Nov. 17, 2009
On former players' community service endeavors:
"I just want to mention about Shawne Merriman's Annual Coat Drive (which is scheduled for Tuesday prior to the men's basketball game) and what a wonderful thing that Shawne does. We're very proud that he is able to devote this time to the coat drive. We have other guys like Madieu Williams who just gave the largest gift to the school of public health of any former student-athlete and also is putting a school in Sierra Leone, his home country. I'm very proud of both of these pro athletes that are former players who are giving back to the community."
On the Virginia Tech game:
"I thought we improved in our offensive line play. Andrew Gonnella played probably his best game and I thought Terrell Skinner played a fantastic game. He had 13 tackles and really played well. We defended the run well, but what we didn't do was defend the big plays and the passing game. We have to make some more plays in our offense. There are some plays out there that we need to make and we didn't make them. On Monday night I showed about eight plays to the offense where we are very, very close to just sustaining the block, breaking the tackle or making the catch to make a difference. I think we're getting better, but we are playing a very good team this week in Florida State."
On Florida State's offense:
"Offensively, they're second in the conference, averaging 31 points a game, 294 yards passing, 153 rushing, but they've lost their starting quarterback, Christian Ponder, who is leading the conference in passing. E.J. Manuel, a kid we recruited, is replacing him. He played very well against Wake Forest. I thought he was very efficient in the game and played well. Their offensive line is very athletic. They've got a great running back in Jermaine Thomas. They've got three very productive wide receivers: Bert Reed, Rod Owens, another guy we recruited, and Jarmon Fortson. They're all averaging around 12 or 13 yards per catch and all have 30 or more receptions."
On Florida State's defense:
"Defensively, this is a team that only returns three starters. They've been struggling of late but they are finding ways to win games. They are extremely athletic and run to the ball very well"
On the Florida State special teams:
"As always they have great special teams. They have the leading punter returner in the conference with 14.7 yards per return in Greg Reed. He's also their kickoff returner. Place-kicker Dustin Hopkins is good as well. He's 12-for-15, with a 52-yarder."
On facing Florida State:
"They've won (three of their last four) games and are on a roll. It's Mickey Andrews' last game and I know their defense will be fired up and we will have our hands full."
On Da'Rel Scott's status coming off the wrist injury:
"He looked very good last night. We had probably our best Monday practice of the year. I'm anxious to see how he does today. We're going to go through a lot of ball security drills and see how he does. Tomorrow when we get back into contact we will see what he does then. He has a brace on his arm but he has full use of his hands. He caught the ball very well last night and didn't see any problems along those lines. I'm going to have a conversation with him on either Wednesday or Thursday just to see how he feels he is and make a determination on where he is at that point in time."
On how he deals with losing when he is away from football and goes home:
"I'm never away too much. I get there probably anywhere from 5:30 or 6 in the morning and get home about 10:45 at night and then watch half of a television show before I fall asleep and go right back into it. It does bother me, it eats away at me. Probably the thing that has helped the most is the players. An amazing bunch of kids we have here. I talked to them on Monday, I had watched our tape and we are struggling and have some issues but I don't see it as a lack of effort. I'm proud of them. I like being with them. That helps me quite a bit to be honest. I'm not dealing with any attitude issues; I'm not dealing with any finger pointing. I'm dealing with kids who work hard to get better, and sincerely trying to get better. As a teacher, and that's what I look at myself as, you have students in your class that want to learn. I'm right there with them, they don't like losing, we don't like losing, and we're just going to keep fighting until we start winning."
On Jamarr Robinson's first start:
"The thing I like is he plays with his heart. He was a little beat up last night. I thought he competed (Saturday), I think he made a few mistakes which is understandable. I think the biggest thing is how we grow from that experience. I think some guys have to make plays for him. I think he put the ball in some spots where it was possible to make a play and I think that would have not only buoyed his confidence but the offense's confidence. So I wasn't disappointed with him at all. I'll tell you, the plays that we made were because of Jamarr and his talent, his ability to run. His feet are his biggest asset although I did think he made some plays with his arm. I thought there were a few others he could have made but overall I would say he did pretty well against a pretty good defense."
On Jamarr Robinson's legs being an asset:
"He's able to make a good play out of a bad play. Someone doesn't get open and he can scramble and make 20 yards, that's a good thing. The other thing that impressed me about him, it's the little things, and maybe only from a coaching standpoint, but he knew where he needed to go for a first down and he laid his body out to get there. He hung in the pocket and maybe took a hit or how he ran the no-huddle offense. Florida State has a new quarterback too and he was very efficient and has some people around him making plays and doing things. I wasn't disappointed with Jamarr's effort (against Virginia Tech)."
On whether Florida State will play more fired up because it is Mickey Andrew's last home game:
"They are definitely going to be up. They are going to play hard for him like they do every game. You have to expect that."
On Florida State's defense:
"They do it all. They run blitzes from just about everywhere. They play man coverage and zone coverage and switch it up. They have a great defensive line, great set of linebackers and their secondary is also nice."
On Jamarr Robinson's ability to run:
"As far as receivers go, you can't anticipate. You need to still run your routes and stay disciplined. That's what you are supposed to be doing. But as soon as you see him scramble, you kind of have to adjust and look to block. You have to prepare for it."
On possibly getting Da'Rel Scott back:
"Da'Rel is a fighter. He's a ball player. If he shows up on Saturday, we'll be looking forward to his return."
On playing at Florida State this weekend:
"Florida State is a great environment. I love going down there and playing. It's 60 or 70 thousand fans out doing the tomahawk chop and it's a good environment and we expect a good game."
On their defensive speed:
"That has definitely been their MO on defense. We saw a pretty fast team last week in Virginia Tech so hopefully that helped us for this week. Overall they are a good team and they play aggressive."
On whether the line plays different in front of a more mobile Jamarr Robinson:
"I don't think it's different up front. It's the same with Chris or Jamarr back there. You are just trying to block the guy and not let him get back to the quarterback. It's that simple."
Senior Defensive Lineman Travis Ivey
On staying strong as a team:
"It's something we always came into the season wanting to do. We work pretty hard and we are really close. Having 12 seniors really helps with the camaraderie of team. Last year we had a lot of seniors, we had 30-some seniors. Having 12 seniors and being able to keep everybody together and keep everybody pretty upbeat. We have a game Saturday against Florida State, we've never beaten them down there, so that's another goal we can accomplish. So we are looking forward to doing that."
On finishing the season:
"We are just trying to salvage the season the best we can. Right now, it's about pride. We aren't really playing for anything other than ourselves and for our teammates. We just want to go out there and give it all that we have. A lot of times when teams get in this type of predicament, they tend to give up on the season. We want our legacy to be, especially for the seniors that we never gave up, no matter the circumstances."
On the losing streak:
"You just kind of wonder what it takes to get a win. You are going out there and giving it your all, but it still takes the whole team to fall the right way. No one goes out there on Saturday trying to lose a game. Everyone goes out there to try to win and when things don't go your way and it's been going that way for several weeks, you kind of wonder what do I have to do? We are just trying to think positive and keep moving forward. Keep getting better and stay positive."
On what it will take to get a win:
"A lot of little thing here and there, the intangible's of the games, turnovers, things of that nature, but sooner or later things will turn around for the better. We just don't know when that is. Hopefully it's soon, like Saturday. We'll see."
