Miami coach Randy Shannon talks with the news media. Miami (7-3, 5-2 ACC) hosts Virginia Tech (8-2, 6-0 ACC) on Saturday.
Opening Statement
This week’s opponent is Virginia Tech. It’s the last ACC team we play this season as well as a Coastal Division game. It’s an opportunity for us this week to put ourselves in a position to win the ACC conference. The only thing that matters to us is to make sure we come out and play well against Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech has always been known as a tough football team even going back to the Big East Conference in the old days. I think it’s a great rivalry between both teams because we know each other so well.
Defensively Coach [Bud] Foster – [who] I’ve known for years – is a great defensive coordinator and has done a tremendous job with his players of playing tough defense. The one thing that they pride themselves on is stopping the run. They feel like if they can stop the run against any team in America, they feel like they have an opportunity to control the game. That’s why for years you’ve seen the interceptions tally up because they do a great job of stopping the run. But if we are able to run the football, it plays on a different part of what we are trying to get done as an offense. They have some real good secondary guys who do a tremendous job of trying to stop our receivers. They run a “robber” coverage of trying to get eight or nine guys in the box where the safety is always down and another safety sitting in the hole so you have to block both of them, but if you cannot block both of those guys they will probably be the leading tacklers on their football team if you look at the stats.
Offensively, their offense is their offense. Going back five, six, seven, years ago watching what they do, they don’t do too much. They are going to run their same running plays. They are going to give you some quarterback runs which they have been doing for years like when [Michael] Vick was there. They have had some great quarterbacks who can run the football. The offensive line does a great job of combo blocks trying to get up the next level to the linebackers. The scheme is to try to get a play action pass and throw it deep and try to get a big one. They did a great job of that last week at North Carolina and throughout the season. We have to have a tremendous effort from our secondary guys and have to commit some guys to the run up front.
You look at Virginia Tech, they started off slow in the season, but knowing them for so many years I knew they would bounce back and they ended up strong as always. Beamer has those guys back playing hard and those things.
Special teams wise, they are probably the best special teams I’ve seen from Virginia Tech in a long while. They are great on special teams, but as a group they play really, really well. They have two great returners on kickoff and punt return. Against Georgia Tech, the kickoff return won the game for them. They do a great job on their punt return as well looking for a block. It means our kickoff team has to do a tremendous job like they have been doing the last six games of the season, but it has to be another step. It’s another challenge for us. Also with our punt team, Bosher has to do a tremendous job of hanging the football up and our guys outside have to do a great job of covering and our guys inside have to do a great job of blocking any kind of pressure that they are giving us.
It’s going to be one of those games that you have to be on your best game. You can’t be on your ‘C’ game. You have to be on your ‘A’ game this week. We are excited about it because it’s our last ACC home game, but also a chance for us to play Virginia Tech. You many not think of it, but it is sort of a rivalry. We have been playing Virginia Tech for years and it’s always been a great rivalry and great atmosphere to be around.
On defensive effort needed this week
It’s going to have to be a total team effort. We have to take advantage of our opportunities as I’ve said all year long. If we can hit the quarterback and stop the run, our chances go up greatly of winning the football game at the University of Miami. If we are not hitting the quarterback or not stopping the run, it’s going to be one of those games we are going to struggle in. Lots of defense emphasis this week in practice making sure we execute those things every day.
On Tyrod Taylor
Coach Beamer has done a great job of getting the players that he wants and the quarterback that he wants to run his offense to give them an opportunity to win each year. With Tyrod, it’s no different than with the Vick brothers that can beat you with their feet as well as beat you with their arm. It’s going to be a total team effort for the things we have to do on defense to cause some confusion. He’s probably playing the best out of everybody in the ACC conference when you take a look at it with his quarterback production and managing the football team. If you look up his stats, they’re unbelievable compared to anyone else. He’s a thrower-runner. He gets out of the pocket to throw, gets you to come up, and then throws.
On Marcus Forston’s success
It took time. Coming off an injury, everybody expected a lot of things from Marcus Forston, like myself. He has done a tremendous job the last couple weeks playing football at the University of Miami. Its just timing and rhythm of getting used to the hitting. When a young man sits out for a whole entire year, you think you have it all, but you really don’t have it all. He worked hard at things and I’m happy and the whole defensive staff is happy at the way he has progressed and competed.
On turnovers
Virginia Tech beats you on turnovers. If we go out there and have no turnovers in this game, it’s going to be a real low scoring close game and we’ll have a great shot at winning it. Looking at Miami-Virginia Tech history, the years that we’ve won we ran the ball and didn’t turn it over. Years they won, we’ve had a lot of turnovers and they were able to run the football. This game will come down to turnovers and running the football.
On the play of the offensive line
I think they are gelling. Like anything, it takes time. We were running the football all season long pretty good, but now the rhythm is going. The guys understand the combo blocks. It’s a feel situation and communication. They meet a lot together watching film. They have been able to gel as a team.
On Seantrel Henderson
It’s been a long time since a freshman tackle started. He’s doing a great job, a tremendous job of working with the other guys on the football team. When we run the football, look to see if Seantrel is down the field on the pile. When you see big runs you see him down the field blocking. He’s very smart and very competitive. If anybody wants to play at the University of Miami, we ask that you be physically and mentally sharp and be ready to handle the stress of it. If you’re able to handle it, you will play at the University of Miami. It doesn’t make a difference if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. He’s mentally very sharp and very mentally tough. That’s what he brings to the table.
On the future of the quarterback position
I think that it’s great to have the opportunity to play Stephen [Morris] in some games like this. But you never what can happen. Lots of things happen in college football. I’m excited for Stephen and I’m excited for his progress right now. But I can’t look ahead to next year. Things happen in football, but I’m excited for him now. We are always going to keep recruiting every position on the board because you never know what will happen. Stephen was our fourth string quarterback and look what happened.
On Jacory Harris
Concussions are serious. I’m not going to put anybody at harm or this university is not going to put anybody at harm because those things can really hurt a guy with a speech impediment or brain aneurysm. A lot of things can happen. I’m looking at what is best for Jacory, not for Randy Shannon or this football team. It has to be what’s best for him. When the medical staff says he’s ready, he’ll be ready. Then we will find out from there how he feels. Fans want to find out who the starter is, but let him get better and go through the process of it. He’s a kid with a long life to live. It’s the safety to that young man. It’s not about today or tomorrow, but what happens ten years later. The medical staff we have is tremendous. They are doing a great job.
On Pat Hill
He’s just like an offensive lineman. He’s doing a great job. He’s blocking well and having fun.
On loss at Virginia Tech last year
They were embarrassed. We didn’t play well. You have to understand it was embarrassing as a player and a football team. They’ve gone in and watched the film and want to correct the mistakes they made. It will be on their mind that they have to get better
Share
Contributors
