All right. Well, thank you guys for coming. Um, obviously wrapping up Northwestern. Uh I think watching the film, I think it played out a little bit like we talked about, you know, really happy with how we came out really happy with how we started. Uh I thought we set the tone physically running the football all day and, you know, that's something we want to take a lot of pride and I thought we were able to do that. Uh I thought for the most part we played really well on defense. Um, you know, we had the one drive at the end of the half where we gave up three third down conversions, um, which was disappointing, which I think brought a little bit of life back into them. Um, you know, but then we were able to go out in the third quarter and, you know, pitch a shutout and, and put some touchdowns on the board to kind of put that thing away. And so, you know, happy with how we played, happy with how we handled that thing. Players of the week last week, uh, from a scout team standpoint, Boa Lily was our offensive player of the week, Sean Kelly was our defensive player of the week and Leon Griffin was our special teams player week, uh, for the game, our lineman of the week where Jay Honey Brook and Jam on Franklin and so happy for both those guys. Uh, and then our offensive players of the week where Nicky Dal Mulan and Jalen Calhoun, uh, thought Nicky played really well in the run game. I thought that was by far and away his most physical game, um, had a couple of huge blocks that really sprung runs and, um, had a big block on Jordan Waters first touchdown. And so that was great to see and then had, you know, was able to be a factor in the passing game. And then Jalen Calhoun, um, you know, I thought that catch in the third quarter, the one where he laid out for it on our sideline. I thought that was the play of the day because, you know, I think that game was still very much in doubt at that point and, you know, that was what got that 94 yard drive going. And so, you know, that was a huge play for us and then, um, defensively Miles Jones and, and for Miles to come out and I thought he covered really well. I thought we put him in a lot of one on one situations and he certainly held up was able to get the pick at the end of the game, which is back to back weeks for him. And so, um, you know, it's good to see him getting back into the form that we hoped he could get into when we brought him here. And so hopefully he continues to improve and get better. Um, and now it's on to uconn. Uh, and I think going on to play a, you know, what is a really talented team, you know, I know that the record doesn't say all of that. Um But if you start by watching the NC State game, you know, they gave NC State all they can handle in the opener. Uh I think they're very talented on defense. I think their front seven is extremely physical. I think they're athletic. I think those kids have done a really good job of stopping the run the majority of the year. I think they've gotten bitten a couple of times by some explosive plays. But I think if you take those explosive plays out, um, you know, they've played really, really good defense, I think offensively, you know, obviously losing their starting quarterback in the beginning of week two is a challenge. Um You know, I think they maybe got out of sync a little bit uh until about the midway point of last weekend, you know, I think at the midway point of last week and they started to find a rhythm, um put a furious comeback back together and, and came up just a little bit short at the end and so certainly anticipate them come out and, and giving us everything that they have. Um, you know, they were a bowl team last year. I'm sure they want to be a bowl team again this year and this is going to be a huge opportunity for them. Um, and for us it's the first time that we're going on the road and, you know, we've got to find a way to play consistent football on the road, which we didn't always do at times last year. And so, um, you know, it's a big challenge for us. It's another great opportunity for us to showcase what we're becoming. Uh And so from there, I'll open up the questions, where have you seen the most growth from last year this year? Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I thought we run the ball well last year too, but I think, uh maybe a little bit more efficient this year and I think we've been able to finish runs explosively a little bit more. I think there's probably a little bit extra juice in Jordan and Jacques right now when they run the football. And I think that's been really good to see. And so, uh, you know, hopefully that continues as we move forward. But, you know, I think maybe last year, some of the, if you go back to the Clemson game, you know, some of those runs that broke into the end zone, you know, maybe those were 10 to 12 yard runs last year. Uh, whereas this year I think we're able to finish those in the end zone. And, um, I think that's obviously helping the yards per carry right now to keep it on the subject of the running game. They give you more of an advantage in a road game that you have kind of pillar and building block that is just physical football. And yeah, I mean, I think any time you can control the line of scrimmage in football, you have a huge advantage because there's not a lot that can go wrong, you know, and that's just, um, you know, we can make football about whatever we want, but at the end of the day, it's about imposing your will on the team you're playing and, and if we can run the ball for six yards, a carry and we can physically move people. You know, there's not, not a lot that can go wrong with Riley taking a snap and handing it to the running back. You know, it's a very low risk play. And so, um, you know, now obviously challenges and this group is going to present a huge challenge with our ability to do that. Um But it certainly certainly limits risk and how things can go wrong on a play for sure. Circling back to third down defense Saturday, you mentioned communication as an issue. I haven't had a chance to look at the film probably several times. Is there a consistent theme of what your defense can do better to get off the field and third down? No, it's not consistent. I just think, you know, we've talked about this a lot, I think, um, you know, there's split recognition that creates communication, there's receivers getting close together, there's, there's punches, there's motions like there's a lot of things that people try to do to us on third down to try to create advantages and, and our ability to execute what we're trying to get done. Um, you know, needs a lot of communication. I think that's just who we are as a defense. I don't think we're a ton different than a lot of people, but, um, we certainly, we certainly need it. And so, um, yeah, at times it's just not as crisp and clean as it needs to be. Um, you know, and it's not, it's not like we're busting coverages. It's not like, um people are wide open but maybe some of the softness or some of the balls that are getting caught in front of us, um, could get handled a little bit better if we could get some of the communication cleaned up. How do you think this group has handled success? You're just jumping out right out of the gate and that can be a different challenge, you know, when things are going well and people are talking great about you. Yeah. It's funny we were talking about this with the leadership group this week. Like, I mean, we, we were all last year. That's how the season started. Uh We got off to a good start last year. Um I'm, I'm not sure that anyone in our building feels as though anything has happened that we didn't anticipate happening. Um And so I don't feel like, um that I don't feel like we're learning how to handle success. I don't think we're learning like, I don't feel like that. I feel like our challenge and this is what we laid out going back in January is, you know, this is what we call the middle, you know, this, this game four to game eight, that's the middle of your season. And last year, we didn't handle that part of the season really well. Right. We went to Kansas in week four and we didn't get it done. Um You know, we had a road game at Georgia Tech in between a home win and a big game at home and we didn't get it done. Um And so there's some, some parallels to some of the areas where we didn't get it done last year that I think we have an opportunity to show some growth here um this week and, and that's the big challenge. And so we don't talk about handling like that's not really how we think about it. Um We know what we're here for, we know what we're trying to accomplish. We know in order to do that, um, like is the case with everybody. There's a lot of work and a lot of improvement that happens from the beginning of the season to the middle of the season, to the end of the season. And that, that's kind of been our focus and I'm just happy with how we're handling that part of the game. Um, he, the team of tackles from the second straight game. How has the experience really helped anchor? Yeah, I, I think he's getting more comfortable with what we're asking him to do. I think he's become a little bit more physical as a tackler, which is good to see. I think that happened on Saturday, I think, um, you know, I think second year in the system helps, you know, I think we talk about this a lot schematically. Our, our defense is heavy on linebacker and safety. Those are the two positions where, you know, there's a lot that goes into what we do. And so, um, the second year going through it is always better than the first year because you're a little bit more comfortable with everything that we're asking of you. And so I think he's taken to that and then I think he's healthy, you know, I think last year he was dealing with that foot problem for so long and it limited him and he was in and out of the lineup and he was in and out of practice and, um, you know, trying to play at the level he wanted to play at was really hard at times for him. And so I think he's just happy that he's healthy and able to move the way he wants to move. Coach, how have you been able as a, you know, the head coach of the team to keep your team focused on just one week at a time remaining humble, you know, achieving that success. But also knowing that, hey, we have you first row game of the season, not looking ahead to future opponents. Yeah, I mean, it's not, we don't talk about it as much now. I mean, we just spent a lot of time talking about it throughout the offseason. Like you don't have to, to do much but pay attention in college football to see how dangerous every opponent is. Um, you don't have to be in this game very long to realize that, uh, the second you anticipate something happening is exactly what won't happen. Um And so, you know, we, we talk all the time in our building about, you know, that, that any time you take the game of football for granted, it will find a way to humble you really, really quick and, and that's been through 24 years of coaching the case. So, um, we have a mature group, uh I think to this point, it certainly have shown the ability to, to handle all of that. Um You know, we had a good practice this morning. I anticipate us having a good practice tomorrow. Um, you know, and that's, that's, I think where it all starts, you know, we got to continue to come out every single day. Um, and just do the things we need to do to give ourselves a chance to have success on Saturday. Is there any extra insight that you can gain from looking at uconn playing a team that, you know, well, in, in NC state or is it just kind of a wash at this point? No, I think so. I think it gives you a little bit of a comparative, you know, I think it's, it obviously jumps off the tape how well they played against them. And so, um, one, I think it quickly gets your attention. Um, you know, I think it, you that they're a lot better than maybe the record would indicate. Um, you know, and then I think there's a lot of, of carryover and, and so we know those kids at NC State, we know how talented some of them are. Uh And when you're watching, you can have success against them at times. Um, I mean, I think that certainly certainly helps as opposed to watching a, you know, when you watch a team play a bunch of random teams that you don't know much about. It's hard to draw parallels um to what you're really looking at more from a talent, not so much scheme wise, but just from a talent comparison standpoint, you mentioned having a mature team, but there are some youngsters on the team who will be making their first road trip. What are the challenges that these guys face going on the road for the first time? Um Yeah, I don't, I don't know that there nowadays, I don't know that there are huge challenges. I mean, we, we, we drive to a hangar, we get on a private charter, we land, there's a bus picking us up right there. Um I don't know how, how tough it is for these guys anymore. But um you know, I think, I think it's just a matter of staying focused, you know, I think right now they're in a comfortable rhythm of what Thursday to Friday to Saturday feels like um we've done that rhythm three straight times. Um Now the rhythm is different, right? Friday's rhythm is going to be a little bit different. We're gonna have to find ourselves into a new hotel. We're gonna have to keep our focus after a plane trip. Um You know, I think once you get to the hotel, things kind of settle in. Um but then you're going to go out into an atmosphere at game time that's different and foreign and you're gonna have to play through that. And so, um I think maybe that's where the challenges are, what are your three keys to victory on Saturday? Yeah, I, I think our three keys are always the same. We really talk about it this way and I don't, I don't mean to give you coach speak, but it really is, you know, we have to win the turnover margin. We talk about that every single week. Uh, we have to win on special teams. We talk about that every single week and then we talk a lot about situational football, which is winning third downs and, and finishing drives in the red zone. But I think when you put those three things together, um the more often you do those three things, the more successful you are as a program. And so, um that's been our recipe. Uh And, and for us, like we, we try to talk a lot about, it's about Duke, right? And, and that's been our messaging since day one is, has really been, it's never been about anything outside of our own building. It's, it's been about us and, and we have a plan that we want to go out and execute. And if we execute that plan, we feel like we can be successful regardless of opponent. And so it doesn't change week to week, it doesn't change. Um based on who playing, maybe the way we win the turnover battle, maybe with the way we win on third down changes based on who you're playing. Um But the, the big picture doesn't change, like, with miles, how extensively did you know about his injury situation in the last two years? And what clearance did you have to get to know that he was gonna be? Ok. Yeah. I, I knew it very extensively because I was involved with a lot of it. Um, I don't know about clearance. Uh, I, I think it was just a matter of, you know, he had a foot injury my last year in College Station and it didn't necessarily turn over and heal the way he hoped it would. And I think that lingered a lot longer than he wanted it to. Um, and then that was my last year and then my first year at Duke, I think he just dealt with a little bit of soft tissue stuff, which really wasn't overly concerning to us in terms of taking them. So, you know, we knew the foot was healed. Um We knew he could have played, we knew he was running as fast as he was capable of running. Um, you know, and then just for whatever reason last year went the way it went. And so, um, I think, I think we were pretty confident. I don't think we really hesitated very much. Um, once he, you know, decided to go in the portal and was looking for a home, we were pretty confident that he was going to be able to get here, get what get right and, and we were gonna hopefully get him back and then it was just a matter of staying healthy, which he's been able to do, you know how you feel about setting expectations. But if, if you had any expectations for him, has he exceeded them through three games here? Um, yeah, I don't know about expectations. I'm happy that he's playing the game and having fun playing the game. It's really good to see, you know, he's a great kid, he's worked extremely hard. Um, you know, he's a, you know, again and now that we talk all the time about these kids that, that break what you think that the definitive mold of Duke, right? Like he's, he's in right now, he's getting a master's degree. Um He came here with a master's degree from Texas A and M. Um you know, he's, he's a great kid and, and so, you know, his career was, was trending in a really positive direction until he went through some injury stuff. Um And so it's just great to see him playing the game, having fun playing the game, feeling like he's getting back to playing the game at the level he's capable of playing it. Um This is really exciting for him. I'm really happy for him that he's getting to do that in that same area of the team. What Jeremiah Lewis show, show you by playing through the injury, playing with the cast. Yeah, I mean, first of all, he's extremely tough. I mean, that's, that jumps out the page, you know, when you, when you deal with something on the second play, second series of the first game, um, that's been really cool, you know, really impressed with how he's assimilated, you know, I think, uh, and all of those guys and, and we've been really fortunate, you know, we've done a lot of background check. That's, that's a huge part of our process in taking in transfers. But, um, that doesn't mean you always get it right. And we've been very, very happy and lucky in some ways that, that we've gotten some great kids through the transfer portal and he's one that, that for sure would fit that bill because, you know, he's coming in, he knows this is his last year of football. He knows it's an interesting spot in which he comes in so close to the start of training camp and he hasn't really been with the team in spring ball. And, um, you know, and so there's, there's a certain process to that and, and how you go about it and how you kind of simulate into some of the guys you don't know. You know, he's obviously got his group that he knows, but there's also a lot of guys in that secondary room that he doesn't know at all. Um I think he's done a really good job of, of building relationships connecting with people, um, obviously plays the game at a really high level. Um So this has been really cool to add such an experienced player back there and I think he's been great for Terry, uh, who I think continues to get better every game. Um But, you know, given Terry a guy who hasn't played a lot of college football snaps on defense, a guy to talk to and, you know, kind of get through on the sideline with who's played a ton of college football, I think is really helpful. Coach. How important has it been just for your defense to set the tones, the temple each game, game and out, you know, defense and championships, your defense, I think, you know, has yielded seven points all season in the second half. How important has it been for you all to come out and punch people in them off? Yeah, I mean, I think it's, I think it's huge. I think if you, if you look around the country and you say, ok, who wins championships? Um, you want a consistent rest, be able to run the ball consistently and pound people, uh, control the line of scrimmage and play great defense, right? And if you can do those things, um, those are hard, hard things for other team to overcome. Right. And, you know, we're fortunate because I think we can be diverse on offense. I think when we have to throw it, we can, I think we run a protyle system. We have the ability to do all of those things. Um, but at the end of the day, if you can just line up and, and control the line of scrimmage, run the football, pound the football and play great defense. Um, that, that recipe has stood the test of time in the game of football for a really long time. I would imagine. You're probably pretty glad to get back to a normal all the way routine as far as short week and then 80 85%. I think you were saying last week on, you know, now it's full everything, right. Yeah. Yeah, I, I think, and I, and I think it's been, you know, we've been, we, we needed to handle our business the last two weeks. I think that was really important for us, obviously from a winning standpoint, but also being able to put those games away a little bit, which I think saved us in the fourth quarter. I think both of those games, we've really been able to limit our starters reps in the fourth quarter. And so that, that helps the body back, you know, as, as you kind of just go through this, this, you know, different cycle we've been in, um, to where, now you say, OK, we've, we've come out of it. Um, you know, now we're back, this is normal world and we can just go the way we know how to go, um, into a good week of preparation to get ready for a really good uconn team. Uh No, I, I think, um you know, Picket's still battling, you know, we'll see he's gonna be game time decision. Um You know, we talked about Coleman, I think Coleman is in a really good spot. Um You know, again, whether, whether he's ready to completely go, you know, I think we have him available and ready when we need them. Um Anthony Nelson should be back and able to play, um, Charlie Ham should be back and able to play this week. Um, so we should be in a good spot.