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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: FLORIDA VS ALABAMA

November 28, 2016

Austin Appleby

Atlanta, Georgia

THE MODERATOR: Hello, everyone. We'll go ahead and start with Austin Appleby.

Austin, if you can, before we take questions, give us some general thoughts on the game as you enter the Championship Game with Alabama Saturday.

AUSTIN APPLEBY: Sure. Hi, everybody. It's great to be here. It's an unbelievable opportunity for this Gator football team. We've worked extremely hard all season to get where we are, to get through the East, to get a chance to get back to Atlanta for the second straight year. It's huge for us and our program. We've got a lot of great players that have really come together in a way that have been really changing this program.

We've got a great challenge ahead of us and a great team that we're playing, a great opponent. But the Florida Gators are ready for the challenge, and we're excited about being in Atlanta.

Q. Hey, Austin, can you just talk about the challenge of facing the Alabama defense and the fact that Alabama did not give up a touchdown in the month of November. How challenging is that knowing that that's been the case?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: Sure. Alabama's defense is No. 1 in the country for a reason. They have great coaching. They have a great plan. They have great players, and they execute the plan at a high level. It's definitely going to be a great challenge for our offense, and with that said, our offense is going to be up for the challenge.

Our coaches are working to put a great plan in place. If we can stay on schedule, our keys to the game is going to be stay on rhythm, win on early downs, and get ourselves to second and third and manageable to where we can dial up plays for our playmakers. Get the ball out of my hands quick and get the ball to our speed guys. If we'll be able to do that and stay on rhythm, we'll have a chance to be pretty successful on Saturday.

Q. And how important is it to avoid that early disaster? I know you guys threw an early pick against Georgia, survived that one. Threw an early pick against Arkansas, didn't survive it. I know those aren't you, but how important is it against this defense to avoid trouble early?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: Sure. It doesn't matter who you're playing. It's very important to set the tone and to take care of the football. Our key is to stay on rhythm, keep ourselves in manageable downs, keep ourselves playing ahead of the change, and keep their offense off the field and keep ours moving.

Taking care of the ball is, obviously, extremely important against anybody, but especially this defense. It's just going to be about us having the mental endurance to take what they give us all day and to keep pushing and finishing blocks, finishing runs, finishing throws, finishing routes. That's huge for us. We've been preaching it, and we've got to go out there and execute.

Q. I'm just wondering, what would you say the strength of this Florida offense is?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: The strength of our offense is when we play together and we're able to stay on rhythm and get our tempo moving. When we're on tempo and we can start to get the ball moving and we get that first down, Coach is able to dial up things to our playmakers, and we've got playmakers everywhere.

We've got a great running back, we've got great running backs. We've got a whole stable of these guys. We've got tight ends that are huge matchup issues for teams. We've got as much speed as anybody in the country on the outside with our receivers. And for the quarterback just to let the offense work and get the ball to the playmakers. There's plenty of us.

We want to be able to run the ball, establish the run, get our play action off of it, and get the ball on the outside to our speed guys, and that's going to be key for us.

Q. Which game would you say you guys did that the best?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: I think we've done it throughout the season in glimpses and spurts. The key for us is going to be to the consistency. We can't shoot ourselves in the foot. We can't have negative plays. We've got to stay on schedule and keep working.

We flashed it against LSU. We flashed it against South Carolina. We flashed it against Georgia. We have played really well against Kentucky and Missouri. It's just going to be -- we know we can do it. Now it's just about doing it time and time again, and that's that mental endurance thing. That's playing for each other, trusting in the plan, not making stuff up, and just executing the plan.

Q. You played two pretty good defenses the last two weeks, but this is like stepping it up a game. When you hear a stat like they've only allowed 18 trips to the red zone, is that amazing to you? I mean, knowing the college game the way you do.
AUSTIN APPLEBY: Yeah, it's no small feat, especially for that defense. Again, you can't say enough about them. They deserve everything that they get. They get all the accolades, and rightfully so, because you go out and shut teams out week after week after week, they deserve everything they get. And hats off to them for the way they go out and execute the plan. It's going to be a great challenge for our offense.

But we're going to have a good plan in place. We have great players. We go out there and do what we're capable of doing and playing the Gator way, and we'll have success against this defense.

Q. Is it something about that too that makes it exciting for you for the offense? You're not going to see a better defense than this.
AUSTIN APPLEBY: No. It's kind of like a minor league NFL game, if that makes sense. There's going to be first rounders and NFL players all over the field. This is what it's all about in the SEC. Between an Alabama and Florida program, there's talent everywhere, and we know what's at stake. We know what's on the line. We know what we're up against. It's a great challenge, and I think, if you're a competitor, which we are -- and I know I am -- you want to go play against the best on the biggest stage.

That's why you come to University of Florida. That's what you dream for. That's what you work towards. We've got an opportunity to accomplish what we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season, and we wouldn't want to see anybody else but the best, and we've got a chance to play them this week.

Q. Austin, what do you see from Jonathan Allen, the defensive tackle for 'Bama?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: A great player that's physical, activity. He's strong. He's tough. He's disruptive. We're going to have to get a plan for him as well as the rest of the guys on that defense. I don't think you can pick out one guy that's weak. They're great players, every single one of them, and he's exceptional. We're going to have to really dial in and make sure that all hands are on deck to protect this week and to get the run game going.

Q. And does it kind of begin with him, though? I know there are a lot of guys you've got to account for, but does it kind of all begin with containing him maybe?
AUSTIN APPLEBY: I think it all begins up front. The game is won and lost in the trenches. It doesn't matter if you got guys running wide open in the back end if you can't keep it clean up front. It doesn't matter how good your running backs are if you can't create movement and a defensive plan on your side of the line of scrimmage.

It's a huge challenge for us and our offensive line, and I know these guys, and I trust in these guys, and they're doing everything they can to make sure they're ready for the challenge. There's some good guys on this team that are great competitors, and time and time again, they've been challenged. They've been disrespected. And this will not another opportunity for them to prove some people wrong and to go face a great defense and see what we're all about. I'm excited for them.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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