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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: FLORIDA STATE VS MICHIGAN

December 28, 2016

Travis Rudolph

Miami Gardens, Florida

Q. A lot of people talk about Jourdan Lewis, Michigan's corner. Have you watched a lot of him on film?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Yes.

Q. Are you impressed?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Yes, I'm very impressed. Jourdan Lewis is an awesome player. He makes a lot of plays on the ball, and his stats speaks for itself.

Q. I know at times he's more of a linebacker, but what are your thoughts on Peppers?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Peppers, I knew about him since high school. Peppers is an awesome player. He definitely deserved to be in that Heisman talk.

Q. What did you know about him when he was in high school?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: We played in the High School All-American game together, and going into the All-American game, you just looked at all the players' highlights and stuff, and when I looked at his highlights, it was just touchdown after touchdown, plays after plays.

Q. Sounds like he hasn't disappointed since.
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Exactly.

Q. Did you ever think you'd be in a situation playing in the Orange Bowl after that loss to UNC?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: No, but Coach Fisher always told us just to keep playing, just regardless of the fact of losing, just keep playing.

Q. What changed after that game? Was there a mentality change on the team?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: No, we just had that drive and that will to push forward and win, so nothing really changed, it's just focusing on the little details, I guess.

Q. Michigan's defense is ranked No. 2 nationally; in general what are you making of their defense overall?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Just watching film, they definitely deserve that, that credit, because there's not too many teams that can just run up and down the field, fly around the ball, get around, just make plays. It's a fast defense overall.

Q. Do you feel like you have the athletes, though, that can penetrate that defense?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Yes, it's definitely going to be a good match-up I feel like.

Q. Do you see anything on film when you watch them that you can kind of exploit, anything you've picked out?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: No, nothing specific. Like I said, it's just going to be a really good match-up on both parts, offense and defense.

Q. When you watched Jabrill in high school, did you think he was a better offensive player?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: That's a tough question. To my eyes, yes, somebody that plays the offense, yeah, you can say that, but he's definitely shown it on defense, as well. He's just an all-around great athlete.

Q. I've seen every episode of you guys' show. What was it like having cameras around constantly? Was it awkward?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: I wouldn't say that, no. It's just really like open the eyes to all the players I felt like. You've got people watching you all the time, so having all those cameras there, they're more aware of the guys on you.

Q. What was it like to watch it?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: It just felt like an honor just to watch yourself on TV.

Q. With Michigan's defense, have you guys talked about -- usually Jourdan Lewis get matched up with the other team's best receiver, in this case you. Have you thought about a match-up with him or talked about game planning for that?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: We don't make it an individual match-up. Just watching film, they both play left, right, corner, so I'm going to go against No. 8, as well, and just the scouting report on them is they're very physical. They're going to put your hands on you, and you've just got to play strong.

Q. How do you think they compare to other teams you guys have played this year?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: They're more of the elite group, elite talent group. I feel like they're very similar to Florida. Florida played a lot of man-to-man, so that's what I compare them to.

Q. Freddie is kind of an unsung guy a little bit. What does he bring to the offense, and what makes him a unique player?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: Oh, man, he brings a lot, just as far as the run game, he actually like helps out Dalvin get that extra boost I would say. He just does a lot of unselfish things. He'll just block. Whatever he's got to do to take the win, he'll do.

Q. Does he ever speak up about getting the ball in his hands a little bit more?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: No, not at all. That's just how unselfish he is as a player. Just having him being a senior and leading all of us on the team, it just makes him a better person and team player.

Q. Is he an outspoken type of leader for you guys?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: He's more of a quiet type of leader. He'll just lead by example. He's more that type.

Q. You're going against a program with a very well-known head coach. What's the first thing you think of when you hear the name Jim Harbaugh?
TRAVIS RUDOLPH: An NFL coach that won a Super Bowl and just doing a great job coaching for Michigan, winning record.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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