Everything Boston College DL George Rooks Said Ahead of Week 3 Game vs. Missouri
The No. 24 Boston College Eagles football team is gearing up for its toughest opponent yet, a road game against the No. 6 Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Eagles defensive lineman George Rooks talked about how the team is preparing for the Top 25 matchup.
Below is a transcript of everything Rooks said.
Q: What’s it like walking into a road environment, a Top 10 team, and the place is loud. It's kind of packed. Everyone's going crazy. What's that like as an opponent, and how do you kind of block that noise out to focus on the game?
ROOKS: We just gotta treat like any other game. They’re a good team but at the end of the day it’s football. We just got to play our style football, play our style of defense and execute.
Q: When you came to BC from Michigan last year, BC was using a lot of even fronts over, under and putting you as the 3-tech. This year, they're putting you in some more odd fronts, tight men, and using you more as a 4i technique. Could you talk about how that changes some of your responsibilities as a player? If it does at all.
ROOKS: Honestly, it's just playing sound football. I mean, last year I was playing as three tech, this year I got different responsibilities but it’s the same. I play three mostly, so the same type of schematically, in terms of like putting a man on key, playing just sound football at the end of the day. So at the end of the day, just playing football, playing fast, playing free, playing violent.
Q: The offensive line for this Missouri team runs pretty big on the interior in particular. What are some of the things that you have to do if you're running against it, a bigger guard or a bigger center, that maybe, if you have a smaller guard, smaller center, that you might be able to do.
ROOKS: I mean, bigger guys, you just gotta play fast, play free, gotta play low, gotta play leverage. It’s basically like executing your technique at the highest level because they are a good offensive line, so we just got to keep on playing our style football, playing fast, been playing confident, and at the end of the day, just go out there and win.
Q: I'm just wondering, so far on film, what you're kind of seeing out of their quarterback, Brady Cook. I know he scrambled last game for about 60 yards, two touchdowns on the ground, when you got a passer who's pretty versatile but also can scramble pretty well. How do you guys kind of contain that?
ROOKS: Yeah, you said it. I mean, he can move in the pocket pretty well so we just gotta keep him contained. We just gotta rush with leverage, rush with length, and keep him in the pocket and get to him in the backfield. So we just got to keep on rushing, playing fast, get in the backfield and shuffling his throws and then playing with good rush lanes.
Q: Last year, you guys, team, had some issues finishing pressures and turning them into sacks, and so far this year, you guys have had some more success in doing that. What have been some of the coaching points that have allowed you to have more success in getting to the quarterback and getting to the ground?
ROOKS: Honestly, it's about confidence. I'm happy that we came out the first game with a lot of pressures, Donovan had a great game. We all had a great game up front, and that carried on to the next game. So we just gotta keep on using that confidence, using that confidence we have, playing with good rush lanes like I said previously, and execute our techniques. I mean, last year we didn't get done. This year, we got to keep them forward one game at a time.
Q: More along those lines, just what's gone into your third down defense. It’s been really good so far. Why do you guys excel on third down specifically?
ROOKS: We're stopping the run. Just got to continue to stop the run. Play good on first and second down and third down, get after it. We just got to play with leverage, play with our gaps, play with good rush lanes and eventually we’re gonna get to the quarterback if we just keep on playing our style football.
KIM RANKIN