|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: FLORIDA STATE v GEORGIA TECHNovember 26, 2012Orwin SmithCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Q.  How is your ankle feeling and what are your thoughts for this week? ORWIN SMITH: It's definitely feeling a lot better than last week, and this week is a big game, very important. Obviously one of the most important games of the year, definitely one of our goals. Q. And do you know or think that you can play, or that's to be determined do you think this week? ORWIN SMITH: It's still to be determined. I think I will play, yeah, so we'll just see how it goes day by day. Q. How hard was it to sit and watch Saturday's game? ORWIN SMITH: It was very tough. It was hurting at times just to watch my other guys get treated like that in a way. I'm a very emotional guy out there on the field, and not being able to be out there with my guys was real tough. Q. Was there really much of a decision at all to make Saturday, or was your ankle still in such a state that you really couldn't move on it? ORWIN SMITH: Well, it actually came down to the game time to decide if I was going to play or not. I did try to give it a go. I warmed up before the game, and it just wasn't up to par to be able to go‑‑ to feel like I could contribute in a way that I needed to to have a good chance at winning. We just held out. Q. Orwin, from your vantage point Saturday, what improvements does the offense need to make to be able to compete with Florida State? ORWIN SMITH: I just think assignment‑wise, we need to make sure that we cut down on missed assignments, and guys just knowing where to go and playing harder. It's a game of four quarters, and you have to play all four, and I think there's just more of a mental standpoint than anything because I think our guys are physically ready. Q. You rely obviously a lot on your speed in particular to be able to get outside. What percent do you think you need to be at sort of in order to be effective? Can you still be‑‑ do the things you want to do at 80, 85 percent? ORWIN SMITH: That's a tough question because, I mean, my whole career I've been playing on a banged‑up toe, so I don't think I have actually been 100 percent while I've been at Tech. I can't really say what percentage I need to be. But I mean, if I had to give a number, I would say 80, maybe 75, 80, just to give you a number. Q. This is your ankle and not that old turf toe injury, though, correct? ORWIN SMITH: Yeah, yes, sir. Yes, sir. Q. Before the season even started, a lot of people projected Florida State to be winning the Orange Bowl, and it doesn't seem like a lot of people are giving Georgia Tech a shot here. Do you guys take that as motivation and expect you and your teammates to play with a bit of a chip on your shoulder? ORWIN SMITH: Definitely. I think whoever we‑‑ whoever we would be playing in the championship they wouldn't be giving Georgia Tech a shot. It doesn't really matter who we'd be playing. We know that just from how the season has been going that we'll pretty much be the underdog in possibly every game. We're just coming into the game just like any other game with a chip on our shoulder and ready just to prove the doubters wrong. Q. What would it mean to you guys to be able to do that, especially considering it would sort of punctuate the turnaround for you guys? You came this far. ORWIN SMITH: Yeah, I mean, it would be awesome. That would be a great story to end the year off of and to make it to the Orange Bowl. We've had a lot of adversity, and we feel like our story is very, very inspirational, and we just need to keep going and finish it off. Q. What do you attribute that turnaround to this year? ORWIN SMITH: I would say after that bye week guys kind of buckled down and knew that we could still do it. Coach reminded us after the bye week that it wasn't over and we still had a shot and that he believed in us. I feel like after that bye week, guys actually changed their mindset and believed in themselves. Q. Does it bother you or any of your teammates at all that you guys are playing in this game because Miami declared themselves ineligible? ORWIN SMITH: Not at all. I mean, it's a championship game. We're here. It doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter to me how we got here, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter to any of the other guys because this is a great opportunity, even if we was playing for the National Championship. Five teams got suspended. We're still going to treat it like we made it. It's a great time, and we're going to definitely enjoy it. Q. I'm wondering when it was time to make that game‑time decision last week, knowing that you have this game coming up, did that play a factor at all, that you wanted to make sure you were there? As important as last week's game was, you wanted to be there for the ACC Championship game? ORWIN SMITH: This game didn't really dictate if I was going to play last week, but I mean, it was in the back of my mind because if I could have played last week, I would have definitely been out there with them guys. But just having an opportunity to be able to have one more week for the season to keep going, it did kind of brighten me up a little bit knowing that I still had a shot just to get out there and play for something much more bigger than that rivalry game. Q. And you know where you're going if you win Saturday, the Orange Bowl is ahead, but as a senior, have you guys been given any kind of idea what might be there if you don't win in terms of a Bowl? ORWIN SMITH: I haven't really heard much. It's up in the air. I mean, I've heard probably three different Bowl games. But our main concern right now is let's get to this Orange Bowl, and we'll kind of see where it goes as far as all the other Bowls if we don't. Q. Just to follow up again on your ankle, are you expecting to practice today? ORWIN SMITH: No, sir, not today but tomorrow definitely planning on being out there. Q. Which ankle is it? ORWIN SMITH: The right. Q. And one other thing: You guys when you were freshmen obviously you went to the Orange Bowl, won the ACC, and now you have a chance to finish your career the same way. What would it mean to you to be able to get back there again on the team that you've really been a much bigger part of? ORWIN SMITH: It would mean a lot. That's one of the main things. My freshman year it was great. I mean, it was a wonderful experience just to be a part of that, that championship team. But I played on special teams, and that's pretty much the most I could contribute. Making it this year, it would feel so much more‑‑ because I've actually contributed as far as the offense, special teams, and just all around. It would mean a lot more. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|