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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEDIA CONFERENCE


September 22, 2010


Jimbo Fisher


THE MODERATOR: We now welcome Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher. We'll bring on coach, ask for a brief opening statement, and then go to questions.
Coach.
COACH FISHER: Hello, everybody. We're going to have a very tough opponent this week in Wake Forest. Coach Grobe always brings in a very well-prepared team. They always played Florida State very well. We're expecting another great ballgame.
We played a solid ballgame last Saturday. By no means are we where we need to be. Both sides of the ball, got a little bit better. We were able to control the second half and came out and felt very fortunate to have won a game against a very good opponent. Looking forward to the game against Wake Forest and see if our kids have continued to grow.

Q. Coach, you're playing an opponent that's given up 116 points in the last two games. When you look at them on film, do you see an obvious flaw? What do you see?
COACH FISHER: I think Duke was very efficient in the way they threw the ball that day. They were very precise. Quarterback did a great job. Wake was in position to make plays and very well-coached. I think Stanford, when you travel three time zones, I think it affects you. I think it's a hard thing to deal with. We went out and played BYU last year. It was a tough scenario.
I think Stanford is a very good football team. You can see on film, they're an up-and-coming program. I think they've played a couple good opponents who are very efficient on offense and made plays against them. Schematically they do good things, very sound, well-coached.

Q. Does this situation put the pressure on your guys to perform at that kind of level?
COACH FISHER: No. We'll do what we do and hopefully our offense will play well, our defense and special teams will play well. That didn't doesn't have any effect on us. We need to go out there and do what we do, get better at what we do. Hopefully it's enough to win the football game.

Q. In the recent past Florida State has had a lot of difficulty on defense in terms of defending option-type offenses. What are you looking forward to doing this weekend to try to counter what Wake can do on offense?
COACH FISHER: I think Wake does a great job in the misdirection in their option. Hopefully we'll keep leverage on the football and be able to support it inside-out, be able to pursue the ball, but not let them outflank us, like we did against BYU.
Wake presents a lot of problems on offense and I hope our kids are ready for that challenge.

Q. You held BYU to its lowest total offense since they played in a snowstorm about six or seven years ago. What was the best thing you saw about your defense? Talk about time zone issues. To what extent, if any, did you sense that BYU got tired?
COACH FISHER: We started out and got the momentum of the game there in the second quarter, first quarter a little bit. They came back and got it at the end of the second quarter. Third quarter, we had a three-and-out, long drive, got up 17 points, which changed the game. Made it three scores going into the fourth quarter.
You know, it was just a game that we played well in the second half. It was a great challenge. Again, it's going to be another one against Wake. They present a lot of problems, like I say, offensively and defensively, special teams. Very well-coached. We're definitely going to have our hands full.

Q. Coach, wanted to ask, in regard to the game with BYU, there seemed to be quite a few plays early on in the first half in which the ball was getting knocked down. Was that a result of something Ponder was doing throwing the ball or... ?
COACH FISHER: I'm trying to think. I don't remember. I don't remember them knocking the ball down. I'm trying to think. May have tipped one or so.
I don't remember that being a factor in the game. They got pressure on us a few times, scrambled, did that. But I can't remember a ball being tipped. Maybe there were and I'm not remembering it right. I can't remember that.
If it is, it's something we have to work on and make sure we find throwing lanes. Usually that's when people push the pocket or get penetration from pass-rush, get in guys' faces in that situation when this usually occurs.

Q. It would seem like looking at the past defense, what you're trying to get done with your younger kids, is this the type of game, fourth game of the season, how important is it somebody other than Burton kind of establish themselves as a guy that Christian can develop more rhythm with?
COACH FISHER: I hope so. Actually in the last game, Rodney had a great third down catch and Willie had a go route on the backside. I think they took strides that way. It was a game we didn't throw the ball much. It was a weird game. Burt's numbers came up. It wasn't always designed to go there, it was just the way his number came up, way they played defense.
We have to continue to grow in that. Our young guys, if they can get more catches, more plays, you keep developing them, building their confidence.
In the last week and a half, I'm starting to see them feel good. It will be nice if that happens. But if that's the case, we have to throw the ball. But that will be -- when we throw the ball, however much we do. But it would be good if they did, that's for sure.

Q. How important is it for a kid like Moses McCray, he's staying involved, going to meetings, he was on the sideline for the home games, just being around and trying to use this year to get better.
COACH FISHER: Well, I think it is knowledge of what's going on, what the defense is evolving to, the new little nuances that go in it. I think sometimes as an injured player, it can put a perspective on things because you really get to sit back and see what the coach sees. Sometimes when you're watching them, the coach is telling you things that's not happening.
But sometimes those guys, I notice when they get injured, they hang around the coaches, they see the coaches' perspective of things, when they come back, it can help them become better players because of the perspective they see and the world they got opened up to them from seeing things from a different light.
He's done a great job of that. He's been a good team leader. He's done a good job with our young defensive linemen.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thanks for being with us. Good luck this weekend. We'll talk to you Wednesday.
COACH FISHER: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts


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