Florida State 41, Charleston Southern 7
Q. Luke, what was it like for you to get a start and then obviously get the opportunity to continue to play, something that you really haven't down in your time here?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, it was unbelievable. It was a dream come true. Growing up, that's all I could ever dream about and for it to happen, it was truly amazing.
Q. Luke, three touchdown passes for you, obviously the first one to Amaree but that second one to Ja' Khi. Just, what were you seeing on the rollout? Did you just see him down field and had a hope that he could get by his defender and get down the field and score?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, I mean, it was a great play call coming out of half. It set me up perfectly. All I had to do was get Ja' Khi the ball and he was going to make the rest happen.
Q. Luke, Coach Norvell mentioned before that he thinks the game is starting to slow down for you. Are you feeling that as well?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, definitely, 100%. The more snaps I get T more reps that I get, it slows down little by little, so, you know, I just try to take advantage of every single one that I get because I know it's very important.
Q. Ashlynd, you've had a couple opportunities to maybe pick off a pass this year. How good did it feel to finally get that down and run it back?
ASHLYND BARKER: It felt extremely good. I tried my hardest to get the touchdown, but, you know, things happen, so.
Q. For both of you guys Coach Norvell mentioned that he already started talking about the Florida game. Just what does a win like today kind of do for you guys confidence-wise going to next Saturday?
ASHLYND BARKER: It's always good coming off a win into next week so we just got to carry the momentum and just keep what we're doing to next week.
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, just piggybacking off of what he said, you know, I think everyone in that locker room knows the rivalry game is very important to everyone and we know it's a big deal and, you know, just picking what he said, the momentum of getting a win and being able to come into next week with that win, it's a good momentum booster for us.
Q. Luke, do I think some of the comfort as the game went on was knowing that you weren't going in and coming out from series to series, like staying out there for a while and getting multiple series?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: I mean definitely, yeah, I was able to get into a little bit of a groove, get into a rhythm so I definitely feel like it helped me a lot. They told me they were going to be cool with me making a couple of mistakes here and there, which I did and things that I got to clean up, but, you know, just them having confidence in me that they'll leave me in even when I make those mistakes, it definitely helped me out a ton.
Q. You're obviously a guy that doesn't shy away from contact. Do they get onto you about that? Are they cool with the way you run when you run the ball?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: You now, it's -- they definitely don't like it. (Laughter) They'd like me to slide but, you know, kind of just growing up, my parents taught me don't shy away from anybody. Be the hammer, not the nail, so that's kind of stuck with me, especially with my dad. He's kind of engrained that in me, so it's something that I've got to get used to because I know I can't continue to take these hits because, you know, my body is going to get hurt, but it's definitely something that I have to try to improve on.
Q. Ashlynd, how did you guys on defense handle these last two weeks, Randy Shannon being now the voice for the whole defense and how did you guys kind of practice this week and then how did you feel like you guys played today?
ASHLYND BARKER: Well, once we found out the news and the next day, we kind of had a couple of new stuff that was installed. First day of practice that was full speed, it was kind of -- I felt like it was kind of challenging for me because I try to pride myself in knowing what I'm doing, but pretty much after that, it was smooth riding because Coach Shannon has confidence in us and stuff like that, so.
Q. Luke, how much do you already think about what next Saturday night will be? You don't want to flush a win, you want to enjoy it as much as possible but that's coming six days from now. How much are you already thinking about what that's going to be like?
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, I think coming into the season it was something that I was thinking about, you know. I understand how important that rivalry game is so it's always been in the back of my head and, you know, as it came closer, it's coming closer, obviously we want to cherish this win and celebrate it but tomorrow when we come ready to work, we know what we're coming to work for and it's to go win that rivalry game.
Q. Kind of along those lines, if you get to start again next week, it'll be you going against another true freshman quarterback, DJ Lagway, I guess, I don't know the relationship you have with him but I guess the excitement about two true freshmen going at each other in and a guy like his talent, the year he's had if that's how things play out.
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, it'd be awesome. That was my Elite 11 roommate when we went out to California. They put us together, and he's a great person, a great quarterback and, you know, he's had a ton of success and, you know, just for both of us to be out there on the field I think that'd be awesome to have two true freshmen out there.
Q. I was wondering if you could both talk about what you guys have been through the last couple of weeks. It's obviously been a tough season but then have coaching changes and just who did you guys lean onto stay together as a team?
ASHLYND BARKER: I mean, nobody likes to lose, so, obviously, we've been upset after, like, pretty much every game, except for only one, but we just try to stay positive and try not to think about all the negative stuff that's going around like outside of us and stuff like that. So we just try to lean on the coaches and listen to them and keep on pushing.
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Yeah, exactly what he said. Obviously losing sucks. Nobody wants to lose. It's hard coming somewhere and experiencing this hard season that we've had and also losing some coordinators. It's tough, but, you know, I think we have a tight-knit group here and we're allowed to lean on each other as well as the coaches around us and I feel like with having these guys in the locker room, they made it easier for us.
MODERATOR: You good? All right. Thanks, guys.
LUKE KROMENHOEK: Thank you, guys. Appreciate y'all.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports