University of Tennessee Athletics
Opponent Coach Q&A
October 28, 2003 | Football
Oct. 28, 2003
 |
| Tennessee vs. Duke Nov. 1- 4 p.m. EST (VideoSeat) Neyland Stadium |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH DUKE INTERIM HEAD COACH TED ROOF:
1. With some prior knowledge of Tennessee and its tradition, what are your thoughts coming into this game?
A - "It is a heck of a challenge because of the program that Tennessee has developed. Coach Fulmer and his staff have done a fantastic job of making it one of the top programs in the country. So it is quite a challenge for us. But at the same time we are excited about the opportunity. We need to have a good week of preparation to be able to come in and compete against Tennessee."
2. After being named Interim Head Coach you made some changes. What are some of those changes, both offensively and defensively?
A - "What we have done obviously, is make some changes that we think are going to give our players a chance to be successful, and give our players the best chance to win. At the same time, we know that it is going to come down to blocking and tackling, and all of things that football is about.
"As far as the little wrinkle he or there, it has not been very significant. I know this sounds coachish, but we just want to get lined up and play hard, fly around, have some fun and see what happens."
3. With the injury to your starting quarterback, is that the reason you chose to go with alternating the quarterbacks?
A - "We didn't have Mike Schneider available last week, so we wanted to evolve with a wrinkle here or there. We asked a guy that was a little bit more mobile (QB Adam Smith) to put him in some situations to use his mobility. We asked a guy that threw the ball pretty decent (QB Chris Dapolito), put him into a situation where he could throw the ball around a little bit. So as far as that goes, Schneider's injury did kind of have an effect on it, so that is why we did what we did."
4. Defensively your team has been competitive throughout the year. Who have been your keys to the success of your defense?
A - "The three players that we rely on are the guys right up the gut. Just like in all of the sports you hear about, you have got to be strong up the middle. And when we have played well, a big part of that has been the play of our nose guard Matt Zielinski, our middle linebacker Ryan Fowler and our free safety Terrell Smith. When we play well, those guys have played well."
5. Coming into this game, who on Tennessee's squad gets your attention?
A - "I think they are a very disciplined, physical football team. They block well. They tackle well. They run hard, and at the same time the team speed of Tennessee is a concern.
"They have excellent team speed on defense. They play hard, pursue the football and they do a good job there. On offense, they can pound you, pound you, pound you, because they are physical enough to do that. Then they can hit you with a big play with one of those wideouts.
"But in watching the tape on Tennessee, the thing that really impresses me is the play of Casey Clausen. With all of his ability you can tell he is a gritty, gritty competitor. He is well coached. He knows where he is going with the football. He knows what he is looking at. It seems to me that you get the feeling as you watch the tape that the football team rally's around him. I think they are playing together as a team and they are playing awfully well right now."
6. Your team is averaging more in time of possession than your opponents. Is that a big plan for your football team, to control the football?
A - "Obviously I think the odds are in your favor when you have the football. It keeps our defense off of the field. But we are going to try and do whatever we have to do to try and move the football and score points. It depends on what the defenses are doing and what we have got going, and all of those types of things and circumstances."
?
