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#UNC coach Bill Belichick pre-Syracuse press conference
Oct 28, 2025
#UNC coach Bill Belichick pre-Syracuse press conference
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0:00
Um, great. Thanks, Brandon. Um,
0:04
uh, you know, watching Syracuse, um,
0:06
this is really, uh, I think, uh, Fran's
0:09
done a great job with that program. Um,
0:11
spent a lot of time watching them last
0:13
year and, um, honestly, what, you know,
0:17
what they did offensively was
0:18
phenomenal. They set a couple dozen
0:21
school records and led the nation in
0:24
passing and you know had some um you
0:28
know productive performances uh almost
0:31
every week. And so you know I saw a lot
0:33
of those um and the things I was doing
0:37
you know last year just you know
0:38
watching them and and keeping kind of
0:40
track of um you know how efficient they
0:43
were um offensively and particularly
0:45
passing the ball. Um and one of my you
0:49
know coaches also had worked there. So,
0:51
um,
0:53
uh, and so then coming into this year,
0:55
um, you know, with a new quarterback and
0:58
kind of second year in the program, um,
1:00
you know, it's unfortunate that, um, you
1:03
know, the quarterback got hurt, but, um,
1:06
you know, Ricky Collins has stepped in
1:07
there and is, you know, got a little
1:09
different skill set, but nevertheless,
1:11
very um, dangerous with the ball in his
1:13
hand, great athlete, very good runner,
1:16
and you can just see him getting better
1:17
every week. I mean, you know, he's only
1:18
played a couple weeks here, but uh every
1:20
time he steps on the field, he's and I
1:23
thought he was better last week as well.
1:25
It's going to continue to get better. Um
1:27
so, um this is a a really the football
1:31
team that obviously beat Clemson uh and
1:34
has played some very good football uh in
1:36
spurts against what is SMU, Georgia
1:38
Tech, you know, two of the better teams
1:40
in the conference. I mean, they've
1:41
really um you know, do a good job.
1:44
They're very well coached. They're very
1:45
aggressive. Um, you know, they do an
1:48
excellent job defensively with their uh
1:51
coverage schemes and and the
1:54
coordination of their defense. Um, you
1:56
know, they brought in um, you know,
1:59
Coach Brown to I'm not sure exactly what
2:02
his role is, but, you know, he's had a
2:04
lot of success defensively. I've known
2:06
him for a long time going all the way
2:07
back to BC to Michigan to Arizona to
2:12
UMass and so forth. So, um, he's always
2:15
been a very aggressive defensive
2:17
coordinator. Um, and so I'm sure that
2:20
his input into, um, uh, Fran system will
2:25
be, um, you know, consistent with what
2:28
what, you know, Fran's doing there and
2:30
and what they do defensively. So, um,
2:33
you know, they're they're solid in the
2:34
kicking game. They're they're very
2:36
aggressive defensively and and
2:39
offensively they they get better every
2:40
time they step on the field. They've
2:42
played some um
2:46
um there's some new faces out there over
2:47
the last few weeks, some younger
2:49
receivers. Uh you can see there's a high
2:51
level of skill there. So um you know,
2:55
really a lot of guys to get ready for
2:56
guys in some cases that we haven't seen
2:58
very much of. But um the fact that they
3:01
have started to play and will probably
3:04
play more indicates the uh the talent
3:06
level that they possess and and um the
3:09
explosiveness that we have to be
3:11
concerned about. So um
3:14
short week, you know, good to get out
3:16
there and and um you know, get going
3:18
yesterday. Monday it's, you know, a day
3:21
ahead for us, but um you know, the same
3:24
for them, so it doesn't matter. But it's
3:26
just a it's just a faster preparation
3:28
week cycle and um you know be excited to
3:32
go up there and and play in the dome.
3:34
But um this is like I said a well
3:36
coached team uh team that's aggressive
3:39
and explosive and uh they're very
3:41
capable of big plays and and turning the
3:43
ball over and um you know making
3:47
explosive plays very quickly and um
3:50
decisively. We've seen do that all year.
3:54
Good start when you're here on the left.
3:56
Bill, you guys have been in a position
3:57
to win these last two games. How do you
3:59
get from right there to the the
4:01
breakthrough with the result on that
4:03
end?
4:04
Yeah. Well, it's you start all over
4:06
every week. You know, we we
4:10
couple weeks ago at the Cal game, you
4:12
look at that game and you start all over
4:14
again on uh Virginia and now we start
4:16
all over again on Syracuse and we'll do
4:18
the same thing next week. So, each
4:19
week's its own week. It's all a whole
4:21
new uh preparation cycle. Uh
4:24
everything's different, players are
4:26
different, scheme is different,
4:29
environment, atmosphere is different. So
4:31
um it's every week's its own own entity.
4:35
Um so that's where we are and we just we
4:38
do the same thing every week. That's all
4:39
we've been doing every every week this
4:41
year. And I don't I don't see how that
4:43
can change because each week's so
4:45
different.
4:46
Anything pop off the film that you
4:48
notice that you might not have in the
4:49
wake of the game? Saturday?
4:53
No, I think it's, you know, pretty
4:56
obvious and statistically we did a lot
4:58
of things well. Turn the ball over three
5:02
times inside the 5 yardd line
5:05
till the game came down to one play and
5:09
a short
5:11
few inches, foot, whatever it was.
5:13
Second row on the right.
5:15
Hey, Bill. Dave Nathan with the Sports
5:17
Network. In your history of leading
5:19
programs and organizations, is it more
5:22
challenging to turn a team into winners
5:25
or sustain excellence once you become
5:27
competitive?
5:31
Well, I just go back to say my high
5:33
school coach always uh used to say it's
5:36
a lot harder to stay on top than it is
5:39
to get to the top.
5:41
I think there's a lot of truth to that.
5:47
Bill, when season started, their
5:50
defensive front, the interior
5:51
especially, probably a least experienced
5:53
group on the roster, if you go back and
5:55
look at TCU and look at where they are
5:57
now, uh, how can you gauge or can you
5:59
quantify how much better they were?
6:02
Yeah. Well, if you go back even a little
6:04
further than that, go back to the spring
6:06
when, you know, we only had whatever it
6:09
was, three players that had played the
6:10
previous year and then um players that
6:14
we added in the spring and then some
6:15
players that we've added for the fall.
6:18
Um it's it's a completely new group
6:22
really. Um people like Leroy, but he
6:26
didn't play last year, you know, so um
6:29
he didn't play in the spring. So, you
6:30
know, seeing those guys, CJ, Mel, Curb,
6:34
um, Felizy, and, you know, Smith,
6:37
Filbert, Vicki, I mean, it's all Tai
6:41
Thompson was here. He's not really a
6:42
defensive lineman. He's more of an
6:43
outside linebacker, but yeah. So, that
6:46
group is, it's a new group. They've done
6:47
a great job coming together, working
6:49
together, playing um, fundamentally well
6:52
together, um, and improving. Our
6:55
strengths improved, our speed and
6:56
explosion has improved, our block
6:58
recognition, transition, pass rush, all
7:01
that's, you know, it those guys work
7:03
hard and you can see their hard work on
7:05
the practice field play off pay off in
7:07
games. Um, so really proud of that group
7:10
and and the way that they've um, you
7:12
know, just come together as almost a
7:14
completely new team or or new unit I
7:17
should say.
7:17
You just hit on a little bit, but since
7:20
TCU, you guys have not been gapped. I
7:23
think UCF had a 25 yard run only a
7:25
couple runs longer than 14 yards and not
7:26
many 10 plus runs. What do you attribute
7:30
that?
7:32
Yeah. Well, again, when teams run the
7:34
ball, it's team defense. I mean, one guy
7:36
can't stop a running play. You know, you
7:38
need people on the outside, people on
7:40
the inside. You have to tackle well. Um,
7:42
a couple of the long runs that you
7:44
referred to, particularly in the UCF
7:45
game, were breakdowns on the perimeter
7:47
of the defense. Um, you know, anytime a
7:50
runner gets outside with no run support,
7:53
it's you're going to give up yards. So,
7:56
uh, it starts with good run force and
7:57
making sure that we don't give up those
7:58
easy yards. And then inside, we have to
8:00
defeat blocks and and tackle, you know,
8:03
runners. And certainly last week, um,
8:06
you know, we saw a good back. We saw a
8:08
good back of Cal. We saw, you know,
8:10
we've seen a lot of good backs this
8:11
year. Um, and so that's part of the
8:13
challenge, too. It's not just being in
8:15
position to make the play, but actually,
8:17
you know, getting these guys on the
8:18
ground. And this week, the challenge
8:20
will be in addition, you know, the
8:22
quarterback. He's really a good runner.
8:24
Um, similar to kind of what we saw from,
8:27
uh, UCF, those those guys were really
8:30
good with the ball in their hands, too.
8:31
And so, it's it's always hard to run a
8:33
quarterback because it's an extra guy.
8:35
They have an extra blocker that when the
8:37
quarterback hands the ball off, you you
8:38
don't have. So, it it makes the the run
8:41
defense a little bit more challenging.
8:42
But um yeah, they they've done a great
8:44
job. Coach Dako's done a great job at
8:47
the front and you know, just again the
8:49
overall coordination between the
8:51
secondary run force, the defensive line,
8:54
the linebacker run fits and all that. It
8:55
it's it's team defense. It's you know,
8:58
one guy can't can't stop a running game.
9:00
I don't care who it is. Like you need
9:02
more than that. You need to be
9:03
coordinated on defense. So it's team
9:05
defense.
9:06
Just right next to us. Hey Bill, a lot
9:08
of players said they've told us that
9:10
that second open date really sort of
9:12
galvanized everyone. Everyone really
9:13
came together over that second open
9:15
date. For Gio specifically, has there
9:16
been any advice? What advice have you
9:18
given him as a quarterback to sort of
9:20
block stuff out and just remain focused?
9:22
Um because over the last couple weeks,
9:23
he's really looking more relaxed,
9:26
right? Um, look, I I I don't know what
9:30
the narrative is out there, but I would
9:32
just tell you that that progress comes
9:35
in small increments. You know, you don't
9:38
go from base camp to the top of the
9:40
mountain, you know, in in 15 minutes.
9:42
Like, it just doesn't happen that way.
9:45
you day by day improve,
9:50
correct, improve, do it again, gain
9:54
confidence, gain consistency,
9:56
gain um a higher level of execution in
10:00
your fundamentals,
10:02
um your communication and so forth. And
10:04
that's a process that just happens every
10:06
single day if it's done right. Uh, it
10:10
happens in the meeting rooms, it happens
10:11
in film study, it happens in
10:13
walkthroughs, it happens on the practice
10:16
field, uh, it happens in individual
10:18
drills before you even get to the
10:20
putting the whole team together. And if
10:22
you keep doing those things and keep
10:24
improving in those areas that then
10:27
gradually you'll see improved
10:29
performance and and so yeah, was there
10:33
progress in the by-week? Um, yeah, I
10:35
think there absolutely was, but there's
10:37
progress every day if you prepare, work
10:41
hard, uh, and and understand what what
10:44
you need to do to, you know, to get
10:46
better. And, and so that's what this
10:48
team has done on a consistent basis. And
10:50
that's what we need to continue to do,
10:52
whether it's the coaching staff, um, you
10:55
know, individual coaches, players, the
10:57
different units on the team. like we
11:00
just got to keep, you know, working to
11:02
improve the product that we we put out
11:04
there collectively, not just players on
11:06
the field, but coaches as well. So, I I
11:10
just have a hard time like all of a
11:13
sudden, oh, those switch flipped and we
11:16
went from here to there. I just don't
11:18
see it that way. I see it as a very
11:21
gradual but consistent improvement and
11:24
and that's what we need to continue to
11:26
do. There's no just there's no magic
11:29
wand. There's no like shake we can fix
11:31
up there in the nutrition that Amber can
11:33
make that like all of a sudden
11:34
everything's going to be great. Like
11:36
that's just not going to happen. We need
11:37
to do it day after day, week after week,
11:42
and string those together. And that's
11:44
when the results become more permanent.
11:47
A lot of players told us that that like
11:49
when you told them that you were here to
11:50
stay and weren't going anywhere, that
11:52
was sort of a start to everybody really
11:53
coming. Did you see almost a different
11:55
team from before that to when you told
11:57
them that and see like almost something
11:59
in their eye of like, okay, now we have
12:01
the the confirmation, I guess, in a
12:03
sense, from you and now we're going to
12:04
go out there and really continue doing
12:06
what we've been doing.
12:07
Well, it's never been anything but that.
12:08
And wherever that story came from,
12:10
obviously was it's already been taken
12:12
down and everything else and it's just
12:13
total, you know, as Trump would say,
12:16
fake news. I mean, it's just I don't
12:18
know. It's just a novel. There's plenty
12:20
of that out there, too, by the way, but
12:22
I'm not going to deal with that. Um,
12:25
look, our consistency has been here
12:27
since the day that, you know, Michael
12:28
Lombardi and I came in and started
12:31
hiring people and coming into the
12:32
organization in December. We got here
12:34
the same day and we've been doing it
12:37
every day and, you know, that's the way
12:39
it's going to be. So, um, you know, I'm
12:42
sure there's a lot of other people out
12:43
there that want to get, you know, clicks
12:44
and views and, you know, posts on my
12:49
face or whatever and but like it's just
12:52
a bunch of garbage.
12:53
In an effort to get to everybody, if we
12:55
can just hold to one question, I'll get
12:56
back to you if I can, but go ahead.
12:58
Yeah. Uh, coach, the defense line
13:00
recorded eight sacks over the last two
13:02
games. How important is it for this unit
13:04
to kind of build on that performance
13:06
last week heading to a critical stretch
13:08
of the season?
13:10
Yeah, again, it's a new challenge every
13:12
week. Um, so whatever we did last week,
13:16
you know, we we got to try to build off
13:18
it. Um,
13:20
Syracuse doesn't get sacked much. Um,
13:22
again, the quarterback's very athletic.
13:24
He when he sees space, he can run and
13:27
and they get the ball out, you know,
13:29
quickly, have good, um, you know, a lot
13:32
of RPO, so those balls come out fast as
13:35
part of the running game. Um, and it's a
13:38
it's a different style of offense than
13:40
what Virginia ran. So, um, the game I
13:45
don't think is going to play the same
13:46
way. So, I don't know if we're how many
13:49
times we're going to sack them or not
13:50
sack them. I mean, you have, you know,
13:52
but that's it's not that kind of a game.
13:55
And really ultimately for us
13:56
defensively, it's, you know, to to keep
13:59
the points off the board, to keep them
14:01
from, you know, controlling field
14:02
position and and gaining improving field
14:05
position. Um, and play 60 minutes of
14:07
good defensive football, whatever that
14:10
entails. If it's sacks, it's sacks. And,
14:13
you know, it might not necessarily be
14:15
that. That's not the measuring stick.
14:16
The measuring stick is number one points
14:19
and then number two you know yards and
14:21
field position obviously turnovers.
14:24
Michael Far right.
14:26
Bill, with the way the last two games
14:28
have been decided by less than a yard
14:30
both times, do you worry at all about
14:32
how the guys are doing mentally? Do you
14:35
worry at all about that this week
14:40
doing mentally? I mean, what are you
14:41
talking about?
14:42
Just like where they feel like, well,
14:45
we're just, you know, just faded not to
14:48
win at this point. Do you do you worry
14:49
about that?
14:50
No, we control it. and serve. I mean,
14:53
we're the ones that control it, so we
14:55
just have to do a better job of
14:56
controlling it. That's all. If you're
14:58
sloppy and you make mistakes against
14:59
good teams, they take advantage of it.
15:01
If you don't, then you know, then you're
15:04
a lot better off.
15:06
Far left here, coach, front row, Bill,
15:08
uh, I hear what you're saying in terms
15:10
of defensive front with it being team
15:12
defense and all connected and those guys
15:14
all play off each other. I'm wondering
15:16
if you could point to any I don't know
15:19
have there been any schematic
15:20
adjustments in recent weeks that may
15:23
have unlocked you know better play from
15:26
from the defensive front because you
15:29
know you know it looked like winning
15:30
football defensively at Cal and
15:32
obviously against UVA you guys were
15:34
great defensively. I mean anything you
15:36
can point to there where maybe there's a
15:37
better understanding where you're doing
15:38
something different schematically.
15:40
Right. Again, I hate to sound like a
15:43
broken record on this, but um if you
15:48
play teams
15:50
like Clemson that run a lot of counter
15:53
plays and run a lot of perimeter plays
15:56
is different than playing a team that
15:58
runs a lot of inside zone. It's just
16:00
different. So the scheme and the
16:04
fundamentals and I'd say that the
16:06
awareness and techniques that you use
16:08
against one team are different than the
16:11
next team. And so is there some
16:13
carryover in terms of defeating blockers
16:15
in front of you and double teams and
16:17
reach blocks and back blocks and things?
16:20
Yeah, sure there's some fundamentals,
16:21
but as far as team defense, it really is
16:25
about defeating team offense. you know,
16:27
you just can't
16:29
I just don't believe you can do the same
16:31
thing against um you know, Clemson that
16:34
you would do against Syracuse that you
16:37
would do against TCU that you would do
16:39
against Richmond. I mean, they're
16:41
they're all different. So, I think you
16:43
got to play them differently. Um and so
16:46
that's what we, you know, we try to do
16:48
and and the players done a good job. And
16:51
I would say as we've gone through week
16:52
to week to understanding that exactly
16:54
that that like this isn't last week and
16:57
how we played it last week is going to
16:59
be a little bit different this week and
17:00
we need to make that transition and
17:03
adjustment and then that also comes from
17:05
practice, right? So our players on the
17:08
practice field um doing things the way
17:10
that our opponents do it so that we can
17:13
get a a realistic look in practice and
17:16
it doesn't get into the game. And this
17:18
is really the first time we've seen it
17:19
because it it wasn't a good look at
17:21
practice. And so, um, again, it's all
17:24
part of the process of
17:26
every person's role in the team's
17:28
important whether they're a starter or,
17:31
uh, you know, a player who who works to
17:33
help his teammates get better while
17:34
they're developing. um whether it's in
17:36
the kicking game or offense, defense,
17:39
like as each player improves in his
17:41
position and his role, it strengthens
17:43
the team and it it helps improve the guy
17:46
on the other side of the ball and that
17:48
competition, you know, forces us to
17:51
execute and and perform better. Um so
17:54
that's what we're trying to do and in
17:56
every phase of the game.
17:57
Second roll up, Brian.
17:59
Brian Murphy, you mentioned Michael
18:01
Marty. He was the first guy you brought
18:03
with with you. Why did you want him to
18:06
be here and how have you seen him sort
18:07
of adapt to this role first time in this
18:09
position and and what do you see moving
18:11
forward in terms of that position and
18:13
what general manager means in college
18:15
football?
18:16
Yeah, right Brian we've already talked
18:17
about that a lot. I mean you certainly
18:20
need somebody else with the way the
18:21
college game is now, you know, with the
18:23
recruiting and NIL money and everything
18:26
else that's going on like it's there's
18:29
no way I could do it. Maybe there's
18:31
other coaches that could do it. There's
18:32
no way I could do it. So, um, you know,
18:35
he's done a great job of all that. Um,
18:38
I'd say let's keep the conversation on
18:40
Syracuse. That's really where we are
18:42
right here. And, you know, what what
18:44
he's doing to help our program is
18:47
monumental. Um, but honestly, I'm just
18:50
trying to focus on the Syracuse game
18:52
right now.
18:52
Front row hearing a lot.
18:54
Yeah. Bill, the other day after the
18:55
game, you were saying turnovers were
18:57
were your number one power series the
18:58
other day and let's call it super
19:00
against uh against Cal. um I guess on
19:03
the spot, you know, in games, I guess,
19:05
kind of what are some of the ways in
19:06
which you guys as a staff kind of go
19:08
about, you know, addressing that and
19:09
even in practice, um you know, seeing
19:11
how they've kind of fought over the last
19:12
couple games, how do you go about uh you
19:14
know, tightening up the ball security uh
19:16
and making sure I guess the decisions,
19:18
in-game decisions, whether it be a
19:19
quarterback or a running back or
19:21
whatever, it's kind of better to, you
19:22
know, protect the goal.
19:25
Yeah. Well, again, it's it it starts
19:29
understanding, you know, how to do the
19:31
right things, how to protect it, how to
19:33
how to handle the ball properly. Um, and
19:36
then using drills because sometimes it's
19:39
hard to um simulate those situations in
19:43
practice. They just come up kind of
19:44
randomly based on
19:47
where the runner is, how he's got the
19:48
ball, where the tackler is, and so
19:50
forth. Um, so you set up individual
19:52
drills that simulate more common
19:54
situations.
19:56
um and you know keep repeating those so
19:59
that the players who handle the ball um
20:02
have a consciousness of of of ball
20:05
security and protection and we just have
20:07
to do a better job of it. Like that's I
20:10
I think if you talk to our players, I'd
20:12
like to think that they would tell you
20:15
that we have gone over everything and
20:18
that they know how to do it. Um,
20:21
sometimes,
20:22
you know, when you're thinking about,
20:24
you know, gaining yards or scoring or
20:26
whatever, sometimes the focus is not on
20:30
ball security maybe as much as that
20:32
should be. Um, and the same thing
20:34
defensively, you know, you're trying to
20:36
make a tackle. Um, but when there's an
20:38
opportunity to get the ball out, um,
20:42
sometimes you can do both. You can make
20:43
the tackle and get the ball out. You
20:45
know, Todd Thompson's done a great job
20:46
of that the last two weeks. you know, he
20:48
had two two plays that were, you know,
20:51
where he tackled the quarterback. And on
20:52
both of those plays, he combined
20:54
tackling with the quarterback with a
20:56
very aggressive
20:58
um strip on the quarterback's throwing
21:00
arm to to get the ball out. And so
21:03
that's kind of the idea. And it's the
21:05
same thing on the flip side of it is,
21:07
yeah, we're trying to gain yards, but
21:09
we're also trying to gain yards with,
21:11
you know, excellent ball security and
21:14
not ever giving the defense not only a
21:16
chance to get it out, but not even
21:18
showing them that, you know, hey, here's
21:20
an opportunity. Because runners that
21:22
don't take care of the ball when they're
21:25
in space
21:27
just kind of send a signal to defenders
21:29
that, oh, it's loose. You know, I wasn't
21:32
even thinking about stripping it, but
21:33
now I see the ball. When I get closer to
21:35
him now, that kind of triggers that get
21:38
it out response. So, it's it's ball
21:40
security 24/7. It's all the time. And it
21:43
doesn't matter who has the ball, the
21:45
center, quarterback, a running back, a
21:47
receiver, punt returner, kickoff
21:50
returner, a defender who intercepts or
21:52
or recovers a fumble and advances it.
21:54
Anybody who touches the ball. Um, and so
21:57
it wasn't just the fumbles. It was, you
21:59
know, opportunities to recover fumbles.
22:02
It got a muff punt. We had, you know, we
22:04
had other ball security things that, you
22:06
know, some hurt us, some didn't. But in
22:09
the end, like, you want that ball
22:11
security on our side of it to be zero.
22:14
We're 100% taking care of the ball, and
22:17
we took advantage of every opportunity
22:19
we could to take it away. And so in
22:21
practice, you balance that with trying
22:23
to take the ball away, but not at the
22:25
expense of injuries and and being
22:29
reckless on defense. So, do we punch at
22:30
the ball? Do we grab the ball in
22:32
practice? You know, absolutely. And
22:34
those points are re-emphasized. Like,
22:36
that's a great job. That's what you want
22:37
to do. Uh, but at the same time, we
22:39
don't want to do it in a way that is
22:40
detrimental to the health and safety of
22:42
our football team. So, it's there's
22:45
there's a a little bit of a balance
22:47
there that knowing how to practice and
22:49
how to practice effectively is I would
22:52
say another thing that we've improved on
22:54
over the course of the year and
22:55
therefore our practice quality is
22:57
higher. Not not that you guys can see
22:59
that. I'm not saying that. But the
23:00
practice quality is just at a higher
23:02
level than what it was earlier. Two more
23:05
here Shelby and then we'll finish up on
23:06
the front right alis
23:10
talked about Gio specifically obviously
23:12
the improvement you've seen from him the
23:14
defense but just for the offense as a
23:16
pro what are you seeing as any size and
23:18
improvement maybe over the last two
23:20
games and what is the next step that you
23:22
think the offense has to take forward?
23:27
Well, big goal offensive is we got to
23:29
score more points. That's why they put a
23:31
scoreboard up there. You know, we just
23:33
got to score more points. We move the
23:36
ball, but you know, getting points for
23:39
moving the ball. Just got to cross the
23:41
end zone or get a kick between the
23:42
uprights. And we've missed on too many
23:44
of those opportunities, scoring
23:45
opportunities um in the red area, you
23:49
know, of I mean, so we just we're
23:51
missing on too many opportunities. And
23:53
they're team opportunities, not just one
23:55
guy. But we've got to do a better job
23:57
collectively of, you know, finishing our
24:00
drives, finishing our plays, and and
24:03
having the result that what we feel like
24:06
should be the result at the end of the
24:07
play, but it hasn't always been that
24:08
way. So
24:10
really big on that brought up again
24:11
finishing the drives the red zone turns
24:13
like you guys said five tie for
24:17
just what stands out maybe about some of
24:19
the red zone inefficiencies that kind of
24:22
look
24:25
well I mean the plays that happen or the
24:27
ones that happen but there's believe me
24:29
there's other examples in games where uh
24:32
in practices rather that um need to be
24:35
corrected and what as well improved on.
24:37
So, but we obviously got to do a better
24:39
job of that. I mean, it's just, you
24:40
know, start with the coaching and and
24:43
decision making and, you know, play our
24:45
execution on the field, but, you know,
24:47
we got to do a better job of coaching
24:48
it. Um, and we got to do a better job
24:51
executing.
24:52
Last one right front row.
24:53
Hey, coach Jeremson.
24:55
What have you seen out of your tough
24:57
period during practice that led to
24:59
getting play time during this part of
25:00
the season? Eight receptions last time
25:03
out against Virginia.
25:05
Yeah, like a lot of players uh who are
25:08
uh new to the program and and either got
25:11
here particularly in June in that June
25:14
um July area that had were um a little
25:18
bit behind other players in terms of um
25:21
knowledge
25:23
um experience playing experience at this
25:25
level and so forth. But, you know, as
25:27
we've practiced um more and and competed
25:29
more, um the gap has narrowed and and
25:32
some of those players have um showed
25:35
that they are ready to compete on this
25:38
level and and have earned more playing
25:40
time. And so, um you know, at the
25:43
receiver position, you know, Madrid's
25:44
done that, Shinard's done it. Um you
25:47
know, Nate's done it. Um so, you know,
25:50
Guju did it as a running back. Um, so we
25:53
have guys who are are playing um more
25:56
than they did earlier in the year
25:58
because they have shown that they're I
26:00
think in our our opinion they've shown
26:03
in competitive situations that they're
26:04
ready for those opportunities and then
26:07
um how they do with them once they what
26:09
they do with them when they when they
26:10
get them that's again obviously up to
26:12
them. Um but in some cases those guys
26:15
have have shown that they can do it
26:18
competitively in games after they've
26:20
earned the opportunity to do it and then
26:22
they'll get more opportunity. And it's
26:24
been other cases where uh we thought
26:27
players are ready and we you know and
26:30
they weren't as ready as they maybe they
26:31
need to be. Um so they have to go back
26:34
and they have some more work to do
26:35
before they're really ready to play um
26:38
and take on a bigger role. So, um, you
26:42
know, we'll see how it goes. And
26:44
sometimes it's, you know, one good
26:45
performance and then one not so good
26:47
one. Sometimes one not so good one and
26:49
then one good one. And so, you know,
26:51
time will will tell on that, but we just
26:53
do the best we can to give the players
26:56
who earn the opportunity. We do our best
26:58
to give them that and then then it's up
27:01
to them to, you know, perform um with
27:05
that chance.
27:07
Thank you. appreciate.
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