	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 29, 2010

Lee Ziemba

THE MODERATOR: Lee Ziemba will be up first. Could you talk about Auburn advancing to the championship game and facing South Carolina on Saturday.
LEE ZIEMBA: It's a huge honor to represent the SEC West in this game. Obviously something I haven't done before. It's going to be a real bust to finally play in this game.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. I was hoping you could talk about, Mike Dyer has been a guy who has kind of evolved. He hasn't had to do the 30-carry-a-game deal like Lattimore, but what kind of kid has he been and how talented a back is he?
LEE ZIEMBA: Mike Dyer is a very tough running back. You notice he runs the ball in between tackles a lot. In fact, sometimes Coach gets on to him for not bouncing stuff. It's very rare to see in a freshman back.
He runs with a low pad level. He works his tail off. He's improved greatly since the beginning of the year.

Q. And what about kind of the attitude -- because he was obviously a highly recruited guy who could have come in with a big head and maybe alienates some people. Didn't seem like he did that.
LEE ZIEMBA: He definitely tried to, worked hard to earn a spot on this team, not just thinking it was going to be given to him. And we couldn't be more proud of the guy.

Q. When you think about where you are now and where this program is, does it seem just staggering from just two years ago? Because I know the way that '08 season ended, UT Martin was your only win down the stretch. When you look back at that, is it amazing considering how far you guys have come?
LEE ZIEMBA: It is. But you gotta think each year is a new year. And I think that season we had I think, what was it, at least four of those games that we lost decided by a touchdown or less.
So you gotta think about how we have come a long ways. These coaches have done a great job of rebuilding this program and getting us on the right track. And we're just happy to be where we're at.

Q. And you've played in the Chick Filet Bowl after your freshman year -- during your freshman year; is that right?
LEE ZIEMBA: Yes, sir.

Q. What do you remember about playing in a dome, because I know it will be the first game for a lot of players in a dome?
LEE ZIEMBA: It's extremely loud. Of course, you have the noise echoing off the walls and the ceiling and all that.
I remember practicing in the dome the first time, looking up and being dizzy. That's what I remember. Not used to seeing a ceiling above me. That's what I remember.

Q. I was just wondering, given all that's gone on with Cam, how impressed have you guys been with the way he's remained focused on the field, and what do you all do to help him, if anything, in that regard?
LEE ZIEMBA: Cam Newton's a rock. It's been said many times. And the way he's conducted himself on and off the field this year has just been outstanding and definitely a good role model for younger guys on this football team and people coming up in the ranks. Maybe playing college football later.
But he's a good friend to us. And we try to be as good of a friend to him as we can.

Q. Do you find yourself having to defend him at all, or do the folks you see are pretty pro-Cam anyway?
LEE ZIEMBA: I live in Auburn, Alabama. So, yeah.

Q. Given all the drama you've had off the field to deal with, you've had plenty on the field. Has there been a point this season when you guys shake your head and say we're living a storybook existence, how long can this go on?
LEE ZIEMBA: Absolutely. We don't think about how long this can go on, we just think about how blessed we are to be in the position we're in. We're just real excited to be playing this game on Saturday. And we're just going to improve this week and try to get better and see if we can't win it.

Q. Downed as many times as you have been, down by as many points as you have been in so many games, amazing resilience, and yet I guess I begin to wonder if at some point do you ever think: Can we do it one more time? Or have you ever reached a point where you thought: I don't know, maybe this is too big a hill to climb?
LEE ZIEMBA: You never want to be down in the first place. We're going to work hard this week to improve so that doesn't happen again so we don't have to climb out of a hole, because you'd rather not do that. But, you know, if something does happen and you do get down, it's never too many points to come back from.

Q. I know you're an offensive guy, but how would you explain Auburn's defense and how it seems to play so much better in the second half compared to the first half?
LEE ZIEMBA: You probably need to ask Josh Bynes or Zac Etheridge that.

Q. I'll ask Josh in a second. I just didn't know if you saw anything in practice, do they get tougher as practice goes out, or I didn't know what the situation was there, because they seem to be much better in the second half?
LEE ZIEMBA: Usually when I'm on the sidelines, I got trouble seeing what's going on out there. We're usually working on trying to get our stuff together.

Q. What do you remember from the first game with South Carolina? This is a program that's struggled to get to the top and now it's here.
LEE ZIEMBA: I just remember them being very tough. Physical defense. Absolutely well-coached and definitely hard to beat.

Q. When you look at South Carolina's defense compared to when you guys played them the first time, what stands out about their improvement to you?
LEE ZIEMBA: Well, they're definitely playing with a lot more confidence than I think they did early in the year. I think that's due to a couple of key wins.
They're extremely physical. They're playing a lot tougher than I think they did earlier in the year. And it's going to make them hard to beat.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297