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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 23, 2017

Jimbo Fisher

Tallahassee, Florida

COACH FISHER: After watching the film, you can see things that are really good and things that are not good at key moments. And that's kind of where we're at as you really watch it. We've got to learn to respond to challenges of the moment and that's going to be the key are to us in going forward.

And it has been. And I think that's what we're still in the process of learning right now. And you have to meet the challenge of the moment, whenever it was -- those key moments, those key situations, and things that we've always been able to do, but we have to learn to continue to do that.

And unfortunately, you learn through adversity. And you're learning -- the way that happens, you have to go through the experience, you've got to feel them. And I'll be honest with you, we feel awful. There's no easy way to say that loss is going to go away. That loss ain't going away.

You have to use it. It eats us up. It makes, coaches feel awful, we as players feel awful, we as an organization feel awful, just like the fans do. There's no problem with that. I understand that.

But what you gotta do is take those adverse moments and learn from them. And learn what that feels like, and make it be the ingredients that helps in your development as a player, as a coach in everything you do. And you've got to get them to think about the basics and the things they have to do to execute in those moments and be able to play.

Like I say, I mean, it's just things that have to -- as I said, life experiences you go through. And not from lack of want to, it's not from lack of practice, it's not from lack of anything.

We have to learn to handle those moments and do our best in those exact moments. Like I say, I always say you can be 3-for-3 in a baseball game, have no significant hits. You can be 0-for-3 and get the hit with two outs in the ninth that drives in two runs and be a hero. I think that's what we're going through.

The kids have to learn that and they have to understand that. And we as coaches have to keep preparing them to understand it, put them in position, make sure the fundamentals, the basics, the things we ask them to do they understand and they do, and for them to relax and do them.

Like I say, it's got to be -- that's got to be the ingredient to motivate you to go forward, so that feeling doesn't happen again.

But as far as their heart, their desire, their competitive nature, the ability to bounce back, the ability to fight, scratch and claw, I don't question that at all. And I don't question the other stuff, that we have to a better job as coaches to get them to understand that. And that's my job and our coaching job.

And I'll stay on our coaches to be detail-oriented on every aspect of the game, everything they teach, I'll be detailed with them. I'll be detailed with the guys that I interact with when I coach. And we'll go right back up there, line up, play, and go at it again. That's about how we've got to go.

As far as there were a lot of good things in the game, guys made some big plays and young guys getting better. Offensively, great stretches on defense. (Indiscernible) the first drive and then had a bunch of three-and-outs. They got a score. Had the huge fourth down stop, fourth and one, fourth and two. They were in field goal range to kick a field goal to go ahead, and we stopped them and have a tremendous drive all the way back down, execute and just unfortunately put the ball in. We handed it off with a four technique and it fell out.

So there was a lot of good things on offense, battled back, 28-14 and do that, have a good opening, opened up drives very well. Red zone, we're 3-for-3. Third down, 50 percent again. All those things are going up, increasing.

But again it goes back to playing key moments and you've got to be able to do that and get them ready to do that and keep coaching.

Q. You said on a Saturday you've got to get your coaches to coach them better and look at every detail of what you're doing. Do you still feel confident that your coaches can put your players in a best position to win?
COACH FISHER: No doubt. I think we're in position to win. We're in a position to make a play. We're right there to make a play. We just have to execute them and do them and get them confident and thinking the right things. What I mean by that is when you're up there -- and I'm talking about going these adverse moments -- sometimes you're thinking about the result. Man, I want to make a play here. I want to get a stop here. I want to guard the guy.

No, you've got to think about how am I going to guard the guy? How am I going to block the guy? How am I going to throw the ball? How am I going to hand it off? It's the details and the fundamentals about -- and I know that sounds crazy, but you get outcome-oriented instead of process-oriented in the biggest moments because you want to win. You say, man, I want this. I want to do it so hard.

And all of a sudden sometimes you forget one little fundamental that lets a guy beat you in a block or get open on you or jam you at the line of scrimmage or you look at the wrong thing as a quarterback just for a second.

(Indiscernible) think of and get them to understand how to think of the fundamental things in those big, big key moments. And we keep putting those situations out there.

Q. When you, staying on that subject, when you evaluate this program within a year, this team, where do you find the balance between (inaudible) -- right now you're 2-4, but you're literally three, four plays away from being 5-1. How do you find the balance with what maybe needs to change and what is really close to being good again?
COACH FISHER: I do that at the end of every year. When we were 13-0. When we were 10-3. When we were 12-1. Those things -- it's always been, I keep saying this, it's very close.

That's where you as a coach, you have to make the adjustments, and then you have to make whatever changes you need as far as what your schemes are, what you're going to do, how you change this part of your program, how -- that's why I'm constantly -- those are the things I talk about all the time when you're trying to add an operations building.

To be able to get -- I know that sounds not a time for that -- what I'm saying, do I have room to do this, do I have something to do this, can I have resources and money to be able to go and invest in this or bring in consultants or bring in people who help change and act.

It's an ever-changing thing even when you're winning. It's not that you want things, but you're constantly trying to stay ahead of the curve in everything you do.

And we evaluate it from nutrition to weights to offseason. I mean, you guys have no idea the amount of time and how we strain and stress over every -- 365 days a year and every hour they spend, whether it's academic, how much time in study hall, how can we make study hall more efficient, how can we make school more efficient, how can we do this to take stress -- whether it's taking stress off the kids, whether it's (indiscernible) or this.

That whole process is what we have to do and we do it every year. That's something you constantly have to do. That's why I constantly ask for different things, money, resources, the things you have to have us. Because if you're not doing that, even when you're 13-0, a lot of behind-the-scenes things, it hurts. Sometimes you have resources to do it, sometimes you don't. So you have to adjust and adapt.

Q. Obviously the offense has had, seems like all season had injuries and things like that. Defensively, though, how would you rate -- how would you evaluate how the defense is --
COACH FISHER: I don't want to give a grade because I haven't -- I kind of grade weekly on how we're doing and what we think are progressing and how we're doing it. We've had some huge moments. But again we've had those moments where we haven't had the critical plays at the critical moments on offense or defense, you know what I'm saying? And that's, where I see it, the biggest things we have to improve is understanding, like you said, those three or four or five plays away, making those.

Because for the seven years we've been here we've made those plays. We've made them. And why we're not making them, and understanding how to get those kids to think the right way, like I said, not thinking, but sometimes when you're in a place that has success, well you think, oh, we're going to win it. We always do. Or I want to win -- or the pressure is on me; I want to win it so bad. They want to win so bad.

As coaches, but get them to think, okay, this is the play, we're going to win or lose based off what I do and this is what I've got to think to make that work. And I think that's the thing where I think the big evaluation is. I'm not grading the defense at midpoint.

I think that's the biggest thing I see right now is our issue from not having a really successful season right now to what we're doing right now.

Q. You talked about Jacques Patrick's injuries. Can you talk more about that, did it happen Saturday?
COACH FISHER: Happened in the game. And Jacques, his body doesn't swell. Usually when you get a guy, (indiscernible). Usually when guys do that it swells up or an ankle. Jacques, even when steps forward, an ankle injury, he would never swell. His body didn't swell. So he said my knee feels funny, but I'm all right. And he played on it.

Couple times he'd come out and say my knee, just for a second, give me a second. Sometimes I see strain or stress it, which in football things like that happen all the time. And even on Sunday, he was limping but he was okay. We said let's get an MRI on this -- I always tell Jake to do that all the time. And then he saw that it was torn.

Q. And on that note, obviously you guys have a lot to get ready for, but could you talk about moving on without him, especially his leadership --
COACH FISHER: Leadership. It's just overall knowledge, and what y'all don't understand, I say that backs, tight ends, all those guys that interact with chipping on pass protection, how to know on a certain blitz and guys when you can -- all right, I've got to help, which lineman I'm helping? I get certain looks, okay, I'm going to help that linemen on that blitz. Or if I do that I can't, knowing how to help that guy.

A lot of knowledge and experience from him -- now, the way he's running the football, he's doing a great job, running with power, catching the ball. But blocking, chipping, all the little nuances that kind of go unnoticed but as a football coach you love.

That's the big thing you've got to replace with him. That's why I was so happy and I've been bragging on him so much. Not just the results of the runs, which we all see. It's the team aspect and him being a team leader and all the things he's been doing.

It hurts -- he broke down and cried. I about did too with him. It hurt me to have him do it because it means everything to him.

Finally all the little things were clicking for him, you know what I'm saying? And it's a shame, it really is.

Q. On that note, Jacques is the kind of guy, he's still going to be involved --
COACH FISHER: No doubt. No doubt. First thing, help the other guys, help the other guys get ready, you know what I'm saying? He's a tremendous kid.

Q. Cam Akers, what is the running back rotation, guys --
COACH FISHER: We'll see. We'll get Cam going. That's going to be the role of Cam. Even we talked about Cam, (indiscernible) wasn't even running the ball as much in that, you know what I'm saying? And Cam's been forced into that role. He's done a good job. And now he has to do all those little nuances that really make a difference in your offense. And that's going to be another role that's put upon him, he'll have to do.

Amir Rasul, who hasn't played as much, but his play has been outstanding in camp.

Ryan Green has done that. And Khalan Laborn has done a good job in practice, keep coming on. Of course, you have you have Letondra (phonetic) in that group.

And Vickers, we can use off and on as a one back, two back guy in that group. And Amir and Ryan Green, all those guys will all get back into the mix, they're in the mix, but they'll get more time.

Q. Is there a timetable for Jacques as far as recovery?
COACH FISHER: I won't be able to know until they do the surgery.

Q. When is he going to have surgery?
COACH FISHER: This week, this week. They're working through all that right now.

Q. Josh Kaindoh had a nice play against Louisville that forced a fumble. What kind of progress have you seen from him this season?
COACH FISHER: Josh is a very conscientious guy, smart guy, highly intelligent. Means a lot to him. Gets better and better. Early was in pass rushing situations, now in run-down situations, playing more and going to be a heck of a player. Pleased with his progress. Extremely pleased.

Q. He's one of, I think it's three or four guys from IMG Academy that you have. Can you tell the guys that are from IMG, do they come in more developed at all?
COACH FISHER: Some do. Some don't. I don't like to make a generalization of that. Because other kids from other programs come in really ready, too. Those guys get a lot of coaching. They do a great job down there. For the most part, those guys come in -- what they do understand, though, being in that environment, away from home, it's more like a college atmosphere as far as the dorm life and things like that.

That part of it I think they get adjusted to very well. But they do a great job coaching them and those kids come in very well prepared.

Q. Talk about the Boston College defense. Seems like they're pretty good, getting better each week. They played against Notre Dame and Notre Dame had two running backs, plus a quarterback, and what do you see on their defense that might be a problem Friday night?
COACH FISHER: I mean, one, they're versatile. A lot of blitzes, a lot of different fronts. Landry is a beast on the end. He can rush the passer. He can play the run. And Allen, too, if you look at their stats, I've never seen a defensive end leading them in tackles.

And he's one sack behind Landry, and he's tied him for tackles for loss too. People spend a lot of time on Landry, but they have a lot of players. Backers are active inside. 94 is physical, strong. And 96 is strong.

Corners, the same guys that have been there forever. I mean, they're big. They're physical. They jam you. 200-pound corners. Safeties tackle very well. And they mix and match their coverages well. They do a really good job.

Q. And talk about Anthony Brown, the quarterback, Player of the Week in the ACC, what type of quarterback is he, do you see on film?
COACH FISHER: Just growing. Now he's throwing the ball better. The quarterback runs. The bootleg, the naked, throwing the ball better, getting in the comfort zone, getting them in and out of right plays, checks.

What they do in the running game, he has to check and move those guys around, doing a really good job, very talented in the backfield. The backs what they do, they're going to pound the football, and create a lot of eye violations and a lot of different stuff you just don't usually play against.

Q. Was the process a result, obviously a stress process. Since you've been here, when you evaluate yourself and your coaches, how much is it just, well, our record is our record?
COACH FISHER: No. It's why is it your record. You have to understand -- that's like I tell our players: When you do something, why? That's what we constantly evaluate every week. Why did that happen?

We go back, look at practice. Did we practice enough? Did we coach enough? Did we get enough reps here and there? Did the guys get this? Is that the situation we wanted to call it in? Is that the situation -- you've got to know why.

And I think that's the key to -- just like we do every week with the game plan, what we're doing, how we're coaching it. It's the same thing, at the end of the year I do the same thing to myself. Nobody evaluates me or criticizes me more than me in everything that goes on. Nobody. Not even close.

Or second-guess, I second-guess myself 38 times to make sure I can verify every call I make, every decision I make, everything I do. You know what I'm saying? So we constantly have to understand that why.

Q. Lamar, the ball run, the 51-yard line. Demarcus Christmas runs 50 yards downfield to make the tackle.
COACH FISHER: That's what I say, you see the heart and desire. There's no lack of want to. And that was a great player who -- we got one little gap just about half a man out, he flips it and makes a guy miss.

But you see the desire to play, the heart, the energy. The love to play. There's no quit in them. It was an unbelievable effort on the play. That shocked me when he did it. I had to double take and say: Was that Christmas? All the way down there to 50 yards away.

Q. Do you use that as a teaching tool?
COACH FISHER: No doubt. We have examples of every day in the game, offense, defense, we have a good-bad, set of good-bad things. These are things we did good. This is why -- and you show them why when you did this right and you did this you had success. When you had failures, this is why you did it. Then we have effort takes. If it's poor effort, bad effort, good effort.

These are -- when you want to -- as I say, they say, well, you like him better than me. You know what I do? I'll pull up four plays and I'll show that guy running around. No, I don't like him, I respect him. From what he's doing, I respect his knowledge of what he does and how he plays and how hard he plays.

We constantly show those guys those things to this is what we want. I mean, because most athletes and most people are visual learners. And you say, well, give effort, run hard. They think they're running hard; they're not. This is what running hard is. We can go to past teams of the '80s, '90s, our past teams, teams I've coached before, the film I have.

This is what I'm talking about, to always give those guys visual images of what we want and how we want it. Those things we do those constantly. I mean constantly.

Q. Lamarcus had a play like that against Idaho?
COACH FISHER: I show it 100 times, where blitzed off the side, he runs, he dove, he circles all the way around and he goes to make the tackle, falls down, gets cut, jumps up and the guy is going for a touchdown. He catches him at the other 20. You look at the number of yards he ran on the play, it was, like, 160 yards.

Go look at the last play of the National Championship. Remember the double pass? When they threw it all the way over, then brought it back, and did the whole thing down the sidelines? You look, the first guy to cut the ball off when they threw it down there was Lamarcus Joyner. He stopped when they threw it back, and if you look there's a picket line starting to form on that side where he could have got outside (indiscernible) Washington, get down there with one or two guys, he could make 'em miss.

He's the guy who split all the way back down on the 40 on this side after being on that side and got in front of it and cut it back to where the rest of our guys could make the tackle.

Those things are constantly -- we keep highlights and records of those things and show guys when you hear me talk about guys, they say, Coach, man, you love -- I'm, like, here's why. One, he's a great guy, but here's the things that he'd adhere you to -- his heart, his passion. You show them all the time.

Q. Do you think that Christmas play could be --
COACH FISHER: I definitely do. You're talking about a 300-pound guy, 51 yards down the field, and who he ends up tackling. That's a classic. I mean, it really is. Wished it was 51 yards the other way. No, I don't mean that, but you know what I mean. That is, it just shows there's no quit or heart or desire (indiscernible).

Q. With the way you guys lost and how emotional it was, how tough is it on a short week to get the guys focused and get back --
COACH FISHER: On any week it is. You either do it or don't. You know the Nike saying, just do it? It's about as good as it gets. What I mean is, all right, you remember that feeling you had walking off that field? We've got to put that behind us.

It's tough but you've got to put that feeling -- that still hurts in their heart. Hurts in my heart. Hurts in my coaches' hearts. Hurts in everybody's heart that coaches and does anything with these players. That's never going away. After the game, you remember. That will be a game I'll remember forever. I won't remember the wins. I couldn't even tell you a lot of stuff about the National Championship. I can tell you everything about those games there, and use that as motivation and you don't want it and you move on. And you've got to drive and that's what's got to push you.

Q. Can you talk about (indiscernible) effort. You talk about Christmas. When they give so much effort and still lose, does the loss have a chance to kill that effort?
COACH FISHER: No, it should build on it because then you show them exactly those key three, four, five plays. Now, what were you thinking here? Where was your mindset? All right, this is how close you are.

It's like I climbed all the way to the top of the mountain, I don't jump off. You're pushing toward it. Why would I jump off? If I'm going to go that far, I'm going the rest of the way. And you show them you went that far. Now this is how you have to hit the peak. And you have to play these key moments and key situations with a certain mindset and a mind thought.

And you teach from it. And as a coach, those are challenging, yes. That's human nature, man, as far as human nature, why? But then you look back, that's not who you are. That's not what the spear on your helmet stands for.

That's not what you want to represent. That's not -- you've got two choices: Either fight or you lay down. Not going to lay down.

Q. (Indiscernible) hindsight and all the publicity, do kind of wish you could ignore the fans --
COACH FISHER: No, not one bit. Because I don't expect that out of our fans in our stadium. We're walking off the field, and I'm walking off the field and I'm looking at the hurt and watching our kids cry. And I look at the coaches, how hurt they were. And coaches' kids are standing there right by the tunnel. They're sitting there listening to the guy -- (indiscernible) -- I expect that in another stadium.

And I understand they're hurt. And then in the print and media, say what you want, you guys do your job, you do everything. I respect -- that part of what goes with coaching. That goes with it, 100 percent.

But to hear one of our fans reaching over saying that, it wasn't to me about our coaches in front of their own kids and in front of their own players, I don't one bit. That doesn't belong there.

And after a, not a heartbreak -- not one that we went out there and dogged it and kids didn't give effort, coaches didn't play hard and guys didn't give it all out. They laid their guts and hearts and soul on the field. And for one of our fans to say that after that excruciating, that painful loss walking through the stadium, one of our fans, which I would have never -- I would have never thought in a thousand years -- in the media, on social media, listen, guys, that goes with the territory. But to do that there, I don't regret it one bit.

Q. Any update on Keith Gavin's rehab?
COACH FISHER: Just time. It will be a little while, probably.

Q. Just kind of piggybacking off of that. Why is there -- why do you have the right coaches in place? Why is there not a need for a coaching change to (indiscernible) because you're so close --
COACH FISHER: We're coaching a season. Our coaches are right there three plays away. We have to teach them how to do it. They've done it before. We'll continue to do it the rest of the year. I have total confidence in our coaches and what they can do, and the situations we put them in. We've got to learn to coach three to five plays better, and get them to understand how to play better.

Q. A lot of people ask us that, about you making changes in the middle of the season. Have you ever been on a staff that made changes in the middle of the season? What would be the --
COACH FISHER: I watched Terry Bowden walk out and quit at Auburn. And it fell apart. Coaches, players, I say walked out; they forced him out. (Indiscernible) did it. And it wasn't a good thing for players, coaches, anybody involved. That was the only time ever.

Q. After the game, Jake had played so well (indiscernible) quarter. How much did he blame himself for that play?
COACH FISHER: He totally does. He put the ball on the far pad. I mean, that same play we had ran three of the last eight plays and had gashes on. He was handing it off. He just put the ball in too far and when he come back, both guys, one clamped on the ball, and when he did he clamped on his arm. And when he pulled it out, he caught his arm and it disrupted the ball. It was just a simple hand the ball off and run it.

And he does, totally. It matters to him. You know why? I don't mean it in a rude way to him, he'll remember that forever. That's a learning experience.

I had one or two of those when I played. And I still to this day -- and when you're a great player and it matters like you do, and in the situations to care like he does, it will hurt him.

I wish it wouldn't but at the same time those are burdens you have to carry as an athlete. You see the commercial with Michael Jordan all the time. When I got cut -- or Serena Williams; I had the worse loss in, or biggest upset ever in tennis, that's why I'm motivated. That will be the thing that will push him because I know his mindset pushes him to be an even greater player.

Q. He had to take it extremely hard?
COACH FISHER: Killed him. That's what I was talking about when I was walking off that field. I mean, when you see the hurt in their eyes, the care in their eyes, it's not a lack of effort, caring or desire. We've got to learn to do it and I've got to make sure that every time he puts that ball, he puts it right on the belly button in practice, so he doesn't know any other -- elbows are bent, knees are bent, eyeballs are down, he looks down, he puts it right on, and we do it. We do it over and over and over and over and over again.

Q. James, the first couple of games didn't have any turnovers. The last two he had (indiscernible) interceptions. Is that trying to make plays that aren't there?
COACH FISHER: No, when you're expanding things, you do. You're expanding. You put a little more on because you know you've got to keep progressing, and you've got to make -- and not all the turnovers are on him. Sometimes guys have made a slight mistake on a route or something.

But most of them are. But that's what's going to happen is you expand his knowledge and what he does. And you're trying to -- because you have to go expand your offense to score more points. People are starting to play what you do. And we have lots of opportunity.

We've moved the ball extremely well, but you've got to take some chances in there in what he does. And sometimes with a young guy it's going to be a poor decision or a poor throw.

Like one of them was -- neither of them was a poor decision. One was a poor throw. One was a missed, just a hair off, which we would have turned the other way. One we just underthrew about a foot, foot and a half. And we had a good situation.

But those are going to happen because you've got to go, you gotta stretch the field at times. You've got to do that. Hopefully they don't happen. But you need to coach them so they don't.

Q. Why do you think a fan would spend his money, come to Doak and yell?
COACH FISHER: Because he loves it. Because he's passionate and it means a lot to him. Listen, I understand the fans' passion. I have no problem with that. Because he loves Florida State too. He was showing it in a different way that I didn't think was appropriate at that particular time. You know what I'm saying?

I have no ill will toward him, but at that time to say it in front of our coaches, their families and our players, one of our fans, I wish it wouldn't happen, especially at that time.

But at the same time, he loves Florida State, I'm sure he does. I didn't expect it at that time. We get it all time. Stuff we get in the opposing stadium, that's nothing. I think that's where, that's why it shocks you a little bit, you know what I mean? But I understand the frustration.

Q. Just dovetailing, did the administration or anybody have a talk with you about what happened on Saturday?
COACH FISHER: About what?

Q. About the interaction with the fan.
COACH FISHER: They know what happened. I told them what happened. They saw it.

Q. And also, at 2-4, you were on staff the last time the program --
COACH FISHER: 2009.

Q. In 2009. How much does the bowl streak and trying to keep that up --
COACH FISHER: Don't worry about that. You understand that -- again, that's like wanting to win the play, wanting to win and not executing the play. We understand that's out there and all that's good. But what we have to do to get there is stay in the moment now.

You can't use that -- that's a big picture thing. That's exactly what I'm talking about I don't want our players doing. When you're lining up the play that wins the game, you're not thinking about winning the game; you're thinking about executing the play. That's all you think about.

Right now if we want to go to a bowl game, what we've got to do is execute this week in practice so we can play well against Boston College and play well against Syracuse and play well against Clemson and play well against Delaware State. It does no good to think about it.

Q. You probably weren't expecting it this season, but it's been a few weeks, now you're relying on a true freshman quarterback and a true freshman running back. How do you navigate seeing the potential, kind of dealing with some freshman frustration and things like that?
COACH FISHER: You do. Because -- then the things you have to have that you think you have to have to be successful in the game. And that's part of it. And you have to explain it to them. That's like James, we have a tremendous relationship. He loves -- we have interaction on the field, you gotta do this; yeah, yeah, and he has the same kind of passion I do. That's why it's fun to coach him.

But you have to understand, again, it's always not what you want to do, it's what you can do and where they are in their development that allows them to make certain plays and you've got to pick your moments to do things.

And as they grow, it's going to expand out there. You know what I mean? There's a lot of things -- if we go no huddle, how many -- now increase it 90 plays and he has to make 90 decisions instead of 50.

All sounds good in general. I'm using it as an example. There's things you like to do. But their development doesn't allow that. It's just like a child. You want him to do algebra.

Well, when they're 10 years old, they ain't going to know algebra. You know what I'm saying? They're doing math, subtracting, adding, dividing. But there's still enough of that and talent enough to make plays. You just have to pick out how you do it and who you use to do it. That's one of the key components.

That's the thing I think that makes it -- just we feel so bad because we're right there on the cusp of those young guys being able to handle all this. We've just got to get them to make that one play at the right moment.

Q. Do you think that's how the season started; you guys were probably maybe loosening the reins a little bit, doing other things. Would you be more free to call certain plays because --
COACH FISHER: You have to worry about their development. You can also ruin them. You can ruin it and take all the confidence away where he never goes out there and plays worth a flip. And guys who ever have total disaster at those positions, you can ruin them just as quick as you can make them.

No, I wasn't -- because we still have a lot to play for, six more games to play. We're going to play every bit of it to do what we think we can put them to be in the best position to be successful.

Q. (Question about Boston College)?
COACH FISHER: The quarterback got better and quarterback runs and throws. They're running the football -- their Louisville team was 14-7 with 2 minutes to go in the half.

Broke a run in the second half. Got control and got some time. They got confidence, got over that hump, you know what I'm saying? And made plays. And done well. This week they played on the road at Virginia and did very well. That's the thing, played both of those games on the road and they weren't even home games.

But they're running the football. The quarterback is doing a much better job, I think, making good decisions, good throws. Growing up, getting better, athletic, hard to get on the ground. Backs gotta respect. The diversity they create with all two tights, three tights, all that stuff and what they do, have done a good job.

Q. You get the effort out of -- the reason I asked, last three games he got three total sacks. That can be (indiscernible) --
COACH FISHER: The corner can be. I didn't think he played poorly in the game. When you're a cover guy, you're the backside guy and you're approaching, a lot of times you're in man coverage. When you're in man coverage, you can't come off and go make tackles. If you're in zone, you can't. You know what I'm saying?

He's playing solid football. He did a heck of a job catching punts. You can see him now what I call running through the smoke.

When those guys are getting in there, getting used to getting the balls, did a good job fielding all the balls in the game, too, did a really good job.

He saved one on a bounce, hit way on the side, got it back out, saved us 10, 12 yards. Did a good job saving a lot of yards, which helped calling plays getting out of there.

Q. Saturday's sideline coach, (indiscernible) getting play calls in, (inaudible)?
COACH FISHER: That was blocking.

Q. You made a comment after the game Saturday that sometimes it's never (inaudible). You said that you work (inaudible), but you have to keep working.
COACH FISHER: You don't know when they're coming.

Q. The diversity of the team (inaudible), are you confident that these guys are -- it's going to be a rewarding experience for them no matter what happens?
COACH FISHER: I do, because they're going to grow. Because I think they will get it, because I see, like you said, the Christmas play. The other play.

You see guys laying their heart and soul on the line. When you walk off the field, you're not laughing, joking. The hurt in their eyes, the crying, the tears. I mean, it's there.

We've got to continually show them how to do it. And it's that close. And that's how quick it can go away. It can say not understand those little -- that line is very fine. They believe in us. Again, how they practice and attitude, I definitely think we'll get there, I really do.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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