WEBVTT - Mac & Bone Show - Connor O'Neil Interview

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<v Speaker 1>He is Connor O'Neill, who joins us here on the

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<v Speaker 1>Mac and Bone Show in the Queen City.

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<v Speaker 2>Connor, how you been, man? What's going on?

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<v Speaker 3>I'm good. I've got two good football teams to cover,

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<v Speaker 3>and basketball is knocking on the door. So it's a

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<v Speaker 3>busy time.

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<v Speaker 1>Heck yeah, it is, man. Heck yeah, it is. We've

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<v Speaker 1>got to start with the Deacs. This is just such

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<v Speaker 1>a fun team. Do you feel like.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a, is there a chance of them making the playoffs?

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<v Speaker 1>Is there, is there only chance to literally go win

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<v Speaker 1>the ACC, get a rematch with Miami and beat them? Like,

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<v Speaker 1>what do you think about that aspect of this Deke's team?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, my brain is split in two ways. And the,

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<v Speaker 3>the dreamer part of me wants to say, if this

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<v Speaker 3>is an 11 and one team that goes and loses

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<v Speaker 3>to Miami and Charlotte plays, plays Miami tight, they played them.

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<v Speaker 3>Give them all they can handle. I think that's Miami's

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<v Speaker 3>closest game so far this year. 11-2 with two losses

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<v Speaker 3>to Miami, I think, would get in. But the realist

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<v Speaker 3>in me says 11-2 ACC or a 9-3 SEC team

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<v Speaker 3>that has a bunch of these ranked wins that are

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<v Speaker 3>boosted by their own metrics and the ESPN statistics. the

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<v Speaker 3>machinery that will boost them over the ACC teams that

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<v Speaker 3>everybody thinks suck. So I don't know, guys.

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<v Speaker 4>They're really going to need Louisville to be Louisville for

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<v Speaker 4>the majority of the season so that win looks better

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<v Speaker 4>and better. And SMU at the end for Wake, they're

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<v Speaker 4>going to need them to be ranked and be like SMU,

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<v Speaker 4>beat them to really boost that resume, in my opinion.

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<v Speaker 2>Can they beat SMU? SMU beats Notre Dame? That would help. Although,

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<v Speaker 2>now I think we're dreaming, though, Connor. You know what

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<v Speaker 2>I mean? Like, now we're dreaming.

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<v Speaker 3>This is where I hit you with the stringer bell

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<v Speaker 3>at some point. Like, we don't got to dream no more, man.

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<v Speaker 4>Obviously, Gio Lopez finds himself in a much more comfortable

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<v Speaker 4>offense that he's used to than he had last year

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<v Speaker 4>with the heels. But what is it about this offense,

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<v Speaker 4>this style, what makes Gio Lopez so good in this system?

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<v Speaker 3>I think you hit the nail on the head. First

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<v Speaker 3>and foremost, it's comfort. I mean, he just– he was–

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<v Speaker 3>a shell of the quarterback that he was at South

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<v Speaker 3>Alabama last year. He was a shell of the quarterback

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<v Speaker 3>that he's been this year, last year. Anybody that judges

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<v Speaker 3>Geo based on last year is kind of missing the

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<v Speaker 3>tree for the– what's the phrasing I'm looking for? Missing

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<v Speaker 3>the forest for the tree.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, something with the forest and tree.

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<v Speaker 2>I get all those wrong.

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<v Speaker 3>You got me. But, man, they've got other playmakers. Like

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<v Speaker 3>Carlos Hernandez might be an NFL receiver. He's able to

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<v Speaker 3>get open and avoid contact and his elusiveness. Jack Foley

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<v Speaker 3>is only a sophomore, so I don't know if you

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<v Speaker 3>can project him to the NFL yet, but he's a

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<v Speaker 3>big physical guy who's had 200-yard games already this year,

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<v Speaker 3>and one of them was against Miami. Their offensive line

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<v Speaker 3>has a bunch of kind of FCS and misfit toys,

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<v Speaker 3>and they've got a second-year guy that barely played last

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<v Speaker 3>year starting at right tackle. They've got some pieces that

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<v Speaker 3>just fit together really well, and then You know, we

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<v Speaker 3>get so obsessed with talking about how many resources or

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<v Speaker 3>how few resources schools have. And I get that that's

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<v Speaker 3>become such a big part of college sports these days.

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<v Speaker 3>But it's not the whole picture. It's not the whole pie.

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<v Speaker 3>It's just a piece of the pie. You still have

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<v Speaker 3>to coach guys and you still have to develop them.

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<v Speaker 3>And Wake is doing a great job of those things,

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<v Speaker 3>even coaching. wherever their resources rank them in the ACC.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, there's no doubt.

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<v Speaker 1>As state fans, if having more resources matters. It did

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<v Speaker 1>not on Saturday. We're talking to Connor O'Neill on 3 Sports.

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<v Speaker 1>He covers Wake. He covers Duke as well. We're going

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<v Speaker 1>to get to the Blue Devils in a second. Last

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<v Speaker 1>question I'm answering, and this is a total buzzkill question.

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<v Speaker 1>I understand it, but I just feel like I've got

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<v Speaker 1>to ask you. Jake Dickert's amazing. I love this dude.

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<v Speaker 1>I love his energy. I love what he's doing for

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<v Speaker 1>this Deke program, but it's hard not to think, man,

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<v Speaker 1>someone's going to want to gobble him up fast. Do

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<v Speaker 1>you like, how much do you fear from a wake

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<v Speaker 1>standpoint that this will be his last year in Winston-Salem?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I've got to record myself talking about this because

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<v Speaker 3>of how many times I get asked it. Yeah. Um,

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<v Speaker 3>I just, I, again, my brain is split in two ways. I,

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<v Speaker 3>I want wake fans to enjoy this season. I don't

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<v Speaker 3>want them to sit there and think that a win

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<v Speaker 3>is a good thing because it's one step closer to

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<v Speaker 3>their coach being out the door. Yeah. I also, the,

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<v Speaker 3>the realist in me is like, you know, Jake is

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<v Speaker 3>a Midwest guy who coached in the Pacific Northwest. He

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<v Speaker 3>had never lived in the South before he came to

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<v Speaker 3>wake forest. It, If he has won nine games in

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<v Speaker 3>his first season at Wake, he might win eight or nine,

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<v Speaker 3>and that feels like a little bit on the conservative

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<v Speaker 3>side for the rest of this season. It's not a

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<v Speaker 3>matter of will he go somewhere that meets his eye.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a matter of will he have the right job

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<v Speaker 3>offer for him. He will have his pick of suitors

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<v Speaker 3>if he is something like 20-8 at the end of

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<v Speaker 3>two seasons at Wake Forest.

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<v Speaker 4>Two of the most sought-after coaches might be the coaches

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<v Speaker 4>that you cover in Jake Dickard of Wake and Manny

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<v Speaker 4>Diaz from Duke. Now, not about Manny's future, but the

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<v Speaker 4>other day, how disappointing was that loss for Duke to

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<v Speaker 4>Georgia Tech? And, Connor, why, despite Duke's program being so

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<v Speaker 4>much better than it used to be the last decade

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<v Speaker 4>or so, why do they struggle so much with Georgia Tech?

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<v Speaker 4>I believe that's six straight losses now to the Yellow Jackets.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's confounding. especially when you think about the way

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<v Speaker 3>they lose to Georgia Tech. Everything that Manny has built

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<v Speaker 3>his program around is winning the fourth quarter, and they're

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<v Speaker 3>able to win the fourth quarter in most games that

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<v Speaker 3>they play. Illinois, they had a nice comeback win. They

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<v Speaker 3>finished off games against Virginia in the ACC championship. Carolina

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<v Speaker 3>last year, that was a tight game. Manny's 22-10 at Duke,

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<v Speaker 3>and three of the ten losses are to Georgia Tech.

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<v Speaker 3>and all three of them have been decided in the

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<v Speaker 3>fourth quarter. There's some mental blockage. There's something about the

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<v Speaker 3>way Brent Key builds his program is better in that

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<v Speaker 3>situation and that type of matchup than Duke has been.

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<v Speaker 3>It was kind of mystifying to watch Duke the first

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<v Speaker 3>month of the season and see how well they played

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<v Speaker 3>defensively and then look at them on Saturday and look

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<v Speaker 3>at how many times the first guy to the ball

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<v Speaker 3>did not get a tackle. And you're looking at plays

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<v Speaker 3>that should have been like a two-yard game that turned

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<v Speaker 3>into a six-yard game or an eight-yard game. And that's

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<v Speaker 3>really hard to win a game when you do that.

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<v Speaker 2>100%.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you know about going into this Carolina game?

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<v Speaker 1>What do you know about Nate Shepard and his health?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, clearly he was out at times. There's clearly,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if it's ankle or foot or whatever

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<v Speaker 1>it is. What do you know about his health going

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<v Speaker 1>into this UNC game?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I asked him straight up after the game on Saturday.

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<v Speaker 3>I said, you know, we saw you go in and

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<v Speaker 3>out of the medical tent. It looked like, to me,

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<v Speaker 3>the telltale was he was going out of bounds. And

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<v Speaker 3>for a year and a half, watching Nate Shepard run

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<v Speaker 3>the ball, if he's on the sideline, he's lowering his

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<v Speaker 3>shoulder and delivering some punishment. He's not going out of bounds.

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<v Speaker 3>So that was the first alarm bell in my mind,

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<v Speaker 3>and he told us, He got rolled up on a

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<v Speaker 3>screen in the second quarter. He was dealing with an

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<v Speaker 3>ankle injury. It didn't limit him from having 190 yards,

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<v Speaker 3>but we know how adrenaline works. So I would assume

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<v Speaker 3>when the first availability report comes out tomorrow, he will

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<v Speaker 3>probably be on it. He will either be questionable or probable.

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<v Speaker 3>I think those are the two most likely outcomes. And

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<v Speaker 3>then it's just a matter of has he iced it

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<v Speaker 3>up enough? Does it feel good enough to be 100%

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<v Speaker 3>against North Carolina? I don't think it's anything that would

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<v Speaker 3>keep him out. I'm not saying he's full go 100%

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<v Speaker 3>for Saturday. It's just a matter of how close can

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<v Speaker 3>they get him to 100%. And, man, if he's limited

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<v Speaker 3>in a large capacity, their offense changes.

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<v Speaker 4>I will drive to Durham, saw off my ankle, and

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<v Speaker 4>give it to him.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know if my.

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<v Speaker 4>Ankle will help him out at all, but for the brotherhood, man,

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<v Speaker 4>I got to do what I got to do here.

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<v Speaker 3>I was joking with somebody that were they going to

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<v Speaker 3>saw off their leg so that they could have their

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<v Speaker 3>kicker at Georgia Tech because that was a big thing

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<v Speaker 3>that popped up on the injury report. Their kicker was out. Oh, okay.

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<v Speaker 4>They've lost to Georgia Tech in that way under David Cutcliffe, too,

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<v Speaker 4>where they missed a field goal at the end. I

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<v Speaker 4>feel like Georgia Tech and the end of the Georgia

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<v Speaker 4>Tech game happens to them down there, the same movie

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<v Speaker 4>all the damn time. It's a kicker misses wide. Oh, man.

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<v Speaker 3>The best news coming out of Saturday for Duke is

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<v Speaker 3>that Georgia Tech is not on their schedule in 2027.

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<v Speaker 2>There you go.

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<v Speaker 1>That is certainly good news. No doubt about it. All right, Connor,

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<v Speaker 1>you do a great job on three sports, covering the Deacs,

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<v Speaker 1>covering the Devils as well. And join us here on

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<v Speaker 1>the Mac and Bone show. If you were a Deac

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<v Speaker 1>or Devil fan or just a college sports fan, ACC fan,

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<v Speaker 1>follow him at Connor O'Neill underscore D1.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, brother. Much appreciated, man.

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<v Speaker 3>Be good. Thanks, Mac and Bone. Appreciate it.