Warchant Wrap: Breaking down Florida State's arrival for ACC Championship Game

CHARLOTTE — One day before the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles and No. 14 Louisville Cardinals square off here for the 2023 ACC Championship, head coaches Mike Norvell and Jeff Brohm spoke with the media Friday afternoon.

Standing in front of a crowded room of reporters inside Bank of America Stadium, Norvell and Brohm answered questions about their teams’ journey to this point and the challenges they expect from the other’s teams. Florida State is 12-0 on the season, while Louisville is 10-2.

Here is a video recap of the press conferences by our Aslan Hajivandi and Ira Schoffel. And below, you will find a written transcript of each coach’s press conference, provided by ASAP Sports.

Florida State Coach Mike Norvell

MIKE NORVELL: To start off, so excited to be here. To be able to play in the ACC Championship game, a journey that we’ve been on, just to go 12 weeks in the regular season and for our team just to continue to answer the call week in and week out, the relationships that have been built, the performance that they’ve put out there on the field and who they are off the field is something that’s really special.

It’s the first year of not having divisions in the ACC, and to see the best two teams get an opportunity to compete tomorrow night, a lot of respect for Coach Brohm and his football team, a lot of explosive playmakers all over the field. We’re excited about the opportunity that’s ahead and we know the challenge that’s ahead.

It’s going to be a great night, a great atmosphere. It’s what college football is all about. You’re building to get an opportunity, and that’s what we’ve worked for and to have here in front of us.

We have had a really good week of work. Our guys have prepared at a very high level. A lot of excitement around team and our program for what we have ahead. We’ve got some more work to do leading up to 8:15 tomorrow night, but we’re excited for the chance to get a chance to showcase the identity of this team once more.

Q. What are the things that have led to your success of having a 12-0 season so far?

MIKE NORVELL: It comes down to the players, the work ethic, the buy-in, taking each experience and really working to get better from it. I think we have a confident football team. They’re confident because of the experience and the experiences that they’ve had and the work that they’ve poured into it. They really care about each other.

We’ve found ourselves in a lot of different situations throughout those 12 games. We’ve been up big. We’ve had moments where we’ve trailed and we’ve had to come back, and the team has never flinched. They really have a lot of belief in each other, and we have a lot of talented individuals on our roster.

Q. Talk about the impact that Keon Coleman has had on your team this year?

MIKE NORVELL: Keon is a special player, not only what he does at receiver, how he’s impacted our special teams units, the unbelievable punt returner. But he’s a great teammate. He makes everybody around him better. He’s come in from the very first day and he’s really worked at an extremely high level. He’s come in and learned the system. We can move him around a lot of different places. His game speaks for itself, just the versatility, the play-making ability.

He’s definitely a wonderful example of what we want, and he’s just continued to impress with each opportunity that he’s got. He’s made big plays in every game, and we’re going to need him to show up again big tomorrow night.

Q. Just talk about the quarterbacks. Is it good to have the other quarterbacks come in in the fourth quarter to know the system just in case something happened like tomorrow that you know he’s ready to go?

MIKE NORVELL: Absolutely, and we’ve been in good situations where we have been able to get some experience for those guys. Tate has done a really nice job, had to go in in the North Alabama game, obviously played a better part of that game and remember he did a great job throughout it. You saw a week ago Brock for a period of time had to go in when Tate went out.

The more experience that those guys get, obviously the more comfortable they feel. There’s nothing like preparing yourself for game day. You can do all the things that you want in practice, but when you step out on the field, just the speed, the intensity, all the things that go around it is what makes it so special to play but also so unique to be able to prepare for, but I’m glad that we’ve had the experiences that we’ve had, and I think those guys are taking advantage of it.

Q. As a follow-up to that, with Tate going through the process, what will determine whether he can play tomorrow?

MIKE NORVELL: Coming out of the game last week, give or take, obviously had the big hit there in the fourth quarter. We went over, was able to go through all of our sideline evaluations and was able to pass that, to be able to go back in the game for the last play that we had there offensively, and then came in Sunday, had a few symptoms of things that we started our process then and we’ve worked it throughout the course of the week. Has been able to practice throughout the week in limited spots, but that’s going to be something that’s going to go up to game day, and we’ll continue on with our process of evaluation and see where it goes from there.

Q. Along those lines, how did you handle practice reps with those guys this week, and how much does the game plan change Jordan to Tate to Brock? Is it essentially the same game plan, or do you have to make adjustments based on who’s out there?

MIKE NORVELL: We’ve allowed really all those guys to be able to get work. Tate has gotten some work, a lot more individual, some in team. Brock has got the bulk of it, especially as we’ve gone through in more live situations that we’ve implemented.

But Tate has been there. He’s been in all the meetings. Like I said, he’s gotten some workouts in practice, and then AJ Duffy has also gotten some reps with the different units.

Our guys — the game plan doesn’t have to change a whole lot. I think when you see Brock, his skill set that he brings even through the week of practice, we’re all preparing to be able to play, and it’s the same thing that we faced a week ago going and playing our last regular season game. He knew that he was going to be one play away, and ultimately he had to go in and had to be ready for that situation, and he was.

We’ve approached it the same way. We know the process we have to go through, and there’s certain benchmarks that we’ll go through and see as we lead up to game day or to game time, and then we’ll see where it’s at. But all those guys are ready and they’re prepared if their number gets called.

Q. With this season being as special as it was, what has been one lesson you’ve learned about yourself as a coach, and also what has been the most impactful or special play that you saw that occurred on the field this year?

MIKE NORVELL: You know, I wouldn’t say it’s a lesson that’s learned, but it’s just validation of the impact that can be made. It’s not just on the field. People think about coaching, they think about play calls, they think about all those things. I love watching these young men grow. I love watching just their journey that they get to be on. For all the things, we came into this year with big expectations.

We started off the season with a very challenging difficult first month of the season, three of our first four on the road and having to go and to see a team that embraced that, that worked for it, that truly believed in each other, that regardless of what showed up, they were true to each other.

I think that all the standards and the expectations that we have within our program on and off the field for our guys, when you see them growing up and you see the way that they’re able to handle tough and challenging situations, you see how they’re able to handle success because sometimes that’s one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is whenever you’re doing well.

We’ve played 12 games and we’ve been victorious in every one of them. To not get complacent, to not get comfortable and continue to work on improving, that’s something that’s really validated this journey.

This has been a four-year process here for us, and to be able to see those positive steps that have been taken, it’s just so gratifying for me. I’m grateful for the players I get to coach, the staff I get to be with, and to pinpoint one play, it would be tough to probably just pick one out.

But the touchdown pass in overtime at Clemson was a pretty good one, and I enjoyed that one quite a bit.

But you see great players that are giving everything that we have with each play that they get, and it’s fun when you see them playing together and just the confidence that they have.

Q. Another quarterback question: Where have you seen the most growth from Brock Glenn so far this season?

MIKE NORVELL: Brock has had an interesting — it’s been a challenging year for him. He came in in January, and he’s amazing. His maturity level, just the mindset which he brings, the confidence that he has, the way that he can operate with that group of guys, we saw something even in his first semester that was special, and just jumped out on the field, guys — there’s a buzz around. He really does a good job with that. This year, first game he goes in, he actually has an injury to his non-throwing hand, but it limited him, kept him out of action for a few weeks of the season, and once he was able to clear and get back out and practice, just the mindset, the approach, the communication, becoming more consistent in all the things that we asked that position to do, not knowing if he’s going to get an opportunity.

People talk about it’s challenging being the second-string quarterback. It can be much more challenging being a third-string quarterback because you don’t necessarily know the path. You don’t ever know when that moment might happen where you have to go in there and you have to help impact this team to win a game.

But what I’ve loved is just Brock’s maturity and how he has been in the meeting room, the ownership he takes in each practice rep, the good, the bad, and then just continuing to grow and get better with all things and just being consistent in what we ask him to do.

He’s still young. He’s a true freshman, but he’s definitely mature beyond his age.

Q. We talked earlier in the week about the moxie it takes for Brock to run that play he ran in the Swamp, and you said he’s never going to be a kid that doubts his own self-belief. If he does play a minute, a quarter, the whole game, how important is that to know that he probably won’t be overwhelmed by the moment? He believes in himself and what he can do.

MIKE NORVELL: I think it’s huge because it’s one thing for a coach, for others to try to pour that into somebody, but when you can step around someone and they have it and it’s real and it’s true, it’s not something that’s put on and it gets everybody around them a lot of confidence, as well, he knows it.

He had to be ready last week, and really it was the same thing. His reps increased there as we were preparing for our last regular season game. Obviously it was even accelerated this week with Tate being limited.

He’s just not going to hold back. He’s going to put all that he has into it. He’s going to — if he has to go on the field, I’ve got a lot of confidence in what that’s going to look like and what it’s going to be, and once again, as we talked about with Tate, Tate just needs to go be the best Tate he can be. Brock, if he gets an opportunity, then he needs to go out there, and I can promise you that’s all we need from him, and same thing with AJ.

That’s what’s great about this game is that you just never know. We’ve been thrown into situations — obviously I feel for Jordan this week. We’re sitting there playing in the conference championship, 12-0 and a lot of things that he’s been working for for the last four years that we’ve been together, and he’s going to have a job and a responsibility, but he’s just not going to be able to help impact us on the field.

He was such a wonderful example of what it looks like and how to prepare, and what you invest and putting all that you have even in this moment, which is hard for him, there’s no regrets because he gave it all.

That’s where I think these guys can see that example and know that if he gets called upon, I’m going to be ready because I’ve done the things necessary to put myself in the best position to go help this team win.

Q. You said it four years ago, you’d be in this position. You built to this point. But you didn’t have the easiest start. What was it that year and a half ago that kind of finally switched and got this team started to get to where you are now?

MIKE NORVELL: Oh, it didn’t start — it wasn’t a year and a half ago, it was at the very beginning. It was a consistency through the journey. People like to point to a positive moment and say that’s where it turned.

I think the response to some of the challenges, guys not pulling back, guys not giving in and just continuing to believe, I think that was something that was big for our coaching staff is we had to be consistent for them. We didn’t go and change every week what the standard and expectation was. This is how we’re going to operate. This is what we’re going to do.

Did it always return immediate positive rules? No. But you saw positive growth. You saw guys that were getting better. You saw that we were getting closer.

Then as we continued on — our first year we got to play nine games. Most first years you get 12. We didn’t — even going into next season, we’re still learning what that looked like, and then as we went through that year, we were able to finish with progressing where we were — where you saw some of those positive reactions and responses in situations where we won a game, we won a rivalry game, we were able to do some good things, and then the guys just kept working, kept believing, and then we’ve been on our ascent from then.

Q. Playing in close games like with rivals like Miami and Florida, how will that be beneficial to you guys in the ACC Championship game?

MIKE NORVELL: I mean, tomorrow night is going to be an emotional game. There’s so much work that’s gone into it. I like the way our schedule has kind of played out, to play your two biggest rivals into the last three weeks of the regular season, those have been emotional contests at home and then having to go do it on the road a week ago.

To see the ups and downs and what those games can provide, this is going to be a battle tomorrow night, and we’re excited about it. We’re excited about what’s going to show up because we know we’re playing a dang good football team, but we’ve also been in big games. We’ve been in emotional moments. We’ve had to respond. We’ve played from ahead, we’ve played from behind. But this team, they’ve got tremendous heart, tremendous character, and I’m excited to watch them play.

Q. Both of these teams have found a lot of success through the transfer portal in getting you guys to where you are. Jeff was asked before how did he approach the valuation in the portal, and he said I just went for the most talented guys and wanted to get them regardless of what the reputation of them might have been coming in. What is your approach to evaluation and finding the right guys that are going to be a fit for you guys?

MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, I think it comes down to fit. Obviously for me the makeup of the individual matters. There’s a lot of talented guys that are out there, and to come into this program, we pushed in every area, on the field, off the field, I think the thing that you’ve seen within our program is that everybody has a different journey to get here, but with all those unique journeys, there’s a similar mindset. We’ve got a very close football team, and we’ve got a team that they love who they get to play with. They care about who they get to play for, and we get to do this all together.

Making sure that yes, you’ve got to have a certain level of talent and then ability and things that we’re looking for there on the field, also who they are off the field matters, and I think you’ve seen some of our best leaders have been able to come into this program from the outside maybe as a transfer and maybe you see some of those great leaders that we have that have come in and developed from the high school ranks.

I thought this week it was pretty cool that was it 23 individuals that were recognized in all-ACC, almost half of them were high school guys that have developed through the program and have more guys that have been able to come in and find a home and the right opportunity here at Florida State, but it still comes down just to the right fit and guys that love to work, that they care about each other and just want to push to be their best in everything.

Q. Given the way players are so active on social media right now and the potential College Football Playoff impact of this game, how do you kind of navigate the singular focus on just this game and the chips falling the way they may after?

MIKE NORVELL: Yeah, I mean, I don’t talk to them a whole lot about it. Our focus every day for four years has just been to go get better. To go get better, to be at our best, I truly believe if we can control that, the rest of it will take care of itself.

I think that’s helped us be able to — as we’ve had some success, to be able to sustain that and be able to continue to grow, continue to get better, continue to respond. There’s plenty of distractions in this world, and if you allow yourself to be distracted on something that you really can’t control in the moment, then there’s no way you’re going to be able to put out the best of what you can be.

I’ve got a lot of confidence in what we can do, and for everything else that’s on the outside, we can’t do a whole lot about it, but going out there tomorrow night and playing the best that we can, we’ll make our statement and showcase the identity of what this team is all about, and I know where that would lead us.

Q. You talked about Jordan having a job tomorrow. I know he couldn’t be on the field at Florida. Can he be on the field in this game? Will he be on the headset? Will he talk to Tate and Brock and the quarterbacks?

MIKE NORVELL: I mean, he probably will not be down on the sideline, just obviously as he’s recovering with injury, but his presence, and that’s where — he’ll be there tonight with the team at the hotel and tomorrow throughout the course of the day.

It’s just him being there, his support, his encouragement. He’s a special man. We all have a job to do, everybody within the program, and the thing that I ask is that when they show up, we all give our best to make a positive impact to those that are around us, and I know Jordan Travis is going to do that tomorrow.

Q. Do you think tomorrow your running game is going to be ready to get mud on the tires and get going?

MIKE NORVELL: Well, you know, it’s going to be — once again, we’ll see what the weather holds tomorrow at 8:00, but obviously it’s something that we’ve prepared for, something that we’ve been preparing for that for the last 12 weeks. It’s another thing that you can’t control but you can prepare for.

Our guys, they know that whatever the situation or circumstance is, we’ll be ready to respond, whether it’s on the ground or in the air. We’re going to find a way to go out there and be our best.

Q. As a follow-up to the question on the playoff, there’s another school and another conference that has already started to make public statements and lobby about why they would be deserving if they made it to the playoff. Why do you feel like you just want your play tomorrow to make that statement for you as opposed to verbal statements today?

MIKE NORVELL: Because I believe in our team. That’s what we have. We have a football team. People try to point it to one player, they try to point it to a side of the ball. None of that matters. It comes down to we’ve had 12 opportunities to go out there and play this game, and we’ve found a way to be successful in every one of them. We’ve found ourselves in challenging situations. We’ve been able to do a lot of great things.

But none of the lobbying or the talking about it would matter if we don’t take care of business tomorrow.

If it gets to a point where I need to make a statement verbally about my belief in this team, I believe we’ll settle that tomorrow night, and that statement will be louder than any words I can say today, and that’s what we’re aspiring to be and aspiring to do. A lot of people love to talk, and I want to see a team that acts. We take care of our business, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in where that’ll lead us.

Q. What stands out to you about Jeff Brohm and about this Louisville team in particular?

MIKE NORVELL: I mean, they’re so very well-coached. They’re going to attack in a variety of different ways, that’s defense, that’s special teams. He utilizes his personnel. He’s got a lot of versatility within his football team and their method of attack. They’re going to be able to run the football. They’re going to take their shots on the field. He’s going to try to keep you off balance with motions, adjustments and different variations of formations. He has really good players that he gets the ball to and that they make an impact.

But when you look at them defensively, it’s really the same thing. They’re going to attack. They’ve done a great job, one of the best defenses in the country. They’ve played with passion, and they play extremely hard. They’re a tough, hard-nosed football team, and that’s what makes this game going to be a great game. It’s a great representation of the ACC, and I think their staff has done a wonderful job throughout the course of the season, and just seeing their players being gelled together and their confidence has continued to grow, he just does a wonderful job.

Q. As someone who has taken over programs in the past, how much can you appreciate what Coach Brohm has been able to do in one year?

MIKE NORVELL: I think it’s remarkable. For him to be able to come back to his home and to be able to do that, he’s done a great job in being able to bring in your players to help them in that process.

Some of the guys that have been there that have continued on, that are continuing to grow and get better. It’s always a tough and challenging thing, but it is a new age in college football. There’s a different way in these last few years of how you can transition into a job or an opportunity that’s different than any time before.

I think he’s done a great job in it, and that’s why they’re here tomorrow night.

Q. Since Jordan Travis’ injury, how has he motivated and also energized the team?

MIKE NORVELL: Well, he just cares so much. I think even the night that he got injured, that weekend, just to see the outreach from our players to just go support him because they’ve been receiving so much from him for the last four years, and you see somebody that cares, you see somebody that is so selfless. He’s one of the best players in all of college football, and he will never tell you that. He’s going to show up and he’s going to care about his teammates. He’s going to work. He’s going to just pour it all in to help them be as good as they can possibly be.

When he went down, it was a great opportunity for his teammates to go show him how much they care. I think that’s been twofold.

The first thing — the Saturday night that he got hurt, the first thing he told me when I went to see him was he goes, I’m going to be in Gainesville next Saturday. He goes, I’m going to be at that game. I don’t care what I have to do. I will be there for this team. I walked out pregame and it’s raining and he had a trash bag wrapped around his leg, and it’s like, that’s a real man.

He is just a special person. If we need much more motivation than that, then he’s living it.

Q. What have you seen from the team in the sense of not knowing who the quarterback is going to be at such an important position going into last week and then this week, just how they have not — have they been bothered by it or just gone about their business?

MIKE NORVELL: We all have a job to do. Obviously with Tate being limited throughout the week, it opened up the door for other guys to prepare and to get ready, so we’ve all had to push.

I don’t think they’ve been bothered by it. You take quarterbacks, each quarterback has their own unique personality, and Tate’s personality is different than Jordan’s, and Jordan this year was different than Jordan last year.

You see obviously who Brock is, AJ, all those guys. When they get their chance to step on the field, I don’t need them to try to be a copycat of the other. I just need them to be genuinely who they are. But they all have to make that same similar investment.

They all have to — you’ve got to feel their presence in how they work and how they communicate and the effort that they give, and that’s what’s been consistent. That’s what I’m most proud of in that room. I think Coach Tokarz has done a great job with that room, and the guys around them, they know that regardless of who has to be out there or who gets to be out there and to take a snap, it’s our job to go play together and to go make each other better with the performances that we have.

I’ve got a lot of confidence that our team will continue to do that, as they’ve done it throughout the season, and get another opportunity tomorrow night.

Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm

JEFF BROHM: We’re definitely excited to be here. I think it’s a great opportunity for our football team to play in a game of this caliber. Our guys have worked really hard to get to this point, and we’ve had some tough football games that have gone our way, a few that haven’t, but they’ve given us great effort all year, and we couldn’t be more excited to play a great opponent in Florida State that’s undefeated, ranked No. 4 in the country, and they’ve played a lot of really good football.

We know it’s a talented football team. They’re well-coached. They’ve got a lot of really good players at every position, and we’re going to have to play well in order to win, but that’s what drives us to hopefully come out prepared and play as well as we can and challenge ourselves to raise our level of play and match the level of play that we’ll see from Florida State.

But to play in this atmosphere and this championship game, I think it’s great for our guys and our team, and we can’t wait to get out here tomorrow night.

Q. On getting to the ACC title game in year one of his tenure.

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think we’ve tried not to talk about it a whole lot. I think we want to treat this like a normal week of practice, normal preparation for a really good team that we have to come ready to play, and a game that means something.

I think we just challenge our guys every week to improve and correct our mistakes and try to have our best week — excuse me, have our best performance to date, and that’s individually, as a unit, as a team, and that’s what we’ll try to do here.

I think it’ll be a great measuring stick because this is a really good football team, but I think our guys are up for the challenge, and I’m looking forward to getting on the field and taking on such a great opponent.

Q. Tomorrow there’s supposed to be a lot of rain in this area. Is your running game built for the rain? What are you going to do with the elements?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we hate to say we’ve not been as good in the elements as I would like to be in my past, so I think we’ve worked all week with a wet ball and having to handle that, make sure that we try not to do too many silly things.

Taking care of the football, running the ball, trying to get somewhat safe and easy completions is always important to make sure we call and have ready to go. I think sometimes the game plan will change slightly if it’s a situation that needs it.

We had a rainy game at Pittsburgh, and it wasn’t a good day for us, had turnovers and miscues, and our whole team didn’t play as well as it should. It’s taking care of the football will be vital, and I don’t think we could have worked any more than we have to this point, but we’ve got to go out during the game and do that.

Q. Florida State seems like maybe their quarterback situation may be in flux. How do you approach that?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think that Tate, their backup, has come in and done a really good job. He’s played a lot of football. He’s got a football pedigree and background. He played last year against Louisville and won, and he’s done a really good job.

I’m sure the high net, they’ll have capable guys that can come in and step in and play, but we’re anticipating seeing Tate, and we prepared for him, and a little bit more the unknown, but you never know. I just think you have to be prepared for a couple different styles, whether it’s a guy that likes to throw the ball a lot or whether it’s a guy that’s going to run the zone read and the power read and get on the edges and make some plays with his feet. So we have to be prepared for both of them.

Q. As a follow-up to that, if Brock Glenn does play, how much would that change or affect your game plan?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think anytime there’s a new quarterback, it does affect and change slightly, and we’ll base it on what we think his strengths and weaknesses are, so other than making sure we’re aware of that plan, I think we’ve just got to go into it expecting Tate to play and then adjusting if he doesn’t.

I think we’ve worked towards it this week, and hopefully we’re prepared for it.

Q. Since this is the ACC Championship game, a big game and everything, how are you going to keep your guys grounded and focused on the task at hand?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think for us, we need to go out there and cut it loose. I think Florida State, of course they want to win the game to get to the playoff, and for us, we’re the underdog. We need to go out there, and pressure is on them, and we need to just go out there and cut it loose.

I think we’ve worked really hard this week. We understand that with that said, we have to play our best football and we have to improve on some mistakes we made last week and the losses we’ve had this year, make sure those things don’t happen. But we’ve got to make plays, and both sides of the ball got to be aggressive in their approach, find ways to make some difference-making plays, and then I think our special teams has to find a way to gain an edge, which we have not been as sharp in that as recently as I would have liked, but worked at it hard. So I think tomorrow night will be the night to see how far we’ve come in our preparation.

Q. This season has been really special for you guys. What have you learned about yourself as a coach, and what have you learned about your team?

JEFF BROHM: I think our guys have done a great job of really just staying grounded, working hard, understanding that each week is a new challenge, and we kind of talk amongst ourselves about how it’s a one-game season for us, and we’re going to do everything in our power to win that game. That includes myself, our coaches and our players.

You lay it all in the week during the week of practice. You practice hard. You make sure you look in the mirror at night before you go to bed and have I done everything I can to help prepare for this, and then you do it the next day and then you do it the next day, and then when you take the field, hopefully you have the confidence to go out there and play your best and cut it loose, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

I tell them after every game, whether you win or lose, you’ve got to do it again. Sometimes after you win the expectations are higher, so it makes it even harder, but when you lose, you’ve got to still stay hungry, and you can’t lose confidence in yourself. You’ve got to say, you know what, I’m not going to make those mistakes again. Let’s figure out a way to not have that happen.

I just think you just grind away each week at it, and as soon as you start looking at any other game as a player or coach other than the one ahead of you, you’re going to do things that are a detriment to winning that game.

Of course this game is easy because we know we’ve got to put the work in, which I think we have to this point. We know we’re going to have to play really solid, fundamental good football throughout the game, win a lot of the small little battles you have to when you play really good teams in order to win, but that’s why you roll the ball out there and take off, because you never know once you step on the field.

I think our guys are looking forward to playing a team of this caliber.

Q. You spoke about this after the last game on the teleconference that you need some fixes for the defense. It’s been a week; are you pleased with the fixes that you guys have been able to put in place?

JEFF BROHM: Well, we’ve had some really good games on defense. I think the last three weeks have not been our best. I think you have to just kind of circle the wagons and look at what’s worked for you and what hasn’t and what mistakes you made and what were the calls and how can we as coaches put them in a better position to succeed.

We worked hard at it. There has to be a fine line. I think we had some success early on because we were aggressive in our approach. We were trying to get sacks; we were trying to put pressure on the quarterback, and then a few times we had gotten burnt because of it, so I think it just has to be that perfect combination of, hey, do you want to go down being extra aggressive, or do you want to go down being extra conservative.

I just think — I wish I had a perfect answer for it, but right now we’re this far into the season. We practice a lot of things to make sure we have ammunition.

I think we like the plan that we have to this point going into the game, but you’ve got to be able to adjust, and I think — depending on how the game goes, we have to stick with the plan or be able to adjust slightly if things go south early so that we can kind of change the momentum, and I think that’s what’s important is making sure that we have the answers when those problems come up.

Q. As a follow-up, how have you balanced between practices being physical and intense and walking through some things especially because of how the way the last game ended?

JEFF BROHM: I think we’ve had some really good practices. We go probably good-on-good as much as anybody throughout the season. Of course as you get later in the season, then some wear and tear happens, we do pull back on that slightly, so we have pulled back on it slightly. We did want to make sure for this championship game we get as many guys as healthy as we can to it so they can go out there and play.

I think that we’ve tried to balance that pretty well, and I think we’re about as fresh as we can be coming into this game.

Q. Like a lot of teams, Florida State rotates a lot of their defensive line. Seems like it’s probably on the higher end of teams that do that. When you’re preparing for a team like that, one that rotates that much, do you get down to the specifics of different guys’ talents and skills and the ways they play, or is it just whoever is in front of you blocking?

JEFF BROHM: Well, they’ve got a good system down, and they run it well, and they have the guys to do it, so I give them a lot of credit. They’ve got some really good athletes that can run, that have length, that are quick, that are powerful.

They don’t do a whole lot of different things. They’re going to line up with four-down linemen and linebackers and press you on the outside, whether it’s one high or two high, and come after you. I think they do a really good job of they allow their players to challenge routes, get in front of receivers, don’t give up any easy completions, make you earn it. So you have to have a good plan, and you’ve got to execute, and they’re going to create havoc with their speed and their athleticism, so you have to try to find a way to negate that a little bit if you can.

So yes, whether it’s protection or whether it’s balance or whether it’s running the ball at it or whether it’s finding ways to get big plays, that’s the dilemma, so they’ve done a really good job. They’ve held people to I think under 30 points in every game, and their defense has been really good.

So we have our hands full.

Q. You mentioned earlier having the game plan sometimes be a little more aggressive with your pass rush. When you’re playing a team that’s going to have one way or another a relatively inexperienced quarterback, does trying to get them off schedule and behind the chains become a bigger priority for you?

JEFF BROHM: Well, it’s a priority, and it always will be. We’ve gotten burned on it here in the recent past, so you’ve just got to make sure you’re very calculated in how you approach that. But to that question, every game getting pressure on the quarterback, getting his jersey dirty, making him feel the push and the heat coming at him is very important, and at the same time stopping the run and making sure they don’t get big plays in the running game is very important.

These guys can run the ball. They’ve got really good running backs. They’ve got good tight ends and big receivers.

That’s the challenge is you take away one, they’re going to try to do the other.

But without question, affecting the quarterback is very important.

Q. Obviously it’s not easy to get here; this is year four for Mike and they’re just starting to peak. How were you able to put Louisville in this position in year one? What was the process like to put your imprint on this program and get to this point?

JEFF BROHM: Well, in my head I don’t think there’s a secret formula to it. I’ve been fortunate to be able to play the game and coach the game and have some experience coming back home to University of Louisville, so I feel good that I thought we were prepared to take on that challenge.

I thought we had some hungry guys already on the team that wanted to be coached. They wanted to play at a high level, they wanted to try to win big games. We tried to mix that with a combination of other guys that could help our team improve depth-wise and talent-wise.

All we try to do is provide a great environment for these guys to want to work, to want to put in the time. They understand that we’re there to help them, so myself and our coaches, we want to spend extra time with our players. We’re going to make sure that as much football as they want to do, that’s what we’re going to do. I just think our guys have spent a lot of time working to improve, to get better.

When we play games, whether we win or lose, I think we identify the problems we make, starting with myself and the mistakes I made first, then we go to our coaches and we work it down to our team, and they go to work on it. They listen, we try to improve upon it, try not to have it happen again, and then we just go cut it loose.

But these guys have had fun working. I think they enjoy playing football at the University of Louisville. They enjoy the competition and some of the success we’ve had to this point. That’s why I think they’re going to cherish this opportunity in this game because we know we’re playing a really talented team that hasn’t been defeated and they’ve won some big games, but it’s going to be a great measuring stick for us.

Q. Going off of that, when you were picking guys from the portal or evaluating the talent that was brought back, what did you see from these guys that allowed you guys to feel like you could get to this point this season?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think I’ve learned a lot as a coach. My father coached me growing up in certain sports, still coaches a little bit. We used to tease him; he was always great because his teams would win the league, whether it was optimus baseball or optimus baseball because when he had his draft, he would draft the best players no matter what anybody about them, their attitude, their work ethic, and he’d piece it together.

So for us, I’ve always taken that, and when we go try to improve our team, we’re going to try to get the best players we can. Without question we want to know their character and their makeup and their work ethic, but sometimes what you hear about somebody isn’t always true. You’ve got to get to know them, and there’s a lot of good in everybody, and a lot of people want a second chance or they want another opportunity to prove themselves.

We just try to bring out the best in everybody we bring in. We create an equitable, fair environment where they’re all going to get a chance to go out on the field. If you can prove to us you can play, we’re going to put you on the field, whether you’re a starter or backup or third team.

These guys have gelled together very well. They get along. They work hard. We’ve been very unselfish in my opinion because we have run the ball and the receivers haven’t probably seen the ball as much as they would like, and they usually get upset, but they don’t. They work really hard, and they understand as long as we’re winning, that’s the goal.

I just think you try to do whatever is best for the team but be as honest with them as you can along the way, and if you do that, they’ll respond and they’ll play hard and they’ll play well.

Q. You played in the Big Ten Championship game last year. Is there anything you can take from preparation for that game into this game, and is there anything you would change in your preparation?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I would have probably just left at halftime of last year’s game. We were right there with them and it felt really good, and then the second half didn’t go the way we wanted.

You know what, when you play in those games, you just kind of have to prepare, have an aggressive approach, build confidence that your guys can go out there and play and win and then go cut it loose.

I just think last year if I look back on it, we were right in it, and then we gave up a couple big plays and turned the ball over, and then it kind of went the other direction.

I just think you’ve got to — how can we eliminate those small mistakes and concentrate on those small details, try not to give them the other team something easy, make them earn everything they get, and I think if you do that, you have a chance to win.

So I just think that being the more disciplined team, concentrate on those small things, taking care of the football, but yet being aggressive in our approach is the style we have to play, and I just think our guys got to be locked in, they’ve got to be focused, they’ve got to be dialed in that we don’t make critical mistakes, and if we have one or two that happen to go the other direction, we’ve got to rebound quickly, and that’s what we try to preach, and hopefully we can carry it out.

Q. There have been different times during this season where individual players who had good games here (indiscernible). Getting Louisville to this game regardless of what happens tomorrow in year one, where do you feel like the bar is being set now for you and the program?

JEFF BROHM: Well, it’s being set higher, without question. The fever blisters I get in my mouth and the gout that I get in my foot or elbow because of stress, that’s going to continue to be there.

That’s why you play the game is you want to try to find a way to win at a high level. It’s got to mean something to you, and I knew coming back it’s going to mean something to me, and it better because if not, there’s going to be a lot of people telling me about it. I knew I was going to have to put the work in. I was going to have to be committed to once the season starts and we get into preparation, we’ve got to do everything we can to win. Our coaches are going to have to do the same thing. We’re going to have to have guys that really wanted to be committed to finding a way to win no matter what was going on.

So I think we’ve got a good nucleus of that going on right now. There’s a lot of people on our staff that have ties to the university, whether they’ve lived there, played there, coached there, went to school there, so it means something to them, as well, and then you carry that down to your players. You want guys that if you want to win, we’re going to have to put the work in. It doesn’t just happen. There’s no easy way to do it, there’s no shortcut, and you explain that to them.

I just think since I got there last December, you put the work in, you have time to put extra work in, you’d be surprised how many guys spend that extra time working to get it done, and you have to do that. I mean, you can’t put in a normal day if you want to win at a high level. You’ve got to put in extra work.

If myself, our staff, our players are all doing it, then that’s 120 to 150 people that are doing extra work, and that adds up, and that’s what it takes to win.

I just think every year you learn from mistakes you’ve made, why didn’t we win this game, what made us not play as well. It’s got to be written down, it’s got to be studied, it’s got to be filed away, you’ve got to try to improve upon it that year, but the next year in the off-season you’ve got to make sure that we find ways not to do it again.

Once this season is fully over, then we’re going to have to go to work on next year. Build our team, work on how can we get better, how can we improve, and I’m not a big guy that says we’re going to do the same things we did last year. No, it changes. This game evolves every year. You have to be able to change. You have to be able to adapt. You’ve got to study other great teams across the country and college and the NFL and why are they playing or how are they winning so many games with less than maybe the other team, and you’ve got to piece that together.

I just think it requires a lot of work. You’ve got to be willing to put it in, and then you’ve still got to go out and play and execute, so there’s a lot of things that go into it, and there’s not a perfect science to it, but I just think you have to put the work in to have a chance, and then you hope that you go out there and play well.

Q. The fever blisters and the gout and stuff, did that happen at Purdue and Western Kentucky?

JEFF BROHM: You know what, it didn’t happen as much when I was a player, but it’s happened more since I was a coach. Just like everybody gets stressed, you take a pill, hopefully don’t get the fever blisters, had to get some medicine to get over some of the other stuff I had, but it didn’t take long. I just thought it was old aiming.

But some of the things they look at the symptoms, like don’t do that, don’t do that, one stress I guess maybe it is stress, I don’t know.

But that’s part of it, so I’m not complaining one bit. That’s what you sign up for.

I just think you have to take the game serious. I have to. If we don’t win, it has to bother me, and it does. It has to really eat at me.

You know what, I like for it to bother me and our coaches, too.

Then I like for it to bother the players a little bit, as well.

Now, there comes a point where you’ve got to get over it in a couple days and build your confidence back up as a coach and as a player, but you have to go through that hurtful process when you’re not winning, and it has to drive you to want to do more.

I don’t know, to me that’s how I’ve always been as a player and as a coach, and I can at least sleep better at night knowing we’ve tried really hard to win.

Q. Every conference around the country there’s perceptions of different conferences and what they’re like, and now that you’ve been in the league, I know you haven’t played everybody, but what are your thoughts and perceptions after a season?

JEFF BROHM: Yeah, I think this is a great football conference. I think there’s more parity in this conference than any conference I’ve been around from top to bottom. I think Florida State is as good as any team in the country right now, and they’ve proven it with big wins and really good play with a lot of different guys.

We’ve had tough games pretty much every week, just a lot of teams beating each other. To me it’s felt that there’s great parity.

There’s good skill players in this league, good speed, good athleticism, and a lot of fun places to play. I’ve enjoyed it to this point, but it’s very competitive, and if you don’t play your best, you’re not going to win on any given week, but without question, there’s a lot of really talented teams. Florida State, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, and all the others are really good opponents.

I think it’ll stay that way, and it’s been a lot of fun to play in.

Q. You mentioned a loss bothering you. I would imagine you couldn’t come up with a loss that could bother you more than the Kentucky one. Do you think that game gave them any extra fire or spark for this week, not that they needed it for the championship game?

JEFF BROHM: Well, I think we’re all disappointed, and it hurt all of us, which is good, because man, we had our chances. It wasn’t like it was a really bad game. We just made some costly mistakes.

You just think, man, if I would have done better on these things, it would have been a different day. I just think you identify those, you try to improve on them. We know going into this game that we’ve got to play really well. I think we’ve got to come out ready to play, and we’ve got to match their intensity and their desire to win and win early.

We’ve got to do all those small things correctly and keep the game close as long as we can. But that’s what we want to try to do. We want to try to have our best performance, and if you don’t challenge yourself to have your best performance every week, then you’re wasting time.

Individually we need to try to do our best, as a unit, as a team we need to, and we need to take advantage of this opportunity and a great study and a championship game and prove our worth.

Q. What’s the importance of teamwork and having an unselfish team?

JEFF BROHM: Well, it’s vital, teamwork and unselfish play, and I think your best teams will have that. When guys know they’ve got to do their part but yet someone else is going to shine that day, that it’s still great, I think your team will play its best. I think Florida State has exemplified that. They’ve had multiple people come in, step in and make plays for them. We’ve done that to a certain degree.

I just think that any team sport you have to have a lot of really talented players that are willing to work together and really don’t care who gets the credit, and that’s normally your best team. I just think the leadership skills from our players have been really good to this point, and they don’t care who gets the credit, they just want to win, so we’ve got to go out there and figure out a way to win.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.