On the emphasis on run blocking in the previous game…
“It’s definitely has been an emphasis for us just because honestly, we feel a little bit disrespected. We feel like our whole identity of who we want to be as an offensive line is to run the ball so it’s something we’re looking to fix going forward.”

How does Nolan Smith make an impact at practice…
“Nolan is definitely one of the heartbeats of this team. He keep things going at practice. Every time we see him, he wants to move us and get us better. He keeps things going and when we may not be feeling it that day after maybe a long day of school, he definitely helps get guys going.”

How has the team been handling the pressures that go along with being the number one team…
“Every week we’re looking to get better. Honestly, every week we’re looking to improve and find ways that we can dominate. I know a lot of people may look at it as we have a target on our back and people are trying to attack us, but we are focused on trying to get better every week and make sure we are doing what we need to do to execute on all cylinders.”

On Julian Rochester playing on Saturday for the first time in a while…
“Julian has worked his tail off to get back. Everybody on the sideline was so excited to see him back out there. I looked up at the screen and said, ‘Oh, that’s Big Julian out there!’ We all got excited because we love the physicality that Julian brings to the game. Just having him back out there is a huge piece to our defense.”

On how Nolan Smith’s leadership compares to his…
“Nolan’s voice is like a microphone. He is so loud, especially at practice. He always brings a lot of energy, brings the juice. He keeps guys on their toes. He is always going to be out there pushing guys, going harder. His voice, he is very vocal. He brings a lot of energy and we are glad to have Nolan on this team.” 

On showing their explosiveness compared to other teams…
“That is all expectation. Every game that we go into, we want to be explosive. I know that many people do not look at this receiver corps as an explosive group, but at the same time, you can check the stats, check the numbers. We are just as explosive as any other team out there. We just love and enjoy playing football.”