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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE


October 12, 2015


Jimbo Fisher


Tallahassee, Florida

COACH FISHER: Very excited to get off to getting back to practice, getting back to work today. Happy with the kids' performance on Saturday. Again, Florida State/Miami is one of the great rivalries. It's a privilege to be part of that history and legacy of that rivalry.

And again, had two very talented football teams play on Saturday. We were able to make a few more plays. Again, classic game. Love the way our kids grew up in that game. Love the way we competed in that game. Playing the next play, no matter what circumstances were, you had to lead, you wanted to lead, momentum swings, plays. Just I think really, really grew up in a lot of areas.

Now, is there a lot of room for improvement? Yes. We left some plays on the field. Very few games I've ever walked off the field and not left plays on the field. Sometimes that happens. The way you just come back and play the next play, and everybody took turns there.

We've got to convert in the red zone a little better, tight zone. But loved what we had called, loved what we did. Got to execute our coaching a little better, play a little better. But we had great balance on the night, run and pass. Got the ball down the field in chunk plays. Got the ball to our playmakers in space. We were able to run the football.

Everett made plays with his arm, with his leg, with his mind. Making good decisions.

Defensively, got good pressure on the night. Only had the two sacks or so, but batted five or six balls, hurried a lot of balls, made the ball come out. They made plays. They got good players. They got open at times.

I think Trey Marshall getting out limited us in some areas, but that's no reason not to -- we had other guys step up, make great plays and hit roles. I was very proud of that.

But just an overall defense stood up and really, after Miami had a good swing there in the second half, a couple series, really stood up in the last couple drives and played very well.

Offense responded the first time we got behind, immediately went down the field in a big-time drive, almost a 90-yard drive, hit a big third and eight to get it going, and finished off the drive. But very proud of our kids.

I think at the same time, we're taking steps in the right direction. We're evolving, like I talked about. I like which way we're going. Are we there? No, we're not perfect. We've got a long ways to go. That's the exciting thing. That's the thing, to me, that intrigues me and keeps you going every day, that there's a lot left out there.

But these kids are understanding and getting it and doing everything they can to get better every week and very proud, and playing well. Right where we thought we'd be. This team has developed its own identity and personality. I like it. I said at the beginning of the year, I like it. Now you're starting to see it coming to fruition in the performance in certain areas. But again, great game.

Now we got to put -- that one's over. Forget it. Move on. Get ready to play Louisville.

Louisville is a very good defense, excellent defensive football team. A lot of big, physical guys inside with Rankins and Brown. They got the transfers of Fields. He was a Big 12 player of the year when he was there. Josh Harvey-Clemons in the secondary. You got Shaq Wiggins, Williams and Trumaine Washington, good players in high school. Keith Kelsey, Burgess, knew all those guys, Keith Brown. Pio Vatuvei, I guess that's how you say it, really good player for them. 91 comes in as rush. 14 is a great junior college guy coming in. Excellent.

Offensively, they can throw it. They got running quarterbacks. They can do all kind of things. They've get balanced looks. They do all different kind of things on offense. Bobby is a great offensive mind.

Special teams, they've got good defensive players. I mean this is a really good football -- they have three losses, but all of them have been right to the wire. In the Auburn game, the Houston game and the Clemson game. Clemson, they were there in two minutes, ready to score and tie or win it. Auburn, they were right in it at the end. Had some mistakes in the game, could have won the game. Houston, 34-31. So a very good football team. You watch them on film, buddy, they're well coached and do a great job. So we've got to put that one behind us and get ready to play another great game against Louisville this week. Questions?

Q. How do you feel (no microphone) has done as a blocker?
COACH FISHER: That's where I think our receivers grew up the other night. I was very proud of our downfield blocking, on our screen games, on our run game, all those type of things being physical. Ermon Lane stood out to me probably as skill blocker of the week. Probably Ermon Lane. I mean, he did a really nice job in the game. Those other guys were doing it; tight ends, backs. I've been pleased with Bobo getting much better. Bobo's strong. You think of him being -- Bobo in that weight room now, he's very compact, but he is a very, very strong guy. Really is.

Q. Is it any more difficult or easier blocking out for those receivers?
COACH FISHER: Oh, that's hard. Think about it. Linemen, they get two-way goes, the more space you get and the athletes you're blocking and you're thinking where the ball is going behind you, it's like driving -- would you drive the car like this, say where they at? I mean, it's almost like that. You're trying to get on it and then you've got to read the defender based on what he's doing compared to where the ball -- I mean, that's hard. You get your hands on the ball and he separates, not to hold him, people do not understand how hard it is to block in space. I mean, it's extremely hard.

Q. It's always stressful on you guys, but when you have four in the backfield, he literally can pop an 80-yard run.
COACH FISHER: Oh, yeah.

Q. So they have to go every play hard.
COACH FISHER: They do, exactly right. Just like I tell our backs and linemen, when you have great skill guys at wideout, you don't know what short pass that could be caught and go to the house, or throw a deep ball. That's the thing about having a skill we have. It's tough as a receiver. You can't take a play off. Every play, block and run, just as important. You don't know what play changes. When four of those guys touch it, big things happen.

Q. That third deep Everett hit, was it (no microphone)?
COACH FISHER: Oh, yeah. I mean, that was a big time square in, throw it. There's got to be some conviction. Knowing where you're going with it, understanding why you're going there and trusting yourself and that receiver and everybody else.

That play, really, we grew up because I thought the play before should have been his on the corner route. Tremendous route by Travis Rudolph. But not to get frustrated and say, okay, I know I missed that one when I could have got us out of there and then turn around and make that throw, that was a really big time play by everyone involved.

Q. Time-out could have helped you a little bit?
COACH FISHER: It did. It did. I think it did. But you never know. Sometimes they hurt you. Everett would have done it anyway. I really like what he's doing. We've still got to do some things we always got to get to. We never got there with Jameis in every which way possible and everything he did. Because at quarterback, there's so many things. But in those big moments, having conviction on what you're doing. Not hoping it's going to happen. Not wanting it to happen. Seeing it, executing it, and making it happen.

Q. When it came, it was the first time you trailed all season. You don't want to give the ball back to Miami, One-point lead.
COACH FISHER: And they were hot on offense, exactly. Again, I talked to our guys. What I liked about the other night was controlling the momentum of the game and the tempo of the game. Then when you lost it, when you lose it, the only way you can change it back, people got to change it back. People have to change momentum back.

Big-time players making big-time plays no matter what the circumstances. That's how momentum gets swung. Momentum of a game is -- we don't talk about it enough. When you have young players, it's very easy to let that snowball on you, to not have the mental toughness or the fortitude to understand that at the time it's happening and to be able to do that. And that's what I was so happy about our football team the other night at two or three different times in the game.

Q. Some of the reasons you brought Everett in, he had that experience when he got in a situation like this.
COACH FISHER: No doubt. He'd been through it. Hopefully, it would translate, and right now it is.

Q. You said Everett impressed you with his arm, feet and mind. Were there certain plays that impressed you with his mind?
COACH FISHER: Just not being greedy in games, dumping certain balls down, scrambling and hitting the underneath guys. What I mean by that, because you get a tendency, when things go well, you want to keep making plays, you want to be a hero of the game.

The game is bigger than anybody who's ever played it or anybody who's coached it. You have to trust your eyes and take what's there. I think there's multiple times in the game he did that. There's one or two times I don't think he did. I think he started to get out of it and then got himself right back into it.

When you make that many decisions as a quarterback in a game, it's hard not to make one or two. As a coach, when you call plays, everything, there's so many multitude of things that happen, but to be able to go right back to it.

Q. Has he been pretty linear going up with that over the course of the five games?
COACH FISHER: Seems to be, seems to be.

Q. As far as the defense, against Wake, 27 first downs. Miami, 10 of 16 on third. Louisville, a top team on third down. What's been kind of discussed on that side of the ball about maybe trying to take away those opportunities on first and second down?
COACH FISHER: That's what you got to do. You got to win third down. We did in the running game. But you play one of the better quarterbacks and one of the best skill groups you're going to play, that's it. You've just got to work on it and get better.

Q. That's what I was going to ask too.
COACH FISHER: Scheme, what goes on, players. That's the first time we've seen Stacy Coley. They moved him around different places in the game. You didn't have a game plan to be able to scout against him as much. They did a real nice job with that. And they had a couple extra days.

Q. What's it like for you as a coach with stats that on one end, you stopped the running game. But on the flip side, they did pass over 400 yards, or was that expected?
COACH FISHER: No, it's not expected, and it's not wanted. That's what happens so you just address it and move on. There's no alarm. You just work on the things you do and get better on the next thing. Hey, they're on scholarship too.

Q. (No microphone)?
COACH FISHER: Well, just different things because of not just losing him, but where to put other people. Not necessarily Tyler, but how it affected other back-end people and where you could move in match-ups, personnel match-ups. But again, I say that's not a reason for -- and I thought Charles, after the second one, they hit the last one, the last two drives, we made adjustments to not let Coley get in those situations again. And made plays out there. He had a couple nice in that deal and we made adjustments, in-game adjustments to do that and limited to what they had to do.

Q. Did it take away Derwin's ability to do some stuff?
COACH FISHER: At times, because he had to be in the back end. I was very pleased with that. Again, there's other things I keep getting from this is that we keep getting guys in key situations having to go in games and make plays.

The other big thing in that game was getting Nate back. And some key things allowed him to get in the game, you know, even playing as little as he did, to allow some rest or move some guys around. It's letting Derwin grow, because he's having to do so much.

Q. As a coaching staff, do you feel like you got to add an added wrinkle playing a team coming off a bye week?
COACH FISHER: No. You just got to do what you got to do to win. You look at what you think is the best -- you can't say I got to put wrinkles in. You can do what you can execute. Putting them in and executing them is two different things. That's what we're continually -- we're a work in progress. We still are. We're doing things, but everything isn't executed perfectly. We've got to keep doing it, though.

We've got to give ourselves enough weapons to be able to do what we have to do to score the points or defensively make the plays like you're talking about, third down, first down, whatever it is. We've got to continue to do those things. You also have to put that in with execution, you know, how much can you do.

Q. When it happens, when a player is ejected on that penalty, is that hard on a kid? Looked like you said something to Trey.
COACH FISHER: I did. You got to understand, Trey Marshall has really matured. He puts an unbelievable amount of time in preparation. His heart and soul goes into playing football. I mean, it does. He lives -- I mean, he loves it. It wasn't that he was mad. You know what he felt? He let his team down. There was a genuineness -- I made a mistake, I just lowered my head a hair and got to keep -- you're talking from going here to here. That's the difference. But that's dangerous. I mean, that's the call. There's no problem with it. But remind him at the time he did it what he has to do to correct it, not get your head down and to keep your head up, move on, be positive and go. He didn't do it on purpose, but we've got to coach him better, and he's got to make a better decision and do that. But his heart and soul's in it. I mean, there's no one who hurt more than he did for what, you know, because he felt like he let his team down.

Q. How did Nathan and Dalvin feel after the game. Any progress for Terrence this week?
COACH FISHER: No, Terrence, they said swelling is getting better, but we'll have to see. You know how that goes. Dalvin's sore, like we thought he would be. We're going to rest him on Monday anyway. We're always going to do that. With his treatment, he said he feels good. Nate said he felt okay.

Q. (No microphone).
COACH FISHER: We'll limit it just like we do. We'll keep a gauge on where we are on everything, just like we always do.

Q. (No microphone) going to be able to bounce back like that, you not to have to take a load off him?
COACH FISHER: Well, we took a load off of him. As much as it sounds, his load there was big, but it wasn't as much as it was at South Florida or anything else. Vickers got in the game and we got to keep a rotation with those guys in the game. The thing about it on offense, we've scored a lot, but early he hit some big plays, but they were one-play deals. A lot of our early drives were based off big plays. The first two drives, you go back and think about it, he hits a 72-yard run and scores the second touchdown on a 36-yard catch. Had only one out of the two plays. So the load there was intense on those couple plays, but there wasn't lot of others. So his load was pretty normal for a normal game.

Q. Did you hold your breath at all with the very first carry, he's running free?
COACH FISHER: No. I don't look at things that way. You sit more about what can happen, the what-ifs, my Lord, as a coach will go absolutely -- you talk about ageing in dog years, you'll age in triple dog years. You'll age 21 years a year instead of 7. But you don't want it to happen, but you can't -- you go, you go.

Q. What does it do for the team to have Nate and Dalvin, some other guys play through?
COACH FISHER: I think it shows the importance as the leadership and the guys who are out there, how important it is to them. And it sets a standard for these young guys about what it means and the legacy they want to live and how, you know, championship caliber teams respond and championship caliber players respond to adversity. No matter what their role is, maybe diminished or whatever, but they want to be a part of helping their team be successful. It's a tremendous example. You say it's what football is about, but let me tell you what. It's what life's about. Everything ain't going well. Things happen.

Q. Hey, Jimbo. You got on field more with the passing game, is that a product of Everett just a little bit growing more and more, or was it a product of playing Miami?
COACH FISHER: Well, I think it's a product, one, of Everett growing, our offensive line and our pass protection really growing, our young receivers and tight ends growing. I think it's a combination of everything.

Again, it's the evolution of what we're doing offensively, of getting everybody on the same page. And we had a couple other things that -- we had a couple that we couldn't get down there to them. We had some other plays we thought we could get. It's really an evolution of all the above, Tom, and being able to run the football when you can play action it.

Q. If you continue that evolution, how much does it help that running game? It's got to be the balance.
COACH FISHER: Exactly right it does. Because if you overload it, there is a chance now that they can throw the football down the field and make plays. You can run the option. They have a screen game, they have this, they have the diversity. Another foreseen thing in that game, the game Kermit had. He had a big-time game, nine catches, career high. Getting that sucker out there in space with the ball, and not just -- he's catching the ball down the field. He ran tremendous corner routes and go routes. He keeps evolving into a player. When you get speed like that, now, it changes things. I can coach a lot of things. I can't coach that.

Q. What are your impressions of Jackson, the true freshman. You haven't seen him much.
COACH FISHER: I've seen him on film enough. I didn't sleep much the night before. He gave me a headache. That guy can throw, he can run. We recruited him. I liked him out of high school. I thought the guy was a very dynamic player, really, really good player. Run it, throw it, everything.

Q. Hey, Jimbo, how are you doing?
COACH FISHER: Good, how are you?

Q. The fourth and one in the second quarter, 10-yard line, you went with a run formation. Explain to me the reason you went with a run formation, because with a mobile quarterback, he can get two yards and get a first down.
COACH FISHER: You've got six inches. You big a great lineman, you got a great back, you got a good thing. You got to knock six inches out. It's about attitude. Trickery don't win a lot of those things. You have to be able to knock 'em out. I'd line up, I'd do it again, knowing we'd block a little better, we'd run it maybe just a hair on things. That's our play. That's what we do. I'd go with it again. I mean, they made the play. Football isn't all about trickery and making the right call. You've got to line up, butt somebody in the mouth, knock somebody out of there, and make a yard when they know you've got to try to make a yard. That's what it's about.

Q. Talk about the final drive. Seemed Everett matured on that final drive. It looked like it was just one of those typical, what we saw last year with Jameis.
COACH FISHER: It did. He made the plays. He made good decisions with the ball whether he ran or he threw it. Getting the checkoffs and getting the ball to the right guys. Didn't worry about winning the game. Worry about executing the play. You want to win the game, execute the next play. He stayed in the moment that way and didn't look to the outcome. He stayed true to the process of what we do and how we believe. I thought it was very important and critical.

Q. Coach, on the subject of execution and having wrinkles and so on, you mentioned last week how difficult it can be that defend teams that run a lot of the run/pass options, take advantage of the three-yard rule. I know you've done a lot of package stuff with bubbles and things like that over the years. But is there a reason that you haven't really integrated the downfield option much yourself? Is it just a matter of trying to keep things simple and not let the offensive coordinators --
COACH FISHER: Better go back and watch that film last week. There's something in there. We can do them at any time. But it's just I don't think that's consistent football. You've got to commit to it wholly. I'm a believer in the other things of football that are going to be there consistently, time in, time out, and what you do. That's the evolution of the ball. Things have been around for a long time. But we have those wrinkles.

Q. What are the challenges of facing Rankins?
COACH FISHER: He's a pain. He's a load. He's strong, quick, powerful. I mean, he is a really, really good football player. And you got to know where he's at, who's blocking him and what's going on. I mean, he can flat play.

Q. He does a lot.
COACH FISHER: Oh, yeah. I mean, he does. He can hit penetration, take on double-team. He's so quick. Very rarely do you get a guy with power and quickness to that extent. I mean, he can play.

Q. The second week in a row where the opponent has a little extra time. How much do you notice a difference when a team has a little extra time?
COACH FISHER: No doubt. Your tendencies, how many times they get to practice against things, formation recognition. New wrinkles they put in, things you haven't seen, different blitzes, different plays, different formations. I mean, and that's another reason you teach conceptually. You got to have answers. They may get you a little bit, but then you can tweak that concept and adjust it, but you have answers for everything.

That's why we practice like we do, multiple formations, good on good, showing all kinds of things different things to get ready for it. It makes it extremely tough when people do that. Last year, I think five or six people had that week. People wonder why we started, said, well, heck, the first quarter and the half of a lot of games, we saw things we hadn't seen before. Takes time to adjust to things like that. That's part of ball. Everybody goes through it sometime during the season.

Q. Your experience with Petrino, is he going to take advantage --
COACH FISHER: Oh, no doubt. He's a great offensive mind. He's going to do whatever he has to do to win the games as far as the scheme, and he has a lot of scheme. And defensively, Todd does a great job on defense. I've known Todd a long time. His roots in defense go back to Saban and all those things. So a lot of the packages they have. They both are excellent, excellent coaches. Todd Grantham is who I was talking about, the defensive coordinator.

Q. For a lot of your guys being in these situations and coming off an emotional win, is there any more concern about how they might respond?
COACH FISHER: No. It's the next step. It's part of the evolution. Get used to playing big games, get used to playing rivalries. That rivalry is over. Now you've got to get ready to play. Again, that is part of the evolution this week of growing and understanding. Back to work. That's all great. Moving on. We had our little celebration afterwards and a little bit the day after. Now it's on to Louisville. Understand that each game is -- the biggest game is the next game. That's part of our evolution, which I'm anxious to watch us take on this week.

Q. Marcus Walker seems to be the most consistent pass rusher you have. What has he down to put himself in the position?
COACH FISHER: Worked hard every week. That guy comes, he loves everything about football. Team leader, team guy, not afraid to speak up to folks. Works his tail off. Has really developed himself into a really, really good football and versatile in what we could do. He was our defensive player of the game last week.

Q. Dalvin's only halfway through his sophomore season. So maybe you hesitate in calling him the best you've ever coached accomplishment-wise. Ability-wise, have you ever been around anything quite like this?
COACH FISHER: I've been around some good guys now. We'll wait and see how it goes, but he's definitely up there. They don't get a lot better. He's a very special guy. And ability, we get caught up in that. It's phenomenal. But it's the intangibles, man. I mean, it's just the ability to compete, the ability to learn, the ability to toughness, the mental toughness, the fortitude, and his drive to be great. There's so many qualities about him that when you put with that ability, then you have a very, very, very good player. And his challenge is consistently keep doing it every week, preparing every week, but he does all those things. And not get off track. Just keep doing what he's doing. Don't get bored.

Q. I know you watch film different than any of us. Do you ever rewind his runs?
COACH FISHER: No doubt, just to see how it went. Sometimes you don't get to appreciate the jump cuts, the ability to make people miss in the hole or the subtleness of being able to hit that burst, slow down. But see, that's what he does which a lot of fast, fast guys don't. He runs with great tempo. When it's burst time, it's burst time. When it's read time, it's read time. He can transition both up and back like that because he has great vision, his eyes and what he sees. He understands what he's doing. A lot of people say I got a fast guy getting the ball. Running isn't like that. It's like saying a guy swings the bat hard, he ought to be able to hit. All of a sudden, they throw that changer, slider, the 98-mile-an-hour fastball, that cutter, you can't hit. Just like running. Just because you run fast doesn't mean you're a great runner. There's a lot of God-given instincts in there that none of us taught him.

Q. (No microphone) slower? That's what they say about the great ones.
COACH FISHER: You'd have to ask him that. I think they say that when they all retire. It's like coaching. Well, when you're in that grind, you don't see none of those things. When you're playing, you're not thinking about those things. You're reacting. Those guys aren't thinking. He's thinking, it's over with. See it and do it. It's just a natural ability to do it. As to maybe them, to you and me or somebody else, it may be a lot slower to him that's happening, but that's the way God makes them to do.

Q. For him to be able to do this in this season so far. The kind of stuff you're talking about --
COACH FISHER: The maturity levels, the things he does, the work ethic, the responsibility he takes to be a great player for his team.

Q. What are the biggest challenges playing against a young quarterback?
COACH FISHER: Keeping edges. With young guys like that, keeping edges on them, making sure you keep them in the pocket. At the same time, pressuring them so they don't get to step back there and have all day to throw the football. Got to mix the looks up and all that stuff. The multitude of things he brings, you have to bring back to him.

Q. How do you think Josh Sweat played?
COACH FISHER: Good. Pressure in the pocket, kept edges good. Getting better and better, learning to rush on the edges of guys. The big thing for those young ends is learning to transition from run to pass. I'm in the middle of the guy taking on a run, and all of a sudden, I see it transitioning into the pass rush, getting on the edges again, those things take time, and those are a lot of little things he's doing right now that we as coaches see that we really, really like. I think he's going to continue to grow.

Q. In the third quarter, he had two or three hurries.
COACH FISHER: He did, getting on the edge. Then we could lay those ears back. He's another one. He just works his tail off, loves ball. Smart, very smart.

Q. (No microphone) empty backfield earlier this season. Does that make you feel better about the line?
COACH FISHER: Well, line and different looks. Some of our receivers are growing up. Feel like putting more of those guys on the field. Again, it's all above. The receivers, the backs, the quarterback. Just been practicing, working on it. The evolution of what we're trying to do and the amount of packages we can present to them.

Q. (No microphone) the pass just not get deep enough or overthrown?
COACH FISHER: Overthrew him. Hitting that seam. He was trying to hit the hole and overthrew. He got a little anxious. But there's a touchdown there. And the play before, Dalvin dropped it. Dalvin dropped it, it was walk-in. Even he made a mistake.

But here's what I was talking about. The decisions are right. When we miss with the ball was right. Even though we threw it in the flat and dropped it. I mean, as a coach, you're so close. You've just got to keep sawing wood, just keep sawing wood.

Q. Do you see Everett, not just on the field, getting more comfortable being here?
COACH FISHER: Each week, because of what he's doing and how he's doing it and the way we do things. You see that much each and every week.

Q. Does he feel more comfortable talking on campus?
COACH FISHER: I think he does.

Q. Getting here to Tallahassee?
COACH FISHER: He seems to be very relaxed and comfortable in his environment.

Q. Against Miami, Everett had a different look in his eyes. Shows up on the field as confidence. What's the challenge to make sure he progresses going forward, not just for a big rivalry game?
COACH FISHER: Today. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You get that look in your eye when you've studied well. Going to take the test, guys don't mind make taking that test if they studied all week. Feel good about the test, don't mind walking in there. Them guys half studying, ain't been looking at their notes, ain't been reading, who am I sitting by?

Unfortunately, that's the mentality. I say that it is about that. Your confidence comes from the power of preparation. It can't be overstated. The ability. What makes Tom Brady Tom Brady; Peyton Manning Peyton Manning? The guys, how they prepare physically, mentally and psychologically.

Q. A lot of the preseason questions seemed to surround the pass rush from a year ago, in the production on defense. Last week, you sounded a little bit concerned after the 27 first down plays. How do you assess where you're at defensively?
COACH FISHER: Much improved. I like what we're doing. We're again evolving into the kind of team we need to be. Making progress and growing. Still have room to grow. The thing I like about it, crazy as it sounds, we have a lot of room to grow. We're getting there and working hard. I've been pleased. I've been pleased, but not satisfied. There's a difference. On offense, defense and special teams.

Q. You've always been good to let quarterbacks talk to us. With Golson, is that because he's the new guy?
COACH FISHER: He's a new guy, evolving, let him get used to -- eliminate the clutter. He's here. Let him do his job. Everybody's expectations, things like that. I know you all want to talk to him. It's not about that. It's what I think is best for our football team and what's best for him. It's not an indictment on him. It's not an indictment on y'all. It's not an indictment on anything. I think what's best. My interest has to go with what's best for the kids and the football team. That's what's best for them. That's why. And there may be a time he does, but not right now.

Q. We'll look at Louisville's record. Those three losses, one was to a top five preseason team. Clemson, Houston.
COACH FISHER: That's what I'm saying. This is a really good football -- you watch that film now, you don't see a 2-3 team. You can see a 5-0 team. 4-1 team, all those games. I mean, you see a really good football team. That's my point.

Miami's over with, folks. We need to get going. We need to get going. They've had an extra week to prepare for us. They're a very -- I said this last year. Everybody laughed at me. Look, we had 11 guys drafted. How many guys they have drafted? Ten. I can name them right here. One, two, three, I'm looking at defense, four, five, possibly six. On offense, I mean, you're talking about another, could being another six to eight, some of those juniors and stuff. You're talking about another big load. This is a talented, talented football team.

Q. They have a formation for Reggie Bonnafon and Lamar Jackson on the field at the same time. What type of challenges does that have for you?
COACH FISHER: Just got to be aware. You can't get overstated with it, but you got to be aware that there's a chance two guys can throw the football. At least I'd rather have that than not knowing a receiver can throw it, he has the ability to do it.

Q. You talk a lot about evolution for individual players and the team. For your staff, what's the end goal of the evolution?
COACH FISHER: Be the best we can be. The goal of the evolution is make the team the best it can be. Not worry about anything else. How we're going, each team has a one-year life expectancy. Make this team as good as it can be. And like I say, some of it you'll be able to do, and you want things to speed up. Sometimes you can't force things. Can you force your kids to grow up? You can give them examples, you can give everything in the world. You got them 24 hours a day. You can teach them. Sometimes they do. You think they ain't got it, and tomorrow they walk in and say boy, I got that. That's part of this team. The evolution needs to be we've got to make this team as good as it can be. But I think the sky's very high. Just a matter of us and our teaching and coaching and their learning and playing.

Q. How'd Mavety do?
COACH FISHER: Good. I mean, overreached some things early, got a little hot. Big body. Didn't turn guys loose. Assignments were good. It was huge getting him back in there and having him getting ready for the game. He did a great job, especially flipping over that left guard and doing that. He can really help us.

Q. Jimbo, real quick. This is completely out of left field. This happened while you've been talking. Will Grier, starting quarterback at Florida, has been suspended for the year for steroids, which is crazy.
COACH FISHER: Wow.

Q. I'm asking, number one, I don't remember that ever happening. What do you do to educate your players?
COACH FISHER: It's a constant -- I mean, we have constant drug education. We test our guys. Every week, certain guys get tested. The NCAA does tests. We know that. It's a constant education. Go in the GNC store, we talk about don't take one thing and put in your body that you haven't told us, shown us. Listen, we got all the supplements. We got the things that are legal. Trust us. Nobody out there is going to have your best interest at heart and know what's right and wrong. I mean, I don't know. That's a tragedy, and I'm very sorry for them and him. I hate that. It's sad to hear.

Q. Will you tell the team that tonight as reemphasis?
COACH FISHER: I may, yeah. When things like that happen, you hate to use examples of, hey, this -- look, please, and it may have been something simple and crazy. You hear about it all the time in pro sports. Everybody says, well, they knew. Sometimes you don't because what they put in the products in these stores a lot of times, you don't know what's in them. I'm not making excuses. I don't know the situation or anything. But just don't do any of it. Don't do any of it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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