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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 9, 2016

Jimbo Fisher

Greensboro, North Carolina

JIMBO FISHER: Very proud of our team, coming off a very hard-fought victory last week at NC State. Extremely difficult place to play, great game by them, great game by us, two outstanding teams. We were fortunate enough to make one play, got a big drive and got a stop on defense on the four downs at the end and had a lot of young new players in the game that really keep developing, and very proud of their development in what we're trying to do as a team.

Now we have to move on very quickly because we're going right into a shortened week against a very good Boston College team that plays outstanding defense, top 15 in the country on defense, run the football very well, very physical. Very sound in the kicking game. Steve Addazio does a great job with them, so we're going to have to be ready to play on a short week and heal up and get as much practice in as we can and get ready to play on a Friday night.

Questions, please.

Q. Working on a story on the '96 Auburn-Georgia game that went four overtimes. I just wanted to see what your memories were of that game.
JIMBO FISHER: I mean, we threw the ball very well in that game. They had a lot of great players in Champ Bailey and a bunch of guys, and it was an ironic deal. What I remember was we had a sack on them and we were up 28-21 around midfield and we got a sack with like 10 or 12 seconds, and they had no time-outs, and the ball kind of fell on the ground and one of our guys picked it up. They didn't want him to run so they blew it dead and stopped the clock and let everybody line back up, and they threw a Hail Mary and tied it up, then it went into four overtimes and I think we played like 115 or 120 plays and they ended up winning it 56-49 in overtime.

Just a classic -- I mean, just a crazy game. Unfortunately we came on the short end of it. But it was the first -- I think it was the first three or four longest game ever at that time or overtime games in the league and all that, and just a crazy experience, that's for sure. Great game.

Q. Do you happen to remember the final play at the end with the 4th down run with Damian at all?
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, I do. I remember that. The one I keep remembering, though, again, was the sack when we had him and they stopped the clock for some reason with no time-outs. The game should have been over.

I remember him trying to scramble around, get in, do everything, and we were throwing the ball, and I remember we were running out of D-linemen. We were taking guys out of redshirt, D-linemen, having to put them in the game, and they were running plays with counters and things and scoring from 25 yards and we would have to drive it in, and I mean, it was crazy.

Q. Boston College has played you guys close here over the last couple of years. What is it about them that has allowed them to be in such close games with you guys?
JIMBO FISHER: Well, I think they're an outstanding defense. They were one of the top two or three defenses in the country, and they were pretty close with everybody. Last year we were -- on the offensive line they controlled it, then we had a first drive, went down and scored, and then they handled us up -- we couldn't handle them up front on some things, and then missed some easy throws, and the chances we had, but they played very good, very sound in what they did, and they always run the ball.

We played great defense against them. Two years ago down here it was just a game -- we scored with Jameis and those guys down here, and I think we had the ball like eight times, but they shortened the game and played great field position in the game and ran the ball, got a lot of 1st downs and made it like a pro game.

It was a pouring rainstorm and they played really well. But they're a very well-coached team, play great defense. They leverage the ball and play with their hands so well, tackle well, and then of course offensively they're physical and run the ball and they shorten the game.

Q. Do you see anything different with them defensively with the new defensive coordinator that they had this year?
JIMBO FISHER: No. I mean, they're still outstanding. They're still top 15 in the country, and I think they're top 10 in rushing defense, like 110 or 112 yards a game, same type of guys, same type of players, same kind of physicality and how hard they play. Very similar type team.

Q. What have you noticed about DeMarcus Walker to kind of explain why this year he's so good at sacking the quarterback?
JIMBO FISHER: Well, I think he works at his game. He's a guy who works at his craft. He loves ball. We move him around, but he finds ways to get better. When people start stopping him one way, he's working on something else. He's just a relentless player and a relentless competitor and a guy who studies the game. He's not just a guy that bases it on his ability, he's a technician and a student of the game.

Q. Your defense has made strides in the last couple weeks, but talk about 3rd down defense and getting off the field. What have you seen in the last couple weeks that on 3rd and long the defense maybe isn't getting off the field as consistently as you would like, and how do you go about looking to correct that?
JIMBO FISHER: You've got to mix pressures. You've got to mix your coverages. You've got to do a better job of staying in your lanes. We're playing a lot of the young secondary people and guys get a hair out of place or something and guys make plays. We work on it and practice on it every day, and we've just got to keep developing those systems and making sure we get the guys on the right guys and get in the right leverage.

Q. Is it at least encouraging that it's not teams picking up 3rd and 1, 3rd and 2; you're playing well and putting them in position where they're having to convert on those 3rd and longs; is that at least a part of the evolution of this defense?
JIMBO FISHER: It is. You've got to keep winning those 1st and 2nd down battles and then we've just got to finish. That's what I always talk about, situational football. We've just got to continue to grow, and that's part of our development hopefully.

Q. I was watching the final play last week against NC State when the quarterback Finley was rolling out to do their scramble and we got called for the targeting call. I saw something that No. 44 for us got held by a defensive lineman. Did you see that or was it just so quick nobody saw it?
JIMBO FISHER: Well, I mean, people do. You always go back and look at the film, and those officials, they try to make the right calls, and the first calls we see we send them in and then they'll judge on them from there.

When you're pass blocking, somebody is always grabbing and holding, you've just got to do a good job of getting loose and not giving up the edge.

Q. And also talking about Boston College, they're a tough team. The last time we played them last year, 14-0 up there in Chestnut Hill. Are they different this time?
JIMBO FISHER: No, they're still a very good defensive football, outstanding. Run the football very well. The quarterback is getting much better. He can run it and they mix in throwing the ball much better, so they're a very similar type team. This is a very good football team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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