Pre-Louisville Q&A with FSU coach Jimbo Fisher

FSU travels to Louisville this week for a Thursday night matchup on national TV. Here's the transcript from FSU coach Jimbo Fisher's weekly press conference:

Opening Statement: Getting back – had a really good week of practice. We got back to a lot of fundamental stuff. Got some base things worked on, which I think we need to improve on in all three phases. At the same time, we did a little bit of Louisville work. We're game-planning real hard. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be a Monday practice. Again, we're very proud of our team and the way we competed in the game against Notre Dame. I thought it was a tremendous game, a tremendous matchup. I know we've talked about that before. We're moving on to Louisville.

Looking forward to the Thursday night matchup. Louisville has a dynamic defense. They're one of the top defenses in the country – they play the run well and the pass (well). They create a lot of turnovers. Offensively, they have the quarterback (Will Gardner) back. They have (wide receiver DeVante) Parker back, who is a first round pick. They've got (wide receiver James) Quick. They've got (running back Michael) Dyer. You've got first round picks at all these different positions. You've got the tight end (Gerald Christian), who was a big-time recruit coming out Dwyer (High School in Palm Beach) a year before Nick (O'Leary) did – went down to Florida then went up there. That guy is a big time player (plus) their offensive line. They kick the ball well. They have a very, very good football team. They've had two losses by less than a touchdown. They'll be ready to play, and hopefully we'll be ready to play. That'll be another great matchup for the ACC.

On the false internet report that said running back Karlos Williams was being suspended: There's another false report, and that's amazing how things happen. Whoever has sources, whoever has rumors, needs to check who they are talking to – because that is about as far from truth as there is.

On emulating game conditions for Louisville: We couldn't emulate for the Notre Dame game. It'll be different because we are on the road. It'll be a very hostile environment. It'll be a very a tough environment. Louisville – they'll be ready. You can't ever simulate game action, you just try to put pressure on your kids in practice as much as you can. It'll be tough.

On injured redshirt sophomore running back Mario Pender's status: I think he'll still be questionable for this game. I think he is healing very well, but those high ankle (sprains) can be very tough.

On Louisville's struggles against the pass rush and if that means FSU will blitz more: You have to study why. You have to look and see how the pressures have gotten there and why the pressures have gotten there. But also – how do you expose yourself when you are trying to pressure or other things that go on. There's a give and take to all of those situations. That will have to be in the game plan they we will be working on really hard the next few days.

On if he is happy with Florida State's pass rush this season: Yeah. I think we are doing some nice things. You always want a better pass rush. You always want to stop the run better. You always want to get more interceptions. I think a lot of our young guys are really developing. We have a lot of young players out there on the edge that are coming. I thought we affected the quarterback very well in the last game. I think we had 10 batted balls. We had some sacks. It's not always sacks. You always look at sacks, but how many times did you hit the quarterback … how many times you affect him … how you make your move off the spot. I thought we did a really nice job of that in the second half of the Notre Dame game.

On young players contributing: The reps – critical. Critical. And then their ability. Not only their depth, but then they have unique abilities in themselves.

On Louisville's strong start under new coach Bobby Petrino: They've got good players. They've recruited well and had a good program. Some of those other programs when they had that year of transition, they might have been in a down swing of recruiting. This group … Charlie (Strong) and they recruited well for a long period of time. They've got very good players, and a of course, a very good staff to coach them.

On quarterback Jameis Winston's success on the road putting up 300-yard games: I think you have to be careful looking at numbers. I thought the game he played the other night was pretty spectacular. I think numbers … Peyton Manning didn't have a 300-yard game last night. But I think he played pretty spectacularly too. You get caught in 300-yard games. I don't look at numbers of yards; it's the efficiency of what you did, the decisions you made and what you did with your team – whether it's run or pass – to play well.

On Louisville becoming a rival in the Atlantic Division: I think Louisville for the history and what they've done in their past (could be a rival). They have great history, great tradition, great players. They had three first-round draft picks last year – you forget that. They have a bunch of really good players now. They are a definite force in our league. They are a great addition.

On Louisville getting back senior wide receiver DeVante Parker from injury: When a receiver emerges, it takes the pressure off the other guys and what you do. If you matchup one-on-one here or you get the one-on-one there, it adds another dimension to what they do. It opens up the field a lot more.

On if it becomes difficult to scout their offense when they get such a key member back from injury: Yeah it can, but you can also look at things the coach Petrino has done in the past. You can also look at things that that kid [DeVante Parker] is capable of. They won't go way off of the grid of what they've done in the past. They will have some additions and wrinkles, there is no doubt.

On Louisville being ranked No. 1 in total defense and what they do so well defensively: I think they tackle well. The first thing that jumps out to me is that they tackle well. They get great leverage on the ball and they tackle well. They have done a good job of pressuring the quarterback, mixing things up and mixing coverages. They play the run. Their inside guys are very physical on the run. They are long on the outside and they create a good pass rush with length and get in the passing lanes. They cover well and they create turnovers. It's like what goes with great offense and great defense is when the other side of the ball starts to play well it keeps the other team off the field, or it gets it back for you when you're on offense. They are doing both.

On the tough things teams have to deal with playing a road game on Thursday night: I think it is no different than you do on any other game except that it's during the midweek and it changes your routine. That is why we try to get the routine back to a normal game week like you would do on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and how we practice it like they are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We will travel on Tuesday night like we would on a Thursday like we always do. We try to keep in that routine. Usually those environments are very good because for students and things it is the only thing in town. Everybody kind of rallies around that on a Thursday night and it creates a great atmosphere for the home team.

On if it is difficult trying to keep that routine among the players when the week is shifted: Not really, once they get into it. If it wasn't Saturdays on game days I would get lost on what day it is too half the time because you get in such a cocoon about what you're doing. It is like what you're doing during camp. They will adjust.

On why his team has been so effective in the red zone this season: We work at it and we have a philosophy on it. People say that we haven't ran the ball, but we have run the ball in the red zone. There are four time where you need to run the ball: you have to be able to run it in short yardage, goal line, red zone and the last four minutes of the game. We have done that all year except for last time [against Notre Dame] in four minutes at the end of the game. All of the other games we have ran it out. We are effective and we keep great balance. I think we have very good players and we get the ball to our playmakers.

On how much does success in the red zone deal with a team's attitude: No doubt. In the red zone things are going to happen tighter, faster and quicker. You are going to have to break tackles. You are going to have to block two people. You are going to have to jump over somebody. Things are just confined. You have to learn how to play in those areas. We spend a lot of time in practice working on red zone and third-down situations.

On the play of senior offensive lineman Tre' Jackson this season: He is just so consistent. He is a run blocker and a pass blocker. He knows what is going on and helps those guys up-front with calls and situations. He is a very wide body, but he has such good balance and body control. He has good hip action, so he can roll and move people. He is a smart guy. He has been playing excellent football, he really has.

On if Louisville's defense is better against the run or against the pass: You are always going to have less numbers than you are in the pass because people are going to throw it more and the plays you make in the passing game are always going to be generally bigger plays than you would in the running game. I think they are equal [pass defense and rush defense] because they create the turnovers and interceptions in the passing game. I think they play them both extremely well.

On level of communication among the defensive secondary: We've had a couple, probably about the same as last year. Actually, I think we had more last year than we did this year. Sometimes the pass rush or somebody else would make a play and you wouldn't notice it because the ball might not get thrown. It's no more than we've ever had, it may even be less, to be truthful with you because at the beginning of last year we had tons of those with the young guys.

On whether secondary is practicing "pattern matching" as much as last season: Yes. No, exactly the same way. You also have to remember too now you had a middle linebacker that was pretty dadgum good and made a lot of those things too. Those middle linebackers and those nickels and dime guys are just as important as the corners and safeties with all that pattern match stuff. Usually more so because they're all the underneath guys. They do a really good job, got some experienced guys in that match up too, but we're doing exactly the same thing.

On Jalen Ramsey in the nickel position: [He is] Getting better and better. [He] Really is starting to learn how to rush the passer in different ways. When he gets blocked, he can dip. Coverage wise, tackle wise, he's really emerging as a really dominant player. Totally different, [than playing safety] I mean you're a second level defender to a third level defender. Things happen faster, quicker and your reaction time with what you're being asked to do. You're being blocked by bigger guys, by lineman or backs. I mean, there's a whole different dynamic to playing in that second level to that third level -- just getting used to it. And [Lamarcus] Joyner did, Joyner had a lot of mistakes there too. He'll just run by you, then turn around and catch you. He'd just circle back and make the play. He had plenty of mistakes in there too early when he was doing that.

On whether the nickel position changes based on the player playing: Oh, no doubt. All positions do, based on how much man you're playing. How much zone you're playing and the type of receiver you're playing. [All] based off their individual abilities.

On whether Louisville defensive performance will effect offensive play calling: I mean you're always doing that -- self-scouting yourself. I've spent as much time self-scouting ourselves as we do the opponent, because you want to know what are they looking at? You know, you have to know what you're looking at because that's how they're going to defend it. I spend every bit as much time -- first thing I do on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon when I come in, I want self-scouting done. Down and distance, field position, all that. I want the pictures so that we can look at going into that game what tendencies we have and what we don't have. And I'll say this, if you don't have tendencies, you're not a very good team. All great teams have tendencies. It's what they do when it matters. A lot of the times it's what you do, not what they do. We overestimate that, a lot. But then when you break them, break them good.

On Jalen Ramsey playing star position with patience or aggression: Both. Exactly right, you can be too passive, or you can be too aggressive. It's just like anything else. Did anybody watch the game last night with Denver? What'd you hear them say about Von Miller? Do you remember the comment they made about Von Miller in the game, or were you all just watching, not listening? My point was, they said Von Miller all of a sudden this year has figured out how to rush the passer, and in space. They said something just clicked. I don't know if you heard it last night, they said something just clicked for him. Now he can stand up and drop. He can rush and he's making plays in both worlds. It clicked for him. That's part of playing at that level.

When I blitz, how do I blitz? How do I get there? How are they blocking me? How do I get there? All of a sudden it's coverage. It's just like anything you do in your job. You've got to figure out when it clicks. That I know my routine. I know how to get this done, that done, you know what I'm saying. That's all part of these guys. It's just like Jason [Staples] was saying, there's going to be miscues, but there were tons of them last year, maybe more. Sometimes they are more obvious. You know what I mean. Sometimes we'll come in and win a game by 30 and you wonder why I'm mad. Or we'll win a game by two and I'm happy. You can play well and win by two, and play poor and win by 30.

You know, because of all of the mistakes that happen. And all of that is, it takes time to learn how to play a position. It takes time to how to coach. It takes time to how to be a reporter. It takes time to how to investigate.