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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2016

Jimbo Fisher

Tallahassee, Florida

JIMBO FISHER: Coming off a win this weekend in which we did play better than we had before, I thought we did. Did what we needed to do. Got better last week in a lot of areas. Got to continue to get better in all three phases again this week. Need to focus on today, not past today. Do the things in all three phases that get us the preparation to be the best we can be on the weekend and get ready to go.

But I thought, in that game Saturday I thought our special teams did a real nice job of controlling field position. We averaged 34 yards of kickoff return, punt return, did a nice job covering kicks, we kicked well, kept them inside the 20 almost every time we kicked off. Punt coverage, one time they held us up and got one down the sideline which we got to get corrected. They got a very dynamic punt returner this week. But we're kicking the ball very well. We had one nice pooch punt down to the 10 yard line. Really executed that very well. Kicked field goals made our field goals, did the things we had to do in that area. Offensively ran the football well, was very efficient on third down. Threw the football very effectively. Even though we elected not to after we got the first quarter, we were 6-6 for 140 yards and a touchdown and playing very well, ball control running the football, had some nice runs, but then still picked up for the most part, threw the ball very effectively adding to the plays. And yet continued to run it. Red zone was excellent. Then last I think, I don't know six or some, six, seven minutes to go in the game, we ran the clock out with our four minute offense, never gave it back, got first downs. Executed that well. Managed the clock very well, from the quarterback standpoint, when we snapped the ball and did things of that nature. Had one penalty on offense which was very critical, again not putting yourself behind the eight ball. That was a late hit, which was an aggressive penalty, but at the same time got to be little smarter there. Only had four penalties on the game, so played much more disciplined in the way we played. Getting better down there defensively. Started off, the first two drives were not very good, but the first play we were there, we just don't make the play. We're in the right position, we're in the right call, we're in the right deal, just don't make the play. Come back later he makes a play, the same type of play later on. That's ball.

Second drive they had a nice drive, we got, we had a few missed assignments, got it ironed out and went nine straight times with the ball out and did a great job, had six three and outs, which is incredibly tough. Had two critical turnovers, got a pick, and they got a pick six after we actually turned it over coming out of the second half, which I was not happy about. Then got it right back for us and went on a 94 yard drive after that. We didn't finish, got a little bit out of discipline in our gap control, again those last two or three drives. And again give them momentum. Third down play, we make a third down play, we're going to get another three and three and out, they hit a big run, get a little momentum. They got some confidence. They had a really nice pass play down the sideline. Again, make the right call, but then as far as we're half a step off, they made a good throw, they were half a step better. And they started that drive. Then we got to finish better. But getting better. Got a long way to go in all three phases and keep working. Questions.

Q. Did watching the film change your view of the game. Because after the game it looked like frustrated?
JIMBO FISHER: I was not frustrated. I was not frustrated. Everybody keeps saying I was frustrated. I was not frustrated at all. I just gave you factual answers. You asked the question, what was the difference. We did our job. What was the difference when they started scoring. We didn't do our job. We were there -- and that's not frustration, that's fact. I wasn't frustrated. I want to make every play on offense and defense. We weren't perfect in any phase, but we're getting better and we're doing good things and we got to get -- some of those young guys have to continue to grow and develop and make plays. They're maybe a step slow at times. And then we got to be more disciplined in some gap control consistently. When you do it for nine straight drives and do that right there, where they couldn't move it an inch, it showed you how we can play. Just like we did at Ole Miss. We got to continue to do that. We got to be more physical up front and I think on both sides, the defensive line and offensive line continue to be physical up front, it's going to be really key, even more so to play a little bit hot, get our hands in better places, and have gap control with them also, not just always on the secondary linebackers. They got to get off and make some plays and push that pocket and push that line of scrimmage.

Q. They were talking about this on TV and generalizing like we tend to do, about Florida state against dual threat quarterbacks and having difficulty, but the dual threat quarterbacks you guys are facing are giving everybody trouble, aren't they?
JIMBO FISHER: Name me a team that doesn't have trouble with dual threat quarterbacks. That's what I want to know. Name me a team that doesn't have trouble with dual threat quarterbacks. That's part of it. That's the way of the world and the way people do things and the best team in the country, Alabama, has trouble with them. Ohio State, everybody has trouble with them. That's it. But we have to -- here's the problem: It doesn't matter, I don't care what everybody else does, we have to get better at what we're doing.

Q. What's the most effective way or what do you preach to your kids when you got --
JIMBO FISHER: Same thing I just said. Do your job. Eye control, gap control. Be physical at the line of scrimmage. When you get to the line of scrimmage and you push them back and make those things and run control, you stay gap control, you stay inside out and you trigger, a lot of times we would trigger, but we would be a step low or two steps slow and all of a sudden that kids gone. Just like Dalvin on the first play. They have a safety run the alley, we get everybody blocked, he's a step slow, guess what happens? There's no different than when Dalvin gets the ball. When you trigger and fit on great players, you got to eliminate the space is what we call it. So there's no error. And you got to trigger quicker, seal it up so there's no -- like water, there's no seals or creases for it to go in. And you got to do it quicker and more physical to do it. You have to do it every dad gum time against a good player.

Q. During that stretch where you had nine stops, was that that gap discipline and stuff, was that the biggest difference in that stretch or was there attitude?
JIMBO FISHER: There was an urgency to do it and do it right and a focus. And I say this all the time and I joke, but you, everybody brushes it off -- kids do not focus at the level they used to focus at. Because our world is a multi tasking world. Just like y'all right now, some of you are tweeting it out, you're writing it, you're listening, your doing four things at once. But are you really concentrating on any of it? If you had to, if you focused on one thing. And all the world -- think about Sportscenter. When you watch Sportscenter, you watch Sportscenter and you're reading the ticker at the bottom, reading the five things on the left sideline about what's to come up. Am I right or wrong? So your mind is really where? Five different places. And you guys, it's funny, but it's the truth, you have to teach kids to focus and the urgency of learning to lock in and not get bored. Because kids tend to do that. And I know that sounds crazy, but that's a factual thing about our society today. And you see stories and things all over the country like this. And it's part of being mature and understanding what your job is. And it's not an excuse, but we have to do that. And that's what we did -- for those nine series, we did that. Then we had, just got a little bit lax -- it happened on third down, for two straight downs they were third and five. We give up five more yards on two downs and did not hit a trap, did not pull and hit the puller in the back field and the other back, when he saw the puller did not step over one gap. If we do that, it's there, there's no first down we're another three and out. And it created one little space and he got a run and they got momentum and then they go. And that's -- but you cannot ever, ever, ever have those lapses.

Q. How did Fred Jones play?
JIMBO FISHER: Solidly. Solid day. Did a nice job, a couple times, had a couple tackles for a loss, got more plays, played a lot in there and did a solid job.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I got my confidence. I would like to run the football like that. That's good. And I joke about that, but it is. And our offensive line is confident and our team's confident. You go back and watch that film now, our offensive line put hats on hats, did not have penalties, staff communicated and checked, did the things we had to do. Tight ends blocked their tails off. Mavin one time took one through the end zone and blocked well. Izzo took one right out of the end zone. Mavin Saunders probably had his best game as a football player at Florida State blocking and doing those things. Our receivers, Travis Rudolph had five or six cuts down the field you saw on those long runs he was cutting guys down. Bobo blocked, our receivers did a nice job. Our full backs. And it was good that we could play that physical part of the game because it only opens up the passing game and other things which we do. And it was just a good relief that we're getting that balance again on offense, throwing the ball and running the ball.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: No doubt. Anything. It's called -- and that momentum -- I say it all the time -- momentum and all of a sudden you start getting confidence and all the things that you thought were, oh, it ain't so bad no more. I start playing fast, I stop thinking, I start reacting, I'm playing football. Now, you got to go back and do it again this week. That's what I'm trying to say. Do your job this week. Don't look past Monday. Practice for Monday, do what you got to do on Monday, get better on Monday.

Q. Seemed like a lot of the runs that generated some big yardage were on the left side, was that something you saw with USF or were you confident with running on that side?
JIMBO FISHER: No, just the way it played out. We had a lot to the right, we had some good ones to the right. Both ways. It wasn't a planned thing to go left or right, it was what the defense was giving us and our checks and what looks we want to run into. And Deondre did a really. Our quarterback didn't throw much, but you talk about managing a game, getting your checks. That's decision making, too. Getting you to the right call, the right play, he's really growing in that aspect, too.

Q. Is he doing as much of that now as he did earlier in the year?
JIMBO FISHER: No, he's getting better and better at it. Getting better and better at it.

Q. Brock Ruble got a lot of playing time. How much more of a complete player is he than last year?
JIMBO FISHER: I think he's more mature. It's another year. He's stronger. Game slowed down. Even sitting back sometimes when he got taken out and just seeing and analyzing and watching and he just is becoming a better football player. And he and Rickie, we feel comfortable developing those two guys at that position that we feel really comfortable with.

Q. What do you like about (inaudible) as quarterback?
JIMBO FISHER: What do I like about him? He's not on my team.

(Laughter.) No, he is a guy, he's a dynamic -- I like him, but he's going to be a pain in the tail. He can throw it, he can move, he can run, he makes good decisions, he's a competitor, he's big, he's strong, he's hard to get down in the pocket, arm strength underneath, run/pass options, throw the ball, I mean he does it all. He's a really, really good player. Really good player.

Q. The fact that he converted three fourth downs in a row, what does that say about the quarterback he is?
JIMBO FISHER: I have great confidence. He's got great confidence. And I think that makes it difficult. Just like Deondre in bringing us back. When you go in those situations you're able to make those plays. And, again, like I say sometimes, part of learning to play on the field is you, once you finally have that success, and you say, you know, I can do this, you know what I'm saying? That's probably a big thing, moment for him too in the kind of game he had.

Q. With the design run with Deondre, what stress does that put on a defense?
JIMBO FISHER: Big time. You saw it on our end. Dual threat quarterback. You forget, we dual threated them back. I mean, and what happens? It makes your linemen better, because angles now, they get better now you're blocking back because you're up a guy. That's what people don't understand. When the quarterback does all that, it's a very dynamic thing. But it's a, your risk of injuries and things like that happen, but it makes everybody on the field better. Because the angles increase. And you have to play both sides and especially when you can throw the football. Changes everything.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I've always had it. We have always had this in the offense. I always done it off and on through the history of my career for the last 16 years. We didn't put anything new in. Something we have always had.

Q. Are you seeing more maturity from your players?
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, they got to. Again, hey, we're talking to you, not at you. We're with you. You got to do that. That's -- when the good teams, I've ever been on, I never usually have to say anything. Those guys grab each other by the face mask or by the throat and say, hey, this ain't going. You got to fix it. You got to get right. You need to do that. On your good teams, you never, as a coach, very rarely ever had to say something like that. When I'm saying this can be a good team and I think that's part of a sign that we're heading in the right direction -- you got to feel comfortable in that role too. You're getting more guys starting to feel comfortable, because like I said, there's not a lot of seniors on this team. Even though guys have played and taking that role it's like, man I'm a sophomore, I'm a junior, can I really do that. Yes, you can. And they're growing into that and that's a good sign.

Q. What are your impressions of UNC's defense?
JIMBO FISHER: Very good. Big physical guys up front. Heavy guys. Thick, strong. Backers are athletic. Two corners are probably playing both in the league. Safeties can tackle well. Play in space well. The nickel, when they go nickel, move 6 inside and bring 5 in. They play another good corner strong. They're a good football team. There will be a quite a few guys off that defense drafted.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Gene's is a great coach. Stability, history, credibility, as far as knowing that he's done it at the highest levels and coached very well. He's just a really good football coach.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Knocking on wood. I didn't say it. I'll kick him.

(Laughter.) No, again, people say -- we kick PAT's every day of practice. Every day. Just like we do everything. We kick them every day. Make them line up, kick 'em and never take them for granted. You got to focus and have the concentration. And they're huge. Until you miss one. You realize that you don't take anything for granted. We work on them and our field goals and our special teams as much as we can. I'm very please with the progress we're making special team-wise. We're doing a really good job.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Getting better. Matthew hadn't played in a year, he's leading us in tackles. Had a couple issues, but all of them had a couple gap issues here and there. But also again up front we can double gap and take some things away and fit safeties better. But they're getting better. When Ro'Derrick is -- Ro'Derrick is taking on a new role now. You got to remember, he's never been the guy making all the calls and doing all that stuff. That's an added burden when you got, when you go into that whole thing of saying, okay, somebody else makes a call and I just play. Now I got to recognize, do all those calls, it's an added burden. He's getting better, he does a great job and he's getting better and their play will continue to get better because they're good players.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: No, you got to do it. You got to get used to doing it. You got to call it quick. It's like you if your boss has you three things to do. All right, he comes next week and you got seven things to do in the same amount of time. You got to make a call, do this, adjust that guy, move that guy, move that guy, make the call. But somebody's got to call the defense, just like a quarterback does. And that's part of that. And you got to do it over in practice, you got to be consistent. That's why I talk about preparation and things and that's why I think we're continuing to grow and get better.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: The other guys around him are doing their job. It's that simple. We're blocking, we're holding up at the line of scrimmage better, we're giving him space, and we're creating things and there's an urgency to do it. And we're -- and if they ain't, we're getting them off there and putting somebody else in there. It's about doing your job. I know people think there's magical formulas and that, and it's just do your job. Do it every day and do it consistently over and over and over until you're bored. And then do it that much -- and when you get bored, do it that much harder, because that's when you get lapse, when you think you got it. Now I joke about this and I use this as an example. Where do most accidents happen when you're driving?

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Why?

Q. Because you're relaxed?
JIMBO FISHER: You're relaxed, it's normal, it's easy, I got this, ain't nothing ever happen, I'm in a comfort zone. And your awareness does not stay up. Same thing when you start playing well at times. It's -- two things happen: You either get board and say, man, I got this. Or you say, sometimes you look and I know you think this is crazy, but there's got to be more to this. It can't be this easy. I got to, there's got, I got to do something over here, I got to do more, I got to do this, I feel like I'm not doing, I'm not doing enough. Because I keep doing the same thing and having success. And people laugh at that and kids do that. Well, of course, if I did that, but I could do that. No. Then all of a sudden that goes away. Or they think, hey, I got it for granted one time and lapse. And it goes back to focus issues. And that's human nature, coaches too. We as coaches. When you coach it, when you prepare, are you saying every detail? Are you saying nine out of ten of them. Or do you say eight out of ten of them. Your intensity, your focus. When I get on the field, I'm the same every day. Try to be. Not saying I'm perfect, nobody's, none of us are. But you got to have the same mindset. And that's where the focus has got to come in.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: They are. They're doing their job and we have tweaked it some, some of the personnel. But a lot of guys are still guys, similar guys. And we have tweaked a few guys here and there. You can't do that technique, we're trying to help you do a little technique like this or double this guy or double that guy or pick the right guys. But again, they're doing a real nice job of doing their job. And taking an urgency to do it and Bobo is doing a great job of getting the punts in the air, not letting balls hit the ground, for the most part, and making good judgments.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Do you? Do you? I'm asking the expert. I'm asking the people with all the opinions. Y'all write all the opinions and give your opinions, give them out now. What's your opinion?

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Now who do you put in there? Who do you put in there? The Ravens, the pro ball, the staff and numbers. You going to go to the AD and get that extra coach now hired in the middle of the season and put that money in there? A get a coach?

Q. It's a lot of money, too.
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, but that's what I say, it's a tough -- I don't know. I think every circumstance is different. But I think that it's a shame that college football's getting to that now. I really do. When I think it's the first sign of? The playoffs. I think they're trying to turn it into pro football. You want to start turning it into pro football, you better be careful. You better be careful what you ask for. Are you saying, when the season is over, if a team don't go to -- so eventually it's going to, go well, if you can't get in the playoffs, team tanks it, says heck with it, we can't go. That's the thing you jeopardize when you start all these playoffs because it's college football not pro football. You guys write it off, well, the season's over, you can't go to the playoff if this team does it, if this team does it, or that team does it. Well, if the kids say it and tank it, then what do you do? Coaches get it, but I mean, it's a fact of things that we're heading toward that we're trying to get like pro football. Do you want to be like pro football? Do you really want to get -- I'm asking, I'm asking the question. I'm not -- I'm not, I mean, I'm just saying. If it is, it is. It is what it is. I'm not -- you deal with what you deal with. But you better be careful.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: No. I've only been a head coach seven years.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Got rid of Terry in the middle of the year at Auburn. Moved around, got rid of some coaches, and we coasted out the season. I'm sorry?

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Finished 3-8. I mean, in that regard. But I'm saying the precedent you're setting for how you want the game to go. I'm not talking about, I'm talking about the big picture of this game. Try to fight for the FCS schools to play. They go under. Then -- and they don't filter down to Division II. Where do all those kids get scholarships and opportunities? And all those kids come from poor minority neighborhoods that don't have the opportunities otherwise, except for athletics. Is that right or wrong? And there's opportunities to get an education and get things. So when you start cutting them out and they're not being able to make a budget and they start -- the school I played at doesn't have football. I seen it. The school I played for does not have football any more. I probably wouldn't be sitting here in front of you. I mean, there's a lot of things that we all want and we all want this big picture and we want this at the end, but we don't look at the big picture of things of how it affects the game itself. The integrity of the game, and what more of it is besides winning a championship. Which we all want. And I'm as competitive as any human being out there. But be careful what you write and what you say and which way you direct people and think about the big picture of what you're trying to do longevity. Not next year, 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the road.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I'm coaching football. Don't throw me in there. I don't listen, I don't talk, I don't do anything.

Q. Have you heard anything about LSU?
JIMBO FISHER: I'm not talking about LSU. No, I haven't. And I'm not talking about that. We're talking about North Carolina.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Here's the problem, you start going all that no-huddle. Even when you score points. You listen to the Eagles? Where are the Eagles this year? 3-0. Playing great defense. How many plays are they on the field a game? 53, the least in the NFL. Because the offense keeps the ball and scores points and they're playing good, they're playing team football. When you get all that things, go running no-huddle things and all that stuff, you go and score points but you put your defense on field, eventually they run out of gas. On defense, the ability to chase people is hard. And when you don't have the depth and the thing, scores are going to go up. Even though you're scoring and leading, people run out of gas. And then you got focus issues, you got kids -- we only got one, have to go play somebody else, 8 minutes to go, 10 minutes to go, and all of a sudden it snowballs and changes. And we played two no-huddle teams this year critical, right, Ole Miss and we set a school record against Ole Miss for 42 minutes of possession. And last week we had 40. One had 18, the other had 20 minutes of possession. So how long was their defense on the field? Understand what I'm saying? I mean, there's -- when you talk about it, that's why. Those, a lot of those teams and that stuff, you have focus issues in kids, not finishing. So if there's a lot of teams having focus issues would you be saying that? And you're putting your defense on the field a lot. All that spectacular stuff. There's a double-edged sword to this game. It's not an offensive gave and a defensive game, it's a team game. And people don't comprehend that. And I say it a lot to writers, because you love the offense, but you don't look at what the affect it has on the whole football team. And then the affect it has on practice by the number of plays you're doing, the number of things, how much you're going to work them in practice, how you can get better. All those things are affected, which is why I use the GPS to give me an actual count of where our kids are and their physical demands from a game on Saturday.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Huge. Could be huge, if the number of plays are high. It could be. Depending how you practice that week, what kind of recovery time, or what you did the week before, how many plays. It's a cumulative effect. You get one week, but is there two or three. Like us something having three games in 12 days and we been on three road trips in 20 days, we've been on three plane trips in 20 days. I mean, those are all factors and reasons for things, they're not excuses, but they're things that you have to factor into your practice schedules, your routines, your mental conditioning, all those things that affect the kids.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Most no-huddle teams, you look at it on two first downs with no-huddle teams, it's almost -- to any no-huddle team, that's crazy. That's a little high. We need to be a lot better than that. But it's momentum and we have lost momentum.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Doing your job and not panicking. A lot of it comes from, okay, here they go, and your inexperience gets you eye -- and you don't stay calm. That's not panic, it's just comfort zone. Okay, they got a first down. Minimize. I always talk about minimize the damage. They do something, even if they get a big -- all right, minimize. They're in the red zone. Minimize. Make them try a field goal. If they make it, okay, we can come back from three. Or they miss the field goal. I think that's from maturity. And sometimes guys, okay, instead of, they got a first down, I got to go back now -- and I get punched in the jaw, I want to go punch them again. No. I want to get my hands up and see what they're doing, defend them, and then hit them. And what I mean by that is keeping your poise in the game and going back, okay, forget that last play, let me play the next play. The next play's the most important. And keep your poise to go back to execute to minimize the damage. And you got to talk like that and you got to teach like that. We practice, we do sudden changes, we'll do things in practice, you know.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Exactly right. And well, it's, and it's just the opposite on offense. Think, all right, if I go three and out, why shouldn't I be able to go out there and score every time? Because they can't get in a rhythm either. And it's who can keep focusing and who fights for, but then who can respond to the other guy, once he slips a jab in my mouth and bloodies my nose, how do I respond to that, can I quit worrying about my nose bleeding and go back to playing football. That's part of growing young teams and maturity of teams that you got to constantly coach and do every day. And that's our job as coaches is to make that not happen.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Good. He's actually, he was actually had a little bit of weight on it the other day, which was shocking. I think, I thought it would be another week and a half before. But he's recovering good, so he's whatever he got and whatever's in that Polk County.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I don't know how you can now. With all the teams you got in your conference. Because you got so many divisional games and if you do that, then you ain't going to be able to schedule a lot of your non-conference games. It depends on what you want to do. But it's great to see, they're a great team, great program, Larry's done a heck of a job.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Deondre is getting better. Emmett is getting better. Emmett made some really nice plays on special teams, he's really learning to fit into the defense now. Tarvarus still had some, he got lined up wrong a couple times, we got him in there on that, you know, in that hurry up deal, it makes them go, he got out of gaps, but he still is playing much better and knows what he's doing, maybe just lined up, like I say, for instance, if he's supposed to be here, he's a foot and a half here, but that makes a difference when you get cut off. But you got to play him, you got to develop him, you got to get him in there, he's doing a really good job. I'm proud of those guys where they're developing at right now, at the pace they're coming, they're getting better.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, four yards or less. On offense it's four yards or more. We have a percentage. We want to be successful four yards or more at least 60 percent of the time on offense. If you do that, your points and scoring and all that -- like us, when we don't have a penalty on a drive, we score about 82 percent of the time. If we don't have self-inflicted wounds or something like that. I got a whole chart on us too on offense, when we do things and don't get behind the eight balls or get behind the chains, I call it self-inflicted wounds, we do stupid things. So yeah, you have success rates on first down, second down. What's your percentages on third down. And by down and distance you know what percentage and what you should stop them on one, two, three to six, three to four, seven to eight, 10 plus, whatever it may be. Those are goals and things we have for offense and defense.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Not necessarily. Not necessarily. Some guys do it by underneath, some guys do it by chunks.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Because there's no rhythm and the defense is set again. You've taken, you've taken the aura of eye violations and it's all based on eye violations and speed. It's delusional, I say delusional. It's illusions of the eye. You're trying to get guys to get lined up and be like this maybe once or twice. And as crazy as that sounds that causes you a half a step. That's space. But once you stop them, then you're setting waiting on them and a lot of them aren't severely complicated. They're isn't a lot they do, because you can't go that fast and have a lot of calls and do a lot of things. So it's based on having that early success to get the momentum to do that. And if they don't, then you're set and ready to go and you make the plays. So a lot of them aren't very -- and that's why you hear the pro guys complain about them on offense and things. When they get to pro ball, because -- and they go real fast -- you got to have one more play. In pro ball they give you a sentence and a half. We give you about a sentence. Okay. But what I'm saying is, so they're not prepared, just calling plays, just saying things. You seen it now with the quarterback at Cal. I mean, that's some of the things they're saying about that, coming from that. I don't know, that's just what I'm hearing and what they say. And so it's a give and take, but it's based on speed and there's not a lot of reads and things you would do at the next level in the NFL. So that's why they don't transition as well consistently as to what goes on.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: He did. Yeah, check and blocking schemes. Checking the look we wanted to run into and how we wanted to block it and what we wanted to do. We have it built into our call and he's able to do that. We teach him what to do and how to do it and where he wants to check it and why he checks it and then adjust everybody on the play.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: If you're going to run the football like that, that's where your big runs come. Those long, long ones where you really get those guys down. We had a couple times where we just missed on them, we had a couple more that could have been like that and their guy got off or we still got about a 15 or 20 yard run, but it almost was 70 yard run. But I'm going to tell you, it's hard to block down field, because the cutting rules aren't the same as they used to be. You can't cut in certain angles like you used to. Think about something. You're running down the field 15 yards and you get your hands on a guy, here comes a guy blocking, you talk about how long you got to hold a block. And then if you have any kind of cloth or grab a guy, what do they do? It's an immediate hold. To do that without holding, that's hard. People laugh about that. That's one of the hardest things to do is block down field and not get a holding call on those long runs, because you got to hold that block for so long for them to get there. It's tough, man, really tough. And that fine line of getting a guy and letting him go, because you got him, you got him, and he starts to go, and you give him a little bit of tug and there's a flag. That's a very, that's a fine art that you have to teach, spend a lot of time on.

Q. Who is the best blocking receiver you had here?
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, KB. When he wanted to. I got some -- he used to bowl them down. He would hit 'em and knock 'em. He, what he learned to do, I go back -- trying to think. Here, Preston Parker was nasty. Preston would hurt you. But most of them would all put their hat on you. The size guy, the bigger guys, I'm trying to think, who am I missing? Dawsey was a phenomenal blocking back. We had some guys at LSU. Michael Clayton was the nastiest I may have ever been around. We still show their videos. I show some of KB's still to our guys. He would take you and dump you clear in the fence. I mean knock you out. Him and Duane Bo were, oh, I'm talking about knock you unconscious. They would -- linebacker, D linemen, if -- you got to watch that video one time about how guys really want to be nasty. Oh, wow. They would probably throw them out now. But I'm going to tell you, Travis did an unbelievable job. Him and Bobo blocked their tails off this week. We had some good ones here. Rod and those guys have all blocked well, but big physical guys make a difference. KB is nasty.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Tremendous ball skills. Got great IQ of the game of football. You see how he sits down in a route and he's got great quickness and acceleration. When he can stick his foot -- he knows how to set you up, change speeds, he knows where the hole is going to be, so he can know where he's trying to get to. And he can start, stop, stick his foot and really be fast. And he's got great ball skills. He juggles the ball and he's got hands. A lot of times those little guys have a hard time, if they ain't got big hands, in those real tight areas. I mean he got ball skills. We tried to recruit him. He's a dadgum hillbilly with from West Virginia. Wouldn't come. He was a -- he was a good player though.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I wasn't, I'm not going to, I don't know who else we got to. He's as good as anybody I've seen. That guys's legit, man as a receiver.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: We're banged up, but everybody is. Derwin is out of there. Josh hopefully will rehab. Surgery went very successful. Exactly what we thought. So just a matter of how he rehabs and gets back. He'll rehab and we'll see. It's just too early yet. And then you got some guys with nicks and bruises, but that's part of the game.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: I'm not going to, I can't answer the question, because I don't know, there's not enough information yet to see. It's just too soon.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, he could have came back in. Had irritation on the foot re-taped him and he could have gone back in. By that time we had got the ball back and had that long drive. So we expect he'll be fine.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: Everybody's always -- we always, as a football player -- they all got ice, they all got -- that's just normal stuff. They all get treated, because they had the surgery in the summer, so that's something they always look at. But I guess he was hurt, right? He wasn't healthy, was he? You don't believe me. I ain't going to lie about that stuff now, I promise you. I ain't going to lie about nothing. But if I know it, I'm going to tell you.

Q. (No microphone.)
JIMBO FISHER: A little bit. He played though. Did good. Fred started playing pretty decent at times we gave him some reps and he did pretty good. We got to keep building that depth.

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