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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 24, 2014Jimbo FisherJIMBO FISHER: Very proud of our team, great game with Boston College on Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening. Kind of a pro‑type game, very limited possessions, both teams kept the ball, one of the few games I've ever been in where in the first and fourth quarters each team only had one possession, so you had to make them count. You had to be very efficient. I thought offensively we were very efficient on the day. Had a couple key drops I thought that could have really helped us, but that's part of the game, and doing that. But I thought we moved the ball extremely well. I thought we ran it, kept good balance. I thought we really moved it when we had to. The last drive I was very proud of the guys' execution of the run‑pass game and also managing the clock and getting the ball right where we needed to get it to and getting the kick. Defensively did a nice job, gave up some plays, but at the same time, bend didn't break. All their trick plays, all their gadgets, the big shots which you have to take to change the field position. You always hear me talk about big plays. We were able to defend those. They ran the ball, but they were very patient. They did a good job getting three yards, four yards, staying patient like that, and got to the edges a couple times but our defense did a nice job when we had to do it. Special teams, I thought we had a nice night. Had one missed field goal, which I wish we wouldn't have, and I thought we covered kicks very well. I thought Cason punted the well, and for a very rainy night I thought we took care of the ball very well. Had the one turnover, tough play the way it went, but took care of the ball extremely well for very wet conditions. Threw and caught the ball extremely well except for the three or four drops which were critical, but again, with limited possessions and a couple penalties here and there, those get magnified because you don't have the ball much. That's the way those games go. You've got to learn to manage those games and win them. Did a great job. Steve did a great job with that team. They're a good football team. They were top 15 defense in the country coming in, played some really good teams, bowl eligible. They'll end up going to a very good bowl game and doing well. Saying all that, that one is behind us. Our ACC regular season is over with, now we have to play our biggest rival as far as Florida and playing these guys. They've got a very good team. Very dynamic on defense, a lot of very good players, Fowler and Taylor and Darious Cummings and Hargreaves. They've got tons of good players on defense, very good, very multiple in their fronts, good at all three levels, up front, mid second level and third level defenders. Offensively, very good running backs, the offensive line is big. Robinson is a very good player. Treon Harris brings a really nice dimension to them as run and pass, really emerging as a heck of a player. Of the course tight end is a good athlete. And on specific teams they can run. They're a typical Florida team. They'll have a lot of guys drafted I figure, and a lot of guys in the future off that team will be drafted. Should be a great ballgame. We need to play well. We need to prepare well during the week and get ready for their best shot, and we'll give it our best shot. Q. Most kids responded pretty well to the last home game that they're going to play on Saturday. Obviously you would expect that same kind of emotional response from them for their last game. How much does emotion like that really count in a rivalry game like this? JIMBO FISHER: I think emotion always counts, but I think at the end of the day, execution wins. I think emotion is going to be critical. Hopefully we'll be emotional. To play Florida, our kids will be high. Our kids will be excited. I think you'll see two teams that are emotionally and physically ready to play, and then who can go out and execute and win the battles in the physical and mental execution will be the team that wins. Q. I know a lot of people said that during this process, especially the last couple weeks, Will has been praised a number of times for your grace and professionalism about this, and again, that's somethingyou probably ‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: Will is a super human being. That's why he's a friend of mine. I've known him for a long time. You wouldn't expect anything else. Will is a great competitor, a great coach. He'll have a tremendous future in this business and continue to have a future in this business, and that does not surprise me one iota. I would expect nothing but that from Will. Q. Have you spoken to him? JIMBO FISHER: No, we haven't. We'll probably speak after the game, just say things. It's tough when you're a competitor. I've reached out through mutual friends and let him know thoughts and prayers and everything like that. Q. Have you learned anything more about your team with the game against Boston College? JIMBO FISHER: I think we made the stops when we had to make it. I defensively in a couple of those games, you go back to the Notre Dame game, in that game defensively we got stops and then of course we had a big drive on offense. But I think our team, again, can stay in the moment, keep playing and doesn't worry about scenarios or situations, just plays the next play and stays poised in those moments. That was a different type of one, but still very similar. Q. Still going through your mind that BC was driving for that eight‑ or nine‑minute drive‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: I was just hoping to hold them to a field goal so we can come back and kick a field goal and tie it, or once they got into the red zone, so we can score, get it, and we'll score a touchdown. Do we have to score a touchdown or field goal and worry about field position and plays. You're thinking about how to go have success in a game. You don't sit and worry about problems. You solve problems. Problems are solved by moving the ball and scoring points on your side. I'm going to tell you what, he may have graded individually as far as decision making in reads, coverage, getting the ball where it's got to be got, as well as he may have played all year. I mean, he's 22 of 32 with four big drops, a touchdown, a post route, a nice over route for a 1st down, a little bubble route for sure, and then he had the two‑‑ the ball down the sideline to 80 and then the other ball off his fingertips, which was pretty good throughout‑‑ you're talking about 28 of 32 in a pouring rainstorm against a team that's very tough on defense, very multiple looks, a lot of blitzes. His protection checks and getting us to the right protections in sight and getting the ball out and checking down, I thought he played extremely well in the game. He was getting us where we were supposed to be, running routes at the right time, getting extra protection, him seeing the field at times, you know, and staying in the moment and keeping making consistent plays. I mean, just an accumulation of things. That's why sports are‑‑ you don't always have your "AA" game every time you play, but he's been able to find ways to play when he has to, and his "A" game is still pretty good. Q. How good is Parker, and is he the best you guys have gone up against? JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, he'd be one of them. There's a couple other guys we face that are really good, but there would be nobody passing him. I'll say that. They've got a couple guys in the secondary, guys that can really cover and play. Q. When they go up against a really good receiver, do they blanket, put Hargreaves‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: He does it a lot of times. I've seen him do that at times. They'll move him around. I'm sure they will at times. Sometimes they'll go the slot, sometimes they don't, because then you get into a lot of different calls, but you can go in the slot‑‑ they can or they won't. I don't know what they'll do. I'm not sure. But they have. I've seen them do that. Q. So that could be a possibility with Rashad‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, we kind of plan on that every week with guys. We really do with them. Q. I'm guessing they're going to try to do ball control against you guys and follow a similar pattern. JIMBO FISHER: I think teams are‑‑ if that's what they do and their strength is, yeah, and staying patient on offense and defense, and understanding you have limited opportunities if teams do that. Or the other thing is like if we hit that touchdown and go up 14‑3, put a little pressure and get a hole in there and score again, it could change that game, too, or if you're able to get a couple stops and score quickly you could put pressure back on them. That works both way. If you're a ball control team, that's great, and they say, well, if you get behind you can't catch up. It's just whatever the scenarios come out. But you just know that you have to be patient on both sides and you have to take advantage of your opportunities. Q. Rashad feeling fine with his arm? Any lingering effects? JIMBO FISHER: No, not at all. We made him go back in for treatment yesterday and I thought he'd be sore, but no, everything is good. Very happy with that. Q. Featherston, is he okay? JIMBO FISHER: He'll still be out today, but I think looking a lot better. Looking a lot better. Q. You have a chance to go undefeated at least in the regular season for the second straight year. What comes to mind two straight‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: Nothing. If we get this one we'll get ready for Georgia Tech. I don't think about those things, I really don't. We've just got to go where we've got to go and do what we've got to do. Q. Is it tougher to go undefeated now that it was in '93 when you were at Auburn? JIMBO FISHER: I think it's tough to go at any time because if you did there would be numerous years of people doing it. And you have to have a little bit of everything. You've got to be good, you've got to be lucky, get things that bounce right, you've got to make plays at the right time, you've got to have the right dynamic on a team. There's so many things. But it's funny, when you're doing it, you don't even think about it. That's not the concern. The concern is the next game and how you prepare. Q. You try to keep in the moment‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: I'm thinking what I've got to do after I get out of here in about five minutes. Q. Do you talk to the team about, hey, this is one of our goals? This is one of the lights at the end of the tunnel that we've talked about? JIMBO FISHER: What's that? Q. Just getting to the end of the regular season and having this opportunity for‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: And also playing against your rivals and trying to win the games in the state and all those things. Those are goals which we have. We always talk about, hey, that was a goal we had, now we've got to take the next step. It's like climbing a mountain. Got to keep that going one step at a time. Q. Is undefeated ever a goal, or does it start with the ACC Championship or‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: No, we don't ever say undefeated. We don't ever say undefeated. Ultimately is National Championship. That's always our goal here, and then we build them down, layer them down after that. Q. Does it make you nervous at all knowing that this Florida team basically has nothing to lose and knowing that they have a couple trick plays that they've been running? JIMBO FISHER: No. You get that from everybody every week. You can't worry about things you can't control because what we can control is how we play, and that's all we've got to worry about. That's all we can worry about. Q. Do your defensive coaches have any kind of an edge in having played against Kurt Roper recently or has Kurt made enough changes there‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: Oh, Kurt is a heck of a coach, and he's very bright. There's a lot of things they do differently. Like all coaches, you still do things that you've done in the past. I do them, Will does them on defense. We all have the things that have got us to where we've gotten to that we believe in and there's going to be things, but he's obviously changed some things, and personnel will change it, too. Q. Does it motivate this team that this was the last loss against the Florida Gators? JIMBO FISHER: No, we don't think about that. Don't ever go on negativity. I know it makes a great story, but I've never thought that way, and I think it's bad to think that way. I think it gets you in a bad frame of mind. That team there, that was two years ago. That was two teams ago. These guys are totally different. This is a different group of people. Q. Why do you think this team so much better with Treon since they made the switch at quarterback? JIMBO FISHER: I think also they've got their back healthy, and I think they've been able to run the football. They've been content that way. He brings a dimension in the running game, you know what I mean, and I think, again, they haven't turned it over. I think turnovers at times for them in the past have been critical for them, and I don't think they've turned the ball over, and Treon can throw the football now. He can throw the football. Remember, we recruited him. I thought he was pretty good. I thought he was real good. Q. Does that help you since he was committed here, and do you maybe know his strengths and weaknesses? JIMBO FISHER: No, you know a guy's talent. Until you coach a guy, you really don't know his strengths and weaknesses until you get to coach him. You know his talent level. You know one thing, you want him on your team, so you know he must have been pretty good. Q. On a personal level what do you think about Treon as a person? JIMBO FISHER: I think he's a tremendous person. I enjoyed recruiting him, getting to know him. I thought he had a great family and always very personable, nice guy, bright guy, sharp guy, very conversational. He was fun to be around. I enjoyed being around him. Q. Do coaches' sons have, especially when they're quarterbacks, have something they bring to the table automatically? JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, they're all nuts. They act like coaches. I listen to mine, 13. Q. Just being exposed to‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: You do. There's so many little things that you don't realize they just absorb, you know, from situations here, and you say it, being around it, hearing players say thing and watch it, the knowledge of the game of football that can only be gotten from being a gym rat, for lack of a better word. You know what I'm saying? It just absorbs in you. It's like if your kid has followed you around, little things about being‑‑ writing stories or getting information or reporting information, they were in your side all the time, think about that, all the little nicks and knacks and ways you did things. It's hard to explain to somebody out there that those kids, they watch them every day, and they're around them for hours and hours every day, listening to you at home about this guy or that guy or that situation, this situation. They just absorb and they become sponges and they're so intelligent about the game. Q. You mentioned Treon committed here and Dalvin was committed there. How does that work? How do those doors open up after a guy commits? JIMBO FISHER: You have some guys say, I may have done it early, I may have done it for the wrong reason, I see what's going on there. We don't pursue guys after‑‑ I say this, people can say it all you want, guy commits somewhere else, I say, okay, I wish you the best of luck. If you happen to change your mind, please call us back. If you want us to still recruit you, we will. If you don't we won't. Some of them will say, you may give them a call after a couple weeks, and one of them may say in an email, coach I'm thinking‑‑ okay, and we talk, and you go about it. I don't believe in trying to bash those guys and do that. But kids are kids. You change your mind. Q. You can knock on wood now when I ask this question, but you last loss was two years ago today, and I know you're not thinking about that now, but as a historian of this game, at what point do you think something like this, do you think about it and just the accomplishment of this program over the last two years? JIMBO FISHER: I really don't, because you're so engulfed in where you're trying to go. There's still other places we want to go and we want to continue to go. I've never been a person who sits and dwells or thinks like that. I guess that was engrained in me from my father as a young kid or my mom that you have to keep‑‑ you did that, move on. What are you going to do next? And that's the way the world works; what have you done for me lately. When you retire or something like that, you may look back and look at that, a lot of years down the road. But right now you're just trying to be conceptual and fight and scratch and claw for everything you get. Q. For any program to sustain that kind of success, not a lot have. Are there so many things that go into that that‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: There are. I mean, it becomes a culture, it becomes a way of life, it becomes a belief, it becomes a certain confidence, but it becomes who you are and how you do things. As a coach that's what you want and your kids to truly believe in the organization that you've built and the foundation of the things that you do. We've been very fortunate to have a tremendous amount of great coaches here, tremendous amount of great players, even administrators and helpers and there's all the support‑‑ people don't understand, like they say, it takes a village to raise a child. Think about what it does to have 120 of them. All the facets of everyone who touches them in academics and the school and the whole organization, the whole atmosphere, Tallahassee in general, the stadium, the fans, all that goes into what we're doing and the success we're having. It becomes a culture and a way of life, and I thank everyone that has helped us get along the way, but hey, don't sit back and rest on our laurels because I'm going to keep after them. We've got a lot of work to do. Q. In terms of this week, I don't know if you've been asked this, but you've faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks. Where does Treon Harris fit in there and how much does that experience help your defense? JIMBO FISHER: I think it definitely helps us because you're getting so many of those guys, but Treon is as good as anybody, and Treon is one of those guys, I always say be quick but don't hurry. What I mean by that is when you watch him play, it's like everyone around him is going 1,000 miles an hour and he's going five miles an hour but no one can catch him or touch him. He's always feeling and instinctive. He's extremely athletic and he's a heck of a football player. Q. Karlos, Nick and Rashad all had pretty good games. How special was it for them to do it on senior day? JIMBO FISHER: That was very critical, and I was very happy for those guys to be able to do that. I'm going to tell you what, now Karlos, talk about the big play. That run he made, the first run of that last drive, we got pushed back, had a block, got a little penetration, he reverses field and comes back on an 11‑yard run to get the momentum started, scored a touchdown. Go back and watch that film and watch him block. He blocked extremely well in that game, played very well. Nick had a great game, blocking, receiving, big plays. Rashad is Rashad, I mean, does what he does, them guys every day. Again, happy because of what they've meant to this program and what they've helped this program become because of their presence here. It was great to see that. Q. How special was it for their families also to be there? JIMBO FISHER: Well, I know they all have‑‑ all three of those guys have tremendous support systems and parents and families who love them. There's no pride in the world like when you watch your son or your daughter do something, from a dad's standpoint. To me that's, of all the things you do, that's the proudest you are of any time, so I guarantee you they were happy. Q. The last drive leading towards the field goal you ran the ball and gave it a lot to Dalvin. Does that show the trust that you have in him? JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, and the type of runs ‑‑ and we knew it was going to be hard cut‑back runs because they were going to pursue and blitz, and his style we thought would be very good in that situation. Q. For a freshman in that spot, kind of a big deal for him? JIMBO FISHER: I'll guarantee you. That left tackle and Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane and those freshmen now, they've grown up. They've really‑‑ those guys are developing into very accountable guys, and I think that's really what's helping us. Q. What have you thought of Dalvin picking up pass blitzes? JIMBO FISHER: He had one in the game he let slip, and he knows it. On one late they caused a little pressure, but I mean, he'll stick his nose in there on you now. He knows where he's going and what he's doing, which he does all the time. Sometimes it'll just happen to be a twist and then catch the guy, but stick he'll his nose in there. He's really becoming a complete player. Q. I think it was Bobo in that long pass, Bobo who dropped it, he had stoned a free rusher from being in that play. JIMBO FISHER: Big time. Before, those guys never really had to pass block before. I mean against big people. In high school it's guys similar to your size. You're a 225‑pound guy; them backers are 230, 240, sometimes you have to come off on a D‑end or D‑lineman, and him to put his hand to face, it's hard now, and he's really developing into a complete player and catching the ball in the backfield. Q. This game with the Conference Championship coming up afterwards and there's been talk in the past about maybe moving the rivalry game to a little earlier in the season, are you in favor of maybe‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: I think you've got to be careful there. Ideally, I remember Chris (inaudible) wanted to do that back in the '90s because they were playing a Conference Championship and Florida State wasn't. I would never‑‑ I think you've got to be careful of traditions and history. That's the thing, and me as a traditionalist of college football and loving the history of college football, when these games are played rivalry weekend is very critical. Now, if you asked just as a logistics standpoint about coming off those type of games and going into Conference Championship games, does it mean a lot, or you're talking about National Championship big, a big rivalry, who's also a great team and things like that, I mean, there is something to that, but I think you'd have an extremely hard time because of the history and tradition of when this game is played, why it's played, and the history of it in general. Q. Across the conference there have been less big kickoff returns, punt returns. Have you seen anything different? JIMBO FISHER: I'll tell you what, you go back and look, we faced the No.1 defense in the country, No.7, like 9, 11, 15, 25, we've faced like four of the top 10 that are in this league, or the top 25 it's like six‑‑ I'm just talking off my head. Don't hold me to this exactly. In the top 50 it's like 10. What I'm saying is very good defensive league, usually very athletic guys covering kicks, so that usually translates to great space players, being able to do that. Really this year to me has been a very, very, very good defense‑‑ Clemson is No.1, all those teams. We play some extremely highly ranked defensive football teams. Q. On that last drive when do you gear it down and try to win at the last second as opposed to maybe scoring with two minutes left? JIMBO FISHER: Oh, no doubt, I want to take the game to the clock. I want to take the game to the clock. Q. Do you study that? JIMBO FISHER: Oh, yeah. Q. Situations and‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: Well, you do. You've got to know your own team. You've got to man the clock. Depends how many time‑outs you've got, how many time‑outs they've got, where your field goal kicker's comfortable range is, not only by his range, which ours is as big as anybody's, but then you talk about taking weather conditions, wind, all those types of things, and like I said, I felt very comfortable once we hit the 25, you know what I'm saying, with it being a 42‑yarder. And them with two time‑outs and making them try to use those time‑outs and us manage it and get it down to where they don't touch it again. That's all calculated. You're processing that all the time that's going on. Q. Is that all you or do you have coaches in your headset? JIMBO FISHER: Oh, we do. I'll ask them to just double‑check things, but you've got to because you're making those split decisions. But at the same time having Randy there and guys who have been experienced and up top, double‑checking, how many time‑outs, what's this, I want to run it to here, just confirm, hay, I'm doing this, this, and this, you all right with that? You know what I'm saying? We all rally and communicate like that, but as the guy doing it, not saying I do it all myself, but you've got to be able to process it and make that call quickly, but we've got some great guys in our ear helping us. Q. How do you weigh all that risk with the weather, obviously there was a chance a field goal could miss with a bad snap and then even not kicking it on 3rd down versus 4th down? JIMBO FISHER: That's what makes the world go round. A lot of it is your gut and what you really feel. You've got facts about how you've got to do things and then knowing the people involved in that situation. And again, what you're asking me right now is why sports are sports, because everybody can sit here and debate the right way to do it, the wrong way to do it. There could have been 15 different ways to do it, but what is your thought process, and what people don't understand is what you know about your own players, which to me is still the most vital thing because at the end of the day, all those right decisions, all the scenarios, all that, by the end of the day you've got to make sure you're asking the people who you have on your team do what they're truly capable of, and I think that's what makes sports so argumentative, opinionated, all the scenarios because of how you can handle those situations. That's why it's just a hot topic and why we've got 7,000 talk shows, 800 zillion experts in what we do. I say that jokingly, but it is. It creates‑‑ you can talk about it for three days. That's three days of radio work. Q. I don't know if it was in the moment or even after that game, does what happened in the Clemson game as they're trying to run out the clock instead of kicking a field goal and they fumbled. Did that ever really become something that you thought about? JIMBO FISHER: No, you think of positive things. You're thinking who you hand it to, what the situation, how you're handing it to them ‑ you know what I'm saying ‑ at that time, but it's the last time we could have centered it without handing it, but we worked on it, we have a way to do that. But we just felt more comfortable; we've done this more often, talked about the percentage would be just as good and we'd still get the ball centered. Q. Did you see Jameis bobble the snap a little bit? JIMBO FISHER: Mm‑hmm. Bobbled the snap. If we'd have snapped it on 3rd down, he could have done it on 3rd down on the field goal, could have went through their hands. Inches. Inches are sports. Q. Why have you guys been able to run the ball so effectively in situations like you're trying to run out the clock? Seems like that's when you're at your best? JIMBO FISHER: I think they understand that's what it takes to be successful, and you don't want that team to get it back and them to win. I know that sounds crazy, because sometimes when you get things done, it's because you've got to get things done. It's about that simple sometimes. Sometimes people have the ability to‑‑ I've got to get it done, I do it. That's just‑‑ why don't you do it all the time? Well, it doesn't work that way. If it did, I could go home at 6:00 every day. Q. I know you live in the moment and you're not reflecting yet, but when Jameis was named the starting quarterback, did you think these heights could be reached and you'd be in contention for‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: No, I think that all the time no matter who the quarterback is, I really do. I don't say that with any slight to Jameis. I think whoeverwe put in ‑‑ that's our goal and what we think all the time. Now, to say we're doing it, that's your goal. I'm realistic, but sometimes they are, sometimes they ain't, but we're going to do everything we can to continue to do that. I don't think we're going to fail, but I don't think that‑‑ I'm not arrogant enough to think that that's what's going to happen. We just want to be the best we can be. Q. Donte Fowler, what makes him so effective? JIMBO FISHER: You name it. You talk about a guy that loves to play, you watch him, just his energy level. Then he's athletic, he's physical, he can stand up, he can get down, he can play linebacker, he can play D‑end, he can go play nose, he can rush the passer like crazy. He can run in space and tackle, he can bend. Remember, we had that one commit. He was a heck of a player, too. That guy is a heck of a football player now, and you see a guy that loves to play on the field. We'll have to definitely know where he's at. Q. Good challenge for Rod? JIMBO FISHER: Great challenge. He's a great challenge for anybody. Q. Do you expect anything different‑‑ I think he said he's going to leave and enter the draft. JIMBO FISHER: Who's that? Q. Fowler. Do you expect any kind of different play considering he's already got his eyes on the NFL? JIMBO FISHER: I don't know how you can play any better, but I'm sure he will. I'm sure he'll come in here ready to play. If you can turn it on and turn it off that way, it would be a fun game. But I see that guy playing that way all the time. That's the way to me he plays all the time. Q. How big was not being called a penalty ‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: It was, and got that drive going. I'm going to ask‑‑ I thought what I thought, but at the end when you see him, his head from the end zone copy, you can't see it on TV, but he turns his head and his shoulder hits his shoulder first. I don't think it was ill intent, like you said, to do it, but that call was made. I understand it was made, I'm not questioning the call. But I found it just a question I'm going to ask their scenario on it, you know what I'm saying? But it wasn't like he was trying to hurt somebody when he did it. From the end zone copy you can really see his head turned and his shoulder hit his shoulder first and then the side of his head hit the guy, which in the other appearance it looks like the front of it does. I could see it from our end zone copy. But it was big because it didn't give them yardage down there to keep moving the ball. Q. He seemed like he was playing really well. JIMBO FISHER: Oh, he was playing extremely well. He was playing as well as any linebacker we had. I'm telling you, he was pulling the pin, coming downhill, hitting guys. He's just really emerging into himself right now, and that's a shame. We've got a lot of ball left. Q. He'll be out in the first half? JIMBO FISHER: Yes, he'll be out in the first half. Q. Was the ref supposed to be standing over the ball in that situation? JIMBO FISHER: Here's the new rule. See, we're one of the few leagues that went to eight officials, okay, and this has never happened to our quarterback. His back is to the play, and we run a hurry‑up play. Karlos had gotten hurt, and we swapped tailbacks, but they went ahead and were already substituting, but Jameis, we did a hurry‑up play. We used to hand over to the center. That's when you had seven officials, and then that guy blows it and tries to run back or gets back and blows it. Well, with eight‑‑ we're one of the conferences, us and the Big 12 I believe use it. Well, they stand there, it never happened, and it did‑‑ when he turned, he was trying to‑‑ it's like a quick‑tempo play. He was trying to‑‑ he'd never had a guy do that before. He's never had an official be there where it's always standing over the ball. I know that sounds crazy, but it's the truth. You have it in the middle of game where you're trying ‑‑ and he's trying to step around to get in front, you know what I mean? He didn't push‑‑ he's trying to get his shoulder in there and get the ball, it had never happened to us before in that scenario, and part of it is, like Douglas said, he meant no ill will, and thought the official did a tremendous job, and I'm not saying it because it's Jameis. He wasn't trying to push, he wasn't yelling, and they said contact, but there is incidental contact, and when you have a new rule to where an eighth official is in a play that you've never had that happen as a player and your back is to it and you turn around and try to get in it, it's very explainable what happened. And then the hound it right, and we were able to run the play. That's what happened. We have an eighth official in our league. So there's two guys standing back there now. Q. Do you appreciate that Doug ‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: I really do. I really appreciate it. I appreciate Doug doing it and I thought it was very noble, but that's the truth. See, that's the thing that we all want a controversy, and I think part of it, too, is because of who he is and what goes on and everything he does is a lightning rod. There was no ill will, no ill malice, and I appreciate Doug doing it, I really did, in our conference. They do a great job. Q. There was never any concern that the ACC would take any type of‑‑ JIMBO FISHER: No. I didn't‑‑ at the time it's crazy, I didn't even think anything about it because it was right in the middle of the game. It wasn't like he was standing there in a pushing shoving match. You understand what I'm saying? Q. The rivalry between Florida and Florida State, does that ever get translated to recruiting sometimes? JIMBO FISHER: Oh, it does, when guys get into‑‑ I don't believe in negative recruiting. If anybody on our staff does it, we don't ever do that. But recruiting‑‑ recruiting is recruiting. People say and do things that sometimes they wish they probably didn't do when it's over with. That always happens. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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