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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: FLORIDA STATE v GEORGIA TECHNovember 26, 2012Tevin WashingtonCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Q. In your offense over the years, what do you think baffles defenses more than anything? When everything is running well and you guys are clicking, can you almost see guys on defense getting confused, and what is the biggest challenge for them? I'm not asking you to reveal how to defend you guys, but where do you think you bother them the most? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I think just the type of offense we run. It's an option offense. We're coming to full speed. It's not like we're lining up and just‑‑ we show them what we're going to do before the snap. It's going one way or another and you've got to make a decision at the snap, when the ball is snapped you've got to make a decision on how you're going to defend it. I think that gives defenses challenges. Q. And this season obviously you guys have scored a lot of points. Do you ever get a sense like in the North Carolina game, do you ever get a sense that every time you guys get the ball, whether it's after a turnover or a punt or a kickoff, do you just have a sense you're going to score on every possession? Do you feel that in some games? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I mean, as an offensive player that's the goal to try to go score every time we get the ball. A lot of times as an offense, you know if everything is done correctly and everything is executed that we're going to give ourselves a chance to score. So we harp on trying to make sure we do things the right way, take care of the football, minimize mistakes and go out and execute and just play. We feel like everything will work out for the best for us and we'll be out to go out and put points on the board. Q. How do you guys rebound mentally from losing to your biggest rival? TEVIN WASHINGTON: Mentally, I mean, I feel like if anything to bounce back mentally, I think our team can. We've been able to play through adversity the whole season, so this is just another pivotal point of the season that we can push through adversity, just come back this week with a lot of energy, correct the mistakes that we made in the last game and just seize the moment, realize the opportunity ahead of us, that we've got a chance to play for the ACC Championship, and that's the No.1 goal for us. We've got a lot still to play for. Q. From a physical standpoint and execution‑wise, what are the things you have to correct, because they handled your offense probably better than anyone else this season. TEVIN WASHINGTON: I think we have to correct just taking care of the football I think is the most important thing. We take care of the football, I think we put ourselves in a good situation to be successful. Q. I think at your bye week after Al Groh was fired, a lot of people probably wrote you guys off and now here you are going to the championship game. What do you attribute the turnaround to, and what sparked it? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I think you attribute it to just, I mean, sticking with it. Sticking with it all the way through. Our guys have not loomed on the past much and each week is a new opportunity to try to go out and try to get a win and try to move forward and leaving the past in the past and moving forward. I think the mindset of the team has been that throughout the year, and that's really helped us to keep going forward and things kind of worked themselves out when you do that. Q. I know you guys obviously run a different offense than Florida, but do you take any confidence from the fact that Florida State's defense allowed them to run the ball with so much success just last week? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I mean, we're going to approach each week the same. I think it's the same approach each week to each team with any kind of defense because any game is going to be a new challenge presenting itself. We just take the challenge and try to go out and execute and do what we do on offense. They're going to be ready to play, we know that, because there's a lot at stake for this game. So we've got to come out and be on our "A" game. Q. You guys have had a very balanced running attack, a lot of players and a lot of depth, and no one just dominant guy like maybe there was your first couple years. Did Orwin Smith's value, do you think maybe some people might underestimate what that was, and maybe can you say what that impact, how it was felt when you didn't have him last week against Georgia? TEVIN WASHINGTON: Orwin has made a lot of plays in his career at Georgia Tech and he makes a lot of plays for us on offense. I felt like not having him there, it was a vacant spot there because he's a senior, he's a leader, also, on the team. But we have young guys that are ready to step up and make plays, too. I think we have a host of guys that are ready and able to step up and make plays. I just feel like going forward, I mean, with him there it gives us a better chance at being successful. Q. Was it a surprise for you that he wasn't able to play in the game? Coach Johnson seemed a little surprised after the game. TEVIN WASHINGTON: I mean, it was surprising‑‑ I don't think Orwin has missed a game since he's been here. I think that was more surprising than anything. But he's been banged up throughout the week, and we knew it was going to be a game‑time decision. He wasn't able to go last week. Hopefully he'll be able to go this week so we can go out and try to get a victory this week. Q. What impresses you most about E.J. Manuel, and what's the challenge trying to stop him in that offense? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I think his ability just to run and throw the football. He's a big quarterback, and he's talented in a way where he can look downfield and hit a receiver that's wide open, or if nobody is open he can pull the ball down and make a play with his legs. That's going to be a challenge for us defensively. I feel like on the flipside, I feel like on offense we've got to do what we need to do to be successful as far as executing, taking care of the football and giving our team a chance to win the game. Q. I asked Quayshawn this. Was there a point where you stopped feeling bad about the Georgia game and started to look forward to playing Florida State? TEVIN WASHINGTON: Yeah, there was a point. I mean, it came a point where it was evident we had a game this week, so like any other game, you have to move on. You can't‑‑ you never get too high, too low behind a loss or a victory. It's always got to be even keel. You've got to always stay grounded in the sense of knowing that you've got another game to go play and come out the next week reenergized, refocused and ready to play. Q. Like even on the bus ride home from Athens, were you starting to think about this game or were you still kind of lost in the fog from losing to Georgia? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I mean, that's our biggest game of the year because it's our rival, so on the bus ride home you're kind of still in dismay about the game. But in the back of your mind you always keep in mind that you've got a game the next weekend. Come out Monday getting ready to practice, let bygones be bygones, and come out this week because we've still got a No.1 goal attainable, and it's right in front of us. Q. Is it kind of hard to believe that you're 6 and 6 and you can still be playing in the Orange Bowl? TEVIN WASHINGTON: I mean, I don't think that it's hard to believe because we're here now, but I feel like there's been times in the season where the momentum was shifting one way or the other for whatever reason, and we had to continue to be mentally strong and just keep faith that we did everything we could in our power to put us in a position that things would work out‑‑ work themselves out and give us a chance to go to the championship. We were fortunate enough that we took care of things we could control, and everything else took care of itself. Q. I realize it's obviously early in the week, but have you had a chance to look at any film of Florida State's defense, and if so, how would you compare them athletically, etcetera, compare them to Georgia's defense? TEVIN WASHINGTON: We haven't had a chance to go and look at film yet, but just watching them play a little bit last weekend and throughout the season, they have a very talented defense, a lot of times the guys on the defensive side of the ball, they're fast, so I feel like they're going to present a challenge for us on defense, and we've got to be ready to come out and play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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