Florida State 66, Southern Miss 13
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Jarrian, can you walk us through the interception, how you saw the play develop.
JARRIAN JONES: Actually we were in two-man. He ran a slant. He ran right into me. I looked at the quarterback. Already threw the ball. I guess he anticipated him to be open. Hit my chest, nobody in front of me, I just took off (smiling).
Q. Coach Norvell talked about the short week, thrilling win last week against LSU. What was it like this week to prepare on a short week?
KALEN DeLOACH: I say we didn't want to take the week for granted. We wanted to go out there and put our best foot forward. Although it was a short week, we knew what we had to do. We knew we had to come out here on Saturday and handle it.
Just keep the main thing the main thing. Stay focused. Although the score was what it was, focus on us. We know our biggest challenge is us. We got to keep focus on us as we continue.
Q. Jarrian, was that your first chance to break the rock? How did you do with it?
JARRIAN JONES: I think I broke the rock last year or the year before that. I think this is my second time.
It's always fun breaking the rock. It's way heavier than I thought, like way heavier than I thought. I think I did a good job. I broke it like four times.
Q. What did it mean to you, to be honored like that?
JARRIAN JONES: That was big. I mean, ain't nothing in the world I wouldn't do for my guys. I wear my emotions on my sleeves. Just being able to do stuff like that, being together, doing stuff like that, I really appreciate stuff like that.
Q. You were able to play a lot of true freshmen. How important are those reps?
KALEN DeLOACH: It prepares you for when your time comes. I want all our young guys to get reps so when it is time, they play full speed with no hesitation.
I say it was a good thing to get our young guys to get they feet wet, understand the speed of the game, go out and communicate, make sure communicate on all cylinders. Game is faster compared to high school. I feel like they did a good job of getting they opportunity to go out there and compete.
Q. What was this week like in terms of having a short week and playing a team that's not as high profile, but how serious you took practice this week?
JARRIAN JONES: I think not to say weeks like this, because every week is the same.
I mean, the message this week was to be our best. So no matter who we were playing, our opponent is nameless, face less. As long as we go out and prepare to be our best, go out capitalize, execute, be our best, feel like nobody ever beat us. The message this week was just being our best.
Q. Seemed like the coaches from the two days we were out there in practice were harder on you. Did you get that impression? What does that say about them?
KALEN DeLOACH: They didn't want us to take no game for granted. They know what type of week this was. Just wanted to continue to push us to be our best, don't slack off. Although it is a short week, we still got work that needs to be done.
The coaches, they were high tempo in practice just 'cause they didn't want us to take no slack-off.
Q. Can you talk about the atmosphere tonight, the new LED sites. What was it like, the energy in the building?
JARRIAN JONES: I'm not going to lie. I did not know that the lights were going to do that. I did not know they were going to do that. So when they did, I was like, Whoa, this is different.
I don't feel like there's no fans in the country like Florida State fans. They definitely did their thing tonight. It was big having the atmosphere it was, for the young guys. Instill in them we don't lose in Doak. I felt like that was big.
Q. Coach said the reason he feels confident going for it on fourth down is 'cause he knows you guys will take care of business if they don't get the first down. What does that mean to you?
KALEN DeLOACH: We build confidence on both sides. We trust in our offense. If they want to go for it on fourth down, they're going to go for it because they believe in what we can do and we believe in what they can do.
Coach definitely has the confidence in us, our defense, to where if they do go it, our defense going to step upped and make a stop or just make a play.
Q. Kalen, two weeks ago Coach Fuller said he thinks this defense could be one of the best that's out there. Do you agree with that? Was there a point in this off-season that made you believe you could be?
KALEN DeLOACH: Of course, I agree. I'm with these guys all day every day. I see the work that's put in, I see the buy-in. I see these guys are willing to work.
Coach Fuller, he's not saying that for no reason. He see us putting in work from where we started to where we're at now. I don't blame him for saying that. That's the reason he said that.
JARRIAN JONES: I see guys every day putting they blood, sweat, tears into this. This is people's lives we're talking about. People giving everything they got.
When I see that, ain't nothing I won't do for you. I'm willing to run through a wall for you. Me seeing this every day, seeing how the offense work, seeing how the defense work. You see the offense we got. I mean, we see them every day. I definitely feel like we got one of the best in the country defense-wise. So yeah.
Q. If you look at the stats for defense, tackles mixed all over. What does that say about the defense?
JARRIAN JONES: We got a squad.
KALEN DeLOACH: We got a squad. We want all 11 hats to the ball. If somebody don't make it, the next man going to make it. We pursue every day. That's what we harp on, build off of. Pursue just being us.
JARRIAN JONES: And we got a squad (smiling).
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports