Dylan Autenrieth: "We're Always Looking For Ways To Get Better"
NC State graduate student tight end Dylan Autenrieth met with the media via Zoom to discuss the Wolfpack’s upcoming matchup versus Pitt.
Why is it so hard to win on the road? What does it take to win on the road in the ACC?
“Every time you go somewhere, people take pride in their home turf, so everybody plays better in their home stadium. Whenever you travel somewhere, you’ve got to be more together, and when you don’t think about that, you don’t necessarily get up to the level you need to play at. Every game in the ACC is tough whether it’s home or away. Going forward, we’re definitely going to be ready to play these games to come.”
What is the key to winning any away game?
“We learn. We learn stuff that we needed to see. We’re going to continue to get better, and the key to that is communicating, sticking to our rules, and playing fast and physical.”
Have you seen a difference this week coming off a loss as opposed to last year?
“This year, we’re trying to learn from our mistakes. We had a great practice today. Scout team was playing hard. We were playing hard. We did what we were supposed to do: play well, play fast, play physical. Last year, it was a lot of guys’ first [loss]. We’d come off a loss, and it wouldn’t necessarily be about focusing on specifics on how to improve or how to not let whatever happened happen again. There was just a lot of stuff going on last year, and this year we’re a totally different team. We’re learning from our mistakes. Like I said, we had a great day at practice, and it’s going to continue. That’s what this team does differently: we’re always looking for a way to get better.”
What were some of the biggest mistakes you saw from the VT game? Do you feel like the team’s corrected those?
“We’ve done a good job [correcting the mistakes]. In the Virginia Tech game, we got surprised by some stuff. They had a new D-coordinator, and we didn’t know what he was going to do, but that’s no excuse for what happened. We got surprised, and it took us a second to really get rolling. Now we know what it feels like to go out there and have to stick to your rules, play your rules, and go out and play fast.”
Is it frustrating not knowing what version of the team will show up from week to week?
“I think we’re doing everything that we can to be the same team. We’ve made mistakes in the past, and we’re working on making sure that that doesn’t happen so that we show up in Pittsburgh as the team we know we are. We’re focused on ourselves and making sure that we can be the team we were in week one now in week three.”
How much easier is it to block for backs like Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person, knowing they can break off explosive plays at any time?
“It’s awesome. They’re a great group. They’ve worked so hard this offseason to be the group that you guys see right now. When we go out there blocking, they always make us right. Whether we’re on the block or not, they make us right. It’s really nice being able to have a group of guys that can go out and make explosive plays whenever. They can go out there, and every single play, something big can happen with them, and it’s just very nice to have them back there.”
How good is it to be back after missing time with injury last year?
“Last year was a long year. I missed a lot of the season. I had a lot of time to reflect on myself and what I wanted to do. I think it’s really nice to be able to be back out there and be healthy. Losing football is something that you don’t want anyone to go through, but the fact that I went through it helped shaped me into who I am, and it gives you a different perspective of football when you go out and play it.”
How does Pitt’s defensive front present a different challenge this week versus Virginia Tech’s last week?
“Last week was Virginia Tech’s first game. Pitt’s already played three games, so people have already seen that team. That’s really the only difference. Pitt has a great defensive front, so you’ve got to give respect when respect is due. We’re really focused on how we’re going to attack this defense and have a really good game.”
What have the coaches talked about the most regarding neutralizing the pass rush?
“Just doing what we need to do. Like I said earlier, we need to stick to our rules. We’ve got players that can go against these guys. We’ve played against a bunch of great defensive lines. This group we’re about to face is going to be a really good group, and we just need to make sure we’re ready to go into this game. It’s going to be a physical match up front, and we just need to stick to our rules and play fast and physical."