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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE


October 21, 2017


Jimbo Fisher


Tallahassee, Florida

Louisville - 31, Florida State - 28

COACH FISHER: Very hard-fought game. We know the team right now, we still have some work to do. We still have to make the plays at the right time at the key moment. We had our opportunities and we did a heck of a job coming back in the game, made some great drives. Tremendous last drive, checking, running, throwing, getting some things around. The offense is growing more. It's expanding more.

Third down we got -- going way up in the red zone, again, capitalize on touchdown down in the red zone and things we did, a couple turnovers hurt us.

Defensively containing him, he had one big scramble out where he broke a play, had some nice runs but our defense did a nice job but again both sides of the ball have to get a stop and make the drive at the right time. We missed an unforced field goal. Slip up there but they did, too.

The game was back and forth, but we've got to keep going. We expect to keep playing better -- get caught up in them inaudible -- that's the ultimate thing. Still a lot of progress being made but there's no moral victories or anything like that. We have to find a way to make the next play.

We've got to do a better job of keep putting them in the best position, coaching the heck out of them, make sure they understand everything. And our goal right now is to keep playing with the right attitude. Our guys have a great attitude. They have great heart. They care about each other. They are hurt again. They are hurt in that locker room because they knew they were that close -- you play a guy like Lamar -- inaudible -- got a great mindset.

Got to keep competing relentlessly. Got a quick turnaround this week. Be right back to being and go watch the film. Keep our great attitude of where we're going -- inaudible -- you have setbacks in life and everybody's going to test them right now. Everybody's going to jab at them, jab at us, do the things you've got to do, I know that. That's stay to go, stay strong, get that thing right back and finish strong down the stretch. That's what we've got to do.

Questions.

Q. What happened on James' fumble, what did you see?
COACH FISHER: I'll wait and see the film. I don't know. Given it -- taken it -- that's simple. We sit down after the game, calm down, let him think about it, watch the film. I don't make any judgments until I see the film -- inaudible -- they didn't do it on purpose.

Q. Does that feel like how the season's gone, situations like that?
COACH FISHER: We've been one inch away, one play away. You can't quite fighting. That's the thing. Sometimes they don't -- even when you fight for them put your heart and soul, they don't come. You have to continue to dig for them and that's what we're going to do.

Q. In close games like that where it's kind of a shootout to the finish, how much does experience play, Lamar versus Shane?
COACH FISHER: Well, I think it does. There's no doubt experience does. But the only way to get experience is to get in the middle of it and you've got to push your way through it. Did a heck of a job. Put us in position to do it. Got to finalize it and make the play.

Q. James was fired up after that --
COACH FISHER: Well, you get competition and you get going. He had plenty of opportunity in the game earlier and he did some good things and he missed a couple things. There's youth in there and you can see the growing, but you see the competitor, and the caring and how good this kid really is and how much heart and soul he's really got.

Q. Just wondering, based on what you know about your own kids, how many more of these disappointments do you think they can absorb and still move on?
COACH FISHER: I don't know, life -- don't worry about that. I'm worried about one thing: Playing this week and getting prepared. You don't worry about that. You take things in life as they come and if you prepare and we fight for those inches, maybe they don't come any more, so we don't worry about that. I don't worry about that.

Q. Do you like your chances with these kids?
COACH FISHER: Without a doubt, the heart and soul and ability to compete and hustle and play hard and push and challenge and coach them and them to play -- there's no quit in these kids, none, none, in any way, shape or form. So yes, I do, I love these kids.

Q. How are you handling this? You haven't been through anything like this --
COACH FISHER: That's part of life. I've been ups and downs in life. There's part of it. Keep looking at myself to what I can do better. As a head coach, you're in charge of it. You've got to find ways to find those inches for them and put them in better position, get your coaches to get them in better position and coach everything and run the organization the way it is and that's my job. We've got to keep fighting.

Q. So what can you do better?
COACH FISHER: Find those inches. What I just said. Get your coaches to coach them and look at every detail of everything you're doing, make sure you're doing it would you tell, you know, without, you know, overscrutinizing and let them play and not put pressure on but don't put too much pressure. You can be too tight, too. You've got to go back and coach and do things exactly what they are supposed to be done, and sometimes they don't happen and you practice again till you do it. You do it again; it's like riding a bike, you ride it, and sometimes you fall over. You get back up, you pedal it, and all of a sudden one day you keep pedaling, you know how to ride it. Just you start riding it. Every time if there's a wreck or you hit a rock and you wreck, you have to get up and keep riding. And keep doing it the right way and not flinch, and if they don't do it the right way just line up and do it again. Ain't no sense to yell or holler. Just go do it again. Go do it again. Go do it again.

Q. You heard after Louisville scored the first touchdown, the three defensive possessions after that --
COACH FISHER: Did a great job -- then got a turnover on one and offensively, that's where we could have taken advantage. We had a couple drives right there that we didn't finish, but then second half we did an excellent job.

First drive was that -- but the defense did a great job. He got that big scramble on that one play, which sometimes he's going to have a play that you go, okay, I've got him, and he gets one every game. And there was one right where he broke down the sideline, I don't know whether it was that or the second half. I don't know which possession it was. Other than that he did a good job. A couple times, we had our box guys and our force guys, guy was supposed to be on him and then tried to play down and overplayed some things. Had a couple missed plays that way but that happens with ball and kids.

Q. Bowl eligibility is becoming a question. Are you going to reschedule that Louisiana game?
COACH FISHER: I have no idea. You have to ask the administration. I don't know what's going to happen.

Q. What would be your --
COACH FISHER: I'll answer it if I think about it. If we can play -- I love to play so whatever we can play, we can play. I love to play ball. So it would be great. But that's whatever's best for the school and the situation and everything that goes with it.

Q. How do you respond to the fans' frustration?
COACH FISHER: Same thing. I mean, I understand. That's what's part of this. If you're a fan -- are you going to be a loyal fan or not, just keep fighting with us. We ain't quitting on you. Please don't quit on us. We're going to keep fighting, scratching, coaching, playing, and you see the heart and desire of those kids. And understand something: What if that's your kid? If that was one of your kids or your nephew or your cousin or your friend, keep supporting them, you know what I mean. Just keep supporting because it ain't that.

And us coaches, we're trying to do the same thing. I understand you're going to get on us, same thing. That's part of the business. That's part of life. I understand that. When success happens, they put you too high and once failures happen, they put you too low. That goes with the territory. Wore going to keep coaching the same way because there's no quit in us either. We're right there. Got to find a way to get it.

Q. You're 0-3 at home, more clutter, more distractions at home, do they put more pressure on themselves?
COACH FISHER: No, I don't think so. I mean, the games are one-possession games. We love playing at home in our stadium. It's good. We played hard. We played good. We're one-possession game on all of them and we just have to find a way to get it.

Q. James took a shot the last play -- is he okay?
COACH FISHER: Yeah, he was. He got up afterwards. I checked on him. He's fine.

Q. Then he made some big plays down the stretch especially on the deep ball -- to see him get involved --
COACH FISHER: It really was. He and Tate really made some nice plays. Izzo made a couple nice plays -- somebody else made -- backs had a couple nice catches, I was just trying to look at the stats right there -- who had the ball. All those guys, it was good to see those guys make plays and runs they did a great job. It was great to see them keep coming.

Q. Preface this by saying a guy almost got thrown out of the stadium by a cop because he was being a little bit of a jerk, but the fans after the game -- any comment on that?
COACH FISHER: No, I have no comment. I just -- no frustration. Just support you know what I'm saying. There's no reason to be nasty. But at the same time defending players and people you're with, I'm in charge of them. I love them like a father. When they say something to your family, you take up for them.

Q. On the replay where James fumble, have they ever had any problems with ball security?
COACH FISHER: No.

Q. Seems like a safe play usually?
COACH FISHER: Oh, about a thousand times a day. I mean, that's what you read. But that just shows you, you never know. I look and see. That's day one installation. It's not their -- just shows you, every -- and we just ran it a bunch of times. Habit.

Q. Seems like several games now, stretches where a certain segment you'll play well, and then --
COACH FISHER: That's what I'm saying. You've got have to play together. That's the thing in team sports. It's not -- you've got to -- all segments got to be together to make everything click. We're blocking well up front, we're running the football, for the most part had some, on third-and-long situations, they got some hits on him, you know what I'm saying and made some plays but at the same time, they protected pretty well, gave him time to throw the football and made plays.

Q. The interception in the first half -- what was the thinking?
COACH FISHER: It was actually a back side read. They doubled Auden and they played the crossing route and he went to his third receiver. Threw it, actually, it was right here and I thought he should have put it out here but we had a chance to make it. That was the read. That's where he had to go with the ball. What do you mean, the thinking on it?

Q. Just, you know what the play was --
COACH FISHER: It was a read -- we were going to go to Auden, they ran, covered Auden, played the over route. That was the third route. Coming back, read right through his progression and made a throw, and I thought he made a pretty good throw and then the guy (ph) made a great play. They come up with it and come up with the 50/50 ball. Maybe could have laid it out a little more, laid it over the top a little more where he missed it. That's what I could tell on the film. I can't see until I watch the film.

Q. Doesn't seem like a Friday night game against Boston College teams playing real well -- great time for that --
COACH FISHER: We'll go back and practice tomorrow and get ready to play. I mean, whether you're Friday or Saturday, they are going to tip it off, they are going to kick it off, so you have to be ready to play.

Q. After that post play, Jackson -- it was more T.J. Matthews, third wide receiver, was there something on that play?
COACH FISHER: We were trying to get D.J. in the game earlier. We had talked about in the game we wanted to make sure we played D.J.

Q. If you think about --
COACH FISHER: -- it allows us to move some of the other guys in different positions, too, because there was some different ways we wanted to attack things and we wanted to move some of the other guys around. So it allowed D.J. to play in the slot --

Q. That's fine.
COACH FISHER: I just --

Q. In the third quarter, I think it was fourth and two in the half, going for it there --
COACH FISHER: Yeah, but your field goal is 12-for-12. He hit 12 in a row and you have a 44-yard field goal and that gives you the lead.

If you're behind like on the other time or something like that, but you've got a guy that's 12-for-12, what would you do -- exactly. You know that afterwards. I mean, the guy's kicking the heck out of it. I trusted him solely, like what was it, 43, 44 yards, and unfortunately he just missed one. He had been hitting it good and told him good job. And that was for the lead, so you definitely take the points, take the lead.

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