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VIZIO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: AUBURN v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 2, 2014C.J. UzomahPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. That you wouldn't think of as a tight end offense. What is your role? C.J. UZOMAH: I'm more of a perimeter blocker. I have some moves where I can double block as, you know, make it seem like I'm blocking and go out for a pass. I embrace it. Coming in, moving from quarterback to tight end, having to block a little bit, I wasn't used to it, but I've learned to embrace it, and I love it, kinda the physicality of it. Coach Malzahn, and others have instilled that in me and we take pride on the perimeter. Q. How far back would you have to go in your football career to when you were doing the things that you are now? C.J. UZOMAH: Maybe pee‑wee, when I kinda played corner and they moved me out sometimes, but to be honest, probably never. I played quarterback my entire career, so it's been a transition for sure, but like I said, I've embraced it, and I'm having fun with it. Q. C.J., take me back last year, this time, New Years, what were you doing, what were you thinking? What was the setting? C.J. UZOMAH: I was actually at home, sitting on my couch, thinking I never want what happened to ever happen again, and "never again" is kinda the mantra we took on, a few of us were saying it. Kiehl Frazier was actually at my house, and we would go workout, go out and throw every day. We started embracing that, we never wanted to feel that way again. So to come from there to here, being in California, Pasadena, the biggest stage in college football, it's remarkable. Q. You had already met Coach Malzahn ‑‑ well you knew him from before, but in his next reincarnation, you had already had a meeting with him by this time? C.J. UZOMAH: Yes, I did, because they had already hired him, and he talked to us and told us the plan, and he said we were just going to have to "buy in" and I think that's clear, that everyone bought in. Q. I think so, yeah. C.J. UZOMAH: Yeah. Q. C.J., before the ball gets handed to Tre, what is your job in those few seconds? Are you trying to, doing misdirection or what? C.J. UZOMAH: We're trying to get lined up as fast as possible, first and foremost, so Coach Malzahn doesn't get pissed at us. (Chuckles) No. We're trying to get lined up, there may be a little misdirection, but we're trying to get lined up, whether or not we're part of the read option, we are trying to make a hole for him, and we know he's going to make a big play. If we sustain our block he's gonna make a big play. Q. Do you have to concentrate on how you put your feet or stand to not give a "tell"? C.J. UZOMAH: Oh yeah, definitely. Coach Malzahn notices it before anybody, and so he will give a sign. I practice ‑‑ he'll say, "You're six inches wider on this play; I want you to cut that down," and I'm like, "Okay." Q.Because he thinks that would indicate to the defense ‑‑ C.J. UZOMAH: Exactly, so we kinda try to line up the same every time you know. Once we're pacing, I dont' think it matters as much, because we're just trying to wear them out, but we ‑‑ when we have a little check, we're conscious about, let's make sure we are two inches inside the hash. Let's make sure we aren't giving them any key indicators away. Q. It's that precise? C.J. UZOMAH: Oh he will say, "Move a smidge" and we will move two inches and he will be like, "That's perfect." So it's pretty precise, and he's really meticulous about things, but that got us to where we are now. Q. We know it's his offense, but how important is Coach Lashlee to the offense? C.J. UZOMAH: Oh, it's important. If you are on the field with us, looking over at the sidelines they are like a married couple fighting sometimes. I'm telling you they are back and forth, "we need to do this, we need to do this" and Coach Malzahn will say some stuff and it's constant back and forth, and that meshes together perfectly, but it's funny sometimes to be able to listen to them. Q. Can you think of an example, something funny that was exchanged between the two? C.J. UZOMAH: Kind of. You know, Coach Malzahn, anytime something doesn't work, he takes it really personally. So he'll‑‑ Coach Lashlee will be like "Coach, calm down, it didn't happen on purpose. They didn't mean to drop the ball or run the wrong play, it's okay. And Coach Malzahn will freak out, and sometimes Coach Lashlee is sometimes, "It's okay." Q. So Gus is the more unstable one and‑‑ C.J. UZOMAH: Oh, they switch back and forth sometimes. Q. Are they both perfectionists? C.J. UZOMAH: 100%. And when we are in meetings Coach Malzahn will say, we want you to do this and we want you to be perfect and Coach Lashlee overemphasizes being perfect, and that's why we are where we are. We have lines on our field, on the sideline, and we always say "behind the white" it's 3 yards behind where we are supposed to be and he doesn't have to say that anymore but that's what he instilled in us from the very beginning, and that's why we are six inches perfect on our alignment, and we don't have to worry about being a smidge too far outside of our alignment is because they instill that in us. Q. On the sidelines like when the ref says "back up"? C.J. UZOMAH: Exactly. Q. Mike Tomlin. C.J. UZOMAH: Exactly. Q. Do you feel any pressure to keep the SEC streak going? C.J. UZOMAH: Pressure? No. Not to keep the streak alive or anything. We're worried about ourselves and we want to win this for us and the Auburn community and those that stuck with us from last year to now. Q. Yet, if you were the seam that lost the streak you would hear about it the rest of your days? C.J. UZOMAH: For sure you hear about it and maybe it's crossed our minds but, again, we're trying to focus on us ask we're hoping that doesn't happen. Q. C.J., when you were studying Florida State's defense, they got versatile guys, but none probably more versatile than Lamarcus Joyner. I don't know as you are going through the film studies if you are identifying where he is, but when you are getting ready for your responsibilities, a corner that gets used in four or five different ways, doesn't stay in place, does that stand out to you? C.J. UZOMAH: Oh, yeah, definitely stand out. He's a great player. He's their playmaker on their defense, we feel like, and we see him catch first downs from opposite side of the field, and it should be a 25‑yard gain, and he makes it a 5‑yard gain. So we definitely know he keys in on defense and we will be looking for that. We know they have a lot of playmakers on defense, as it, and we just kind of have to "do us" and worry about executing our plays and taking care of him, of all the athletes in the play. Q. C.J., a lot of people used the word miracle, when you won the Alabama game. Is that a compliment or do you think it's an insult when people forget what happened in the first 59 minutes? C.J. UZOMAH: I think who says it and the tone in which they say it definitely dictates how we should take it. A lot of people were saying it as "well, you got lucky" and "it was a miracle that happened" and not more or less that was a really good play, it was a miracle play. So I think the 59 minutes that we played before that gets overshadow and had overlooked but we played to the last second is, literally. I think "miracle" is something that is‑‑ should be I guess a positive as opposed to a negative. Q. Were you here what Rhett was a GA? C.J. UZOMAH: I did know him, sometimes he would come in‑‑ Coach Malzahn and him would talk to me a lot. So I did know him prior to that. Q. So you had initial exposure? C.J. UZOMAH: Yeah. Q. Talk about how he relates to you guys and how he motivates you and does it help that he's not third years older? C.J. UZOMAH: Oh, yeah, he's funny. He's a clown sometimes. We will be going over film and there is perfection and asthma particular could you will you say as he is on certain things, the film is always going. If we're in a stance and we think we need to be a smidge, 6 inches, we will move before the ball is snapped and he will stop and look at us. If he said something the previous day about being 6 inches too far, he's like "So, why were you doing that?" And we will have a back‑up conversation. It's light‑heard the in the meetings and he relates to us really well and danced with us in the locker room after the 'Bama game and he's a great guy to be around and he's fun. Q. Good dancer? C.J. UZOMAH: No, we told him he needs to stop doing that, he should have saved that move for later. Q. What was he doing! C.J. UZOMAH: He was trying to do the Nay‑nay.  I don't know if you know what that is. Q. I don't. C.J. UZOMAH: Yeah, so he was doing it wrong. Q. The no‑no and the Nay‑nay? C.J. UZOMAH: Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) C.J. UZOMAH: I mean, I think they would fare well. They're a great team, they have a Heisman Trophy winner on their team and they're a bunch of athletes. They fly around the ball, you know, no matter what. If their running back has the ball you will see all 11 guys run to the ball every play and I think that's something that the SEC prides itself in, being physical and athletic and flying around. I think that's something they do really well. So I think they would fare well. I don't think it would be a knock on them that they would fall off any steps of the way to where they are right now. Q. (No microphone.) C.J. UZOMAH: I don't know about that. That's‑‑ Q. (No microphone.) C.J. UZOMAH: I don't know. I can't speculate on that. They very well could have. Anything can happen. I don't know. Q. I just want to clarify the last story. He's watching film with you guys in there and you will move before the snap 6 inches and in his mind‑‑ C.J. UZOMAH: Yeah, that's an example. Q. Okay he told you that the day before so he's teasing you because you're‑‑ C.J. UZOMAH: Yes, sir. Q. I wanted to make sure I had that right. LAMARCUS JOYNER: Yes, sir. Q. C.J. I have talked to a lot of offensive coordinators in the SEC who told me they think your offensive line is going to be the best against their defense. What makes them so good and how do you think they match out? C.J. UZOMAH: I have been saying our offensive line is one of the best in the nation if not the best in the nation, and they pride themselves on being physical and helping Tre make big runs, and they will fare well against Florida State's "D" linemen. They have a lot of athletes and they're physical and they fly around, but I think the offensive line is, again, one of the best in the nation, and they will do well. Q. How much stuff have you gotten already that has "National Championship" written on it? What do you get? C.J. UZOMAH: A good bit, sweats, shirts, shorts, a few things here and there. We will get something probably every day or every other day. Q. It's all got‑‑ you won't forget you were here? C.J. UZOMAH: You will never forget this. I will have this for‑‑ I hope I stay this big! For a while I hope! (Chuckles.) Q. What's it like between Gus and Rhett? From your perspective? C.J. UZOMAH: They're kind of like a married couple. They go back and forth on what to call and it's good, you know, it's a mutual thing and I guess they have the perfect balance for each other because sometimes, you know, Coach Malzahn is like, "What did you want to call?" "We should call that" and Coach Lashlee will say, "Yeah, we should do this," and Coach Malzahn will say, "Do that." Q. The touchdown against Alabama when you ran five or six times right before that pass play, was that conceived in the huddle before? Do you remember that? C.J. UZOMAH: It wasn't. We wanted to get the job goin' a little bit, and once we started running the ball and having success, we were like, okay, let's keep pacing it and keep running it and see if they can stop it and obviously that outlet on the read option helped a lot, and he was wide open because we had so much success running the ball. That was‑‑ I think that was the perfect set‑up. Q. A lot of people watching were like, are they going to throw? Is there urgency? Did you have that feeling on the field? You were obviously having success, but it was 5 and 6 yards at a time. C.J. UZOMAH: Honestly I think that we were as calm as we had been in any situation. It was a close situation, and we knew that we were going to get it done. We were moving with urgency, we were running the ball and getting 5 yards here and 5 yards there, a chunk at a time, but there was no question in our minds that we weren't going to score. Q. How have you impacted folks with your tempo this year? C.J. UZOMAH: I think it's impacted them a lot. The first quarter they will be affected by it, but fourth quarter you can tell people aren't used to that pace, and we have been training for that all year. Right when Coach Russell got here, he said we were going to be one of the most in‑shape teams in the nation. So him knowing Coach Malzahn's offense, knowing what he wants to do with us, I think helps prepare us with two‑a‑days and prepares us for where we are now. Q. What weaknesses in Florida State's defense do you see? C.J. UZOMAH: I don't think we see any weakness. We're going to have to execute our game plan. They're athletic and run around and make plays. We're going to have to execute our offense and do what we do. Q. When you watch Tre, what jumps out at you? C.J. UZOMAH: I think it's the ones where you think he's bottled up and when the defense has a perfect scheme ‑‑ against one of our runs, one of our base runs, I think the Tennessee game, when we were on the goal line, somebody came untouched, I don't know if someone on the line missed it or they had the perfect scheme, came untouched, he spun out and scored. I don't know, stuff like that, the Texas A&M where he reached out‑‑ his want to, his will, he never stops moving his feet. He wants it. That sticks out to me a lot, kind of like when Jay jumped out of the way, so he could get into the end zone, kind of like‑‑ fighting for that extra yard that sticks out to me. Q. In what ways would you say the confidence around the program has grown from the beginning of the year to now the freaky things are happening where maybe it's something bigger? C.J. UZOMAH: We think everything happens for a reason and we're placed in every position for a reason. So obviously I think at the beginning of the year, you know, even going down to that Mississippi State game, first SEC win when we drove down the field two‑minute situation and scored, we felt like we had something special. We knew if it was a close game we personally feel like we will win. Obviously we don't think that a one‑second field goal return for a touchdown where Ricardo catches it on 4th and 18 would be what it took, but we knew if it was a close game we were going to win, and obviously we think there is a higher power involved. We have to give all the glory to God, and I assure you all of us have been going to church, for sure, so I think obviously that had something to do with it, too. Q. Do you think there is any "luck" involved with you guys? C.J. UZOMAH: I don't know about luck, per se, obviously people say it's luck, but I guess we're just in the right place at the right time and I guess doing the right things. Q. Do you think there has been an element of people in the program being a little skeptical and all of the sudden it's gotten other people to say maybe I'm part of something bigger than I realized? C.J. UZOMAH: As far as the program, as far as we were concerned, we definitely believe that. Coach Craig said from the very beginning right when he came here from Florida State, he said, the story has already been written. I guess actually when the season started, after we had gone through two‑a‑days and gone through Coach Russell's bubble workouts and dying on the ground laying there, after practice, dead tired. He said everything happens for a reason, the story has already been written, we just have to perform. We kinda feel like we are something bigger or part of something bigger with all that's happened. Q. Did you know anything about him before you got here? C.J. UZOMAH: I knew of him from recruiting. Kinda watched his basketball highlights more than his football highlights, because I heard he was a freak athlete, but I knew a little bit about him. I knew he was a great athlete. Q. Has Coach Craig talked about this game, his ties with Florida State? C.J. UZOMAH: We know it means a lot to him. He said it means a lot to him. With we knew he was close with those guys, especially Jameis, he even said something about him at the Heisman ceremony. We know this game means a lot to him for sure. Q. The personalities of Coach Rhett being maybe a protégé of Coach Malzahn, how would you say their personalities are different? C.J. UZOMAH: Coach Malzahn is more meticulous, and he wants things done a certain way no matter what, and Coach Lashlee kinda says "Go out there and play football. If this happens, you're going to have to go with it." Coach Malzahn doesn't see past something deviating from the offense. I think that mix is good for us so that, you know, we know we can go out there and have fun. We can go out there and play football. We know both of them are geniuses in offensive schemes and getting us the right play. I think it's a perfect balance between being perfect and going out there and playing football. Q. (No microphone.) C.J. UZOMAH: I think Mississippi State, on that two‑minute drive, they hit me in the end zone with a perfect pass and he grew as a quarterback and it took off from there. He started making plays with his feet on the ground. The Tennessee game he was not going to be denied, he kept running. The holes were there. I think those two games in particular is when he grew a lot. Q. You mentioned the higher power and a bigger calling and things that have happened late in the season. Is that the only description you guys can find for what's happened, based on the reckless nature of it all? C.J. UZOMAH: I think so. We know we have worked hard to get to the position we are in. The 59 minutes prior to the miracles that have beenhappening, are going to be overlooked. I think that's the only way we can put it to where everyone understands. We can sit here and say that we feel like we played our hearts out the entire game, and that, I guess, that one second they were tired because of the previous 59 minutes and 59 seconds, but I think that's the only way we can put into words to where people understand it. Q. What have you seen from the Florida State defense? Do they do anything comparable to anybody in the SEC? C.J. UZOMAH: I think maybe Alabama, especially in term of their athletes. They're going to fly around. They're fast. They're not going to take a play off. We know that. Say Tre has the ball, all 11 of them are going to converge and all 11 of them trying to hit him. They're a physical team, they're fast and we know we're going to have to get after it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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