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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 21, 2017

Jimbo Fisher

Greensboro, North Carolina

JIMBO FISHER: Very happy with our guys last week, played a complete game, all three phases. Guys did a great job in the game and played through the game. Got so many young players involved and played and saw their development and got them some more reps and quality time, and also a lot of young guys on our team that don't get a chance, and they were able to do some things. It was a great outing. It was a great weekend.

So we need to come back this week and play a great game against Florida. One of the all time great rivalries in college football. Very blessed to be a part of it. Have to go play a complete game down at one of the toughest places to play in college football. Have to have a great week of practice and get ready to play.

Q. Jimbo, I know last week's opponent isn't on the same level as some of the others that you play, but what can a performance like you had on offense do for the confidence of your players going into this game?
JIMBO FISHER: I think lets them know what they are capable of doing. They played with great consistency, which I was happy with. Different guys touched the ball and did things. Any time you have success, it builds confidence. Any time you build confidence, you're going to play better. There's no doubt.

Q. Besides that consistency, what other takeaways were you able to get from the performance?
JIMBO FISHER: A lot of our young guys, got some of them playing time. They have a great chance, I think, to play in the future that I think they'll be the kind of players we think they are. Getting extended time for them in a game, instead of getting 6 or 8 plays, they got 25 or 30 plays, what that feels like. So if that has to happen here towards the end of the year for us, you get development there. Offense, defense, special teams, all those guys feel good about themselves, and I think when you do that, you play better.

Q. Yeah, Jimbo. How are you approaching the fact that you have two games left? Does that give you maybe a chance to redeem the season a little bit with a Bowl eligibility still out there? What's that been like having that game hanging out there all year?
JIMBO FISHER: The game hasn't been a problem. We're glad to play. You can only play 12 games a year. It's our opportunity to do for our kids, and I think that's awesome as far as that goes. We always want to be in a Bowl game. That's one of our things. We've got our streak of 35 straight years. I think that's important. That's always one of the goals we can achieve. I think it's still out there, and our kids are playing very hard for it, and I think they're looking forward to playing both games.

Q. Hi, Jimbo. Talk about Randy Shannon. I was on the teleconference call with you yesterday about Randy Shannon. Just talk about his defense. When he was down in Miami, what kind of defense did he throw at you guys? I know you played each other a lot with Miami and Florida State. What does he bring to Florida right now with his defense?
JIMBO FISHER: He's very multiple. Randy always had a great defense down there, some of the best in the country, some of the best in college football history -- great players, great guys, coached very well. A lot of 4-3 stuff. He's multiple in his fronts, mixes it up, mixes his coverages up. Just a really, really good football coach.

Q. And I have a question to ask you, with this whole season with the turmoil with the injuries and all that, had you ever gone through a season like this before in your career from LSU, Auburn? How did you learn from it to previously help you get better with this situation this year?
JIMBO FISHER: We did. You know, you have those off and on. We had a lot of different things. Each year brings you something different, so you're used to handling those things. It's all a challenge in a lot of different ways. You learn from experience, and hopefully in the future, when things happen, we can handle them even better.

Q. Good morning. Sometimes when you have a rough season like you've had, a team can just kind of fall apart attitude-wise and just not care anymore and pack it in early. It doesn't seem like that's happened with you guys. What have you noticed about your attitude this year?
JIMBO FISHER: I think we have a lot of kids that have a lot of pride. Like I say, they're trying hard, and they understand the legacy which they're playing with but also the way the program was built, the culture of it. Just so you don't lose your culture and ability to keep competing, things can be overcome, and you can fix problems. I think that's just a tribute to our kids and our coaches, our assistant coaches, to keep their enthusiasm and attitudes sky high, but I think that's part of the culture here at Florida State and what we've been able to build over time.

Things just don't deteriorate over a year. You can overcome things. Sometimes you have mistakes, but as long as that culture and attitude are right, you can overcome them. I think that's a tribute to our kids, I really do. And our assistant coaches who have done a really good job of keeping those guys involved and engaged. Very proud of them for doing that.

Q. How have they've been able to do that? I guess, what's been the key to doing that?
JIMBO FISHER: Being honest with them and the culture we've built. It's what we do. Whether we win or lose, that doesn't determine how hard you play or the effort you give or the pride you have. I think that's from what we built over the last seven or eight years or what was built here before. That's what we've instilled in our kids and how we've tried to play.

Q. Good morning, Coach. What is your rushing attack with Jacques Patrick, Ryan Green, Cam Akers and company? Just what you can say that you've taken away from the committee you have at running back this year?
JIMBO FISHER: We have very good backs. Our guys are very multi-dimensional. You have to have that in today's game with the punishment the backs take and how physical the game is. I think they're very well diverse, whether they're inside runners, outside runners, catching the ball, and doing those things. I think they've had a good year.

Q. As far as Florida State, obviously, the culture is of winning and something that was created with Bobby Bowden and continued with yourself. When there is adversity, just what you can say about handling adversity in the here and now. When we live in a society of what have you done for me lately, how do you kind of navigate that storm?
JIMBO FISHER: Be honest and understand -- let them remember their past and what we've done and what it means. Just because you may not have won as many games, you can leave a legacy that's just as strong to the young players on this team and with the leadership of this team of how you handle tough situations which allowed good situations to occur.

Because you can go in the tank and totally destroy a program, then you never get back. But what our older guys have done and younger guys have done and understand how you play and the attitude which you play with is just as important as the results because the results will come if you can keep that. I think they understand that. It's a great tribute to our assistant coaches and our players to be able to do that.

Mike, I'd like to say one thing buddy. I know you're retiring this year, but it's been a great joy to hear you do it. You're a class act and better than anyone I've been around. Wish you the best in your retirement. You can get away from all of us crazy people now and enjoy your life, buddy. Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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