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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 18, 2014Jimbo FisherNOTRE DAME – 27 COACH FISHER: First of all, I want to give tremendous credit to Notre Dame, Coach Kelly. They have a heck of a football team. Well‑coached. They have very, very good football team. Tremendous environment for college football tonight. It was a great privilege to coach in that game. It really was. I mean, when you coach college football, you dream of coaching in games of teams of that magnitude, that tradition, that history. And to go out there and just go toe to toe and have a slugfest and be able to play in a game like that, it was a true privilege to coach in that and a true privilege to coach the players I'm coaching. Tremendous amount of heart and soul in that group. As simple as it sounds, your goal in college football is trying to find a way to take that take to improve, coaches and players. I think we continually do that. We continually find ways to do that. Football is truly a team sport, guys. Certainly made up of critical pieces and teams. And what we had to do at halftime was go back, get all those pieces functioning together. And we played‑‑ they outplayed us in the first half. But at the same time it was 17‑10 game, one possession, 1 to 4 game. And we had chances. You tell the kids control what they can control. That's what they did, how they compete and how they play. And I'm so proud to be able to coach them. And I think our fans, I'd like to say a special thank you to them tonight for the atmosphere and environment out there. But I think they're proud of the guys in that locker room, how they compete and lay their heart and souls on the line each week for them. That's what the true Seminole spirit is about. What being in college is about. And you hear me say this all the time: It's not about winning and losing, though, guys, it's really not. I know everyone wants to hear that, you think of the cliché, it's not. It's about competing. It's about love, trust and believing in each other and competing for your teammate and never quitting and finding ways to persevere. The Navy Seals have a saying for it "Finding an excuse to win." We find excuses to win. You can say whatever you want. This team is dominant. Is it this, is it not as spectacular? This team understands how to win. It has character. It has culture. And it's about developing this group into the best football team it can be. I'll tell you what, I wouldn't trade it for any team in America. We've got a lot of growing to do in a lot of areas but I'll grow with this team. I'm proud of them, proud to be coaching them. The team has tremendous what I call adversity tolerance. It doesn't flinch. It can deal with anything. It can deal with pressure moments, pressure situations. And that's what we did tonight. It was heck of a football game and to me one of the classy football games I've ever been in, really was. Two teams of that magnitude. Q. (Question off microphone). COACH FISHER: It was tremendous. They got in, got a penalty. Got a pick. Our kids got pressured. Defense kept rising up, saving the field goal. And that was a critical drive. Gotta make plays, played great red zone defense in the half. Q. (Question off microphone). COACH FISHER: I couldn't see it from my side that well. But we said from the box, the first half, they ran a play like that. We thought it was close to that. We said just be aware of it. And I'll wait and look at it on film. Wait and see. The first half we say be aware of it. If it is, it's not. I couldn't see. I'll look at it on film. Q. (Question off Microphone). COACH FISHER: I don't think so. It's my job to help mentor and help him. And he's a fun guy to coach and be around. And I don't know‑‑ I felt the same before going in the week as after the week. I've always cared for him, like I care for all my players. That's my job. That's what I'm supposed to do. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: We got the ball in and out of our hands. Found the matchups we wanted. Our offensive line, we had some confusion in the first couple‑‑ had the ball five times in the first half. Scored two. Three with the turnover. We were giving up pressure. We had some miscommunication on a couple of blitzes up top. Some guys, we got it worked out at halftime, able to pick the blitzes, handle the blitzes, get the ball out of our hands. And Jameis was phenomenal 15 or 16 in the second half 180 yards. Q. (Question off Microphone)? JAMEIS WINSTON: Oh, yeah. I was. I knew we had to get the ball. That's why I thought it was important to come out the second half, score right off the bat, which we did. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: We had Spurlock over there. And we had the crew in the box making the calls down. And Randy and I would be, making adjustments. We were listening on the headsets all the adjustments, walked over, made sure we communicated with them. Q. How hard was it for (indiscernible)? COACH FISHER: I'll tell you something, I want to say this, those guys played their tails off, never made that‑‑ you don't understand a man who works so hard, takes so much pride in his work, is here in the morning. I've never been around a guy who takes more pride in his work, works any harder, any better line coach than he is. He loves those kids. When I talked to him today on the phone and he broke down. He did. He cried. That guy don't cry over nothing. Because he felt he was letting me down and letting his team down and those kids down. I mean in tears. That's him. He's tough and rough, but he cares. Those kids love him and they play hard for him, he's very special, able to celebrate, win that game, we gave him the game ball. That game was for him. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: I walked in said got your butts outplayed for a half. Here's the story, 17‑10. You're down one series, one drive. Do two things: I don't have any magical words, plays or formula. It's about lining up, making your blocks, running your routes, throwing the ball, doing what you gotta do, stopping them on defense. There's no magical formula here. There's no‑‑ we talk about we made adjustments and things we thought would help us. But we gotta go out and execute that plan. I said think about this, as well as you got outplayed in the first half, you're down one drive, 17‑10. We got out, got the drive, got back in the game. Got the momentum and started playing our game. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: No, no reason to be. That's football. That's sports. Sports is a marathon. It's not a sprint. Q. Defense in the second half (indiscernible)? COACH FISHER: Both. We made some adjustments. Charlie made some adjustments. And they wanted to, and they got a little pep in their step, went out, scored, got them off the field. They saw the momentum and they got the play. Our kids compete. They ain't going to lay down now. They're going to keep pushing. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: That was great to have him back. His role continues to grow. He's really going to help us in a lot of areas now. You can see the athleticism and speed and size. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Travis Rudolph isn't too bad either, is he? That freshman out there. I don't know what he ended up with. But he played some big moments, he and Rashad. Rashad had another 100‑yard day. Bobo played well. And Nick had some balls, too. Big day. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: They're extremely satisfying. I mean, that's what you play for. You play in tough games, know how to win and compete. That's what you strive to get your program through all the time, to be able to persevere and play in games like this and be able to win those kind of games. That doesn't happen‑‑ that doesn't happen anywhere. That's what you‑‑ that's what I love about our team and this organization. They have a lot of pride. They know how to win and they know how to handle the moments when adversity comes to them. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: The crowd was absolutely ridiculous in a good way. And I can't thank them enough for creating that atmosphere. If there's a better atmosphere in college football, I haven't seen it. Q. You've been around a lot of teams that are resilient. (Indiscernible)? COACH FISHER: It's what they do. Special group. Q. Emotional roller coaster? COACH FISHER: You do, you have to process and go to the next play. Our kids, they kept doing it, stayed in the moment. It was tough. No doubt. Coaching and playing. Q. Is that their strength? COACH FISHER: No doubt. There's no doubt. They understand it. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Big run, big physical runs inside, picked the blitz up, and did a great job in pass/throw and made a couple of nice catches, how he competed in the game, you saw it. Q. Rudolph (indiscernible)? COACH FISHER: Yes. He's been practicing that way and I've been saying that for some of our meetings for a while. I think he's got a chance to be a very good player and he's developing in a lot of ways. He's a special player. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Karlos hasn't practiced much. Dalvin has been playing very well. We rotate them both. They don't care. This team here, you can go start Pender next week, they don't care. We have a saying, play don't care who makes it. They don't care. Just as long as someone makes a play, on their team, they're cheering for them, and that's the way they play and the way they think. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: We still have an attitude of domination, attitude of domination and competing. And how do you compete is what we dominate. And that's what we do for 60 minutes. Q. (Indiscernible). COACH FISHER: Their quarterback is a heck of a player. Receivers, 7‑‑ they've got really good players. They do a good job. Q. You touched on it. Can you appreciate in the moment how good a game this is; you had two quarterbacks playing‑‑ COACH FISHER: These guys going back and forth. Somebody called and left me a message and said this is Ali/Frazier. This is a slugfest, Thriller in Manila, standing toe to toe. That's what it felt like. You knew they were going to come back. We were having to get ready. They have a great team, great organization. And they've done a great job. And again, I know the'93 game, I watched it. But very similar in a lot of ways, very similar in a lot of ways. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Defense nice run. Getting it back inside. You're four or five‑‑ you throw it, they'll get on quick stuff, get a chance to get ahold of something crazy, and the ball stripped out. We couldn't. And I thought we had a good run or two. Liked what we had. We just missed the blocks. Missed the blocks right there, in the plays. Wished we could have got it first, wanted to be aggressive, get the first down run and didn't come out. Q. Jameis down at halftime, did he have his back against the wall? COACH FISHER: He's a competitor. He can compartmentalize and focus. And he can see. He has a drive to win. Drive for greatness. Not because of him, but for his team. He really does. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Just very proud of him. There for him and what he did, live in the moment, understand the moment. Prepare yourself for a lot of classes. Q. Down in the half, was that as good a half as he's played? COACH FISHER: No doubt. Magnitude of the game and what goes on, that and the championship game. Second half, I don't know what his numbers were, they were pretty close there, too. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: I mean, maybe not to that level, but I've been around a lot of kids that can do that. I say this all the time, what these kids grow up in, the adversity they see as young kids in their lives, the tragedy they see in their lives sometimes at young ages. These kids have learned to, okay, I know something but I can go play this. They have learned to do that from the atmosphere and environments they've grown up in. And I think they do it better than we do. I think we want it to be more of a magnitude, and these kids learned to do it at a young age. Become second nature to a lot of them, the adversity and things they have. I've learned from them in a lot of these episodes, what happens in their life, and how they come back and play and death in the family‑‑ these kids are truly, not just our kids, but some of these kids in these atmospheres, I learn from them. They handle that stuff better than I do.                   Q. (Question off microphone). COACH FISHER: I think it does. Wish it was a whole bye week. Thursday. We need a couple days off. Especially after an emotional game like that, get your bearings back. Heal up. Going to be a physical game. Gotta heal up and it's going to be one heck of a game going into Louisville. That's a tough place to play and they're playing very well. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER:  Him and Bobo, those guys‑‑ especially we feel comfortable going there. He was having that kind of summer. He broke, the foot he had to get fixed. Come back, it wasn't he wasn't healthy, didn't trust, limping and gimping trying to heal. Then he's worrying about his foot, not worrying about assignments and technique. Then all of a sudden: My foot's all right. And I know where to line up and I know my assignment. And now my technique's getting better. Just growing as a player, you know what I'm saying? And he's a very good player. Him and Ermon Lane, they're all going to be very good players. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: The size and strength and the running ability. It makes a difference. Now, Bobo and Ermon are special, you have to be special when you're little guys like they are. That size makes a difference. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Somebody called it up top right off the bat. They called it immediately. And‑‑ Q. You aren't thinking‑‑ COACH FISHER: Flag pick. Our guys up top saw it. Q. (Question off Microphone) COACH FISHER: Rick's doing very well. He was in great shape today, got to watch the game with his son. And I'm not going to speak for him. But everything is going exceptionally well and we actually expect him back this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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