Last regular season press conference of the year today. Another short week against Miami with an eight-win season still on the table.

Here's everything Haf had to say...

On still having a lot to play for this weekend

"Yeah, there is still a lot to play for. 6-5 going into the last game, we need to improve on a lot of things. We've had some guys who have had to step up and want to get better. Then, you get those bowl practices in and you still have a chance to win eight games. There's a lot of pride in these guys on the team. There's still a lot ahead of us and they're excited. They came in today with a great attitude, it was a physical practice and they're working at it. They're ready to go. At home this week...they're looking forward to getting back at it."

On how they used the few extra days after a Thursday game

"We used it to recover. Playing two games so quickly like we did, so we used it to recover. The, we use the extra time for kind of more walk through and meetings and then we cranked it back up today with the physical practice. I didn't want to use the extra time to kind of beat them up anymore because they were coming off of a short week. We used the mental stuff to our advantage and got recovery in."

On if he talks to the team about needing to get to 8 wins

"No. It's just, we've got to get this win. We've got to go out, work, prepare and get better and do everything we can to win this one. Then, we'll talk about the next one after that. I'm sure maybe the guys have, just not me in front of the team right now. We've got to look closely at what we can do to improve and what we can do to win this game against a good team. That's really my focus."

On if there's consistent trends he's seen in wins and losses

"Yeah, you lose the turnover battle, you're going to lose the football game. That's really what it's come down to. Against Virginia Tech we lost the turnover battle and then we lost the turnover battle 2-0 in the Pitt game. You can't give the ball away and we have to take it away. We haven't taken it away the last two weeks either, so complementary football includes protecting the football and taking the ball away. Those possessions are huge, especially when you're in the red zone, for example. You're giving away points. That's the biggest thing. We've got to be more efficient when we cross the 40. Then, there's plays to be made, We had a chance to pick off multiple passes in that game and we had a chance to get the ball carrier down that turned into big runs. We can't do that. So, we just need to be more efficient. We've got to get our legs back and play faster than we did last week. I thought we were a little bit slow coming off the short week. We've gotta play fast and get to the ball. But, we've got to protect it and take it away. That's the biggest thing from those two (games) I can point to."

On revamping the old Big East rivalry with Miami

"I think it's a great matchup. One that back in the day in the Big East used to be played all the time. I think it's been a while, right? And I think it's probably been a while since they had to come out here. I have a lot of respect for the tradition, the history. What Coach Cristobal is doing and the talent he brought in his first two years. I know they're a 6-5 where their last five, six games have been very close against Louisville, against Florida State. They've won two games in overtime. They beat up Texas A&M pretty good. It's a talented group. Offensively, their offensive line is big and fast and athletic. They play with multiple running backs. I think six guys touch the ball. They've got good wide receivers. Their defensive line...their tackle is a projected first round pick. Their linebackers can fly. I think their safety, the one kid is a projected really high draft pick. He's a good football player. The talent is definitely there. It's probably as talented as Miami has been in a long time. Our guys are excited to play another game."

On if there's any sense of finality prepping for the final game despite still having a bowl to prepare for and if the season went by quickly

"I haven't really thought about it. No, because we still have one more game left after this, so it doesn't feel like it's the last game. It's not the last time the team will play together. Has it went by fast? Sometimes it went by really fast and sometimes it went by really slow. Some of it has (gone by) fast. Some of it has gone by slow."

On who he would name an unsung hero for this year's team

"I think the one guy we're probably talking about a little bit is Cam Horsely. Just so consistent, so reliable. He does such a good job in the middle. I think the perfect way...when I think about him is the other night (against Pitt) when we missed a couple tackles and the ball broke, that guy was sprinting down the field with everything he had from a defensive tackle, from a nose standpoint, until the guy got in the end zone. He gives you everything he has and it's really awesome to see. The way you appreciate that, it's unbelievable. That's the one guy that just jumps out in my mind."

On Horsely making life easier for other guys

"Yeah, he gets double teamed a lot. Imagine having 600lbs. on you play after play. And there's sometimes where his job is to hold the double team so the backers are free to the ball so they can't climb up and block the backer. Then, there's sometimes we give him a shot, but it is a very unselfish, low-glory...you get beat up in there. Imagine playing in a game for 50 plays just having the guard and center driving you back every other play. That's why he's an unsung hero, because you don't really get to see him do much, but he does just as much as anybody on our defense. He's a really good player, a really, really good football player. I think he's one of the better players in the ACC, he just doesn't get credit because of the nature of the position and probably the production. You just don't see it."

On state of the secondary

"Well, we're pretty banged up right now. Cole Batson, he missed the game. We played a bunch of guys at free safety last week. Amari's been the one constant that we've had who has played all year. We're bouncing guys in-between at the nickel position with CJ Clinkscales and Jalen Cheek. Then, Max Tucker the freshman and Cheek have been bouncing outside at the other corner. KP Price a freshman came in and played a bunch of safety in the game and I thought he did a good job. I think he's going to be a good player. We're going to have to play a bunch of different guys and sub when we can and see if we can get Cole back. We really missed Cole last week. He's kind of the quarterback back there. He makes all the checks, gets everybody lined up. We had the one miscommunication that hurt us in the game, he's usually the voice back there. We've kind of lost our two veterans back there, but guys have got to step up and I think the young guys have done a good job. KP is one of those guys that's done a nice job. He plays really hard. He's going to be a good player."

On if he's keeping up with Massachusetts Super Bowls

"I'll get out there when I can like I have in the past. Good luck to all those teams and it'll be fun to watch them. Hopefully it doesn't pour this year like it did last year that whole day."

On using certain backs in certain scenarios

"Yeah there's certain plays that each of them are good at that the coaches will know if they want to run a certain type of play. If Kye's good at it he'll go in...Broome does a lot of stuff on third down. Then, there's also (a scenario) where Kye just got four carries in a row and he's tired. He taps his helmet and in comes Broome. Kind of rotate them that way, but there's certain plays that some prefer to run with one over the other. Field position, yeah, there's some guys you want in short yardage. Kye's obviously the bigger back. I thought Kye had a good game again coming off the injury. I thought he played really well, I thought he ran really hard. Wish he could have done more."