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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: FLORIDA STATE VS MICHIGAN

December 28, 2016

Deondre Francois

Miami Gardens, Florida

DEONDRE FRANCOIS: I really don't think about it, but when I'm in the game I just play football. If I do get hit and I can get up, I'm just going to get up and continue to play. I feel like the most important play in football is the next play and that's what Coach Fisher harps on and that's what we do as a team.

Q. Going back to when you were in high school, what was it like to get hit there, versus now being hit by larger, faster linemen? I'm sure it's a difference, or is it a difference, and what is that difference like?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: It's harder. Guys are bigger, faster. But I try to during the off-season get bigger and faster, also, so it'll be equivalent to when I was in high school coming to college. It's a part of the game, and I feel like if you can't take hits, you shouldn't play the game.

Q. You talked about preparing for this Michigan defense; how much is there that you can prepare for and kind of anticipate, and how much can you not really understand until you get in the game and start playing?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: You know, they're a very disciplined team. But we can just watch as much film as we can, and I feel like Coach Fisher and Coach Sanders really do their best to prepare me to play well. But at the end of the day, we have to go out and react to whatever they're going to do.

Q. What was the season like for you?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: It was great, a great experience. Having a guy like Dalvin beside me was just a blessing. I feel like any quarterback in the nation would love to have a running back like that. The most important thing he taught me is leadership, consistency.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Not really. I don't know what Dalvin is going to go. We're just focused on the ballgame, focused on this last game during the season. It's not about Dalvin, it's about the Florida State Seminoles, so that's what we harp on.

Q. This will be the first bowl game since the 2013 title game. How important is that?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Very important. We want to go out the season with a bang, let the seniors leave with a gold legacy, set the standards for next year, next season.

Q. How much interaction did you have with Jim Harbaugh when he was recruiting you?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: I really don't remember. I remember meeting him, him being a great guy, strong grip handshake type of guy. I know he's a great coach, but I don't remember him coming and sitting down with me.

Q. It wasn't a big impression on you?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Yeah, signing day was a few days, and I feel like he had just got the Michigan job, so it was late in the process.

Q. You talked about next year. Have you thought about what it means in terms of a changing of the guard? What does that leadership role mean to you?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: I feel like it won't be any different. Coming in as a redshirt freshman quarterback this year I was held to a high standard to lead, and I feel like next year I'll be held to the same standard to lead. It won't be any difference. We're just going to go into the off-season with the mindset to work hard and stay consistent.

Q. What would you say are the things you learned this year in terms of being a leader that maybe you didn't learn in high school that have made you a better leader?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: You know, I learned how to be a follower, follow other guys like Dalvin, Dalvin and Rod and some of the other guys on the team that has been there. That helped me become a better leader, seeing how those guys lead, taking in the accolades of how they do things just helped me become a better leader.

Q. Seems like a lot of mutual respect for both teams. When you look at both sides, is this kind of an ideal match-up for you?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: I'm not sure. Whoever they told us to play, that's who we were going to prepare to play. Their defense is very stout. That's what I know. Very experienced team, well-coached, and I know they're going to come to play, so we have to, also.

Q. (Inaudible.)
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: I haven't thought about that. I'm just going to stick to our game plan, not try to do too much, do whatever Coach Sanders or Coach Jimbo ask me to do.

Q. We've talked to a bunch of South Florida guys about what this means, but not many people knew you kind of grew up in Miramar a little bit with your grandmother and your two uncles. Have you put much thought in that?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Yeah, I'm just blessed to be here. My grandmother, she's very excited because she lives 10 minutes away from the stadium, so it's a blessing for me to be in Miami playing in front of my grandmother and my grandfather and aunts and uncles and everyone.

Q. Do you think about this as like a dream come true?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Yeah, I think about that sometimes. It's just a blessing to be here. I never thought I'd make it this far, but now that I'm here I'm trying to soak in every moment of it, try to have fun. Most important thing is to have fun and create memories with my teammates like Dalvin, Tate, those guys. Great memories of the Orange Bowl. A lot of guys want to be in our shoes right now. We're just blessed to be here.

Q. What are your impressions of Peppers?
DEONDRE FRANCOIS: Great guy, great athlete, very strong. His best attribute to me is just having a knack for the football, being smart. I know he has a lot of athletic attributes. He's fast, physical, but he seems like a real smart player on the field from the film I've watched.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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