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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 2, 2017

Jimbo Fisher

Tallahassee, Florida

JIMBO FISHER: First and foremost, I would like to say that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Las Vegas with everything they're dealing with, the things that are going on with those families and things, and we sat and talked about a football game, we talk about our jobs and everything that goes on and how quick things can happen and what happens in this world, and it's a shame, and my heart and prayers and thoughts go out with everyone involved in that situation, and I hope everything turns out for the best as much as it possibly can. God bless them.

After saying that, after looking at the film of the Wake Forest game, very proud of our game. In one way I thought they competed very hard in the game. I thought we learned to make plays at the right time when we had to make plays, which is something we had to get over, making some 3rd down critical throws, converting the last drive, great job in special teams with a great punt, great three-and-out. I thought the defense, even though in the game at times played really well, gave up a couple plays, but then had three straight three-and-outs at the end of the game when it was very critical. I thought our kids wanted to win and completed extremely hard. We made plays on offense, on special teams, on defense at critical times in the game.

Now, saying all that, offensively we had way too many tackles for loss, got to stop the penetration, got to get communication with the guard and tackles and those guys when they're together, which you know just in technique things, had a couple guys get banged up, but that's no excuse. I think small stuff we've got to clean up some blocking outside at wide out. We had some chances to make some really big plays on things that really could have came out and helped us a bunch there. Got to do a better job in that regard.

But still ran the ball positively for over 200 yards at times in the game. Did some really nice things there, were physical in the game. James made plays at the end when he had to. Red zone opportunity, we had unfortunately in the game two touchdowns called back that was taken off the board, which I think were very pivotal situations. One would have put us up eight, one would have been an opening kickoff touchdown that put us up -- had great momentum coming in there. Got to get some of those things. We'll look at those things and get their opinions back from what was called and how it was called and see what we did right and see what we did wrong.

Defensively, though, I thought we played RPOs good. I thought Kyle Meyers really stepped up and made some plays, went in the slot and played the little guy really good, allowed us to free Derwin up. I thought Matthew Thomas did some outstanding things in the game, had 10 tackles, led us in tackles, had two sacks, a couple tackles for loss, did a really nice job -- I thought Tarvarus McFadden played one of his best games of the year, played really good in that regard there. It was good to see D-Jack finally getting back in shape and getting healthy enough to go out there and play, and I thought he had a great mindset and played well when he played in the game.

Derrick Nnadi did a really good job clogging things up inside in that regard. Ricky Aguayo I think was the special teams player of the week in the conference, was outstanding in kicks, making four kicks, was outstanding in that regard, the extra points. As you're coming down to that -- and an extra point was as big in that game as anything.

They had missed one, and we had another outstanding kickoff return by Keith that set up when we were down nine points, it set up a return back, and our guys responded very well. And in that regard, punting the ball, I thought Logan was outstanding. He had the one punt that come off the side of his foot, which he had to drop, it just come off his hand wrong, but other than that had some really nice punts in the day. Thought he punted the ball extremely well.

I thought we covered well except for that one, and had the bad penalty right there on the side by Hamsah which we had them pinned up because they had a clip and then we got two penalties where we could have really pinned them back. We've got to eliminate those penalties. Had a big one on the screen that was there, and we'll see what the interpretation of that one is that was a very pivotal thing.

But I thought our kids competed, thought we made good adjustments at halftime, come out and got a great stop on defense, had a heck of a drive on offense to get back and get control of the first drive of the second half. Finished the first half like we wanted, finished the first half, started the second half. A lot of positives, and there's some things that are very close and some things that -- things, like I say, some things are close, but they can be far if you don't get them corrected, and we've got to get better in a lot of those areas. We've got to eliminate the tackles for loss and some of the sacks, and like I say, one or two James got to get rid of it, but at the same time, we've got to protect a lot better and give him some decisions, and we had a couple chances down on the field to make a couple plays. We had a big drop on a post route early in the game there that we had a chance to -- that we could have made a play. And we're just inches. So we've got to keep fighting and do those things.

But again, happy the way we competed, found ways to make plays when we had to, and that's a huge step. Now we've got to take the next step as our opponent is really good, and Miami is a heck of a team. You watch them on defense, their defensive front is very well, the linebackers are very experienced, very athletic, and the secondary very quick. Playing so much man coverage, now you can see they have confidence in those guys. Their quarterback is doing a good job. Mark Walton is heck of a running back. The receivers are -- they've got -- getting them all back, Berrios, getting him in there, he does a great job on the return game, young kid does a great job kickoff return, and then getting their big receiver ready to back, which he had four catches, 100 yards, had the big guy drag route there, had a couple go routes and had a drag route that broke out for a big touchdown in the key component of the game. They've got a good team, they've got a really good team. They're playing well. Mark does a great job coaching them, and we've got to get ready to play. Ought to be a great Miami-Florida State game.

Q. How banged up is your offensive line?
JIMBO FISHER: They're pretty banged and bruised, but I think we're going to be okay. We expect most of those guys all to be healthy, just some injuries, and that's things they've got to fight through, but they got back on rehab right after the game and did some things that really helped them there, then on Sunday got back in early and have been on top of it, and very optimistic and feel very good, and hopefully should be at practice today.

Q. (Indiscernible).
JIMBO FISHER: No, same thing. Both of them just got injuries.

Q. Derrick Kelly, is he in the same boat?
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, he was in -- yeah. But look, really good, and expecting, I think, all of them will practice today. I don't like to get real -- I don't mean that in a bad way, but I don't like to get real detailed on all the injuries. They're all lower extremity, upper extremity, some of those things. But know what I'm saying? I hope you understand that.

Q. I assume it's a combination of both, but how much of the offensive line issues were communication, how much of it was they just got beat by a play?
JIMBO FISHER: A couple times it was technique. A little bit of communication but got beat. A couple times on those short yardage, our tight end situation, which we usually play out, so we've been -- Izzo has been playing outstanding. He had a solid game. But we had Mavin in there who did a good job at times. We missed a couple little things there that could have helped us in that situation, too, in what we did. But the offensive line has got to clean that up and do a better job. And trying to do too much at times, a little bit, times trying to go too hard and got out of control, trying to do a little bit too much, know what I mean, trying too hard at some things. But there's no exception -- that can't happen, and they know it, and the thing about it, like I say, they're banged and bruised, and what I love about their attitude, man, them guys are ready to get right back in there. There ain't no backing away, and they know they've got to get better. A combination of both, to answer your question.

Q. Is this Miami team about as good as you've seen them?
JIMBO FISHER: I've seen some pretty good ones. I thought they were good -- they've been good for about every year we've played them. They've had some top eight, ten teams, know what I mean, or 10 or 12, but this is a really good one. I think they're playing with a great confidence, and it's just typical Miami team, great players, very well, playing really good, and like I say, they've had -- the last two, three years had eight, nine guys drafted a year, had eight or nine last year, had eight or nine the year before that. I think they'll have a bunch again. I mean, it's very similar looking team.

Q. You mentioned Tarvarus. He looks so physical on those bubbles. Is that something you've been wanting to -- I mean, he's shown that at times.
JIMBO FISHER: Well, you've got to remember, he had the torn labrum the whole time last year. I mean, when your labrum is torn and you play with those, that's football, because there's no more damage and they guard him, and you don't like to -- it's like when you have a sore tooth, you don't like to eat on that tooth when you have -- shoulder hurts like that, it allows him to be, and that's one of the things he is, the size and physicality of being that big corner and being healthy, and he's a -- he has that mentality anyway, know what I'm saying, so allows him to be that way.

Q. As far as Ricky is concerned, have you seen anything different in what he's done at practice or maybe extra bit of confidence?
JIMBO FISHER: Well, I mean, I think when you have success and working it real hard, we were pressing at times and the kicks and the protection and saying that we -- but we kick every day. We kick every day with rushes and live rushes every day, at least a couple, to get those things done, and he's just putting in a lot of good, hard work. Like I said, the first game in the Alabama game, you go back, that had nothing to do with Ricky. That was a block that -- I don't care if the greatest kicker in the world would have kicked it. It was going to be blocked. And then he missed the first one -- and then he has success. Just a matter of getting back in the groove and getting it done.

Q. Jacques had a big run, Cam had a big run --
JIMBO FISHER: Again, I didn't mention that, Jacques was outstanding in the game. Jacques was outstanding in the game, I mean, catching the ball out of the backfield, blocking, picking up blitzes, running with authority, running physical. That goal line run he made down there, I mean, pushing the pile, and I'm going to tell you, you didn't notice on those screens, being tackled about seven yards deep on a 3rd and 9 or 10 and taking his body and running through tackles and getting that extra, I thought he was outstanding in the game. I really do.

Q. Between him and Cam, are you starting to get in a little bit of a rhythm?
JIMBO FISHER: Yeah, we are, and we've got -- like I say, the good thing that Jacques did staying physical. Cam I thought played well in the game. Again, we'll talk to him, every run is not a touchdown. He's got to take some of those runs, and a couple of those losses and some things should have been one-yard gains or one-yard losses, ended up seven or eight-yard gains because he keeps wanting to -- which is -- listen, you'd rather say whoa than giddy-up. That's a learning curve part of growing up and learning to play, and I said this before, I had the same thing with Dalvin. Dalvin would come off frustrated and mad and he'd have a six-yard run or a four-yard run or a three-yard run sometimes. Listen, that's what was there. That's a good play.

And you know, learning to just understand and just keep doing those big play -- his big plays will come, and he does some -- he's doing some outstanding things.

Q. How long did it take Dalvin to --
JIMBO FISHER: I don't know, it was a while. You've got to remember, Dalvin wasn't even playing at this time. I mean, he wasn't even getting reps, and I mean, very little. Know what I mean? And so, you know, it was over halfway through the year or more, and then we hit it. But we also were very experienced at quarterback, and I know people had to take pressure off of him because we were throwing the football so well, and you had Jameis, and it wasn't the same kind of burden, either.

Q. You've been able to have success --
JIMBO FISHER: Our thoughts are with Dalvin today, too. I don't mean to interrupt. Too bad to see what happened to him yesterday, too. Dadgumit.

Q. When you've been able to have success against a rival for a little bit of time in the way you guys had, does it mean something to your team, especially the upperclassmen, the seniors, to kind of be the ones that keep that going?
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, no doubt. I mean, you always want to keep that going. I mean, you know, because you understand the importance of the rivalry. It's one of the reasons you play at Florida State. It's one of the great rivalries in college football.

The thing about it, you have great respect for Miami. Listen, they're a great team. They do everything -- I mean, this game is always a physical, hard-fought, and it's one of the things I always loved about watching it when I wasn't part of this. I mean, you saw the intensity, and I think you'll see the same thing.

But yes, it's definitely -- you want your legacy of how you play against them to be very good, just like they want their legacy to be good against Florida State.

Q. When you went back and watched the film, what did you think of Blackman's performance?
JIMBO FISHER: I thought he played a solid game, had some things that he could have done better. There was a couple things -- it was interesting, some things were just a hair off, even on protection where they made him move off a spot. In other words, and it wasn't a bad block. We're just running the guy back, and he has to just move off a spot, and it caused him to be just a tad late on a throw, and we run a good route. I mean, that's it, we're running good routes, get open, maybe he has to move a tad off, or when he's there, the route don't quite get -- I mean, it's very close in a lot of areas, and I thought he played a solid game because, listen, he had -- one thing, a little better ball security, got stripped in the pocket one time when he went to through, and you've got to keep those two hands on the ball no matter what, you've got to take it, and when there's pressure, but didn't have a turnover, made big 3rd down throws at the end when the game was on the line, threw a dart to win the game in the second game out on the road on the victory against an undefeated team, and what we did, I mean, I was happy. There's a lot of positives, but there's a lot of things which we have to improve and get better. There's no doubt.

Communication on the field, things like that, he did a real nice job. Saw blitzes, saw fronts, saw different things and can communicate coming off. Could have made a couple decisions in a different area and had some plays be made there, and we dropped a couple. I think that's the matter, too, because the way that game went, then we did get in a rhythm. He hits a screen and we pick it up and you start to get in a rhythm, and all of a sudden you get a penalty, and you get there. There was never a rhythm.

I said this after the game, the game was kind of a game of extremes where you made big plays, and then both teams would do it, know what I mean? Get it and all of a sudden stop or have a penalty or have something in that way. So we've got to get more consistent, which I think will help him get in a better groove as our team does, but he's got to do that, too. So he was okay in the game, not -- but again, don't go out there turning it over on the road playing a good headed game, making a throw to win the game, making a big 3rd down throw and two drives in the fourth quarter that he led us down to points and we were behind, I think it's a big deal.

Q. Jimbo, referring to that 3rd and 20 pickup, how big was that, and what was the primary --
JIMBO FISHER: It was a route, it was vertical routes, half and half, and he stuck it in a hole and felt very comfortable with the way they rotated the coverage and had enough room over there and stuck it in there. Had an option on the other side, too, but that's the one he went with.

What I loved about it, he was convicted -- he had conviction in it and he threw it with authority and didn't second-guess, which young guys at times will do that, know what I mean? I said, listen, live in the moment. You've got to go play. That's what I love about him in the game. Even when things don't go well, he has the ability to respond back and not go in a shell, know what I'm saying, because that could have been a frustrating game, know what I'm saying, how we were doing, things that were going on. But then you get frustrated like I've got to do more, and all of a sudden you throw a pick.

From that standpoint, guys, that is a huge, huge development for a young player. You're in a tight game like that, even when things aren't going well, you can feel, I've got to win the game, and you try to do too much, as I say, know what I mean? And make a critical mistake.

But he made it, made a good decision and stuck it in there, made a heck of a throw, and then Keith made a heck of a catch. Again, Keith made two big plays in that game. Having that catch and that big kickoff return was great.

Q. You mentioned Derrick Nnadi earlier; how much is it helping him to have Fred Jones, Arthur Williams, the guys behind him that keep him fresh?
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, no doubt, you have to have a rotation, and you've got to develop players for the future. And Marvin even getting -- Marvin got in there more and more to play. He got in there seven, eight, nine plays. He was doing a really good job. You can see his development coming on. Stanford Samuels is another young freshman who's doing some really good things. Again, getting Amir back in the game at running back, getting a three-man rotation is really good. Just got to keep developing, getting Mavin back on the field a little more, know what I'm saying, in some areas. I think that's all really good. By the way, I thought Vickers, if you go look at that film, Vickers did a heck of a job inside blocking and doing some really nice things in that football game.

Q. Going back to James when you said not going into a shell, is that kind of half the battle, trying to --
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, no doubt, because when you're young, you feel like you've got -- all right, you're the quarterback, I've got to go do everything. I've got to go -- and it's young, and you feel like, okay, I'm the new guy, so they're going to expect, and the expectation -- here's the quarterback's job: Put your team in position to win the game. And sometimes that means -- maybe it's not making plays all over the field. It's making good decisions, making smart, intelligent decisions with the ball. When it's time to be aggressive, you're aggressive. But if you do it, do it aggressively and intelligent so the misses are in the right place, making the right checks, being patient, know what I'm saying? And I thought he had great patience -- showed great patience in the game for a young guy. And there's some things I definitely want him to do better. But at the same time, that's a huge growth, and you don't feel that pressure to go out there and do too much and make a huge mistake. That's a -- I mean, that's a huge growing point and maturity thing for him, what he went through this weekend.

Q. What can be done to get Noonie more involved in the offense?
JIMBO FISHER: Well, get open, running good routes, plus he's involved, I promise you. Him and Izzo, all those. We had about six balls caused the tight end. We had a nice one, they tackled him. That one, we got that interference when they tackled him, we had a chance to have a really big play. And we had that one, and got to catch balls, got to get open, got to work on how his routes. He ran a great -- like he ran a great corner route that time, and he had to move off the spot, and when we had to throw up and ended up being like a double catch, he -- that was caused James -- I mean, we'll keep throwing it to him, and got to -- we had about eight or nine routes called to him.

Q. He's a kid that thinks -- he thinks he's probably one of the best receivers in the country; how frustrating has it been for him? Has he talked to you? I'm sure you don't care, but does he talk to you about getting the ball?
JIMBO FISHER: It frustrates me, yeah, I do, because it's our team and him making plays, but at the same time, he's got to run the routes right. He's got to do -- he's got to be in the right place and do things, which he's doing. He's practicing very hard, and we'll get in a rhythm and do it. I mean, it has been just last couple weeks, it's been Auden and George happened to be the week before. I mean, there's opportunities. I mean, in the first game he had some opportunities, and -- where we were there. This game it wasn't -- there was some there, we called for him, and somebody got open, we couldn't -- we had pressure or things -- if you go to look at the film, sometimes he'd get open or any of them, we'd have a pressure, all right, then we'd be ready to throw, and all of a sudden they'd slip or just typical things. We're just -- you've got to get in sync, and it's not that far off.

Q. Has he made strides from last year at this time until now?
JIMBO FISHER: I mean, he's working, yeah. He's getting better. He knows what he's doing a lot better.

Q. Miami's defense, is this the best defense you've seen in a very long time?
JIMBO FISHER: It's one of them. It definitely is. I mean, they've had a lot of guys -- they had a lot of guys drafted last year off that defense, had a lot of those guys. But they've had a couple of them up there. But yeah, their front, the way their front is playing, Jackson and Thomas and them outside, north on inside, all those guys, the three linebackers are doing a heck of a job, secondary. It's definitely one of them. They're a really good defense. They really are.

Q. I don't think you've run that well against Wake Forest in the last few years --
JIMBO FISHER: We haven't.

Q. Was that a concerted effort going into it, and how happy --
JIMBO FISHER: Well, I thought on the road, being there, the way they played, I wanted to be physical. I think it was important for him to do things, and establish the line of scrimmage and help him -- help the young quarterback on the road, and we needed to get the running game going for the future of what we wanted to do, and we thought we had an advantage being able to do that at times, and it was something that we wanted to do and wanted to make a concerted effort to do.

Q. There's chatter about the team not looking like they're having enough fun or things like that, but does that come with --
JIMBO FISHER: Having success. You have fun when you have success. Chatter, I mean --

Q. There's a lot of people asking like why doesn't this team look like it's having fun.
JIMBO FISHER: Well, because they haven't had success, and because you're in tight games, you're playing big people. If you have -- when you have success and you're doing things well and you're playing well, listen, that's when it's fun. I mean, that's when you're playing well and do the things you've got to do. You've got to play well and have success to have fun. I mean -- and then understand it's a grind and it's tough, and then you go. I mean, nothing has been any different than we've ever done, and just got to coach and do a good job.

Q. With lack of touchdowns in the red zone, is there a group of common things that you're seeing on film for --
JIMBO FISHER: Well, we had a penalty, we had one called back, and we had a nice drive down there. Like I say, we took a chance, missed one by inches, had a nice -- we scored on another one. I think we had two for three or three for whatever it was, two for four, whatever it was. We had one called back. That's the one that had a penalty. Just got to get better and do what we're doing. Keep practicing. It's execution and being physical in the run game, which we did, and find the right passes and the right things. Keep doing what we're doing.

What we did before is nothing wrong, we'll keep improving and keep getting the guys in the right position.

Q. For Amir to get carries late in the fourth quarter of a tie game, what's that say about the progress he's made and the trust --
JIMBO FISHER: Have great confidence in Amir. We have great confidence in him. I have said it all along, he's going to be a huge part of what we do. We're only one quarter of the way into the season, and what's happening, and just got to -- he'll keep getting his at bats and the things he does. He was in the game a bunch at NC State if you go back. We threw a screen to him, we had a big play to him that we didn't get protected, and then we had a couple other runs that we could have -- we had RPOs with that had a chance. I have total confidence in Amir going down there and doing things.

Q. What's impressed you about Malik Rosier?
JIMBO FISHER: Composure, decision making, athletic, has made -- he's improved every week throwing the ball down the field, and again, he's -- great run action, naked boot guy, good on RPOs, decision making, accuracy. I mean, he's done a great job taking care of the football, hasn't made many mistakes.

Q. You coached against Miami when you were at LSU; I don't know if you coached against them at other places, but does it feel -- it has to feel different here in that the 2007 game, is that when you first got the sense of the FSU-Miami rivalry as actually being a part of it?
JIMBO FISHER: It is different, but when we played them before, again, we played them in a bowl game I think in '05, we were both top 10, so it was a pretty intense deal for that one, but I mean, it is different here. But I know the history -- it's not -- I don't know if it felt any different because I knew the history, and I was -- I love Florida State, and so I kind of lived a lot of those games with them at the time, know what I'm saying? So it's like any other rivalry that you've been a huge part of. But I felt it myself because of just my -- I think my knowledge of Florida State. I don't know if it was any more, but I mean, I understood the importance of it and how big it was.

Q. Weekly officiating question: On the one where they reviewed the play --
JIMBO FISHER: Corey will get mad at you. Write an article on him, Corey. (Laughing.)

Q. They reviewed a long catch. Were they checking to see if he was inbounds before the catch? There was a completion, then they reviewed it, and then they went to a time-out. It looked like you guys had momentum, and then --
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, yeah, he stepped out and then did he reestablish because he got pushed out, did he reestablish back inbounds, which is a big momentum swing, too, which is --

Q. And then they went to a media time out.
JIMBO FISHER: I know. I know. And then, you know, I thought there was a couple situations in the game which they hurried the punt team on and didn't cover the ball because that's a -- that's like a personnel change, so you've got to let us substitute. I mean, they ran them out. So I couldn't -- and then once on a penalty, they moved the penalty, which -- and listen, their officials, I like those guys, but they moved the ball back on me, so I made a third call based off where they moved the ball, then they moved -- then they said it was declined. Well, then I couldn't -- then they moved the chains -- I didn't know what down and distance it was, and they didn't communicate it to me, so I got to waste a time-out in the red zone because that's a critical call, and we ended up getting a 1st down on the play, on I believe the next one I think it was, but that -- in saving those -- so in the second half, by saving those three time-outs how critical that was, but in the first half we had two situations that I never -- I didn't even know what was going on, and it was not from anything that we did wrong, know what I'm saying, that was critical and that. But when you stop the game -- I understand getting it right, but man, I just wish it didn't have to go to a commercial time out, know what I'm saying, to get that ruling that he was inbounds and go.

But anyway, they made a nice call on Derwin knowing that was a targeting, too, going back and reviewing that, and that was a great review.

Q. It's the 30-year anniversary of the 1987 Miami-Florida State game where Bobby went for two. 40 seconds left, down by one, and those rules; would you have gone for two --
JIMBO FISHER: Play action rail route, I know, tried to throw it to Pat Carter in the right end zone.

Q. And I think Ronald Lewis was wide open in the middle of the field.
JIMBO FISHER: That's not -- it was a post route. You say that, but it wasn't a read on the play, and the quarterback can't see it because he's got his back turned to it. I know the play.

Q. So you ran that play; would you have gone for two in that spot? Would you have kicked a field goal?
JIMBO FISHER: I don't know, that's the heck of a thing. Listen, Bobby did it, and he wanted to win. He always said the story, he sent the field goal -- the PAT team on, the players talked him out of it, know what I mean, because they wanted to win and have the win, and I understand because they had had the lead the whole game.

But you know, that's the decision sometimes. You don't ever know. You have to be in that situation. I mean, in hindsight, if he'd have kicked it, maybe they win the national championship, but at the same time they're going for the win, so you don't doubt that. You get your best player and do it. I mean, I don't know. I mean, those are things you've got to make at the spur of the moment and where your team is at. Also, just like he always said, puntrooskie, I mean, making the puntrooskie call, why did he do that? Anybody know? Yeah, 21-21, backed up on his own 20. Why would you do that?

Q. You want to win the game?
JIMBO FISHER: Why else would you do that? Depends on the season and the situation. What happened earlier in the year? And if they lost another one, would they be in it? Probably had a lot to do with it. Know what I'm saying? Depends on how your season goes, where you're at, what you've still got on the line, what you've got at stake, know what I'm saying? I mean, there's a lot -- I don't mean that -- what time of year you're at, things like that. There's a lot that goes into those. I mean, if you make them, you're a hero; if you don't, you're a bum.

Because then think about this: He didn't do it with Florida in the '94 game. He kicks it, and because now your team battles back so hard to tie it, you can take the heart out of them by missing it, know what I'm saying? And to be honest with you, Corey, there's not an answer. I know that sounds crazy for a coach. It means it's all based on where your season is at, what's going on, how's the flow of the game, your kids, I mean, there's a lot of things that go into that decision that for us at least in my mind -- and I've talked to Coach Bowden about all those big decisions because I want to learn. I did all the coaches. Those are things you sit and have conversations, why did you go for two there, why didn't you go for two here, why did you go for two here, why didn't you go for two there, and those situations. A lot of it basically came back to how hard the kids -- and how much they put into it, and could you afford the loss if you had it, could you not afford the loss, could you -- momentum of the game, type of season. I mean, it's -- there's a ton of things that go into that decision making.

Q. Do you have any plays up your sleeve in the same sense?
JIMBO FISHER: Oh, yeah. I mean, we always have things. I mean, we always have things. We all do.

Q. I wanted to ask about your postgame speech to the players. I guess we'll find out this week or the rest of the season how they respond to it, but after the game, after that game and what you said to your players, how important was it for you to just -- kind of just grab your attention and hope they grasped and soaked in that message?
JIMBO FISHER: That's what you do with all kids, hope they listen and learn and don't take anything for granted and understand what it's like when you sit in front of them every day and you talk to them. Are they here -- they just listening to the words, or are they hearing the words or are they listening to the words, know what I'm saying? There's a reason we talk. I mean, and it's -- but you know, that's kids, and that's the way you are with your own kids, know what I'm saying? I mean, it's everything. And understand how much we care for them, but understand we want them to do things the right way and how we can put our minds right and do -- and put everything in the past and go. You have a chance to do things special.

Q. Beating Wake after the way the season started, do you get the sense that your players are going to use this as a turning point in the year?
JIMBO FISHER: I hope so, and I think it's a learning curve, and I think it definitely felt good. I think -- I just know this: How they felt in that locker room. That's what we talk about a lot of times; how do you want to feel afterwards, and work backwards. I mean, the feeling you want after the game, you know. But just -- the big thing is put your heart and soul, prepare for it and put your heart and soul in everything you do, and I promise you this: They may make mistakes when they get mad, and I do, too. I get frustrated as heck, I mean mad. But do we ever think they do it on purpose? No. But sometimes you do. You've got pressure, you've got things that go on, you've got reads. You've got some guys learning. Some guys can deal with pressure, some guys can't. And then they get confidence. All of a sudden that same player three weeks later looks like he should be -- he's a nine-time All-American, and three weeks ago he can't make a block or he can't take a tackle or he can't make a catch or he can't run. It's not there. Just you've got to put them in position and they've got to get confidence and they've got to do it, and I know that sounds crazy to y'all, why can't you do that. Why can't anybody do that in anything? That's just -- that's life. That's what you've got to fight through, and that's what we're doing right now, fighting and grinding through that.

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