Norvell is here now.
Login to view embedded media
"Disappointed we came up short, so very proud of the way our guys battled for 60 plus minutes. ... Our guys just continued to respond. ... It was impressive to watch them continue to fight, we made too many mistakes throughout the course of the game against a good football team. Our football team is going to grow from this. I hate coming up short."
"Thank you for that crowd, thank you for that experience today, thank you for what you mean to us. That was an incredible atmosphere. ... It was truly special."
"Notre Dame played hard. It was a great college football game. There in the locker room, they're disappointed. But I told them I'm proud of them. ... We all know. We know the mistakes that were made. It wasn't any one play. ... We shot ourselves in the foot. Didn't win the turnover battle, things that we're going to be able to reflect back on in all phases and have to improve. Our guys know what's coming. They know the response that's necessary."
On Milton: "McKenzie is a great competitor. We went into this week. He just continued to tell me Coach I'll be ready. ... We had a couple of things happen there late, and McKenzie came in and he was ready. He's such a wonderful competitor. It's great to see him get the opportunity to go out there and compete ... He's somebody you can cheer for. A special young man. Just to see him rise up in the moment, I'm really proud of him."
"I think Jordan did a lot of good things tonight. He made a lot of plays. Things that were challenging. ... It got late in the game and he was unavailable and McKenzie came in and answered the call."
On the pass defense: "We had an early bust early in the game. Our guys were amped up. ... I thought we got guys settled in. You have to give credit to them. They made great throws and catches on one-on-one balls downfield."
On conversation with Travis and Milton late in fourth quarter: "I just told them to continue to keep playing."
On QB position moving forward: "I think Jordan had a great camp, continuing to grow and improve in all phases. Tonight, I thought there was some good and some things he has to learn from. ... a couple of decisions that I know he would want to have back. ... We're always going to continue to compete and work together and I'm excited about that quarterback room. I'm excited about Jordan Travis and who he is as a player." Doesn't say who will start next week.
On avoiding letdown: "You learn lessons from every experience you get and every experience you have. ... We have a short week coming up, so we don't have a lot of time to hang our heads. ... We've got to prepare for a game this next Saturday. We have to be better. Look down at the mistakes that we made and they cost us against a Top 10 football team. ... We're going to respond to this the right way."
On running game: "We had to just keep going at it. Not try to abandon it early. ... Notre Dame did a good job, showed some things they haven't showed before. That was good coaching on their part. ... I thought late it was impressive. Those backs work extremely hard at practice. Those guys up front believe in what we can do running the football."
On getting down 38-20 and responding: "Just watching our guys play, I wanted to see that effort, I wanted to see them win that play ... you just have to stack play after play on top of each other. That's what I was so pleased with. We weren't focused on what the scoreboard said at the moment ... we did what we had to do put ourselves in position. ... Ironically enough, I showed the team last Friday one of the storied games in program history against the guys from Gainesville. It was a similar type fourth quarter comeback. .... I wish we would have had a mistake or two less that showed up, but our guys battled and put ourselves in position to win the game."
On the timeout to challenge the Milton incomplete pass: "I just wanted to have a shorter attempt to kick the field goal. Just the timing of it, it played out the way it played out."
On center: Says Maurice Smith is battling an injury, he's been banged up. Was able to get himself available to play, but says it got to near the end of the first half where they needed to make a change. So they put Baveon in.
On Johnson and the pass rush: "I thought Jermaine played really well. He was active. ... I thought our defensive front played with tremendous energy. ... They fed off each other. ... That was something that was a big focal point for us as we move forward. It showed up in some good moments tonight. We have to take that foundation and continue to improve on it moving forward."
That's a wrap for Norvell.
Jermaine Johnson is up next.
Login to view embedded media
"I feel that we definitely played really well (as a D line). We set the tone. ... It's really a mindset. I feel like we did that. We weren't perfect by any means. ... I think we did stop the run pretty well. ... I think the defense overall played their butts off, and definitely showed our identity throughout the game. Definitely too many points."
"I don't know anything about my stats. I just play the play that's going on. ... I came here to do what I can, be available for my team, and I tried my best to do that tonight."
"It's not a loss, it's a lesson. Find the lesson in it. ... We did a lot of great things out there. I think we surprised a lot of people." Said they made too many mistakes. And they have some things they need to clean up and fix moving forward.
"It changed through this whole offseason. It's a process. I feel like everybody bought in, I feel like everybody was selfless. ... I couldn't be more proud of that. We didn't give up. Even though we were down 18 points ... my teammates, my brothers, they played their butts off."
Says identity is that they're not going to give up. They're going to fight. They're not going to let anyone walk over them, they're going to respond the right way. ... "Nobody likes losing, but we take lessons from it."
On the atmosphere: "Man, I loved the fans. I Loved everything about it. .. The environment was electric. ... That definitely surprised me a little bit, I've been in some big games, been in some big crowds, but nothing like that. ... We're going to try our best to make the result different next week."
On watching Milton play: "I was very happy. I'm close to McKenzie. .... I know that guy is all about the team. He came up when his number was called and he showed out ... I couldn't be more proud of him. ... I love that guy and I couldn't be more proud of him."
That's a wrap on Jermaine Johnson.
Jordan Travis and
Jashaun Corbin are up.
Login to view embedded media
Travis: "Last year, if we were in that situation it wouldn't always be the same.... We had a lot of grit. That's what it was. .. The O-line did a good job." Said Milton did a fabulous job.
Travis on Milton: "That makes me so happy. ... I couldn't get the smile off my face." Said he's really happy for him and what he's overcome.
Travis: "Guys were positive."
Corbin on ground game: "We have a lot of talented guys in our running back room. It's all a credit to the offensive line and our quarterback to put us in the right position to be successful. That's really what it comes down to."
Travis on the RBs: "Notre Dame did a great job today. ... Our backs did a great job today. Our O-line did a great job today ... you saw our guys fighting for every inch, every yard ... it was just great to see the guys go 100 percent and push."
That's a wrap on Travis and Corbin. I assume we'll be getting Milton here.
Kalen Deloach is up next.
Login to view embedded media
"I feel like as a team we came together. ... We just wanted to play our best today and give it our all."
On his performance: "I felt like i got comfortable throughout the game."
On D-line: "My D line helped me out a lot today."
Deloach said on the long screen pass, in which he blitzed and then made a tackle 50 yards down field, that he was just trying to help give the defense another chance to get a stop and make a play. He didn't want to give up.
That's a wrap for Deloach.
And now we have
Milton
Login to view embedded media
Said he didn't have time to even think about being nervous when he got into the game.
"It was like three years ago when I was playing ball. Definitely great to be out there with the guys. ... I'm just super proud of the way our guys fought tonight."
Says Jordan was cramping up. Both of his calves were cramping. .... "When his helmet came off ... I just tried to put our team in the best possible chance to win."
He gets emotional talking about his parents. And how they were with him every step of the way.
"God is real. Nobody has ever come back from anything like this. .... It's just an answered prayer. Thousands of people praying for me the moment I got hurt, coaches believing in me ... I'm not here without all that support. ... But man, this would be impossible without God ... that's my beliefs. That's what I believe."
Says his phone was very active when he checked it after the game. "There were days when I doubted myself ... I'm just very grateful."
Says he wasn't really trying to process emotions when he was playing. He had a job to do. "I did get rolled up a little ... and I was good. I'm ready to roll."
"To me, there is no moral victories. You either win or lose. ... I think we have a really, really good football team. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot tonight .... Notre Dame is a good football team. They beat us today. Man, I wish they were still in our conference."
"When I was out there I felt like it was three years ago. ... Whenever my number is called I told coach i'd be ready. .... We were right there and we both played tonight, whatever coach decides to do, I'll roll with it. And work. Just like I always do."
"Thank God for the opportunity to play at Florida State, for the coaches believing in me. A lot of people would have probably written me off ... so a huge thank you to everyone."
"Hundreds of thousands of people all supported me when I was down bad. It was a culmination of all that. Unfortunately, we lost the game ... but i feel like this is just the start."
Says he have a sense of pride of playing at UCF. "But I don't take for granted where I play right now." Says he respects all the players who have come through the program. ... Deion Sanders, says he got to meet Derrick Brooks before the game, "and I'm wearing his number. ... it's something special."
On the fight of the team: "Situation like this you can either go one or two ways as a team. I've just got confidence. ... There are no moral victories in football, you win or lose, you have to flush this one and move onto Jacksonville State. ... It's a long football season. I like this team."
That's a wrap on Milton. That's a wrap on interviews.
Thanks everyone! Stay tuned to warchant.com for all of our breakdowns and videos and whatnot.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
What's up, folks?
What a game that was, huh? Man. Anyway, Seminoles fall in overtime 41-38 after coming back from a 38-20 deficit. A kick made and a kick missed were the difference in OT.
We'll get Norvell and a few of the players here in a few minutes. So, stay tuned.
