|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 1, 2015Mario Edwards, Jr.Jimbo FisherJameis WinstonPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Oregon – 59 THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with Coach Jimbo Fisher and Florida State University. I'll ask Coach to give an opening remark, and he'll be joined by quarterback Jameis Winston and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. COACH FISHER: It's been a great honor to coach in the Rose Bowl. This is a tremendous event, tremendous week out here for us.  Everyone was first rate, great hospitality. And I'd also like to say my hats off to Oregon. They've got a tremendous football team. Congratulations. Wish them the best of luck further in the tournament. They played a heck of a game. They took advantage of the opportunities which we gave, and they created, and played a complete football game. They've got a very good football team. Mark's a great coach. They'll do very well. Just see how things go and wish them the best of luck. From our point, it's been a privilege to coach our guys, our young men. Very proud of our guys. I don't think effort was a part of the issue. We just turned the ball over a couple too many times. I'm so excited about the future. We've got a lot of great young players coming back. I'd also say a special thank you to the seniors, the seniors and what they've done for the program, the fifth‑year seniors and fourth‑year seniors and what they've been able to accomplish with three ACC titles, a National Championship, an Orange Bowl and a bunch of bowl games. And the record they have had, 39‑3 the last three years, looking forward to the foundation which they helped lay. Our goal is to compete and put our best foot forward. We competed very well and had a great chance second half. We started turning it over. One of the worst quarters we've had. We turned it over four times in the third quarter, and every time we were moving the football and had a chance to scores points. They made the plays and converted them back.  That's what football is about. You've got to take advantage of your opportunities. I'm very proud of our team. Hats off to Oregon. They've got a great team. Wish them the best of luck. Questions? Q. Jimbo, if this was Jameis' last game, can you tell us what he meant to you in the program. COACH FISHER: I think what he did as a competitor and what he does with his teammates, he's one of the great players in not only college football, college football history to me. He's only had two years, and what he's been able to accomplish. It was a tough day out there. I thought he had a pretty good day for the most part, played very well, a lot of reads, getting balls to guys. We had the turnover battle and got behind. We had 325 yards of offense. He's a tremendous player, tremendous competitor, tremendous person. Have to wait and see what the future holds. Q. It looked like after one of the turnovers you and Jameis were having some words on the sideline. Can you share what was being said? COACH FISHER: The guy fell down, and he was trying to tell me how the guy fell down. He gets animated, but he's not‑‑ wasn't words. Wasn't words at all. One of the receivers on the play in which he slipped, on which he fumbled. The guy fell down on the route. It would have been wide open. I couldn't see it from there. I asked him what happened, and they come over, and that was it. Q. Were you trying to get him to calm down at all a little bit? COACH FISHER: Yes, but he always gets animated like that when he talks. He does it when he's playing good. That's just his nature. Q. Fair to say if there was any shred of anything about Oregon being soft, that's dispelled today? COACH FISHER: Yeah, they're a very good football team all the way across‑‑ offense, defense, linemen, the whole team. They've got a very good football team. Q. Coach, usually throughout the season you're able to adjust pretty good in the second half defensively. That obviously didn't happen today. Why was it so difficult to adjust? COACH FISHER: It was the turnovers. It was different because, when turnovers come, they change momentum. Momentum is different than making adjustments when guys are driving the football. If we can put the ball in the end zone on offense, it can help our defense out in a lot of situations. Transition defense we didn't excel at. I thought the end of the first half they were playing very well. I felt comfortable coming out in the second half. I thought defense had played pretty well. But I think momentum and the way they got the ball in the turnover situation, that was the key, and it made the difference. Q. Jimbo, you talked about coaching seniors this year, what do you think, when you reflect back if you have time, over the last two years and a 29‑game winning streak, what will that mean to you? When will you have time to really think about that? COACH FISHER: I think maybe in another month or so, a few weeks. That's probably the second longest win streak in modern football history. It was a great run. What our guys accomplished and what they've been able to play and do and the quality of games in which they've been able to play in, it was an extremely great run. Hopefully, we can put together another one. THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Mario Edwards Jr. and Jameis Winston. Q. Jimbo, even though you guys were out here last year, do you feel like you're at a little bit of a disadvantage coming all the way out here to the West Coast again to play this game? COACH FISHER: Not really. A Bowl game, that's fun. We don't ever get to come out to this part of the country much. I don't think it was. We were fresh and ready to play. Our guys liked coming out here. L.A. is a great town. I don't feel that way at all. I think we're very fortunate, because we don't get to come out here. The honor to play in the Rose Bowl, you don't get that opportunity coming from that part of the country. It was a great honor to be here. I don't think so, not at all. Q. For Jimbo and the players, you guys have been a team that's been able to come back in the second half. When did you feel like the wind started kind of getting out of your sails a little bit? COACH FISHER: After about the fifth turnover. It had nothing to do with moving the ball. We felt very good, even when it was 25‑20, we started driving again and had the fumble. Even when they got 38, we were still moving the ball midfield. That's three possessions. You get a stop, a turnover, get it back to two real quick. We were moving the ball. Once it got up to 45, it pressed us, and we really started pressing and making‑‑ and didn't let the ball stay in our hands and turned it over. Again, felt very comfortable with what we did, our game plan, execution, the guys. We just got to hold onto the football. Turnovers are the most critical thing and the outcomes of games. MARIO EDWARDS JR.: I guess I thought it was over or we wouldn't come back‑‑ like Coach said, it was just us shooting ourselves in the foot. Not taking advantage of the opportunities we had to make plays offensively and defensively. Eventually, it caught up with us. JAMEIS WINSTON: It was never over. Honestly, it was never over. We just got beat, turned the ball over too many times. But it still ain't over yet. We can go and play again, honest. Q. Your plans, school, the NFL, baseball? JAMEIS WINSTON: I'm not focused on that at all. I'm looking forward to next season and playing baseball. So I'm just trying to get better every day. Q. Jameis and Mario, can you guys talk about the record you guys went on, the 29‑game win streak, put it in perspective as it comes to an end tonight at the Rose Bowl? MARIO EDWARDS JR.: I mean, we made history. It was something great to do. It was something that had never been done in Florida State history, and we did it. To be a part of history, Coach Jimbo constantly talks about history, and when you come back at your reunion, you'll be able to sit down and talk about all these great moments you've experienced while being here. For it to come to an end, it's definitely a bitter taste in our mouth. Like he said after the game, it's a learning curve for us. So we learned a lot of things in this game. JAMEIS WINSTON: I've just got to say thank you to the teams that held that record. They were a very special team. But it's just not the right way to end that record because we beat ourselves. So anything is possible. Q. Jameis, I wanted to know, you've had this wonderful streak of you never lost a game until tonight. Been some great moments. Now you're on the other side of it. How much does something like this hurt? You're human. JAMEIS WINSTON: It hurts badder than whatever you can imagine, but the good thing is we live to fight another day. We've got tons of great futures. No one likes to lose, man. I mean, losing is really not in my vocabulary, to be honest with you, but we fell short today. Got to man up and go ahead and just get better every day. I just hope that we can learn from this because I ain't felt this way in a long time, I've got to say. So that's something to smile on. Q. Mario, you said you learned from this game. What did you learn from this game? MARIO EDWARDS JR.: During the whole season, we would put ourselves in difficult binds and that we always fought our way out of. My dad would always say, it only catches up with you when it catches up with you. Tonight is one of those nights where I think we let the points add up too much, and we didn't make enough turnovers on defense or enough plays on defense. What we learned is that you've got to start fast. Starting slow against an athletic team like Oregon and Mariota wasn't really good for us tonight. Q. We already heard from Coach already, but can you walk us through that fourth and five play and what you saw and what happened kind of when you slipped and then fumbled. JAMEIS WINSTON: I was just trying to make a play. I should have got the ball in my hands earlier. Just‑‑ it was just an unfortunate play, man. I never thought that I would slip, throw the ball backwards. Man, it just‑‑ it's a very unfortunate play, but that's football. It was fourth down, so, obviously, I'm trying to compete, trying to compete my tail off to try to get us in a good situation, but just a very unfortunate play, man. That's probably a come on, man, or something. That was crazy. Q. Jameis, the journey from Hueytown High School to right here in this big press conference, playing in this big football game, and winning all those games all along. Do you still remember being that kid back at Hueytown High School and the journey you've taken to get here? And reflect on how you've changed as an individual up to this point. JAMEIS WINSTON: Definitely. I remember how it was when no one barely knew who I was till now. But everything I've been through, everything that I've experienced has just made me a better person. Especially that's why I'm so happy I came to Florida State because I've got a coach that loves me, and I've got teammates that love me. There's nowhere else to go but up when you've got great people surrounding you and you've got a great family. But it ain't over yet. Hopefully, I've got a long life ahead of me. I don't plan on dying today. Q. Coach, wanted to ask you, as much as you can prepare for Oregon's tempo, is it a completely different animal when it's actually on the field with you? And just speak to, in the second half, not only did they convert the turnovers, but how quickly they did? COACH FISHER: I really don't think the tempo was as big a factor as it was. I think our guys adjusted and got calls very quickly, just the momentum of the game. I don't say that out of disrespect to Oregon. I think their tempo is very fast. But Clemson and Auburn go at that same pace too and some other teams we do. I don't think the tempo was the difference. They executed at a higher level and got momentum in the game and just made good plays. But it was a part of it, but I don't think it was a huge, huge part of that. I really don't. I don't say that out of disrespect. You play so many of those teams now, everybody is no huddle. It's more the norm than it is the un‑norm, as they say. It's just their execution, in my opinion, was the key to it. Q. So the quickness of their execution‑‑ COACH FISHER: Yeah, they took advantage of shots and made plays and got momentum. In college games, in any game, momentum. The turnovers create momentum and bad momentum, and you're able to feed on that. If you look at any game or any sport, how the swings and the momentum swings are critical, and it's hard to change them back, especially when you play good people like Oregon. Q. For Jameis, there was so much talk coming into this game about the matchup of Heisman winners. I imagine this is the first time you've seen Marcus perform in person. Get your feel on what you thought about his play today. JAMEIS WINSTON: He's a fantastic player. Got to tip your hat off to him because he won the game. He led his team to victory. So that's the most important part. I mean, we played our tails off too, man. This game could have went either way, if you want to be‑‑ if everybody in this room just want to be real with themselves, this game could have went either way. We turned the ball over a lot. We beat ourself. Just be real with yourself right now. We beat ourself. Q. For Jameis, there was some mention of maybe once the mistakes started piling up, you guys were pressing on offense. Did you feel that way? Did you feel that way in the huddle, that the team was pressing and maybe that contributed to more mistakes? JAMEIS WINSTON: By pressing, do you mean trying to make a play? Q. Yes. JAMEIS WINSTON: I think that's just our competitive nature that you're going to try to make a play when things are going bad. Tonight was unfortunate. It wasn't just they were stopping us. Their offense did great. Their defense was great. But we were never stopped at all. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|