Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy met with the media following Florida’s 34-17 loss at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores. It snapped a 22 game win streak over the Commodores. Murphy was 30-46 with three interceptions and a fumble in the game. His 46 attempts were the most by any Florida quarterback since 2002, and Murphy found 11 different receivers through the air.
On the biggest issue in the game
- Murphy said it was turnovers. He mentioned the short fields that Vanderbilt often had and how much that takes a toll on a team’s defense. He praised the defense for doing a good job because at the end of the day the Commodores didn’t have much in the way of yardage output.
On his nagging shoulder injury
- Murphy says he isn’t 100% sure if he’ll play Saturday, his AC joint injury is day-to-day. He’s trying to get healthy so he can contribute and help out the team.
On the rash of injuries the team has had
It’s definitely discouraging,” Murphy said. “But we don’t look to use that as an excuse. Coach told us at the beginning of the season, ‘Man down, man up.’ It’s unfortunate that we’ve had so many guys go down, but it’s an opportunity for some of the other guys and the younger guys to step up and play and get their feet wet.”
On the fragility of the team
- Murphy Says the team keeps fighting, and keeps giving maximum effort, they just have fallen short over the last few weeks.
On the highs and lows of the last two months starting at quarterback
- Murphy says it’s been difficult because things aren’t going well. When a team is doing well things tend to come easy, but you see the true character of people when the chips are down.
On turnovers effecting his confidence
The interceptions definitely stick out the most,” Murphy said. “I mean turning the ball over, especially interceptions; it makes it tough to sleep at night. I can’t get gun-shy because I won’t be able to help this team out if I’m gun-shy”
On his level of comfort with young receivers
- Murphy says he feels very comfortable, the young receivers get a lot of reps in practice, and he’s able to develop chemistry with them in drills.
On how he feels about the pressure on offensive coordinator Brent Pease and head coach Will Muschamp
- Murphy says he doesn’t really pay attention to that sort of stuff. He controls what he can control, and says both coaches are great guys.
On Pease’s demeanor as the season has gotten worse
He hasn’t changed a bit,” Murphy said. “He’s still working hard, still coaching hard. Still treats everyone the same. I haven’t noticed a change in him. He’s upset with how we’re performing and that we’re losing but he’s still working hard day in and day out.”