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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: MIAMI VS WISCONSIN

December 28, 2017

Lawrence Cager

Miami Gardens, Florida

Q. Let me get your take on your season, how things have gone. It's your first year coming off injury; where do you assess things being for you right now?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Really the beginning of the season, really just me trying to get back to playing football again, being away from the game for over a year. You think you're ready, but then you go the first game, and you're like, um, not really. Just trying to get my feet back under me. Had to take some time off, a little nagging with my knee. Now I feel better than ever. The past games I think I put on the film that I feel better, that I'm back to playing like my old self at practice and stuff, so I feel good.

Q. Was it frustrating at all? Some balls it was almost like you maybe weren't physically able to fight for them like you used to. Was there some frustration?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Yeah, in the beginning it was frustrating. It just used to give out sometimes. A couple times, the Florida State game, I just would fall, and it would be frustrating to me, but credit Coach Richt, Coach Dugans and the training stuff, just staying with me, like it's okay, we're going to give you this time to get back right, and you're going to get this train moving again.

Q. Ahmmon almost certainly not playing; does more fall on your shoulders for this game?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Yeah, it actually falls on all the receivers, but me being -- me and Darrell Langham being his backups, it falls more on us, so we're going to have to pick up slack, and people saying that Ahmmon is out is a big deal, but we're saying we're just as good, too, so we're going to pick up where he left off.

Q. The entire Wisconsin defense is very stingy. What do you see in that group and how tough are they to deal with?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Oh, they're a tough group. They like to be in your face the whole time. They're very stingy, don't like to give any ground. They're going to play their defense, and they're a good group of guys. Talking about the secondary, they're a good group of guys, just very fundamentally sound, and we're going to have a good match-up.

Q. If you could look at the future a little bit and talk about N'Kosi Perry because fans are interested in him, what do you see for him and what do you see for the future of the program now?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Well, just growth. He kept growing as the year goes on. I think all the coaches see that. Coming in as a freshman, you're like, what's this, what's this, what's that, so just him settling down as the year goes on and learning the offense, it's been going good, and it's a sight to see, as for everybody.

Q. How excited are you for next year and what this team can do?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Yeah, we're excited about next year. Right now we're focused on the bowl game, but of course we're also thinking of next year, too, and we're excited for next year to build on the season.

Q. How much have you guys watched some of the film from Clemson and Pittsburgh, and what has it been like as an offense to have to go back and relive those two games?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Oh, it's been a learning experience. You never not want to watch film. You want to watch your mistakes. We watch it a lot, same amount as we watch the games that we win, and criticize the games that we win. Just to learn from them, what mistakes we made, how we can build on that, and I think we're good.

Q. What are some of the things you think you guys learned from watching those two specifically because it was kind of hard to get the offense going sometimes?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Yeah, just start out fast. You can't not -- okay, we'll do it next play. We've got to start out right out the gate, and we've been practicing like that, and I think we'll do good come game time.

Q. You've talked about what you've seen from Wisconsin DB's. What kind of challenge are they going to pose, and what do you think they're going to try and throw at you?
LAWRENCE CAGER: Well, they're a good group. They're going to play their defense, like I said. They're not going to try to fix some new defense up. They're going to press and get hands on you, and they're good at that. They're a good group of guys, not to take anything away from them, and it's going to be a good match-up come Saturday.

Q. What has the season been like for you personally, coming back from injury, just kind of the progression?
LAWRENCE CAGER: It's been up and down. The beginning of the season, it really was just getting my feet back under the game of football, being away from the game over a year and a half. I thought I was going to be -- I took a couple games off in the middle just to get healthy again 100 percent just to make sure I was good, and this past game I feel like I'm back to myself.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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