with all the pieces which is starting to come together. Freshman running back Ricky Person Jr. also gives a nice change of pace.
• There’s a different feel for when you are able to get a local recruit who plays in front of their whole family and friends. Noted about 75 percent of the roster is now native North Carolinians. Have made that a concerted effort to make that happen because no one in the state was doing that.
• Told sophomore receiver Emeka Emezie for a guy who was crying on the sideline at Wake Forest last year he has come a long way and has faced and owned up to that adversity.
• Compliments Steve Adazzio at Boston College for recruiting players to his system. Bunch of seniors on that team. It’s going to be an old-fashioned, physical football game.
