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VIZIO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: AUBURN v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 2, 2014Terrence BrooksPASADENA, CALIFORNIA TERRENCE BROOKS: Give you certain scenarios from back in the day when he used to coach and show us, hey, this is how we lost the National Championship or this is how we lost this game. So he really makes you think about it. Q. So when you were talking about you guys were on the bus, were you referring to the field goal return or the Hail Mary? TERRENCE BROOKS: Yeah. We were on the bus. We thought the game was over, at least I did. And hey, things happen, I guess. There you go. Q. He showed you the clip of the Georgia Hail Mary? TERRENCE BROOKS: Yeah. I mean we've all seen it a thousand times. So I mean we know. We'll probably be sitting there watching games, and we'll be like, hey, that's why Coach Pruitt just told us to do that or something like that. He just breaks down everything so well. He makes it just a lot better on the field just knowing the game. Q. How do you prepare for their tempo, and did you change anything in your preparation? You obviously had a long time, four or five weeks before this game. TERRENCE BROOKS: Definitely. I mean we hold it steady out there to get back to the ball pass anyway. For the most part, our scout team does a great job of giving us a good look at just tempo and making us run back to the ball and get set. Definitely just running hard in practice on every play like it's a game. That and just the tempo of doing things. Q. Would you say in these five weeks you've changed anything? I remember when LSU opened at Oregon a couple of years ago, they changed their entire off season with the tempo and how they practiced to get ready for that Oregon game. Did you do anything special in this five, six‑week period specifically to prepare for the tempo? TERRENCE BROOKS: Pretty much just focus on the details. Those are the things that are going to get you wins. That's really what my focus has been. As for the whole team, it's just been pretty much preparing like it's a game. Don't go out there and practice just going through the motions. Make sure we get back to the ball, make sure we're running fast on the field, in practice. But for me, that little Christmas break kind of killed me a little bit. I ate a little bit too much, put on a few pounds from my grandma's cooking, but for the most part, just running that offense and getting back into the game. We're doing great at practice. We're all buying into the game plan and it's going good. Q. Their tempo is interesting because it's pretty much predicated on the run. Certainly they have a pass game, but more so than maybe Clemson or other up‑tempo teams you've faced. Talk about the unique dynamics of that and how stopping their tempo run game. TERRENCE BROOKS: They do a great job of disguising their plays. They move some guys around just to get your focus off. But I mean they have a great quarterback; they have a good line. Their running back is awesome. They do some really good things over there, but I feel like it's just a matter of us just executing our game plan and not worrying about too much about them. Q. When I talk to NFL scouts or general managers, they say one to eleven guys are NFL prospects. Do you feel like because you're not in the SEC, that you still have something to show on this stage that you guys do have that kind of talent on your defense? TERRENCE BROOKS: Oh, definitely. To me, I mean football is football. It doesn't matter what conference you're in. You still gotta line up and snap the ball. I mean I feel like we can play with anybody. I mean you definitely have a lot of confidence in your team. I believe in all our players on that side of the ball, both sides of the ball, feel like we can do some great things over there. I feel like we haven't played that much football yet. Q. When did this unit realize it could be an elite level unit? TERRENCE BROOKS: Pretty much by the last bowl game, tell you the truth. This is a team we knew our class, 2010 class we had several good leaders, and I mean from that point on, we just knew that we were going to take the standard high and really just not come up short like we did in the past. Q. Who are some of the freaks on your defense? Who are some of the people when you guys are watching film your eyes kind of pop when you see them? TERRENCE BROOKS: You asking me? Our defense? Q. Yeah. On your defense. Yeah. TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean me. What do you mean? (Laughs). KELVIN SMITH: I think he's pretty good. TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean obviously I mean Lamarcus Joyner. Timmy, Telvin; and Christian. I mean our whole defense, I mean I wouldn't want to play with anyone else. We have some great guys over there, just character wise do. But we all just love to play for each other. All those guys are freaks over there; even the freshmen. They are surprising me a lot. Q. Is there some pride that you guys have brought Florida State going back to Bowden heyday and that kind of thing? Do you feel like by getting to this game and maybe winning it, you're back at that level? TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean we definitely want to get the school back to the way it was, but for the most part, we just want to leave our own mark, and I think that's what we took ahold of this year. We just want to be remembered, tell you the truth. Coach Fisher always says that he relate to your tombstone from the day you are born to the day you die, that little hyphen right there is your dynasty or your legacy and what do you want to leave on this world when you leave. So you really take that to heart to just go out there and give it your all and just make sure we're remembered. Q. So what's this defense's hyphen? TERRENCE BROOKS: Just dominate. We just want to be dominant and just want people to see that, all the defense. We take pride in that. We hold a standard out there that's very high, and that's why we keep it going like this. Q. What do you want your hyphen to say? TERRENCE BROOKS: Dominance. Again, just dominate. I mean we live by that. That's just something out here that we hold, I mean the swagger, just everything. We want to go out there and just dominate every time we're on the field. Q. No, I mean you. TERRENCE BROOKS: Oh, me? I don't know, man. That's a good one. I mean, for me, I just want to be seen as a great player, just a humble guy that's just going out there trying to create a name for himself and his family and really just take everything to a new level. I mean I want to be the face of the safeties, or one of the greatest safeties so I mean that's what's going to keep me going. Q. What was your first impression when you met Coach Pruitt? TERRENCE BROOKS: Very country guy, very country. He's just so funny. I mean he makes you love this game. He makes you respect the game. I mean he really wants you to create a high standard for yourself because he knows what type player you can be. He knows you can be a great player, and he's really helped me understand the game a lot more, and it shows on the field, like just from the way I played last year to now. He definitely helps everyone on this defense become greater. Q. Did it mean something to you when you knew he was coming from Alabama with the legacy of defense they've had in recent years? TERRENCE BROOKS: Definitely. It just shows‑‑ they've been winning. They've been winning championships over there, so obviously they have a standard over there that's working for them. And I knew he was going to bring a dominating defense over here also. So I was happy when he came. Q. Did you have any concerns that he had not been a coordinator before in college? TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean I know Coach Fisher wouldn't just hire a nut job or something like that. I mean I know Coach Fisher has the best interest for us, so I knew he was going to go out and get a good coach. Q. (No microphone)? TERRENCE BROOKS: He just goes out and does his job. He doesn't even talk much, to tell you the truth. When you see him crank up on the field, I mean that's when he talks, but for the most part he just goes out to practice, works hard, and he just really doesn't say nothing. He just goes out there and does his job, and everybody can see off his plays just how good he is. Q. (No microphone). Is it fun to watch on film? TERRENCE BROOKS: Oh, yeah. Definitely helped going back, just watching, I mean he just dominates. It's kind of amazing the things he does on the field. He's just so powerful. He goes out there and just sets his presence. People know when he's out there. And he's done a great job. I love having him down here. Q. (No microphone). Ramsey started two different positions. TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean I don't know. He's just a player. He's a play maker. The kid goes out there and he's very comfortable. He wants to learn, and he wants to go out there and just be great. It's kind of like a competition with all us DBs out there anyway just to do better than the others, and as long as we're doing that, I don't have a problem with it. Q. Did you know right away or a couple of days into practice that he belongs out here? TERRENCE BROOKS: Yeah, he goes out there, he's already talking and just doing it. I mean he goes out there and makes plays. I mean he's vocal in practice. And that's what you want. You don't ever want somebody to feel like they can't say anything at practice or just be comfortable out there. And the kid just goes out there and makes plays. I'm happy to have him beside. Honestly, I think he's a better corner, to tell you the truth. He's a great safety, but I mean I've seen him, in practice he goes and does both drills, safeties and corners, and seeing him at corner he is amazing, too, so the kid can play. Q. Lamarcus talked a lot about him being crazy physical early in the year, kind of be like, wow, Jay has calmed down. Did you see this as well? Is there something you can remember him getting a little crazy, not too crazy but getting a little like, whoa, he's physical? TERRENCE BROOKS: Actually, I mean just seeing him get that first introduction in the pink game I knew he was going to be special, but seeing him go from that and start to get physical with his hitting, I love that, because I mean I love hitting also. But he's been delivering some blows, and I'm like, hey. It's self‑explanatory on the field just seeing him play. Q. Would it mean something to you to end the SEC streak? TERRENCE BROOKS: Oh, yeah. Definitely. People think that's the strongest conference. I mean to me it doesn't really matter. I'm just here to win a National Championship. I could care less about the ACC versus the SEC or anything other than that. But it will be definitely good to end that streak because that's what all the talk is. If you can end that, it would be good. You see it all year, you see a lot of analysts saying, this is the best conference, this is the best players in football. It don't mean nothing to me. Q. Is it true? TERRENCE BROOKS: If that was the case, it would be the SEC versus the SEC in this game. So there you go. Q. That's happened before. (No microphone). TERRENCE BROOKS: I mean he's the same way. He doesn't change for anybody. He's a genuine dude. I mean he just loves football, and he wants us to just go and to love it also. I mean he's the same person on and off the field. That's why we gel so well with him. Q. You guys had heard a little bit about the scheme he was bringing in before he got here. When he got here and you said he was a little bit country, did that kind of throw you guys for a loop, like this guy's supposed to be a mastermind and he sounds like a good ol' boy? TERRENCE BROOKS: No. I mean we just love the guy. He's a great coach. He knows what he's doing, and he's helped us love the game. I mean it's crazy how he just came in and was able to do the things he does. We love it. We love having him here. We love playing for him. And it just seems like everything fits so well. Q. You guys were really good defense last year as well. Given that he was bringing in a bunch of changes, was there any resistance at all, like what are you doing here? TERRENCE BROOKS: Well, at first, I mean coming from like a different defense, there's definitely a little tension there in the beginning and through our spring and stuff like that, but it was hard getting all the things down at first. I mean that was for everybody, but I mean that's for any defense. In due time you're going to get it, and as we started to catch on to it, it got more fun to throw in more blitzes and more schemes and stuff like that. Q. What did he do to kind of handle that tension and diffuse it? TERRENCE BROOKS: Pretty much don't change. That's what I said before. He's a genuine guy. He doesn't change his way of coaching for anyone. He knows what type of player you can be, and he holds that standard very well. He's not going to let it go for anyone. Q. There's so much Auburn can do out of that one moment, they can do three or four different things. At that specific moment for you personally, do you have any feelings or keys that you're looking for from that spot that you need to focus on, any player or any sort of movement? TERRENCE BROOKS: No. There's 11 guys on the field, and if every one of those people do their job, it should take care of the plays. But for me I just really focus on the details. I watch my film, make sure I pick up on little key things. I mean obviously you're going to watch players that are dynamic, the quarterback they have. Tray Mason. You're going to respect those players, and as long as I do my job and everyone else does theirs, it'll be fine. Q. Are you tired of hearing (inaudible)? TERRENCE BROOKS: Yeah. Very. I mean‑‑ but I mean that's what they do. That's their thing and they've done very well at it. I mean you can't knock it. You can't take anything away from them. They do some great things over there. I mean we respect that. We want to go against good offenses like that. But for the most part it's not out of cockiness, but I just think we shouldn't even worry about that. We should worry about executing our game plan and taking care of what we have to do, because we know our coaches are going to do some great work over there just getting us ready. But as long as we take care of what we have to do, I think we should be fine. We've been doing that all year. Q. How much do they challenge your manhood? TERRENCE BROOKS: Oh, yeah. They come at you, and that's what you want. That's straight‑up football, and that's what we all want. We know they want to run the ball and they want to test your manhood and see how tough you are, and Coach Fisher even said that. That's what we do to each other every day in practice. We make sure that we just go full speed at each other to make each other better. So we're going to practice so there won't be any surprises. Q. How big of a turning point for you guys was that Notre Dame game a couple years ago? TERRENCE BROOKS: A really big turning point. I feel like that was one of the games that really set the standard of where we're going to go with this university. Coach Fisher has just been so strong about getting us back the dominance, and I know we all bought into it. Q. You guys were down at halftime and all those freshmen were giving up back on the O line, what was it like in there and what changed? TERRENCE BROOKS: We really just grabbed each other and was like, hey, man, we can do this. It looks kind of tough right now, but there's nothing we can't achieve out there. We made sure those guys really got it together. They pulled each other together and really just came out with the win. And we're proud. When we seen that, that was just a point of maturity. We seen that as guys growing up and just getting tough. Q. You had the pick at that game; right? TERRENCE BROOKS: Yeah.. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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