Trevor Etienne ‘super confident’ in Max Brown, Florida's chances vs. FSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida sophomore running back Trevor Etienne will have a new starting quarterback next to him in the backfield against FSU. Redshirt freshman quarterback Max Brown is making his first career start Saturday.

Etienne met with the media Wednesday night to discuss how Brown has performed in practice this week, what he brings to the offense, the significance of this rivalry and more. Here is everything Etienne said during his availability.

Trevor Etienne Q&A

On what this rivalry means to him:

Etienne: “It’s a huge game for this program, for this facility, for Gator Nation, for Gator fans. Just what it means to them makes you want to play hard and give it your all. This is a huge game and whoever wins has bragging rights for the next 365 so we really want to get this one under our belts. This is a very important game to us.”

On Max Brown’s impact on Florida’s offense:

Etienne: “I mean it opens up the run game for us. You have to respect Max as a runner. You have to play that so it puts an extra guy in the box for us to block and you can read the edge player. It just opens up and gives us more of a way to get the ball and keeps the defense on their toes. They have to respect him. That’s just a way that it helps us.”

On what this means to his Florida-native teammates:

Etienne: “I’ve had some guys tell stories about how they have friends on the other team and it’s been a hiccup in their friendship because of the rivalry. This game is very important and it means a lot to these guys and I just want to make sure that our guys leave with a victory and we leave on the upside of this battle.”

On the impact of a sold-out Swamp:

Etienne: “I mean, it’s unreal, man. It’s like no other. It gets crazy in The Swamp. You got to be there to experience it and it’s something you have to see first-hand to know what I’m talking about. But this place is like no other.”

On his growth this year:

Etienne: “Just slowing the game down for myself and understanding it, understanding pressures, pre-snap reads, understanding where guys are going to be and where they’re coming from, knowing who to expect on pass protection, knowing where guys are, just experience. That comes with experience and it came with time. I’m just glad that I was able to play a lot as a freshman so I had that experience to be able to slow the game down for myself.”

On Brown’s energy in practice:

Etienne: “Super confident. I’m super confident in what he can do. He’s confident in himself and the team’s behind him 100 percent. He’s been nothing but lights out this week. He can make those crazy plays with his feet that kind of like have you in awe. I’m excited to see him play this Saturday.”

On how much the Mizzou game helped his confidence:

Etienne: “A lot. He got the nerves out the way. I’m pretty sure he’s still going to be a little nervous but he got the nerves out the way. He kind of knows what to expect. Before this game we were talking about it and I don’t believe he’s gotten tackled in a year or two. He didn’t play that much last year. He’s not as nervous. He knows what to expect now.”  

On if he has a connection with Brown being from the same class:

Etienne: “Definitely. When me and Max came in we were taking reps together day in and day out. Kind of building that chemistry between each other. I kind of understand him as a player, we kind of understand each other. I feel like that sort of can slow the game down for him. Having me and Montrell, guys that have been in the game, by his side to be able to help him out with certain tips and keys and plays. I just feel like, overall, when it comes to it he’s going to be ready.”

On something people don’t know about Max’s personality:

Etienne: “I’d say Max is one of the funniest guys on this team but he also takes his preparation very seriously. That’s something I learned from him early on and kind of took it as a part of my game, just the way he prepares, just the way he goes about his routine. He’s one of those guys who’s always in the building eager to learn. He’s one of those guys that you can learn from.”

On an example:

Etienne: “Actually this week he pulled me, Montrell, and Ricky in to watch film. We kind of got a chance to watch film and talk about it a little bit, discuss, see where each other’s head is at.”

On playing spoiler vs FSU:

Etienne: “I mean, congratulations to them and what they’ve done so far but we’re going to play lights out. Our back is against the wall. We want this win just as much as anybody else as the Gators. We’re going to give it our all. We could really care less what they’ve done previous to this game. I wouldn’t mind spoiling their season.”

On if the Mizzou loss hurt more than any others:

Etienne: “The way I look at it is all of those losses hurt. It was one or two plays in those games where maybe if this would have went right, maybe if one guy would have did this we would have been in a winning situation. A lot of these games we lost, if you go back and look at it, there was like one key turning point in that game where things went south. If we can just kind of fix that aspect of this game then I feel like this season would have been flipped with a better outcome.”