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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 12, 2018

Willie Taggart

Tallahassee, Florida

WILLIE TAGGART: First, I would like to say thank you to all the veterans out there. It's important to our country and a lot of things we get to do is because of what they have done for us. This week is beginning of a two-game season for us. We got two games at home against two really good opponents, still have some goals that are attainable. We need to take this one game at a time, but we have them at home and our guys are looking forward to playing Boston College this Saturday at home.

Q. Obviously you always want to win, but has the team kind of taking keeping this bowl streak alive personally?
WILLIE TAGGART: It's important to us. It's important to our players, it's important to our fan base, it's important to the teams that came before us that we keep it going and we talked about it as a team and our guys understand what's at stake, it's important for our seniors to leave here and not be that senior class that didn't go to a bowl game. So it's important for a lot of reasons and we need to approach it that way in everything we're doing, the way we go to class, going to practice, in meetings or whatever we're doing, there's a lot of people counting on us.

Q. To the point about the bowl streak, you and the players have both mentioned that there's been some of the problems you guys have had on Saturdays have been because you've been trying too hard that you guys wants things so badly to happen and with this bowl streak being so important to the program and the players how do you balance them wanting to push for this but also maybe not to offer strain or over exert?
WILLIE TAGGART: Again, I want our guys to want to win. We all do. We just got to channel those things in the right direction in how we win and go out and play how winning teams play. And we're going to have to do it in order to win these games. Our guys know the issues that we're having and we got to correct them. And I say we, coaches and players got to correct all the things that we're doing to ourselves that cause us not to be in these ball games or win these ball games. And we're working towards that and if we're going to win these two ball games and get those goals that we wants in front of us, that's got to happen.

Q. Different coaching staff obviously but last year the team had to win the last three games to in a similar situation. What do you think they can kind of channel from that and what do you do as a coaching staff how can you set them up for success in that situation?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think I think it's really going to be important and the key for us as coaches is for us to put these guys in the best position to win these games. It's a bunch of guys that have played here last year when backs was against the wall and we had to win those games and there's some guys here that they can help the young guys out. It also allows those guys to believe that they can get it done and not have to, not sit back and think that it can't happen, they believe and know that they can get it done. And then as coaches we just have to stay positive throughout the week and not confuse them or anything but let them play.

Q. You mentioned execution is another thing that's been an issue. At this point is there is certain position that is executing better from week one to now?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think the problem is we don't have enough consistent execution overall. When you look at us offensively, one week a certain group is playing well and the next week the other group is not playing well. We got to get where all of our groups are our offensive line, tight ends, receivers, running backs, quarterback, we are all playing consistent and executing and playing consistent enough so that we can get the performance that we want. I think that's what I mean by not executing. Doing it consistently enough. One week it's this group, one week it's that group and we need to build them all at once where they all play together so we can get result that is we want.

Q. I think it was about a hundred yards rushing but it seemed like Cam might have had one of his better games of the season and overall the running game with the two running backs seemed to do better. Any positives from that?
WILLIE TAGGART: It is positive because we focused on it last week and we got some positive results behind the emphasis that we put on. We cut down on how much we were trying to do in the running game and let our offensive line focus on certain things that they need to do to help those guys be successful. And I thought our backs did a great job of being patient and I think that allowed them to get some of the runs that they got in the game, it's them being patient and allowing the blocks to happen. Again, we probably would have seen more out of our running game if we wasn't so far behind, we got so far behind early that we wasn't able to do some of the things that we wanted to from that standpoint and so I was happy with what our guys improvement that our guys made in the running game. Again we got to play better early so we can show more improvement in what we're doing.

Q. You guys started out the season really good defensively, especially against the run. I think you guys were Top-10 at one point. That's obviously fallen off the last couple weeks. Is something going on schematically, are teams doing stuff differently, why are you struggling to stop the run now?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well I think it has a lot to do with I think scheme-wise, we got to be better and adjust better. I think a lot of it has to do with run fits and when you're in your gap, dominating your gaps. And that comes down to individual play. And then a big part of it is tackling. We got to tackle better. We're not tackling well as a team. We got to tackle and stop people and get them down. But I think a lot of it with fits and you get in these circumstances early in the year we wasn't giving away explosive runs and we have been here lately and we as a coaching staff got to figure out again how we can simplify some things to allow your guys to be able to line up and that's another thing is we got to be able to line up first and foremost. We can't, when a team is going fast and they snap the ball on us, I think it starts there. But simplify some things so they can line up and just play football like I said we know they're capable of doing and they have shown that they can do it, we got to help them.

Q. Speaking of defense, Boston College has had a pretty potent offense behind Dillon and Brown. What have you seen from those two in particular?
WILLIE TAGGART: They're big-time athletes. Dillon is a big running back and Brown is an athletic quarterback that understands what they're trying to do within their offense, he's played to his strength and they're a physical football team and with a veteran O line that does a great job of being physical and creating running room for both of those guys to run. But you can see a team that's been in their system for awhile and they understand it well and they're well coached and they play the brand of football they want to and they do it with attitude and the running back, quarterback, O line, it as physical mentality. But they're both big-time football players.

Q. AJ Dillon ran for about 150 yards and the Boston College offensive line just physically dominated in the last game. How do you account for that physicality that the O line is going to show?
WILLIE TAGGART: Our guys see it, they watch the same film. Again, it's a want to. You got to come out and it's a want to. You know going in it's going to be a physical ball game, you can't bow down to that physicality you got to face physicality with physicality. That's football. Again, that's, we want to be known for the same thing and but you got to face it with the same mentality of going in being physical and getting after the guy in front of you and it's a challenge for our guys and they know it. And some of our guys played against these guys last year, so they understand what they're doing too but they also understand what we can't do if we want to be a lot better than what we were.

Q. This is your fourth first year in a program. When do you know, can you know when things start to turn around? Is it more than just results on the field? Because obviously the results aren't coming right now. But when do you know as a head coach, all right, we're starting an uptick? What are you looking for specifically?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well I think before you can win on the field you got to win off the field and I see a lot of things that we're doing well off the football field, whether it's practice, whether it's classroom, the discipline of what we're doing, you see those things start to change, you know from a football standpoint that these young men know how to play football, it's just doing what they're doing keeping them from being real good on the football field and then results on the field starts to happen. For me personally watching our team and every week I stand up here and tell you guys and every week I feel good about our football team going in the game and our chances of winning. The frustrating part is they're not showing what they're capable of doing on Saturday and we got to help them as coaches however we can. We got to keep trying to find a way so they can go do that. I told you before, I love this team and I believe in us and I believe we can win every ball game, but we can't win them doing the things that we have been doing. Especially against really good football teams. So I think it can happen at any time. Because of how our guys, our attitude, our practice, the way we do things it's just we got to do it on Saturday, we got to do it under the spotlight when it counts. So I'm confident this week, but we got to play a lot better.

Q. How did Deondre fare when you went back and looked at the film sat night?
WILLIE TAGGART: I thought he played well, I thought he saw the field well. He had a couple throws he probably wishes he had back but I thought that the dropped passes really took away from some of the things he was doing in our offense. If any quarterback wants to get in rhythm, you can't have those dropped passes. But I thought he did well. I thought his movement in the pocket was a lot better, he wasn't sitting back like he had been earlier in the year and I think we only gave up like one sack in the game, but I thought he played well, other than a couple throws he would have asked to have back.

Q. Assuming he stays healthy will he be your starter going the rest of the way?
WILLIE TAGGART: Yeah, unless something dramatic happens, again, I don't see no reason for him not to be our starter right now. Deondre is not the issue of what our football team, there's a lot of other issues. He can't block for himself, he can't catch the ball, he can't play special teams, he can't tackle, he's not the issue with our football team and if Deondre was an issue, then we would do something about it. So yes, he's our quarterback.

Q. Kind of piggy backing, looking for growth and signs of improvement, what have you seen from the start of the year that you can kind of take away as positives to look at to build on moving forward?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well I see guys stepping up and making plays for us. That's positive. You looks at Terry and what he's done for us DJ Matthews and some of the things he's done for us. But that's positive when a lot of those young guys are stepping up and making plays. You're seeing some, you're seeing some young linemen that are probably not necessarily ready to play right now but they're getting valuable experience and getting a little better each week. Just, again, in certain areas we're better and others that we're just not there yet.

Q. Was Brady Scott available for the game or was that just a personnel decision?
WILLIE TAGGART: Yeah, it was just more of a personnel decision and again we're evaluating guys throughout practice and want to make sure we got the guys that's going to give us the best chance to win that week and have a good practice and understand what we're doing and trying to move the ball and create some things offensively.

Q. In a way can Boston College almost be sort of an example of what you're talking about a minute ago as far as building up and making that kind of progress. They went through some tough times but Coach Addazio has been building up for a few years and now they're kind of showing what they're capable of.
WILLIE TAGGART: You look at all of our teams in the ACC, a lot of these guys they didn't start and everything just clicks for them. You look at what Clemson was like and Coach Swinney he build that to where it is today. Like you say, Coach Addazio at Boston College, you like at what he's doing. Syracuse. You see it throughout the league. But they didn't just come in and just get it. But you look at a lot of these teams too there's a lot of veteran guys on the football team that played a lot of football together and that helps as well. So again we're get there, and unfortunately it's not the way we want it, but we're not going to stop, we're going to keep working and we're going to get this program to where we all want it to be. I promise you that.

Q. You mentioned earlier simplifying things for the offensive line helped the run game get better, maybe try to simplify some things on defense to get better there. Was there a certain point this year where you thought they were ready both those segments to take more responsibility and play more complex schemes?
WILLIE TAGGART: Yeah, at the beginning of the year. We had everybody, especially up front when we had our guys starting off, we felt we could run everything. But then on the offensive side of the ball some things had to change for us and then same thing on defense side of the ball. Overall you always got to look at those things and as the season goes on some things happen that you got to change up some things. But you always got to evaluate and think about doing what's best for our players, not necessarily scheme-wise but what's best for our players and put them in the best position to make plays, give them a chance.

Q. How hopeful are you some of the guys who were out this week you might have back?
WILLIE TAGGART: You like to always have your guys, but we're going to go with the guys that's ready to roll, they're healthy and we're going to roll and go and hopefully some guys can get back and be ready to play and if they're not back we're going to play the with ones that's ready to roll.

Q. Particularly for the freshmen and then the sophomores who were here last year, how do you kind of keep guys from getting too down about losing and maybe did getting used to losing and complacent and not focusing on the present necessarily and kind of looking forward to things getting better going on?
WILLIE TAGGART: So far it's our guys are being real with themselves too. I think everybody's being real with themselves and what we can do better to help and I think that's helping those guys stay focused and locked in to what we are trying to get accomplished because I think each and every last one of them are frustrated too that we're not getting it done. But when you turn on the film you see there's a lot of self-inflicted wounds and when you can be real with your self when that happens, then there's no reason to get upset or down or pout or feel like getting used to losing, it's not, we got to get used to doing things the right way and get used to making big plays on the field and rather than looking at it in a negative way we got to look at it in a positive way and go out and make it happen. And I don't think any of those guys feel that way. I think they're coming with the right attitude and they want to work and they want to get it done for us.

Q. I think Landon made the trip with you up to South Bend. Any chance you get him back in practice this week?
WILLIE TAGGART: I don't think so. I don't think Landon will be back in practice this week.

Q. Is he probably only a couple games is he probably out at least for the regular season?
WILLIE TAGGART: Right now, I just don't see him getting back right now. I mean he hasn't practiced the last few weeks and all and still getting himself healthy.

Q. It looked like Hamsah only played two or three plays, is he okay?
WILLIE TAGGART: He hurt his knee in the North Carolina State game and he's getting himself healthy, had a good week of practice and I think that like third play of the game or something he backed his knee again in that game and he just couldn't go back out and be effective for us.

Q. And going back to how you've built other places, is it different than a South Florida or Western Kentucky when you're talking about the athletes you're trying to convince, hey this is part of the process because they didn't come here to lose, obviously, you didn't come here to lose, how do you convince them, man, this is going in the right direction, we are going to turn this thing around?
WILLIE TAGGART: Like I say, our guys are first of all I convinced them by not allowing them to read and hear all the things outside, just, again, you got to be real with your self and see what's going on inside. And I think that's why our guys are coming each week ready to practice and play. Our guys, and in jobs before when turning it around like that it's been that way, but our guys are, so I will say this, because you're guys are still working their tails off and trying to get it done and they see it and they know we can be so much better. So I don't see anybody feeling that negativity, it's easy to do that, but I don't see anybody doing that here. So I would say this, it's different from those places and I think because taking over from those places the circumstances was different too. There was a lot of different reasons and each job is different. And yeah Florida State's different, it's Florida State. And South Florida and then Western Kentucky and I don't think any of those players at those schools either came to those schools to lose, all of them want to win. We got a young football team and it's important that we as coaches teach them how to win again. It's those little things that we are talking about, that's a daily thing that you're always working on to get it that way and you can't stop doing those things. We got to keep working on them and eventually it will turn and like I said earlier, I know it's going to turn and I know it's frustrating for everyone, and trust me you're guys are frustrated too and but we're going to get there.

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