CHEEZ-IT BOWL: OKLAHOMA VS FLORIDA STATE

December 26, 2022

Jordan Travis

Camping World Stadium

Florida State Seminoles

Press Conference

Q. What does it mean for you and your teammates to be in a bowl and have this experience and also a chance to get to ten wins?

JORDAN TRAVIS: It is a blessing for sure, having an opportunity to come here. It's a great bowl game. We were in a bowl game a couple years ago. Just seeing how far we came as a football team, the accomplishments that we had this year is amazing.

I am so, so proud of this team and grateful for this team, and everybody deserves this.

Q. You had your first day of practice. How did it go today and how do you guys feel out there? Second question is Mycah Pittman got the Cheez-It room. Talk about that, have you seen it yet?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Practice went great today. Guys were flying around. It is important. First day back off of two off-days, coming back, flying around, giving 100 percent. Guys flying around, the offensive line was moving around today pretty good.

We got here early at 3:30, and I had to go video Mycah. You know he likes to video everything. I was in his room videoing him and everything, yes, sir.

Q. We talked to Coach Norvell. Guys that have not made draft decisions are here this week. He said there was no convincing from him. Was there any convincing from you, or was the message we are going to play in this game no matter what the future is after this?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, I think we owe it to this university. Florida State gives us everything. We are blessed every single day we get to wake up a Seminole. I think we all know that.

And knowing how far we came at a football team, the off-season, how hard we worked together. Nobody wants to leave anybody behind. What Coach Norvell does for us, too. That's a coach that loves us really hard. He coaches us really hard. It means a lot to us. So yeah, I think it was an easy decision for a lot of guys to at least be here to support.

Q. You had a chance obviously to look at some film of Oklahoma. What have you seen from their defense, and what stands out that could be challenging?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah they are a great defense with a lot of great athletes all over the field. Obviously, we played their coach a couple, what is it, two years ago at Clemson. They do a lot of different things. They are a special team. But, man, it's always about us. I always say every week, it is about us. We go out and play our game and let everything fall into place.

Q. Heading into the season, there were not a lot of people who thought Florida State would be in a position to win ten games this year. How important is it to finish strong considering how far this group has come this year?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, it is special. Puts a smile on my face every time I think about it. I have been here for a while now. I have seen a lot of down years. Just seeing the smiles on my teammates' faces means everything to me. Our fans are happy, which is big. We go to games, and our games are sold out. It is a blessing from the Man upstairs and I'm just grateful and thankful for this football team.

Q. Coach was in here talking about the fact that one thing he admired about the team is that you guys consistently kept playing, like you guys never stopped despite whatever was going on. Talk about the conversations that you were having with your fellow players and the way you guys built each other up to keep going?

JORDAN TRAVIS: It comes from the off-season, how hard you work in the off-season. Confidence comes from the work, and Coach Norvell emphasizes that all the time. We go out there and play our game. There is a lot of fight on this football team and every single player. Coach Norvell recruits guys that are fighters, hard workers.

They were talking about it last night. How this team and Coach Norvell always recruits the right guys. It is always the right guys, great people. People first is the most important thing. It is how you treat people is everything. How you do anything is how you do everything, they always talk about that.

It all comes from Coach Norvell and how hard he pushes us.

Q. You were in a bowl game in 2019 with Florida State. How much different will this experience be than that experience?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Honestly, that was a while ago. I don't really remember that. But, I mean, we are blessed to be here, man. Yeah, we are blessed. We are thankful. That is all it is.

Q. We saw you hanging out at the welcome party at the hotel last night. Other than the game itself, what are you looking forward to here in Orlando?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Spending time with my teammates. We deserve this. We earned this. Yeah, that is all it is, enjoying time, embracing everything. There are a couple guys on this team. It is their last football game at Florida State. So, we owe it to them to go out there and give them 100 percent and give them a great week.

Q. Being from the state of Florida and playing at Florida State, how big is it to play in this Bowl game and in Orlando? How big is it for the team to get that opportunity?

JORDAN TRAVIS: It means a lot. We have a lot of guys from Florida, so a lot of people's families can come to the game, which is great. I live two hours away, so my family will be here. They are always at the game. It is always a blessing. You have your family around and we have our fans here. It is going to be a great week for sure.

Q. You start next season up again, as a guy coming back, a leader, what do you tell your teammates about how to enjoy this week but also understand it's a business trip for you?

JORDAN TRAVIS: Yeah, I think we know that. It all starts at the top. Coach Norvell talks about it a lot. It is great. We are in Orlando, have a good time, but we are here to work. We have a job to do. We came here for a reason. Focus on the game. When next year comes, we'll worry about that.