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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: MIAMI VS WISCONSIN

December 27, 2017

Troy Fumagalli

Miami Gardens, Florida

Q. Now that you've done your senior year and you're definitely going, do you feel like you've really -- that really helped your stock? I don't know if you've gotten any feedback or anything. Do you think you have a chance to go pretty highly?
TROY FUMAGALLI: Yeah, I thought -- I thought I made the right decision playing another year because it was obviously great. I graduated, which was huge. I'm really excited about that, and I did think I became a better football player, took steps forward. Taking in all those things, I thought I made the right decision.

Q. I saw some story the other day that had some scout comparing you to Rob Gronkowski. What do you kind of think of that comparison?
TROY FUMAGALLI: It's pretty cool. I mean, I don't think I'm there yet, but that is pretty cool. It's another guy that I look up to that plays the game the right way, plays the position the right way, so that was pretty cool when I saw that.

Q. Are there any tight ends that you've looked up to in the NFL either in high school or while you've been here?
TROY FUMAGALLI: Yeah, I love to watch film on those guys, get better every day. I like watching Greg Olsen, Gronk, obviously, and a bunch of those guys. I try to take one or two things from each of those guys, and I respect what they do and how they play the game.

Q. Did you ever think when you came here as a walk-on, you would be an NFL player? Did that cross your mind? I'm sure it was a dream of yours, but did you think you could actually accomplish that?
TROY FUMAGALLI: I guess I didn't really think of it back then. I was just so focused on getting on the field at Wisconsin that I didn't really -- it never really crossed my mind.

Q. What sort of challenge do you see in Miami's defense? You guys are the top-rated defense but Miami is not far behind you. How big is the challenge?
TROY FUMAGALLI: It's going to be a big challenge. I think they're really athletic. I think that's what stands out to me. You look at their linebacker group, they move well, they're athletic. They come downhill, they attack, and I think that's kind of across the board, too. Their defensive ends, D-linemen, all those guys play a lot of football and are athletic, so it'll be a great challenge for us.

Q. What is your motivation in this game, also? You wanted to be in the playoffs; is this almost like let's just prove to everybody we can beat a top team in a major bowl game?
TROY FUMAGALLI: Yeah, I think most importantly is we had such a great season and we enjoy being around each other and things like that that we've really got to finish this the right way. We've got to put a stamp on our season, end it the right way and things like that. I think that's what's most important.

Q. People call you a complete tight end the last couple years. What do you think you still maybe need to get better at?
TROY FUMAGALLI: I think just getting little things better all around. I think that's important. I think I do a lot of things well, both running and passing, but there's always improvement. There's always areas that I can improve, whether it's pass blocking, things like that, getting some more power in the run game. I think all those things, as you try to challenge yourself and become a better player, you've got to find one or two things that you need to get better at.

Q. Running against Andrew this week, he's a guy that's started here since he was a redshirt freshman, but how much growth have you seen from him since he kind of first stepped on the field, whether from his play or from a leadership standpoint?
TROY FUMAGALLI: Yeah, he's a guy that's gotten better every year, and that's really no surprise, the way he works, you know, the way he carries himself. That's no surprise to me the way he plays with his teammates out there. He enjoys -- I think that's the most important is he's been able to work. You really have to enjoy it, enjoy being around your teammates. He's probably the best linebacker that I've ever faced. I see him every day, but same thing, all-around complete linebacker, come off filling the run and smart, headsy in the pass, figuring out coverages. Yeah, he's very good.

Q. Did you know Thomas Brown very well the year he was at Wisconsin?
TROY FUMAGALLI: Yeah, I knew -- yeah, we were great friends at the time. Obviously he coached running backs, but he's a great guy. I really liked Coach Brown.

Q. Have you kept in touch with him at all?
TROY FUMAGALLI: No, but if I saw him I'd say hi to him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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