Duke defensive tackle spent last season on the wrestling team. He thinks that helps him as an undersized tackle in the center of the line.
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00:00 Yeah, I mean, I've been wrestling since high school.
00:02 Obviously, I'm a lighter sized D tackle.
00:04 And the same things I learned in wrestling,
00:07 you kind of use as a D lineman.
00:08 So using your hands, shedding blocks, finding angles.
00:11 And even as a heavyweight wrestler,
00:13 I'm always wrestling bigger dudes than me.
00:17 So it definitely helps on the line of scrimmage.
00:20 Honestly, I think it comes down to a physical line
00:22 of scrimmage.
00:23 I know they've got an older O-line,
00:25 and I think we have a really good defensive line.
00:27 So I think the battle is going to be one up front.
00:29 And we've got to stop the run and then
00:33 get after the quarterback.
00:36 Obviously, we're an aggressive style get off defense.
00:39 And I think we've got a lot of guys with a lot of ability
00:42 to rush the edge.
00:44 And I think we've got to earn the right to rush the passer.
00:47 So we come into every game saying,
00:48 the first thing we're going to do
00:50 is we're going to stop the run.
00:51 And after that, things are going to open up in the pass game.
00:54 So as long as we're physical up front, stop the run game,
00:59 I think the guys we have on the outside, on the inside,
01:01 and how aggressive we are with our blitzes,
01:03 I think that's where we've been successful,
01:06 been able to get after the quarterback once we stop the
01:08 run.
01:09 I mean, I think in any competitive circumstance,
01:12 you've got to have a short memory, especially in ACC play.
01:15 I mean, this year is different.
01:17 We don't have those preseason games.
01:19 So every week, you've got to have a short memory
01:21 because every game counts that much more.
01:24 So obviously, an 0-2 start isn't where we want to be.
01:29 But that doesn't change our attitudes.
01:33 It only makes us more anxious to get out there and improve
01:36 what we have because I think we have a really good squad.