Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 4 minutes ago
Transcript
00:00We'll take a look at the upcoming conference championship Saturday night.
00:04You're looking at it right now.
00:06Virginia holds a three and a half point favorite in this matchup over Manny Diaz and Darian Mensah.
00:13In the series, coach, Virginia has won two straight, including last year.
00:18Early thoughts about this matchup and whether Duke can, in fact, strike the upset.
00:24Yeah, you know what?
00:25I just have to go by my life experience of playing the same team twice in the same year after you've won the first game.
00:33I don't like to play somebody a second time.
00:36In fact, I think the backup, the team that lost the first game, has a better chance of winning the second.
00:42And I think that's the way it's going to be with Duke.
00:44I look back in my career.
00:45It's funny.
00:46When I went back into coaching after ABC Sports, where I worked in commentating after Auburn,
00:51we played Carson Newman and beat them 31-14 when I was at North Alabama.
00:57Got to the playoffs, lost to them 24-21, and got knocked out of the playoffs.
01:031996, my dad beat number one-ranked Florida State 24-21 during the season.
01:09And in the national championship game, lost 52-20 in the national championship game.
01:15When you play a team twice, if you're both good football teams, I'm putting my money on the team that lost the first game.
01:22I think that Duke's going to upset them.
01:24They didn't play a great game the first time.
01:26But I think Duke and that quarterback are going to win this second game against Virginia.
01:32Yeah, I think when you look at Duke in this matchup, you cannot allow Virginia to run the football the way they did in that matchup.
01:39In Durham, they pounded the rock for 224 yards on the ground, two rushing touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry.
01:48Duke needs a much better effort.
01:50Now, it's on a neutral field.
01:51You lost a game at home where basically you were a three-and-a-half, four-point favored in that matchup and lost it by 17.
01:59But it wasn't even that close.
02:00They were down basically 31-3 in that matchup early in the third quarter.
02:05So what can they do differently?
02:07Do you think that they open it up and rely on Mensa if you're losing the battle in the trenches?
02:13You've got to obviously think outside the box and out-game plan Tony Elliott and this defensive staff.
02:20Yeah, you know, when I talk about playing a team the second time in the same season, if it's a blowout and you're clearly a better team, I don't know that it makes a difference.
02:30But I do think these teams are much closer than that score indicated because, really, Virginia dominated all the way to the fourth quarter.
02:38But I think Mensa is such an explosive quarterback.
02:41He can make plays.
02:43I think he can get hot.
02:44And they play their best game.
02:46And I do think both teams will be a little tight.
02:48They've not been in the ACC championship for a while.
02:52They've not been in this situation with a game that's so important.
02:55And so I believe it'll be one of those that's probably an under, not an over, in the way they play the football game.
03:01But I do think Mensa will show why they have the most productive offense or football team at Virginia.
03:08But he's clearly the best quarterback, and I think he can make things happen.
03:13I'm going to go with my instincts and my history and say the team, after their second game, will come out and win this football game.
03:20Yeah, absolutely.
03:21And we talk about, obviously, the defensive front seven for Duke.
03:24That offensive line did not benefit the passing game with Darian Mensa in any capacity.
03:29They rushed 23 times in the matchup, coach, for only 42 yards, 1.8 yards per carry, which put Darian Mensa into long, predictable third downs.
03:40And they could not convert and sustain drives.
03:43And that's the main reason why Virginia was able to win that ballgame.
03:47I know you've been high on Chandler Rogers throughout the year.
03:50He transferred from North Texas and TCU.
03:53He's a mobile guy.
03:55Who do you give the quarterback advantage to, Mensa or Morris, entering this ballgame?
04:01Well, I think Mensa's clearly the best quarterback.
04:04He can make things happen.
04:05He's explosive.
04:07They can be the most explosive football team.
04:10I think Chandler Morris runs their offense.
04:12If he plays clean and they don't turn the ball over or give up those explosive plays, they will win the game.
04:19They're favored, and they will win the game.
04:21But I just know that a team that plays a team a second time, they'll come back and play better.
04:29They'll make the adjustments they have to make.
04:31And so just experience tells me you don't want to play a team you beat.
04:35You don't have to play them again.
04:37And I just think Duke's going to win this game and put a whole chaos in this whole system.
04:43Is ACC not going to have anybody in the final college football playoff, or are they going to have somebody like Miami?
04:51Be interesting.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended