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VIZIO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: AUBURN v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 2, 2014Timmy JerniganPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. You guys have been able to all season stay focused one game at a time and all that, but this is different. This isn't normal stuff you've dealt with in the season? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Right. Definitely that's been the motto the whole season. Just stay focused one game at a time. The reason was really for this one game right here. So it feels good to finally say that we're here, and we're just getting ready to play now. Q. In college football, scoring is up so much. The offenses, I wonder if you've noticed that and are there any thoughts on why that is? And what it's like for a defensive player seeing these high scoring games? TIMMY JERNIGAN: You know, I try to really focus on what's going on at Florida State, you know, and here I'm blessed enough to have Coach Pruitt, which is a great defensive coordinator, you know. He helps us get ready for those type of offenses. I felt like we play great offenses every year. We're going to be up for another challenge this week right mere. Q. How do you think the change will play out this year? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I don't really pay attention to it. He just teaches us the correct way to do things at practice and that's what we try to go by. He it hasn't happened to us, so I don't pay too much attention to it. Q. Does Auburn remind you of anyone you've played already this year? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I think they're kind of like a mix of Clemson and Miami. The reason I say Miami is because of how good they are up front. Their ability to push people around and get back to the second and third level. So that's a pretty good mixture. Those are two very good teams. Q. What are the tattoos on your hand? TIMMY JERNIGAN: This is a tattoo of Florida I got my freshman year in college, and this one right here says star power. I got it in high school my senior year. Q. What's it say written there? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Florida boy. Q. What is your view of the Auburn offensive line? TIMMY JERNIGAN: They play very physical, very athletic, got ability to pull either guard. They can get up to the second level. Their left tackle Greg Robinson is a freak, man. They're great. It's going to be a good challenge for us up front, all four of us. Not just me or Mario, they're stout across the line. Q. All the eye candy, all the misdirection, what sort of challenges does that present for you guys up front? TIMMY JERNIGAN: You definitely have to be disciplined and you definitely can't play selfish football. When you get into it being selfish playing against Auburn, that's when you lose. Everybody has to play physical, and everybody has to play disciplined. Q. There is a notion that they've been tested more than you guys from playing more physical games. Is that a factor at all? TIMMY JERNIGAN: No. I mean, we're going to go out and play the same way every week no matter who it is against. It really doesn't matter. It's just another game for us. Q. You've had the experience of a close game, I think that's a good thing? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Yeah, that's a good thing. It's not really our fault. We're going to go out and play the best that we can every week. Q. Is there anybody who can (No microphone)? TIMMY JERNIGAN: We face a lot of option‑type teams in the ACC with Clemson. We get a lot of different looks as far as speedwise, we haven't seen nothing like him. I think the thing that we have is our scout team quarterback. I feel like his speed is close to Nick Marshall. Q. I don't know anything about John Franklin. Tell me? TIMMY JERNIGAN: He's fast, very fast. It's hard chasing him at practice. We've been practicing so fast, it's hurrying up, getting back to the ball. You know, he's fast. Q. When you guys are practicing, how quickly do you think they're snapping the ball, your scout team? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I don't know. I just know it goes fast at practice. It's a lot tougher at practice. We know that is the way the game is going to be. They can go fast at any moment. They're well‑coached. Q. (No microphone)? TIMMY JERNIGAN: His ability to really just break tackles, even though the first guy, he's going to make the first guy miss and he runs really hard. We really have to gang tackle to get him to the ground. Q. Did you put in for a draft evaluation? TIMMY JERNIGAN: No. Q. Any particular reason why not? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Oh, the draft evaluation, yes, I did. Q. Have you gotten it back? TIMMY JERNIGAN: No. Q. What do you think will be your biggest (No microphone)? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Just stepping up as a leader. Playing the way I've been projected to play or hyped to play. I feel like that's my biggest positive is just my ability to really lead and make those guys believe in me and follow me. Q. What did it take to be able to tap into the consistency? Because, obviously, physically you're a gifted player, but down to down consistency, how did you go about achieving that? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Right. Just being able to play more. Last year I did a lot of rotating and the year before that I did a lot of rotating as well. But this year they kind of turned me loose a little bit. I played a lot more at the beginning of games and that really helped me out. Q. Are there any defensive linemen that you pattern yourself after or watch and want to be like? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I like (Indiscernible) Richardson. I think he's a freak. I like Warren Sapp, of course, and Suh, the way he plays the game, just the physicality and the nastiness in his mindset. I really like the way he plays. Q. Some people think he needs to go over the edge sometimes. Do you think you need to be on that edge? TIMMY JERNIGAN: You have to in order to play this position. I can only imagine the way it's played on that level. It's the way you have to play the game. Q. Your first two years frustrating at all? Like you said, rotating, was it tough to find a groove? TIMMY JERNIGAN: It was tough to find a groove, but I was never frustrated or mad or anything. The guys that I rotated with were very good players and I learned a lot from them. At the end of the day, I felt like that is one of the biggest lessons I've learned since I've been at Florida State. Just to be patient and not try to rush things so much. I feel like it worked out for the best. Q. There was a catch phrase going around early in the season. How much of what Auburn does is going to test that facet of your guys game? I know it's something you've tried to make strides on? TIMMY JERNIGAN: It's definitely going to test us. Marshall does a great job of just hiding the ball. Then they have athletes everywhere. Their receivers, they have two running backs: It ain't just Tre Mason. It's really going to test us. All of them can run, and all of them are very fast. You make one mistake, and that can cost you a touchdown. Q. Early in the season is that something where you guys were talking about getting out of position and not making too many plays. Is that just being too anxious and trying to go too hard? What was going on and what have you guys corrected? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Just guys paying a lot more attention to detail as far as from the beginning of the year. That is the biggest thing we've really made strides on. Everybody is just paying attention to detail and doing their job. Q. (No microphone) last year compared to this year with the coordinator change? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Not really. We really didn't penetrate a lot last year. I feel we penetrate more this year. It just depends on who we're running and what we're playing. There is not much change up front. Q. How quickly could you tell (No microphone)? TIMMY JERNIGAN: With the mindset I have with him coming in, it really didn't matter. The scheme didn't matter. I always told myself whatever this guy is coming here and whatever his plan is, I'm going to try to make it work and do whatever I can just to help the defense benefit from it. So it never really mattered to me. Q. When you first started watching Auburn, do you remember what your initial reaction was? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Offensive line is good. I heard a lot about the quarterback and running backs throughout TV and stuff like that. But when I turned on the film of the O‑line, they were really good. Q. What about it did you notice? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Very physical, and the left tackle, when he comes down to double team, he comes down with a purpose. Q. What is the key, quickness or hands? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Just coming out and playing the way I normally play, just not trying to do too much, just playing the game. Playing within the defense and everything else should take care of itself. Q. When you look at a match‑up like that, is that one of the top 15, top 10 possible picks in the NFL, how do you look at that opportunity and face a guy like that? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I feel like it's going to be a great opportunity. Not just for me, but for the whole defensive line. Those guys come out with a purpose, and I'm going to have to come out and ready to play. Q. Jimbo's talked about your maturation as a leader this year. Who helped you learn to be like that? TIMMY JERNIGAN: A lot of it is myself. I feel like when it comes to being a leader, you really have to be self motivated to go out there and do the same thing every day, in and out. Coach Fisher really helped just the way that he leads us and the things that he tells us every day to get us ready to practice. It helps you get your mind right. I could have stood up there and talked all day about him. You know, he's picture perfect when it comes to being a leader. Every day he's a hundred miles per hour. He's vocal. He's the same person every time you talk to him on and off the field. He's just kind of showing me the way. Q. So it's not yourself saying, hey, it's my third year? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Oh, yeah, definitely that too. As you grow up, a lot of the stuff you did when you were young, you're wasting time. It's time to get with the program. Q. How much did you guys talk as recruits about doing this and being here back in 2011? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I remember watching, and I was like, man, there is going to be something special going on at Florida State really soon, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Q. Where were you? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I was home. I was home. Then when I got out on the Army game and I got with Wilder and Aaron Lynch at the time. He ended up going to Notre Dame. But those guys did a lot to help me come in. Q. Aaron Lynch helped you coming in? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Yeah. And it was crazy because by the end of the time being I was trying to get him to come with me. Q. Did you know any of those older guys from 2010? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Oh, yeah. Q. Who did you know from the 2010 class? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I didn't know any of them personally. But I remember when Jeff will you tell us is kind of the one that started everything off for everybody. Started whole thing (No microphone). Q. That was right after it. TIMMY JERNIGAN: Yeah. I knew what was coming to Florida State. I knew I just wanted to be a part of it. Q. What's it like being in that area where it's halfway between Florida and Florida State and Georgia's right up there. What is the pressure like? TIMMY JERNIGAN: It's crazy. I live in a Gator town. The I live 20 minutes away from Gainesville, so I heard a lot of Florida, Florida, Florida. Everybody was trying to pressure me to go to Florida. I grew up a Gator fan, so that didn't really help. But at the end of the day, I did a lot of praying and felt comfortable with Coach Fisher. I felt comfortable with Coach hag an. I saw the type of talent that was coming to Florida State. I knew playing with the guys here that it would make me better. Q. Your defensive line and your front four is all former five‑star recruits. Can you guys mention that and talk about that? There are few people in the country that can say something like that? TIMMY JERNIGAN: No, we don't even talk about it, to be honest with you. We don't even talk about it. Q. What kind of challenge is (No microphone) for you guys? TIMMY JERNIGAN: We definitely have to hang tackle. We have to run to the ball. The guy is a great player. You can't take nothing from him. He definitely stands out in film. Q. Have you played anyone like him this season? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Duke Johnson. Duke Johnson is a really good player. Kelvin Taylor at Florida is a good player. He's young, but he's a good player. We've played some good backs. I don't know if any of them are quite Tre Mason, but we've played some good ones. Q. What was your first impression when you met Coach Pruitt? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I knew Coach Pruitt since I was a senior in high school. He recruited me from Alabama. Alabama was down in my top three when I was coming out of high school simply because of Coach Pruitt. He's a great recruiter, man. I'm glad to have him there. I love the guy. Q. What made him a great recruiter? TIMMY JERNIGAN: His energy. His energy and his ability to really talk to anybody. He can go anywhere and have a legit conversation with anybody. He's a really cool dude. Q. When (No microphone)? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Definitely. This guy's the real deal. For the guys that didn't know him, it didn't take anybody more than two hours to notice that this guy is something special. Q. What is it, just the intensity? TIMMY JERNIGAN: The intensity. He has the ability to get everybody around him to buy in and to believe what he's saying, and everything he's told us is the truth. I mean, there's been sometimes where we could be in the middle of the game and he could be drawing something on the board, hey, watch out for this play. The second we go out there, the first play they ran. Q. Tell me, what do you think of Auburn's tempo? They're more run based and it seems that it's at a pretty high plain? TIMMY JERNIGAN: We just have to be well‑conditioned as a team. I feel like if the big guys up front can get back to the ball, they can keep up with the pace. I feel like the whole defense is going to be just fine. Q. How much have you guys been focused on that the last couple weeks? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Every day. Every day. Just the way we practice, we practice a lot faster on defense. We know what's coming. We know those guys are very physical and very fast. Q. Are they faster than Clemson? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I don't know. That's a good one. Clemson is pretty fast. Q. But you guys handled them? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Yeah, Clemson's pretty fast, but they're two kind of different teams. Clemson passes and they like to run the ball. So it's a little bit different. Q. For this defense you guys have a majority of guys that are going to go into the NFL. Do you think this is one final showcase to show what an elite level defense looks like? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I feel like this is a good chance for us to just to win a national title. Ain't nobody really thinking about the NFL. It's in the back of everybody's heads, the juniors and seniors who are eligible, but we're trying to win this game. That is the big thing. Q. How much talking do you do during the game? TIMMY JERNIGAN: It depends. I try not to because it takes up a lot of energy. I try to just focus on the play and dominating the guy in front. Q. The defense, you talk about Suh and how the defense gets a wrap for being dirty and pushing it. The offensive linemen, people aren't watching them, right? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I know. That is the way that you have to play because the offensive line. Man, they get nasty. They get nasty. Q. Pick the freakiest guy on your defense? TIMMY JERNIGAN: If I see had to choose, Christian. Christian is a freak, man. I remember seeing this guy running down the field with receivers and intercept the ball with one hand, you know, crazy stuff in practice. Q. Have you seen the tape of their Hail Mary pass against Georgia? TIMMY JERNIGAN: Yeah. Q. What did you think the first time you saw it and watching it from a scouting perspective as a defensive lineman? TIMMY JERNIGAN: It was crazy. You don't see it every day. More the same for me was the return against Alabama. It was like, oh, man. This really just happened. I couldn't believe it. It was exciting to watch though. Q. That play, as they were running out there and setting up, did you have any thought in your mind that that could happen? TIMMY JERNIGAN: No. I had just walked into the house, and it was already on the TV. It was the last play. I'm watching the TV and I'm like, all right. The game's over. We can switch the channel now. I'll be darned, he took it back to the house. Q. Are you a Red Sox fan or do you just like the hat? TIMMY JERNIGAN: I just like the hat. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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