The shaky Florida secondary was a problem throughout the year. Their most dependable cornerback was a true freshman who didn’t play much cornerback in high school. Joe Haden still expected more out of his secondary in Florida’s Capital One Bowl Tuesday. The present may be hard to handle for the Florida secondary, but even the he can’t deny that the future is bright.
Q: “After Florida State, did you guys feel like you had everything figure out?”
A: “We did feel like that. I don’t really know what it was, but Michigan is a good team. They came out ready to play. We came out and played a little better in the second half, but they were just too much.”
Q: “Did they just get into a rhythm that you guys couldn’t stop?”
A: “They did get into a nice rhythm. We just… I don’t know what happened. We were trying to play hard, but you’ve got to give all the credit to them. Their offensive line, quarterback, running back and pretty much everyone.”
Q: “How good did it feel to get two turnovers close to the end zone like that?”
A: “That made us feel better to get stops like that. He’d barely ever fumbled before, and then he fumbled twice. We thought it would give us some more momentum, but this one just wasn’t for us.
Q: “How do you cornerbacks take this?”
A: “Almost the whole secondary is coming back next year so we have time to come back and make it right. We’re not going to take a lot period off. We’re going to go right back out there and start getting better.”
Q: “What are some of the things the cornerbacks need to work on?”
A: “It’s more of a confidence issue in us so we can go out there and just make the plays without being afraid of the outcome. We need to stop thinking and start reacting.”
Q: “What did you guys feel like watching the offense have the chance to run the two minute drill for a win?”
A: “We thought we were going to get it. Actually, we knew we were going to get it. We do two minute drills in practice all the time and Tebow always does a good job of taking us right down the field.”
Q: “Up 35-31, what happened on that drive to let them score so easily?”
A: “We just messed up some coverages. Their quarterback did a good job of finding all the little things that we would mess up.”
Q: “Do you feel like you guys were giving their receivers a little too much room?”
A: “Not really.”
Q: “Did they do anything that frustrated you guys in the secondary?”
A: “That time with two minutes left and they got the ball and started driving down. Markihe was in perfect position but it was a real good catch. He couldn’t have played it any better. The receiver just threw out his hand and caught it.”
Q: “When you look back at this game in a few months from now, what are you going to take from it?”
A: “Months from now we’ll know that we’ve grown up and that wouldn’t happen to us then.”