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VIZIO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: AUBURN v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 3, 2014Robenson ThereziePASADENA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think we have a lot of great receivers this year, a lot of big players in our league. I think Jamies Winston is probably one or is the greatest player inside of football this year, you know, winning the Heisman. I think his team believes in him. They have a lot of faith in his arm, in his leadership. He gets the O guys going, allowing them to make plays. Just watching him lead his team. He's a great player. I'm really thankful to have a chance to play against him right now. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think Missouri, with the element of surprise. They find a way to get the ball down the field. They caught us in a couple coverages we were trying to stop the run. I think Coach Johnson has that for us. Q. Can you imagine this Auburn team losing by a blow‑out to anybody? ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think Coach Malzahn puts us in position. Being a game in the fourth, if we close, I think we'll find a way to win. He has been one of the greatest coaches. If you really look at the games, you know, I think Florida State has done their job, beating teams the way they supposed to.  Nobody wants the games to be close. They done their job. In our league, it's difficult to do that with a lot of teams being in the top 10. It's prepared us for a team that can put up a lot of points. Q. Did you watch the Sugar Bowl? ROBENSON THEREZIE: I watched it. I think Alabama really should have won the game. I think they came out dry, not really being where they wanted to be. I think that's a great team. I know their work ethic. I think Coach Saban is going to have a plan for them this off‑season. I wouldn't be surprised if they're fighting for the whole thing again next year. They had a great season. Didn't end the way they wanted it to. I think that kind of lit a rocket under them. Q. Shows how unpredictable bowl games can be. Do you think there's any reason for us to have an idea of what might happen in this game? ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think bowl games are hyped a little bit too much. UCF/Baylor game, UCF showed up with their A game. Oklahoma was prepared to play against Alabama. Looked like they were running a lot of our plays (laughter). Q. With a quarterback like Winston, obviously accomplished, but started one season, can you throw confusing things at him, make it a difficult game for him? ROBENSON THEREZIE: He played one year, but he's been on campus two years. I think he would have been a starter as a freshman if E.J. wasn't there. The redshirt freshman thing is kind of overrated. He got the O reps in practice. He was behind one of the better quarterbacks last year. He's an old guy. He's been there a while. Q. What did Chris Davis mean to the team? ROBENSON THEREZIE: Chris Davis is the leader of our team. The team looks at him with a lot of respect. He's one of my closest friends on the team. I helped empower him. He got hurt like in the opening kickoff. For him to be sad about that moment I think motivated him this whole year to get back, taking one game at a time. The one game we lost, he didn't even play. I think his leadership plays a lot who we are as a team, who we are as a defense. Q. (No microphone.). ROBENSON THEREZIE: The standing ovation, they were happy to beat Alabama. He made the plays, he deserves respect. But we all got those standing ovations, hand clapping. But, no, he's been one of the most humble people about it. People come up and ask him about it, he laugh about it. I'd love to be in that moment if I was him (laughter). He's been a humble guy. That's the kind of character he's always had. Just to watch him, he might even have a better game this week. Q. How good is he as a defensive back? ROBENSON THEREZIE: To me he should be the top corner taken in the draft. The interception might not say it, but I mean he has it all on the ball, receivers are always clamped down. He lives in the moment. Whoever the hyped guy is, he want to be on them. He just been a workhorse for us. We leave him alone a lot of the time. I know he's going to hold it down. He needs some help, he'll come tell me. That's when we make the most plays, when our communication level is high. Q. How do you define defense now? Is it making the big plays? Getting the turnovers? What is the definition of a good defensive team? ROBENSON THEREZIE: That's one of the most difficult questions for us and the coaches as a defensive coordinator. You're playing against a team that likes to run 90 plays a game. It's hard to keep somebody out of the end zone. Our coaching staff has been hard on us about giving us so many snaps. I think we make the plays when they count the most though. I think we've been a defense that plays four quarters. We live in the moment. I think we got to start a lot faster, getting the game flowing a lot faster. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I mean, those guys will keep you grounded. When things get tough, you don't know which way to look. When practice get hard, practice get long, those guys are guys that have been through the situation and know exactly what to expect. They know how to handle a lot of different situations that are handed to us. They've been through everything. They won a national championship. They've seen Cam come on campus, have a lot of fame and glory. Those guys keep us humble as a team. They play a big role in who we are and who we inspire to be. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I mean, I remember Nosa and Dee‑‑ Dee got hurt early in the game. I think Dee probably had a chance to end his career and go play in the NFL draft, but Dee decided this would never happen again at our university. How they worked in the weight room, when Coach Russell put a lot on us in the weight room, those guys had a destination. I think we reached it. We have one game left, three more practices to help end their career. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I mean, being in the secondary, you kind of wait on those things to happen. We playing against a lot of great receivers that make their plays. If we can eliminate a lot of those big plays, probably won't be as close. He has every right to critique us as he does. I think we got a lot to work on. I think we got a lot of attributes, as well. I think we made a lot of plays when they counted. I think he's thankful for us as a secondary, being the only group that really close the whole game, which is kind of tough. He probably critiques a lot to me. He congratulations us on our accomplishments, as well. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: 90 snaps a game is very hard, especially against the no‑huddle teams. Things start to happen, you try to help other people, there's a lot that can go on being out there so long. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think we found out kind of what we like to do as a secondary. Gave up a lot of big plays, played with our back to the ball. I mean, he does play a lot of zone. It probably looks like that. I think a lot of our interceptions come from zone coverage. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I mean, yeah, he's a player coach. He came in with an open playbook, really doing what we had to offer. He found out that we're a team that likes to play man, likes to be in a lot of people's faces, a team that likes to play with our back to the wall. He likes to blitz a lot. Watching him call plays, I think I can almost call them just as well as he can, being in it so long. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: It's been like 40 days of Christmas (laughter). It been one of the reasons I wanted to play football at Auburn University. Our town loves football. They love to see us do well. They love to see us be on the high stage, love to see us represent the university in a positive way, especially after a season like last year. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: Depends on who we playing. Depends on the down and distance. Depends on the situation. I think we have the depth to do probably anything Coach Johnson draws up. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think his willingness to change probably has been the most different. He'll come in sometimes with our defensive players, what we like to do, what we see on film, what's the best way to go at it. The other team, what best suits us. I think he listens to the players as much as he listens to the coaches. It's a defense I really enjoy playing in, even though it's a defense that's given up a lot of yardage, a lot of junk plays really. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think he sees that in practice a lot to be able to trust it. Going against our receivers, as a DB, one‑on‑one is really the only thing you want to do. Our guys have played a lot of man coverage, a lot of one‑on‑ones in practice. Coach Johnson can believe in us. We believe in ourselves. We can make plays. He understands the team going to make the plays in one‑on‑one coverage. We are a smaller secondary. But I think our guys have made a lot of plays this year. Q. Do you have the freedom to make calls on your own and change plays on the field? ROBENSON THEREZIE: Not that much freedom. I can predict what he wants us to do. We come to the sideline, we have our discussion, me and him, one‑on‑one. He talks to coach on the headset. I feel like he trust me so much that he listen to what I say. If I tell him we can man up all day, if I tell him we're going to have to blitz them a little bit more, he's going to listen. He listens to a lot of things that I offer. That's probably my favorite coach to have since I've been in college just because he's a player's coach, he listens. He knows the game. It's not just about X's and O's, it's what the players want to do, how comfortable the players are in the system. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: I mean, coming in at halftime, we could tell what route combination they're trying to get into. He can tell how the OC is calling the game from his viewpoint, which is probably the best view in the house. They come out with a lot of things that they don't present to a lot of other teams when they're playing us. Our halftime adjustments have been crucial for us this year. I think we've been able to make plays with those adjustments. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: Oh, no, he wouldn't come in and throw out everything that we're doing. He'll come in and minimize what they're trying to do. He's a guy that break down a lot of film. He going to put you into a situation that the offense like to do. Once he finds out what they're trying to do, if they're trying to be a vertical passing team, a short passing team, he brings that to the table and allows us in the second half to make a lot of plays. Q. You've had a hard time against top receivers this year. This team has three receivers and a tight end. What have you thought about the matchups? ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think we made our plays this year as well as other receivers making theirs. We played against a lot of NFL prospects. I think we're ready for the moment. Me and the secondary, we watched a lot of film, not just only Florida State, but on ourselves this year, finding ourselves where we've been weak at. We feel like the secondary has to make a play which has limited our attempts at being in position to make plays. Q. Rashad Greene said he wouldn't play man against himself or other wide receivers. ROBENSON THEREZIE: That's his opinion. If he play DD, it be totally different on the whole thing. Q. Is this the best offense you'll face all year? ROBENSON THEREZIE: I think it's one of the best functioning offenses. I think they have a good quarterback, a team that believes in the quarterback. He offers those guys so much, not only in the offense, but in their defense and the special teams. Just watching them, they get up, they have the moment where ESPN always shows on TV how much they believe in him as a person. It's been a great thing to watch and I can't wait to play against. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: Had a long time to prepare. ACC championship game. Had a week off. I think he went to the drawing board immediately and came up with stuff. We put a lot in. I think our game plan is going to be simple because it's such a long layoff, he don't want us to do too much thinking. Q. (No microphone.) ROBENSON THEREZIE: Oh, okay. He came in trying to find out what we like to do, what we could do, how we felt dropping the zone coverage, how we read the quarterback's eyes, how good was our man coverage. I think our second year, it's going to be a fun defense to watch. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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