On maintaining the team’s focus after the big win over Georgia:
“This week I was very impressed with our focus. I kept hearing, ‘Coach, it’s going to be 30 (degrees), it’s going to be sleet/snow’. My thoughts on that, I say ‘let’s go have a really good Tuesday practice, and an even better Wednesday and Thursday practice. During those practice no balls on the ground and no call-backs.’ Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday if we practice well, then we play real well. I usually feel better after a Thursday practice, when I know we have the game plan set and I can see the look in the player’s faces.”
On South Carolina’s defense:
“Firstly, they have the personnel. Next, they made a change at coordinator and the guy that they have now runs more multiple sets than they have been previously. Right now, we are at the point where it’s a Monday and we are not practicing, so we are consumed with the scheme while watching film. We have not faced a defense of this multiplicity. What we are going to have to do is be very efficient and make sure that our offensive line blocks their people. If we don’t, it’s going to be a long day.”
On Ryan Stamper’s recruitment:
“I saw about a 10-play internet tape and was told that he was going to Auburn. Coach Strong had told me that we had a bit of a depth issue at linebacker. On the tape I saw a guy that ran around and I decided to go talk to him. I then met his Mom and found out the kind of person he is. I only needed to see 10 plays. They weren’t 10 great plays, but they were good plays. The fact that a guy from Jacksonville was about to go to Auburn, that sent up a red flag. Auburn is very good on defense and they know how to evaluate. This year he’s been elected as a captain and he is not even a starter—that tells what type of person that he is. “
On Emmanuel Moody receiving more carries in the future:
“I’m expecting him to get more carries, but if it doesn’t happen, then it doesn’t happen. Emmanuel Moody is really terrific at some things, he really is. I can see him getting more carries as he continues to develop. He’s still not 100 percent, but he’s as close as he has been in awhile. He got run down fairly quickly, and he still has a bit of a gimp in that leg.”
On Coach Meyer’s weekly meeting with the team about the college football landscape:
“We’ve had that every year, every week the only difference is that we always would talk about the SEC East. This Sunday we had a meeting and we addressed it and talked about it for six minutes and I told them very clearly what it is and that if I hear anything more about it that there is going to be extra running after practice. It is basically here is where we stand and here is who we play the next four weeks, now let’s move on. I’m proud to say that it’s done, its over. Our focus is on South Carolina now.”
On if the presence of coaching against Steve Spurrier is still there:
“We’ve got a big game against South Carolina. Coach Spurrier is one of the great coaches in all of college football history. I admire Bo Schembechler, I admire Woody Hayes, I admire winners that do it the right way, so you are darn right that I admire Steve Spurrier. However, he is the head coach of the opposing team and we are going to have a great football game. The great thing about here is that there are no mixed messages, we hit it, we talk about it then we move on. It’s a great story line, but in the end we have two good teams playing next Saturday.”
On how much time is game planning for special teams each week:
“It’s the first thing on Sunday that I do. Total it is probably seven or eight hours. Punt block takes a lot of time, that’s not easy to do. You have two seconds to get a hand on a ball. That takes a lot of work. It starts in personnel and ends there. If you have a bunch of good people, it makes a little easier. The best thing is that right now, our guys are like a bunch of sharks in the water. They want to be on special teams.”
On saying that the USC-UF game is a rivalry game:
“USC is a good team. It’s a team that we have had some great games with them. You can’t say it’s a rivalry if it is with a bad team. It’s a rivalry when they are in your division and you are playing a good team.”