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Boston College coach Bill O'Brien press conference ahead of the Eagles' game Saturday against #UNC
Nov 19, 2024
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0:00
you know where you were 40 years ago on
0:01
Saturday oh yeah oh yeah I was uh the
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game was after Thanksgiving and we were
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eating Thanksgiving leftovers in my
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family
0:10
room and uh we were all my mom was
0:13
saying a Rosary in the kitchen cuz she
0:16
didn't like Miami and so she really you
0:19
know wanted BC to win and my dad and I
0:21
and my brother were watching the game
0:23
and it was unbelievable so yeah
0:25
everybody remembers where they were for
0:26
theut Hail Mary foodie pass and that
0:29
it's going to be awesome to welcome that
0:30
team back a lot of awesome guys on that
0:32
team and there was a reason why they won
0:34
it wasn't just the Hail Mary pass but
0:36
you know just having met a lot of those
0:37
guys over the years you know great
0:39
chemistry and and great guys on that
0:42
team oh okay Bowl eligibility coach on
0:45
the line right now get two games to go I
0:48
mean that's I've always told that's the
0:49
second objective of a season to get Bowl
0:51
yeah we need to look that's definitely
0:53
part of it there's no doubt about it but
0:54
I think the big thing is um you know
0:56
just really taking it one day at a time
0:57
here having a really good week of
0:59
practice and being very prepared for a
1:01
good North Carolina team I mean you know
1:04
coach Brown's one of the best coaches in
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the history of college football uh it's
1:08
an honor to go against him he's got a
1:10
good program you know they've got really
1:12
good players on both sides of the ball I
1:13
think they have one of the best backs in
1:15
the country in Hampton rush for 250
1:17
yards last week so you know we got a big
1:19
challenge I'm glad it's at home I'm glad
1:21
it's a home game but uh that's what I
1:23
really want these guys to focus on Coach
1:26
any update on uh either Max or bre round
1:29
dayto day definitely dayto day doing
1:31
better uh doing better um but not sure
1:34
yet right trending in the right
1:36
direction now yeah I'm not sure if uh
1:39
anybody asked about amarian Hampton and
1:41
how you guys are going to stop him this
1:43
week and does he remind you of anybody
1:45
you faced before uh both at the college
1:47
level NFL level yeah he's uh he's very
1:49
very good I'm not going to get into how
1:51
we're going to try to defend him um I
1:53
think that that there's you know there's
1:56
a lot of ways you can try to defend them
1:58
but uh in the end we have to tackle well
2:00
we have to play really well up front um
2:03
who does he remind me of um you know
2:06
somebody said out at practice I think it
2:08
was Will Blackman said you know it was
2:10
kind of DeMarco Murray you know um you
2:13
know I I think he's uh one of the best
2:16
backs in the country and uh I think it's
2:18
a big challenge for our team you know
2:20
we're going to it's a challenge right
2:21
you get it's it's U you know anytime you
2:23
get to play a guy that's one of the best
2:26
backs in the country that's the
2:27
challenge you're looking for that's why
2:28
you come to play division one college
2:29
football so you know hopefully we're up
2:31
to it do you find this time of the year
2:34
November two games both at home do the
2:36
excitement level up a little bit for the
2:38
kids no one is kind of winding down so
2:40
to speak yeah I mean I think playing at
2:42
home we're we for whatever reason this
2:44
year we're better at home um you know we
2:46
got to fix that in the future but uh but
2:49
I I know our guys enjoy playing at home
2:51
um you know we've had some good home
2:53
crowds this year and hopefully we get
2:54
another really good home crowd you know
2:56
I know our students will be fired up and
2:58
ready to go uh because our our our
3:00
players really appreciate that so yeah I
3:02
think our guys are definitely looking
3:03
forward to playing back in alumni no
3:05
doubt yep coach obviously you guys have
3:06
enough to worry about here but High
3:08
School playoffs winding down around you
3:10
know the region how much can you guys
3:12
focus on that and obviously with the you
3:14
know the early signing period coming up
3:17
how much attention can you pay to to
3:18
recruit the right oh yeah no we recruit
3:20
all we recruit every day so we we budget
3:22
our time but uh we definitely recruit
3:25
seven days a week because that's a huge
3:28
part of the program you know the the the
3:31
coaching the the the strategy and the
3:33
recruiting like there's really those are
3:35
two of the biggest parts of the program
3:37
so we're definitely paying attention to
3:38
what's going on in in Massachusetts um
3:41
you know a lot of our guys are playing
3:42
in these playoffs can't really mention
3:44
names and things like that but but I but
3:46
I'm excited about our recruiting I'm
3:48
excited about where we're headed um you
3:51
know we're on some really good guys we
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have a lot of guys that have committed
3:53
to us and we're really fired up about
3:55
coaching those guys in the future and I
3:57
I love the Massachusetts High School
3:59
playoffs I do wish the format was a
4:01
little bit different you know how they
4:02
set it up but you know that's a
4:04
conversation for another time but uh I I
4:07
really look forward to watching those
4:08
games you g to watch prep and need him
4:10
what's that you gonna watch a prep I'm
4:11
gonna try I don't know if I can I I I I
4:13
don't know if I can be there but uh but
4:16
I'm going to try that's a good matchup
4:17
for the prep so it'll be a good game
4:19
yeah has uh Kamari talked to you at all
4:22
about this week kind of being something
4:24
he's been looking forward to playing
4:25
against probably some of his former
4:27
coaches former teammates and then I
4:29
don't I'm sure there's no bad blood
4:31
between him and the program at all he
4:32
probably loves the program it's been
4:34
four years there but um just genuinely
4:36
when you play your former program that
4:38
spent a lot of time at and have a lot of
4:40
care for what's that like yeah I look I
4:42
think he that's probably a better
4:43
question for him um we haven't really
4:46
talked about it that much I mean I
4:47
consider Kamari a BC guy you know he
4:50
he's done a really good job of coming in
4:51
here and playing well for us he's one of
4:54
the leaders of the team I'm really glad
4:56
we have him I'm sure there's motivation
4:58
for him and play in uh North Carolina
5:01
just you know he wants to go up against
5:02
those guys his buddies his former
5:03
coaches and things but I know he has a
5:05
lot of respect for North Carolina I know
5:07
that um and so I'm sure that but you
5:09
know like I said probably a good
5:10
question for him one last thing on fluty
5:12
and that 84 team I know flut here a lot
5:15
a real H yeah he was here the for the
5:17
Syracuse game I think too will will he
5:20
or anybody speak to the team that day
5:22
are we planning you know I haven't uh
5:24
haven't really planned that out yet um
5:26
you know certainly if uh if they're
5:28
around on that Friday or it's a noon
5:30
game so it's kind of a quick turnaround
5:32
um but I I I love having uh former
5:35
players and uh former you know coaches
5:37
and things talk to the talk to the team
5:39
so if they're around we'd certainly love
5:41
for them to say hello to the team no
5:42
doubt about it no doubt about it coach
5:44
he still finding out things about Jordan
5:46
McDonald and do you think he has a
5:47
bigger role in the passing game after
5:49
that explosive he had at SMU yeah he had
5:52
the check down on the play action I
5:54
thought he did a good job on that play
5:55
he he's really you know obviously one of
5:57
the most improved players on our team
5:59
and he's done on the practice field and
6:01
he and he's a guy that's playing with a
6:02
lot of confidence right now we're really
6:04
counting on him you know kai is the is
6:06
the lead guy and Jordan's the guy that
6:08
can spell Kai and he does a really good
6:09
job so not really learning anything new
6:11
about him I just love to see guys that
6:13
improve I talked to the team just now at
6:15
the end of practice about opportunities
6:17
a lot of guys you know based on injuries
6:19
and things like that are going to have
6:20
opportunities to play and that's kind of
6:22
what it's about in football like we we
6:24
have the the most famous guy ever took
6:26
advantage of his opportunity down in
6:28
Foxboro Tom Brady
6:30
when when uh when he took over and uh
6:32
never looked back so you know we we have
6:34
a lot of guys that have great
6:36
opportunities here uh to play late in
6:38
the season and you know really really
6:40
want them to take advantage of it coach
6:42
with uh two games left five wins is
6:44
there any talk in the locker room about
6:45
just getting whole eligibility yeah we
6:48
talked about that he asked me that
6:49
earlier um you know look I think at the
6:51
end of the day it's all about North
6:53
Carolina you know and if you take care
6:55
of business then you'll be eligible but
6:56
you really I don't want to think about
6:58
that uh I think everybody kind of knows
7:00
that right if you get six wins you're
7:02
you're eligible for a bow but I think
7:04
really we have to concentrate on a a
7:06
North Carolina team that just beat Wake
7:08
Forest Hampton rush for 250 yards I mean
7:10
we we got a big challenge here ahead of
7:12
us so I think that's their their
7:13
focus
7:16
Trevor got a
7:18
couple yep go ahead
7:20
Trev just curious your thoughts on
7:22
Grayson play just what's impress about
7:24
what done are next STS to the next level
7:27
Grayson's an impressive guy just as a
7:29
person right right he's a very
7:30
consistent person um he's a guy that's
7:32
definitely taken advantage of his
7:34
opportunity I think he'll get better and
7:36
better in situational football uh like
7:38
at the end of the half the end of the
7:40
game some third down situations with
7:42
experience there's no substitute for
7:44
experience and I think he'll he'll
7:46
improve because he really really spends
7:48
a lot of time on the game and he's also
7:50
a really good student he he's really
7:52
what you're looking for at Boston
7:53
College he's he's got all the
7:55
intangibles that that we're looking for
7:57
and very proud of Grayson
7:59
we haven't seen quite as much of on Ward
8:01
the past few weeks as we did the first
8:02
few weeks is there reason for that I
8:04
think the way the games it has nothing
8:06
to do with Ward I think it's more about
8:08
the way the games have played out right
8:09
Syracuse was more of a downhill rushing
8:12
attack with big Personnel um I would say
8:15
that SMU was similar in that way so it
8:17
was more of a ky Roba show and um you
8:21
know Jordan McDonald game Tran Ward's
8:23
been a valuable guy for us and he'll be
8:25
playing on Saturday and UNC lost four
8:29
onee have you notic anything different
8:31
the past few weeks remember the first
8:33
yeah I think look I think overall I
8:35
think all of us you know as we go
8:36
through the season you know we sometimes
8:39
it takes a while to get identified as to
8:41
who you are and I think they know who
8:42
they are right they they're going to
8:44
pound a rock on offense and rightfully
8:46
so they've got one of the best PS in the
8:47
country and they're they're an attacking
8:49
defense I have a lot of respect for Jeff
8:50
Collins Jeff was a ga at Georgia Tech
8:53
when I was coaching there so I've known
8:55
Jeff for almost 30 years so they do a
8:57
great job they have great returners punt
8:59
return returner and uh kickoff returner
9:01
so their special teams units are really
9:03
good and you know like I said we have a
9:05
big Challenge and last one you see some
9:07
similarities between BC andc are there
9:09
similarties
9:10
in um I I do see some you know I do
9:13
think we're different but uh yeah
9:15
there's some similarities relative to
9:17
you know how they run the ball and um
9:19
some of the things they do on defense
9:20
but you know a lot of differences
9:24
too thank you guys