QUESTIONS FOR COACH JIMBO FISHER
COACH FISHER: Great to get a win. Happy for our team. Played well early in the football game. Did the things we had to do. Thought we kept good balance. I thought defense we were outstanding out front. Played the ball. Had four turnovers, created four turnovers. Played the ball well in the secondary which was awesome.
Offense, I thought we had great balance in the game. Still think we need to be more physical, even, I think, on both sides. I think we can be more physical on both sides and special teams in the game, my opinion.
I thought we played the run well. Didn't run it well enough. Kellen [Mond] took a couple too many hits in my opinion. Also miscommunications up front in what we did. Of course, we had two critical turnovers, and that was a big one right before half. Could have gone 35-0. We fumble on the 1, ready to go in. That was critical.
And the second one Kellen is throwing the ball, throws a little flag, gets hit on. We miss a blitz up front. I think it was off. It wasn't a lineman either, I don't think. It was off two other guys. And threw the ball in the air flat and the linebacker made a heck of a play. But we had a guy in the back of the end zone. Two critical turnovers we can't allow to happen.
Other than that, I thought Kellen was really good. I thought he made some great third-down throws. I thought he was accurate. Balls that -- I mean, he was making -- he was hitting the third and fourth receivers on things. Total control of the game. Ran the ball well. Scrambled well. Third downs, he was accurate. I mean, I was really pleased with him.
I thought Jashaun [Corbin] as it got going kept running better and better. Isaiah [Spiller] got in, got his feet wet, did a couple good things. The young tight ends played there on defense. You've got some of those young players in. Demani [Richardson] and those guys in the secondary. And [Elijah] Blades in there and those guys all made some plays.
For a first game, it was a good, solid game. Kicking game was solid. I saw a couple holes in our kick-off. Coverage team got split a couple times where they just got a little too much that we didn't need to do.
Kickers kicked the ball, hit the kicks they needed, punted the ball well. The two critical turnovers and being a little more physical in some situations, but it was a solid first game and hopefully we'll get a lot better.
Q. You talked about it before, how your corners that had been in position last year a lot of times, more often than not, the other team would come down with the ball with four picks.
COACH FISHER: That's huge. You get confidence. Once you start making plays and you understand you can make them, then you start getting confidence that we did a good job and that.
The other thing on defense I meant to say, we can pick our pass rush up a little bit. We did at times. I think we can still put pressure on the quarterback a little better than what we did.
But those guys in the secondary I thought were really, really covered well, batted balls. Even we had one blown coverage right there at the end of the half. They split a guy. We had two guys that got confused. Other than that, even the catches they made were pretty contested. Our guys were on the run making throws and playing pretty well.
Q. I wanted to ask you two running questions. One is [Isaiah] Spiller busted for 85 yards as a true freshman. On the other side, your defense holding them to 8 yards rushing.
COACH FISHER: I thought they were good up front; they were. And I thought had two 100-yard rushers in the game with [Jashaun] Corbin and [Isaiah] Spiller, had a big run. Did a good job.
We had to get his feet wet in the game and [Jacob] Kibodi in the game. And balls are in there, blocking. Those guys did a good job. It was solid. But our defense being physical against the run up front is critical.
Q. Do you feel like Kellen [Mond] really has made a step forward or jump forward from last year?
COACH FISHER: Oh, it's not even close. There's so many things. When you call the game, what he sees, what he does. Where he was getting two on reads today, I mean, and seeing things and getting there easily and the accuracy of the deep ball and down the field which he always -- you know, wasn't consistent enough in the past. I mean, I think he's really in a good place right now. I really do. Command of things is really good. I mean, he totally understands what's going on.
Q. I was going to ask you about the running game. When you all were out at 1st and goal and I guess you had Bobby Brown in as the blocking fullback in your jumbo package, it took you three plays to get in?
COACH FISHER: What they were doing, they were overloading the side and start slanting to him. And then we got the call from up top, ran the ball the other way, and scored. They were slanting the whole front to the side that Bobby was on, which people do. We saw and we made the transition.
They couldn't tell the first play what happened. The second play they saw the slant so we took it the other way and were able to punch it in.
Q. After that, it seemed like on the next drive you made an emphasis on running the ball. I think all the plays that were touchdown drives were running.
COACH FISHER: We did. I wanted to keep ground. I wanted to keep balance. I wanted to get some guys some touches. There were certain kinds of runs I had in my mind that I wanted to be able to do and get accomplished and get on film and let our guys -- I wanted to let them get some runs where they could stick their feet in the ground and come off the football. You know what I mean? Be physical in the game and play that way and we did. I wanted to get those backs some touches.
Q. Coach, were you pleased with how your team finished the game? You said you wanted the killer mentality.
COACH FISHER: Okay. I thought we were okay. I thought the twos went in on offense and moved the ball really well. Zach [Calzada] had a couple of throws he missed right off the beginning. But as expected first time coming in. Defense, it's a shame we gave that up.
But, no, not totally. They scored 7 points, and we didn't need that to happen. And we need to score more than we did on offense.
Q. Four interceptions. Are you ready for Trevor Lawrence now?
COACH FISHER: Listen, that guy, that will be a little different ball game now. They've got some great receivers in Trevor, and I'm glad our guys got some confidence going in. But we're going to have to play one heck of a game. It will be a little bit different deal with Trevor and those guys throwing. We played them last year. Hopefully, we'll see how it goes.
Q. Jimbo, with a couple new pieces on the interior of that line, how do you feel that went with --
COACH FISHER: I can't tell yet. It's hard to say until I see the film. You know what I mean? I think there are some misses in there. I can't understand where some guys slipped through. But that's going to be expected when you have a couple new guys in there, in the first part of it. I'll look, evaluate the film. I don't want to say until I can totally -- I'm going off hearsay until I can see the film.
Q. What was it that separated Zach Calzada in terms of him coming off the bench first. And then how would you evaluate Colton Prater playing center?
COACH FISHER: Again, I will look at the film. Prater seemed to play a pretty solid game, making calls and all that stuff. I'll look.
We need to get [Ryan] McCollum in there a little more, and that's my fault. Need to make sure he keeps in that reps and guard and center keep getting a few more reps. He's too good a player. And we let that slip. That's not on Josh [Rogers]. That's on me. Get him going.
Not for anything that those guys don't do but keep a rotation in the game.
What was the first part of that? He played -- just consistency. He had really good scrimmages. And the last week of practice I thought he practiced really well. And he's making the plays and he's really making strides, and you see the physical arm count which he's making.
The other guys didn't do anything bad. They're right there with them. So we'll keep evaluating and keep playing those young guys, developing them too.
Q. You got a lot of linebackers in today. I was wondering if you would talk a little bit about Buddy [Johnson] and [Anthony] Hines and Aaron Hansford.
COACH FISHER: They all played a lot. Got in some situations where we have to look at the film to make sure what they did. Obviously they did some really good things. We played the run well and played well on defense. Hopefully we can look at that and see.
It was great to see them out there. They were active, making plays. And I didn't hear a lot of people yelling and complaining about them, so that's a good thing.
Q. I know your team always talks about focusing on the current week. But were you impressed with their focus on this game considering what you have looming next?
COACH FISHER: I really was. There was no looking at Clemson, doing anything with Clemson. That's a fact. We've learned that. We're not going to do that. You don't want to get that ready for somebody that early anyway. You can be too ready too early. And you have got to learn to play the game at hand, and I thought they did that.
Q. A lot of rotation in the defensive secondary. How much of that was the job still up for grabs, or how much of that just seeing some guys?
COACH FISHER: Well, both.
Q. Do you think that pushed the competition?
COACH FISHER: You want guys you can play, and guys earned that time in camp. I thought they earned that time in camp and played well enough to deserve some reps and go on to see game reps. And we kept some rotations and worked some combinations of young guys and older guys together. So you didn't always have all the young guys together. Because in the secondary, a few communication parts of things.
Getting that game out of the way was really huge, so now I think we feel comfortable with all the mix. We're going to play as many guys as we possibly can everywhere. You have to develop players. You have got to have depth and keep a good rotation with these guys.
Q. Do you think [Roney] Elam could be this year's [Deshawn] Capers-Smith in that same role as a senior, emerging at the sack and --
COACH FISHER: I hope so. That's what we're doing. We got him in there. We'll have [Charles] Oliver in there. We'll have a different guy, [Caleb] Chapman. We'll keep mixing and matching and be able to match up guys in different ways.
Q. Is this a continuation of what you've been seeing with him?
COACH FISHER: Yeah, it really is.
Q. Quartney [Davis] and Jhamon [Ausbon], six catches each. And I think both close to 80 yards and two touchdowns apiece. How pleased are you with the receiving corps?
COACH FISHER: They are playing well. A couple of things we've got to clean up on there. But for the most part, they played well.
I thought we missed some blocks on some quick bump screens and flat routes out there that we have got to get cleaned up and some things.
Jhamon had an outstanding camp. Quartney has, too, and he's been hurt and then he came back. He's played really well. Jhamon, I can't say enough good things.
And Quartney is outstanding, too. It's great to get 13. We've got to get him going.
Got to get 81 (Caleb Chapman) going in there. 14 (Camron Buckley) has some things. I mean, it was good. I mean, those guys are really all good players.
Jhamon and Quartney have had really good camps.
Q. Quartney, what did you think of Kellen [Mond] and the throws he was making? It seemed like he was really poised out there.
QUARTNEY DAVIS: He looked good. We had been working on all the deep balls and things in practice and he was making some heck of throws tonight, for sure.
Q. How did you feel for game one, especially with you and [Kellen] Mond and the receiver Jhamon [Ausbon] getting in there. The rhythm early especially in the first half, did you feel it was good?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: Yes, sir. We had a great week of preparation. We were throwing a lot of passes, connecting on a lot of passes. We keep the stat line in practice on completions and everything like that, so we had a good completion rate during the week of practice. So I felt like we were going to have a good game.
Q. Quartney, where's your confidence level now after breaking out last year compared to where it was at the start of last season?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: I feel very confident. I don't want to say confidence to a point where it seems kind of cocky, but I feel very confident that I can do a lot of major things, including the guys playing beside me.
Q. Just based on the off-season, how things went for you last season, how much have you been anticipating just what's upcoming for you this season? How anxious have you been to get back on the field to show what you've got?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: I've been very anxious. All the guys in the off-season have been talking, working all summer, putting in major work. We felt extremely confident coming into the season. And we knew the first game was going to be big for us. And we came off and felt we performed pretty well.
Q. Quartney, you had the first touchdown of the 2019 season. How special is that of an accomplishment for you?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: Oh, that was pretty special. I actually didn't even remember it was the first touchdown, but it was special. It was exciting as well to get the first touchdown.
Q. How close were you really to having a SportsCenter top-10 catch there at the back of the end zone?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: Oh, I'm pretty mad about that. I should have came down with it. I don't know if it was a completion or not, but I was supposed to hold that the whole time. So I'm pretty upset about that one, but I'll fix it for sure.
Q. I was going to ask you, Coach Fisher said that Kellen [Mond] oftentimes was hitting his third and fourth reads. On your catches, how many times did you feel like you were the progression where you were the third or fourth guy?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: In our offense, it all just depends. On the defense, what's going to pop open. So it's just -- it all works together really.
Q. Seemed like Kellen [Mond] was just really dropping some dimes tonight. How do you rate his performance and his accuracy compared to some of the other seasons? Was this one of the best, his best game as far as accuracy goes and making important throws?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: Like I said, we put in major work this summer. So we knew that he was going to come in and have a great game. We know he's going to have a great year this year. So we just keep working, and we have got to get better every week.
Q. What do you think that's like for linebackers or defenders to see 325-pound Bobby Brown in the offensive back field?
QUARTNEY DAVIS: Shoot, I'm kind of nervous myself, and I don't even have to go against him. So I can only imagine how they feel. I know we've got [Justin] Madubuike doing the same thing, so it's kind of scary.
Q. Kellen, what did you like best about how you played tonight?
KELLEN MOND: I felt like me and all the receivers, pretty much every player were on the same page. And we got a lot of zone coverage tonight, and I felt like we were able to find the voids. And Q [Davis] did a good job on one of the overroutes, filling just like a big pocket in the middle of the zone and was able to throttle down for me. So pretty much as a whole, I thought me and the receivers were on the same page tonight.
Q. How good did you feel about being able to just get into a rhythm pretty early? And how good did you feel, too, about making throws under pretty intense pressure? A lot of times some of your best throws came when they were right there.
KELLEN MOND: Yeah, I felt pretty comfortable all night. Kind of it goes back to off-season. I prided myself on a lot of footwork stuff, you know, just keeping my same base and always got to, no matter what, trust your offensive line and back to pick something up. Obviously I know I'm going to get hit someplace, but just got to trust your eyes and feel the rush. So I feel like just kind of a lot of the work I put in this off-season kind of led me to have a good game tonight.
Q. Do you feel like you learned anything about your team tonight now that you guys finally got to be in a real game and out of practice?
KELLEN MOND: I thought our physicality was pretty good tonight. I feel like it's going to have to get better for next week. But, you know, we're -- you know, we're striving for excellence and, you know, it takes everybody. So even my -- I got to play better. I can't have a turnover in the red zone how I did tonight. So it's going to take everybody to beat Clemson.
Q. How would you rate your performance tonight as far as making accurate throws and really important pinpoint throws kind of fitting into windows?
KELLEN MOND: I thought it was really good. And like I said before, I felt like the receivers, we're all on the same page and, you know, we rep these plays and we know exactly what they're going to run. They didn't show that much on the defensive side tonight but pretty much on everything we know exactly how, you know, the receivers are going to adjust to it, whether they're going to keep a high on a flag route, break it off, so just a lot of adjustments on this offense. And I feel like, you know, I was able to trust my receivers and they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Q. Do you think that was your best game in that regard, in your career?
KELLEN MOND: Ever? I really don't. Possibly, I don't know. Maybe if I didn't have the interception, but that was a big one for me.
Q. Kellen, Jashaun [Corbin] and [Isaiah] Spiller both had some pretty big performances tonight. How valuable of a weapon are those guys, and what have you learned about them as they've stepped into kind of a bigger role with Trayveon [Williams] gone?
KELLEN MOND: I thought they had a really good night. Obviously they weren't busting out runs, but, you know, you keep getting four, five, six yards. They're just chunking away at more yards. It really helps when they go out wide and catch stuff out the back field and just a really versatile back, so I thought they did a really good job tonight.
Q. Kellen, we talked during the week about the timer in your head kind of getting faster, you know when to either get out or do something with the ball and Jimbo [Fisher] said you got to your third and fourth reads tonight. How quickly are you processing the defense and what they're trying to do to you guys?
KELLEN MOND: I mean, it was pretty quick tonight. And I prided myself a lot on training my eyes and, you know, it's like you said, that timer in your head. But based on the coverage, I kind of know exactly where to go with the ball. I just have to trust my eyes and trust my reads and deliver the ball with confidence. And I feel like we were both offense, the whole offense was on the same page tonight in the pass game.
Q. Coach Fisher said y'all didn't do anything with Clemson in the past week, didn't talk about it. You said that's a fact. How difficult was that for y'all to avoid Clemson talk or anything involving Clemson?
KELLEN MOND: I didn't -- I mean, personally I didn't think it was that hard. We were going to take it one game at a time and, you know, all my effort and preparation and everything was into Texas State. So, I mean, all the stuff that I worked on, you know, they came out and ran the same exact stuff that I prepared. You have to take it one game at a time. So now we're going to start Clemson, working on that probably tomorrow, and then we'll go on from there.
Q. Kellen, with the struggles of y'all's secondary last year, what were your impressions of their improvement tonight and do they pick you off much in practice?
KELLEN MOND: You know, they had a really good game tonight. I think four interceptions. And -- but sometimes that goes to a defensive line. But I feel like the whole defense was on the same page tonight and, you know, I think last year some of those plays they weren't making but, you know, I feel like just some of the work that they put in this off-season and, you know, them being able to go up against this offense. And I feel like iron sharpens iron, so we kind of go back and forth. But I felt like they had a really good night tonight, and we're going to need that next week too.
Q. Now that you've gotten through this first game, how much do you look forward to and relish the opportunity to play against the number 1 team in the nation?
KELLEN MOND: You know, I'm excited. It's just another opportunity for us. Same thing as tonight. We just get to go out and face another opponent just, you know, Coach [Fisher] always emphasizes it's a faceless opponent. So, I mean, it doesn't really matter. We have got to go in this whole week prepared and just focus on us and what we can do.
Q. Pretty sure Jhamon [Ausbon] went without a touchdown last year. How nice was it to get him on that fade route in the one and just make six catches overall for him night, just him being in the offense, Kellen [Mond], what's that do for you guys?
KELLEN MOND: I was excited for him, and we kind of knew we were going to call that going in. And he actually asked what he wanted to run and he called that fade route. So just, you know, kind of me and Jimbo and the receivers being on the same page is kind of how I talked about in the off-season, developing that trust that we have. So he was able to make a great catch in the back corner. But, you know, many more to come this season. Appreciate it.
Q. Buddy, when you hold them to eight rushing yards and pick them off four times, can you assess the defense's performance?
BUDDY JOHNSON: I think tonight was a good start for us to see where we were at. I think a lot of that was on Coach (Mike) Elko. He had a wonderful game plan for us, and we just did a great job executing.
I think that everyone decided to buy in at practice, and we had a good practice. So good practices helped us lead to success tonight.
Q. Buddy, we talked last week you said you guys wanted to make a statement on the national stage. Do you think you made that statement tonight?
BUDDY JOHNSON: I think we executed pretty well tonight. But we can always do better. I feel like everyone executed at a high level. But like I said, we're never going to be satisfied. You know, we're going to be overachievers, and I think that we can always go higher.
Q. How much of y'all's secondary guys kind of hear the talk that they were a little bit maybe of a weak link last year? And how much did that motivate them this year? And did it show that they were able to turn that around tonight?
BUDDY JOHNSON: I think our secondary -- you know, I always feel like they were good guys and great athletes, you know. But over the off-season those guys really decided to buy in and put in the hard work. And we were working hard this summer. Success paid off, like I said. Those guys have been working, and I'm just glad they're my secondary.
Q. How do you think you and Anthony [Hines] fed off of each other tonight and played next to each other? And how much better can you get? How nice was it to get game one with you two guys out there together?
BUDDY JOHNSON: I think me and Anthony playing next to each other, I feel really comfortable playing next to him. We both know our assignments. We both playing fast. We're racing to the ball. Anthony is a -- he's a great player, great athlete, smart. I love playing next to him. I think having him back is big for us. He came back from his injury, and I think he's playing fast and looking pretty good, having fun.
Q. Do you all enjoy that on defense when you see Bobby [Brown] get to line up on offense and fly over some guys?
BUDDY JOHNSON: Well, it's funny because actually in practice Bobby disappeared in walk-through. It was like, Where did Bobby go? Come to find out, we get in goal line against the offense and Bobby's on the other side. And I was like, I'm not fixing to hit Bobby, you know.
So, I mean, having him in there, I mean, that's probably what the other team is saying. So that's big for us. Thank you.
Q. How much did y'all hear some of the talk maybe at the end of last year that y'all could have struggled a little bit last year, how much did that motivate y'all through this season and was today a statement at all towards any of that conversation?
MYLES JONES: We try not to focus on any outside noise. Just focus on ourselves and our technique and how we get things done.
Q. Myles, can you take us through your two picks and kind of what you saw from the quarterback as the plays developed in front of you?
MYLES JONES: I was just doing my job, just like the rest of my teammates. The D-line put pressure on the quarterback, the linebackers, safeties, and we all did our part and the outcome just happened to be two picks.
Q. A lot of rotation in the defensive secondary tonight. Are those positions still up for grabs, and how much did that competition kind of help bring about the performance tonight?
MYLES JONES: Just competing, you know. A spot's never secure. So we're all just competing every day and getting better every day.
Q. You know, you had a real nice close to the year last year. I think nine PBUs in the second half of the year. And then you see what we saw tonight with the two picks. Is this all just a continuation, big part of -- could you take us through your development through the summer and through camp. Is this something you saw coming?
MYLES JONES: We've all just been grinding and trying to get better every day. All throughout camp, summer workouts, our saying was "embrace the grind," and we try to take the grind every day and get better every day.
Q. You guys had seven interceptions all last year. Were y'all mad about that?
MYLES JONES: It's definitely an area that needed to get improved.
Q. And since you had four, you are on a pace for 48 interceptions. Do you think you can get that?
MYLES JONES: Yes. (laughter.)
Q. Myles, what about the confidence aspect of getting four turnovers and not only that, just being in the right spot. I think Kellen had that one blown coverage in the first half. But aside from that, four turnovers, what's the confidence that gives you that?
MYLES JONES: Like I said, we're all just doing our job and the outcome will end up being that turnovers, three and outs, just by us all doing our job.
Q. Speaking of confidence, do y'all consider that a really good tune-up for Trevor Lawrence and Clemson upcoming next, the way y'all played in the secondary tonight? (laughter)
MYLES JONES: We're going to start preparing tonight.