With the defense struggling at times this season, head coach Manny Diaz announced yesterday that he would be taking on more of an active role with the stop unit, and DC Blake Baker later gave his take on that development.
“I was really excited,” Baker said referring to when he found out. “The fact that - and I’ve said it all along since I’ve been here - to me the fact that he can be around more often and really be the glue that puts this thing back together, help out how he sees fit, it’s a huge benefit. Who wouldn’t want that, your mentor to come in and help you?
“A lot want to spin it in a negative light, we’ve had conversations about it and I’m all on board.”
What does Baker see as having been missing from the defense?
“More than anything, accountability,” Baker said. “Manny being able to fix it, he’s been around these guys the last three years. He’s been around the players. Just his experience around the guys, helping piece this thing back together. There’s no substitution for experience, that’s where he’ll be most helpful.”
After being heavily-favored and still losing to VT on Saturday, Baker feels that the team, both players and coaches, needs to own their 2-3 record and become better leaders to work through their issues.
“We didn’t really give the players a lot of opportunities to talk, they needed to listen,” Baker said in the days since the loss. “We need more accountability - you form leadership by taking accountability. It’s hard to lead if you’re not accountable. From that point on we’ll move forward.”
Despite seeing a low snap count, redshirt freshman DE Gregory Rousseau recorded another sack against the Hokies this weekend, and continues to lead the team in sacks (4) and TFL (5.5) in limited reps.
“Greg has earned the right to play more,” Baker said. “The flow of the game sometimes dictates that, but Greg has been a bright spot for us all season.”
As for the DT rotation, senior DT Chigozie Nnoruka was limited on Saturday with an undisclosed injury, which led to more playing time for Nesta Silvera and Jordan Miller.
“Jordan Miller probably had his best game as a Miami Hurricane,” Baker said.
“I was really excited,” Baker said referring to when he found out. “The fact that - and I’ve said it all along since I’ve been here - to me the fact that he can be around more often and really be the glue that puts this thing back together, help out how he sees fit, it’s a huge benefit. Who wouldn’t want that, your mentor to come in and help you?
“A lot want to spin it in a negative light, we’ve had conversations about it and I’m all on board.”
What does Baker see as having been missing from the defense?
“More than anything, accountability,” Baker said. “Manny being able to fix it, he’s been around these guys the last three years. He’s been around the players. Just his experience around the guys, helping piece this thing back together. There’s no substitution for experience, that’s where he’ll be most helpful.”
After being heavily-favored and still losing to VT on Saturday, Baker feels that the team, both players and coaches, needs to own their 2-3 record and become better leaders to work through their issues.
“We didn’t really give the players a lot of opportunities to talk, they needed to listen,” Baker said in the days since the loss. “We need more accountability - you form leadership by taking accountability. It’s hard to lead if you’re not accountable. From that point on we’ll move forward.”
Despite seeing a low snap count, redshirt freshman DE Gregory Rousseau recorded another sack against the Hokies this weekend, and continues to lead the team in sacks (4) and TFL (5.5) in limited reps.
“Greg has earned the right to play more,” Baker said. “The flow of the game sometimes dictates that, but Greg has been a bright spot for us all season.”
As for the DT rotation, senior DT Chigozie Nnoruka was limited on Saturday with an undisclosed injury, which led to more playing time for Nesta Silvera and Jordan Miller.
“Jordan Miller probably had his best game as a Miami Hurricane,” Baker said.
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