Q. Is there anything about playing an in-state team? Is there something more at stake? You're playing especially one that's like trying to send the level of Florida, Miami and Florida State?
JASON MARSHALL: I wouldn't say there's a lot of things at stake. But as you said it's an in-state team. Growing up in Florida, I know a lot of people on the team, just how I know a lot of people on the Miami team. So just going out there, executing the game plan and hopefully we come out with that win.
Q. What was kind of the focus for the defense throughout the bye week? And what progress do you feel like you guys were able to make?
JASON MARSHALL: Just focusing on the small details. That's pretty much the main thing. Going out there and watching film, looking at the things that we did wrong, looking at the things that we can fix and ultimately just going out there, starting fast. And hopefully we start fast this week.
Q. (Inaudible) issues with the defense. How much have you seen that? And what are the things that you think contribute to those problems and how do you solve them?
JASON MARSHALL: Like I said, the small details, just going back again, watching film and fixing those because teams watch film. They also watch film as well and they're going to exploit those. As long as we take away those in practice and then it doesn't lead into the game.
Q. Is there a sense with UCF that they're little brother and nobody wants to get beat by their little brother?
JASON MARSHALL: I mean, I wouldn't look at it like that. At the end of the day, they are a good team. So me personally, I wouldn't look at it like that.
Q. How do you look at it?
JASON MARSHALL: I mean, just going out there and it's another game that we have to win.
Q. You guys know this is their Super Bowl. And how does that motivate you guys? To them, to beat you guys would be everything.
JASON MARSHALL: I mean, they are going to come out with a lot of juice. We just have to come out, start fast, take away whatever they're trying to game plan on us. Going out, starting fast. That's pretty much the biggest thing.
Q. Any motivation from the bowl game against them for you or any of the other guys? Or is that in the past?
JASON MARSHALL: That's in the past. I wouldn't look at that as motivation but they do have the one-up on us. Just going out there, like I said, executing the game plan, paying attention to the small details and things like that.
Q. Try quasi. Is that how you say his name?
JASON MARSHALL: Traquez (phonetic).
Q. He was talking about alignment, like there were times where you guys weren't maybe lined up quite when the up tempo was happening. And Malzahn is known for his uptown for years ). Was that going on a little bit at Mississippi State at times and did you focus on getting that straight?
JASON MARSHALL: Like I said, that's one of the small details that we had to fix, being able to match team's tempos, coming in, Mississippi State, they did run some tempo a little bit. It was at times where we were just standing around looking for the signal. Like I said, that was one of the small details that we had to fix knowing that it's going to be a few other teams that run tempo later on in the season. Just accounting for that.
Q. T.J. Jefferson, seeing him last year when he was at Arkansas, anything you can maybe take from that in terms of how he throws a football and his running ability going into this game?
JASON MARSHALL: I'll mainly say just stopping his running ability. He is a big quarterback. He is mobile. So we stopped that and then as myself being a defender in the back end, taking away his reads and things like that. Just trying to make the game hard for him.
Q. Looking to the signal, how does that work? Who is getting that?
JASON MARSHALL: Well, mainly the entire defense looks at the signal. The linebackers communicated to the D line and then the safeties communicated to the corners. But mainly everybody looks at the signal.
Q. Is that when you guys are subbing sometimes, does that happen when you guys bring guys in and out rotating?
JASON MARSHALL: The subbing, we do look at the signal for subs, however that goes.
Q. How intense were the bye week practices, and have you had any bye week practices, anything like that before?
JASON MARSHALL: I haven't had a bye week practice how we practiced last week. It was very intense, very competitive. 1s on 1s, 2s on 2s. If you came out there, looked like we were playing a full-on game. Everyone had a lot of juice, excited. So I feel like we got a lot of work done.
Q. Were you at all surprised that, not coddling, what were you expecting, when did you realize this isn't business as usual?
JASON MARSHALL: I mean, just coming out to practice -- no matter what the record is, no matter what anything is, you know, just coming out there and practicing, practicing hard, even though we don't have an opponent this week, or last week, but just coming out and practicing hard.
Q. Two quarterback systems, you've played a lot of college games now. Forgive my ignorance, I probably covered the game. I can't remember it. Have you faced that much? What do you think it does for you guys to have Graham and DJ producing like they are to a defense?
JASON MARSHALL: I mean, as far as me, I like it. I like both our quarterbacks, and I'm behind them through whatever. DJ, he is a young quarterback. Graham, he has a lot of experience. Graham giving DJ information in what he sees. I mean, it goes back and forth. At practice, you know, I have a hard time going against him. I mean, I'm excited for both of them for the rest of the season.
Q. What's the challenge that creates? I guess what I was driving at, too. And have you faced it? Like I'm forgetting. You might have. Have you faced a Florida team that was using two QBs a lot?
JASON MARSHALL: I don't think so as far as --
Q. What do you think that does to a defense?
JASON MARSHALL: It's two different play styles. That's pretty much the biggest thing. Graham, a gun slinger, DJ, he gets in, a gun slinger or can run the ball. At the end of the day it's two different play styles you have to adjust to.
Q. (Inaudible) off-field experience here that the players have, how that's changed since he came in. You've been around. You've seen the transition. How has it changed, just general stuff, marking creature comforts, player experience?
JASON MARSHALL: Mills (phonetic)? A lot of things have changed. Starting off with like the connection of the team. That's pretty much the biggest thing. And then as far as like Mills and parking, it was here. Now it's up here at the end of the day. So I mean I feel like it has benefited a lot of people in a lot of ways and hopefully it just continues the rush from here.
Q. What about recruiting trips, you're hosting players now. You're seeing what they do now versus when you visited?
JASON MARSHALL: It's a lot different. They do a lot of different activities. And being a host, you are looking like, maybe I got some of this treatment. Then coming into this building, why wouldn't you want to be here.
Q. Where were you parking back in the day?
JASON MARSHALL: The north line, over in front of the stadium. Not too far.
Q. Saturday, was it a day just to get away from football completely or do you just -- you're in front of the TV the whole time?
JASON MARSHALL: I kind of did some scouting. I was in Orlando, went to the UCF and Colorado game.
Q. What did you see there? Anything interesting?
JASON MARSHALL: I wouldn't say of interest, but like I said, I was out there scouting, seeing what the team was like, tempo of the game things like that.
Q. Were you scouting or did you go to watch Colorado?
JASON MARSHALL: I was actually scouting. But I also wanted to see how Colorado as well.
Q. When you say scouting, were you in the stands? Did you have a sideline pass?
JASON MARSHALL: I was in the stands.
Q. Anything stand out to you about what Colorado was able to do on defense to slow down that offense?
JASON MARSHALL: Just their aggressiveness. They made a lot of plays on defense. A lot of turnovers. So just us watching the film and trying to implement what they did into our game plan, just to limit their offense.
Q. (Inaudible) the team get a little more dominant at the swamp, do you think, it's been up and down for the last couple of years, how important would it be to start now against a team like UCF?
JASON MARSHALL: It's very important. Like I said, they're a good team. Once we come in and we start fast, getting the crowd into it, it will be very beneficial for us. At the end of the day coming out with that win, it's going to lead up from here.
Q. How do you feel about your play during the first month of the season?
JASON MARSHALL: I feel good. At the end of the day, there's always still something to be corrected, something to be worked on. I'm not settling here still more work to be done.
Q. Do you feel like you're playing better this season so far. If so, why?
JASON MARSHALL: I feel like I'm playing much better. It's just always having that confidence, going out, reading my keys, read what I need to read, and just going out there and playing football at the end of the day, being comfortable in my skin and playing football.
I've been playing football since I was five. Why not go out there and have fun at the end of the day.
Q. Has Will helped you?
JASON MARSHALL: Yes, yes he has.
Q. How so?
JASON MARSHALL: Like I said, just going out there, knowing what I need to know, reading what I need to read and just being myself. Not over-thinking about anything.
Q. Synergy between the pass rush and the secondary, I mean, where would you say it is now and how important is it to kind of improve?
JASON MARSHALL: It's very important. At the end of the day, they have to get pressure and we have to cover and the ultimate goal is both of those working together to get the goal that we want to get. At the end of the day it is important and the offense needs us, just how we need the offense.
That's the biggest thing.
Q. You spoke a lot in the offseason about how you lost your confidence a little bit last year. How are you able to regain that? Obviously how would you evaluate your play?
JASON MARSHALL: I'll say just going out there, having fun, how it was. I just spoke on it. Just going out there, having fun, being relaxed.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports