Transcript: Wake coach, players talk U of L

Louisville scored 13 fourth-quarter points to beat Wake Forest 20-10 on Saturday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

The Cardinals' defense stole the show yet again.

Here's what Wake coach Dave Clawson had to say about the game, plus quarterback John Wolford, linebacker Brandon Chubb and cornerback Kevin Johnson:

CLAWSON

Opening statement: Again, I'm proud of our football team, with the effort they play with, the physical toughness they have. I thought our defense played their heart out, and it's the same story on offense. We really struggled to block people and were overwhelmed up front and U of L has a heck of a defensive front. We were very concerned about that match up going into the game and they are certainly as good as advertised.

They gave us absolute fits and we really struggled on some match ups and they do a nice job rushing the passer. So congratulations to Louisville. I'm proud of our team. We had the game with six minutes left in the fourth quarter with a chance to win it and that's a good football team. So, we'll continue to go back to work and get better and figure out a way how to move the football.

On their defense: I think defensively our kids gave up a couple of big plays and our kids battled their tails off and I mean we challenged our two's last week in practice and some of those guys had their best week of practice they've had so we made a commitment to play them. Brad Watson had his best week of practice. We were going play him. We were already playing him regardless of what happened with Kevin. So we had made a commitment to play him.

Grant Dawson had a good week at practice, and Des Floyd I thought practiced a lot harder this week so we made a commitment to play him. A lot of those guys were upset they didn't play last week and we said if you want to play, practice hard. If you practice hard we'll play you and most of those guys responded and we played them.

On failing to get something going: That's been us all year. I think there is three games that we've finished with negative rushing yardage so that's, well when you throw in the sacks, we're in the negative numbers and that's been an issue all year. We 're really young up front and you know we've played really good fronts and we've played those really good big fronts that are physical and they're seniors and juniors, we're over matched. I mean it's they've got some big guys that play football and they're juniors and seniors and they're bigger and stronger and at some point you've got to block some people one-on-one. When that has to happen we certainly struggle.

On trying to loosen things up: We're just trying to be creative in how to run it. We're trying to slow down the pass-rush. That's what some of the screens are, shovel passes. Shovel passes are really a version of a screen and you're trying to slow down those ends and so we put in some screens last week. We put in shovel passes this week and it's a way of trying to creatively run the ball and get angles on blocks and not have to block the end.

On the interception of the shovel pass: At that point then they scored and you know we were a little bit, kind of playing from behind at that point so we would have run it again. That play probably helped us today more than hurt us. Again you look at our running numbers and they're bad but if you include the shovel passes in there, which is really a run play, you know it's still not good but it doesn't look quite as bad.

Concern on being in the right place at the right time: Yeah, but if there is any color at all we just gotta throw it down so, we're going throw some growing pains at quarterback and we'll learn from that play and he'll be better.

On QB John Wolford: It's just so hard because when we give him time and we get open, he's accurate. When you don't give him time and guys don't get open, it's hard, so a quarterback is part of the equation. You've got to protect him and guys have to get open. There are times we protected and we threw it down the field and we didn't get open. We took some one-on-one deep shots and they had us covered. A quarterback, it's obviously an important position, but he forced to throw today where he shouldn't have, but a lot of times he was under duress and there's times that we didn't get open.

Thoughts on Johnson play: It's just the NCAA and the officials have been very proactive in defending players, and so these are all rules for players safety which I think we're all for. Its certainly wasn't a dirty hit, it wasn't a malicious hit. But by how they officiate, that is a targeting penalty so it's just one of those bang, bang plays that the officials have to call it the way they see it. It wasn't dirty and it wasn't intentional but by the letter of the law, that's a personal foul and an ejection.

On taking the game that far and losing: Yeah, it's a catch 22 that certainly coming into this game, one of the goals is to stay in it till the fourth quarter but then when you're that close and you don't find a way to win it, its certainly disappointing. I don't think there's anybody in that locker room that's happy and you can certainly take the view from 30,000 feet and say we certainly made a good account of ourselves and our kids played hard and we gave ourselves a chance to win and all that's true but when we wake up tomorrow that's still one that's in the right hand column for us.

On five plays after the shovel pass interception, losing containment: Yeah, I mean we had a strength call go the wrong way and we're out leveraged. And at some point, we had to get off a block and make a play and we didn't do that, but they had a good play call and we got out leveraged a little bit. And you certainly hope third and 13 you can rally and get that thing on the ground.

On not making mistakes like interception in the end zone: It's also knowing the situation that we're in a low scoring game and we're in the red zone and we've got a good field goal kicker. For us kicking field goals right now isn't the worst thing in the world. If you want to put this game in a nutshell, we had two red zone turnovers that led to 14 points. That's at least a 20 point swing and that's the football game.

On the players looking fatigued: Yeah, our defensive guys are playing more snaps then we'd like them to and again. We're not even making first downs on offense, keeping them off the field so you just got to find a way to move the ball and make first downs and try to keep those guys off the field.

WOLFORD

On having a lot of family in the stands today affecting his play: No, they're in the stands, but I really don't think about that during the game.

Regarding the shovel pass interception: Usually you expect that when you pitch that, that there wouldn't be a defensive lineman there. I've got to get my eyes there, but that's probably on me, but in practice we never saw a look where someone busted through.

On Tylor Harris recovering three fumbles, including one in the end zone: What a tremendous effort by him and the defense as a whole, to get three turnovers against this team, you know this type of game when people counted us out completely. If our offense plays well and we don't turn the ball over we win that game, goes to show you what we can do in the ACC. It can't be me having one good quarter like Utah State or having sporadic good plays, I have to put together a complete game for us to win.

Regarding overthrowing Cam Serigne in the end zone: Yeah, I should've put a little more touch on it. I was trying to lead him some, but still that was a bad throw.

On that sequence's false start, coupled with the dropped pass, and then the pick: You've got to go play the play and forget about the last one, and I like to think I do that, but we can't turn the ball over in the end zone A. and B. as a whole on offense one bad play can't turn into 3, 4, or 7. So, we have to find a way to correct it.

JOHNSON

On hit called for targeting: I hit him with my shoulder. I actually couldn't feel my shoulder and arm after the hit was over. So I know I got him good with my shoulder, but as far as the high-speed collision, I am not sure where I hit him. Like I said, that is the rule, so I am going to have to try and get a lower angle on him. Try to hit in the midsection next time.

On how he watched the rest of the game from the sidelines: I actually wasn't allowed to watch the game. I was sitting in the hallway and I was trying to see from the Jumbotron.

On being inside when you can't help your team: I wanted to get out there and help out my team the best I could. From what I could see, I feel the defense played great, they rallied up and played great football. That's great and exciting for us to keep building on that.

CHUBB

On what changed when UofL offense stalled before being able to score three times: Maybe just frustration a little bit, I would say our conditioning level is pretty good. We have the depth to rotate if someone is tired, we do have people to play for them. I would just say frustration or long-term memory. You have to forget the play that just happened and move on to the next one. It's all about that play at the present, you can't be thinking about the 30-yard run he just got or the 40-yard pass he just threw. You have to think about the play that's happening right now.

Just getting short-term memory is the key thing with the drive especially if they have momentum."

On Louisville being rattled after the big play in the end zone when WFU took the lead: Yeah, they were definitely rattled. First of all, they didn't expect us to come out like this. They didn't expect to play this Wake Forest team. You could tell that through the whole first half, they were just stunned and didn't know what to do. I think that touchdown did rattle them. It took all their momentum away, and they just found a way to come back. It's just one of those plays where you got to take it and keep going. You got to keep making plays. The game isn't over until the game says 0:00 after the fourth quarter.

About the interest and excitement of playing a close game but the disappointment of losing: It reminded me of Miami last year, same situation. We were up in the first half, people didn't expect us to win. We were the underdog by a million points or whatever it is. And you come out busting them in the mouth, it's just a great feeling but also you can't get too excited. You have to play four quarters. I think that's what happened both times and it's frustrating but it's on us. It's something we have to get better at. Vanderbilt last year, Miami last year, Louisville this year, all those were winnable games. It came down to the fourth quarter and we should've won. We just have to work on sealing the deal.