Watch & Read: Mertz to miss the remainder of the season

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Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

• Recruit Reaction: Florida commit has official visit set elsewhere
• OTM: Is there a path to a fourth year
• September Superlatives
• Ranking UF’s commits from least to most likely to jump ship
• What names are on your Coaching Hot Board

Florida head coach Billy Napier along with offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and safety Jordan Castell met with the media on Monday to discuss the loss to Tennessee and the upcoming game against Kentucky.

BILLY NAPIER

BILLY NAPIER: Okay, guys, obviously after reviewing the video I think kind of verified what we saw Saturday night. You know, I think the team fought extremely hard. Was an incredible effort. You got give the players and the staff obviously some credit relative to a great week of prep and being in the right mindset to compete on the road in this league.

Obviously the tale of the tape is we weren’t able to capitalize on a ton of opportunities we had in the first half. Couldn’t quite overcome that when it came down to it. You know, there will be opportunity here for our team to learn and to respond, and I know they’ll do that.

Before we get going here, just in terms of injuries, I want to go ahead and declare Graham Mertz has torn his ACL and he’ll be done for the season. He’ll have surgery next week.

It’s only right for me to say how much I appreciate and am thankful for Graham in terms of all he has brought to the table on our team. Not only his production on the field, but also just his impact on the team as a whole, his leadership, the work ethic, the example, the self-discipline.

I would say it’s been awesome to be a part of his growth and development and to see him get to the place where he’s been here lately.

So Graham has meant a lot to me, but I would also say he’s meant a lot to this program and certain the University of Florida, and he has a sincere care for this place and all it has done for him. I know at some point he’ll make a statement and follow up on that.

But this weekend presents a great opportunity, obviously homecoming. There will be a ton of activities across campus this weekend. Gator Growl, the parade, ton of things going on. We’re excited about the ’84 team coming back, 40 year anniversary of a team that accomplished quite a bit.

And then certainly punter Chas Henry will be back and is getting inducted into the UF Athletics Hall of Fame. It’s going to be Gatormade week for us as well, so we’ll highlight our player development program, which I would argue is the best in the entire country.

Obviously be trying to create awareness about that program and how it has impacted our players and how others can get involved and contribute to that. But we do have an incredible staff there of four full time members that help and really 24/7, 365 work on life after football and trying to equip and empower these guys and prepare them for their future. Savannah, Steven, Diane, and Spikes obviously have done a great job there.

So this program has an endowment that continues to grow. It’s created by former player Mike Ricketts. We are so endeared to him for all he’s done and very grateful. Serves as an ultimate showing of leadership to continue to pour back into our young men in terms of their future, not only this team and these players, but future teams and future players.

Kentucky has a good football team. Regardless of the record, when you turn on the tape you see a team that has height, length, and speed, and certainly has an identity in all three parts of their team and can create a ton of issues for you.

Strong defensive unit that has a bunch of veteran players. Obviously an offensive unit that has improved every week. And special teams, they’ve got dynamic returners that can cause some headaches.

So Coach Stoops does a really good job. Have a ton of respect for him as a coach in terms of what he’s accomplish and the consistency in which they played. So Kentucky is much better than their record says, and obviously this will be a big challenge. We’re excited about being back at home.

What do we got?

Q. Montrell Johnson, I know Wednesday is the injury report, anything with him? Is he going to be out this week?

BILLY NAPIER: We don’t anticipate it being a long-term issue.

Q. As far as the situation with Graham, just what kind of blow is that to the offense? Also, getting DJ prepared for the pressure of every down in the SEC.

BILLY NAPIER: Well, I would say I think there is some excitement in terms of DJ and what he’s been able to accomplish thus far. You know, I think he’ll be much more prepared having start a game, but also having played in each game this season.

So we’ll be a little bit further along because of that investment, and I do think that he will benefit from taking all the first team reps the entire week, and then Aidan Warner will be the backup and will take the reps with the twos.

So I think we’ll be a little bit further ahead than we maybe would’ve been if we were just playing one player.

So it’s going to be — DJ has this innate ability to rise to the occasion and step up in big moments. I’m confident he’ll do that in this situation.

Also think it’s a great opportunity for the team as a whole to kind of raise their level all throughout the team, every position group, unit. We need to do that.

Q. Do you have to be cognizant the depth you have at quarterback? Taking nothing away from Aidan, but he hasn’t played a lot. Do you have to be cognizant of that when you’re game planning and how much you can run DJ?

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, we’ve been in similar situations in the past with Anthony. Yeah, that will be a factor. Some of that we’ll have to take into consideration, and a little bit more for DJ in term of how to approach some of those situations.

Yeah, Aidan just got here in January and was injured in the spring, but he has impressed us with his — has really developed quite a bit and showed promise since coming back off the knee and being available for all of summer and training camp.

Q. DJ, how does he change the offense? You see like spurts of it.

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think you guys been watching him play. Yeah, I mean, I think obviously explosive arm talent. The ability to escape, extend, the running element. Yeah, I think ultimately you have had a chance to observe him play. There is nothing that he can’t do. I think he’s proven over time that he can operate all the situational stuff, all the protection stuff, all the combos.

He can handle it.

Q. …his performance a microcosm of him where first threw the interception, that first… and you struggled, and then when you had to have it, third and 19.

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think he’s got that in him. And I would say obviously it goes back to his high school career. I think his senior year he just — some of those performances he had for that program and what he was able to accomplish within that team, and in the spring game we saw it a little bit.

So the week that he was the starter he put on a show. Look, I think we’ve got a — guy is a rookie and it’s his show. I think he’s going to work extremely hard. He’s been preparing as if he was one play away from being the guy the whole time.

I think we tried to — that’s been the message and the mentality since the very beginning. So the work that he’s done since day one I think will all pay off, if that makes sense.

Q. How quickly does he pick up stuff?

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, no, there is no limits there. I think like most learners think repetition, but I’ve been impressed. Look, I think O’Hara does a good job. His ability to start with him on the first day upon arrival all way throughout the game week Saturday to Sunday.

Yeah, and then his ability to observe Graham, kind of that whole process I think has been beneficial.

So and their connection, humility, confidence, they’ve done that the right way. I think that’s ultimately been beneficial for both.

Q. How do you expect Graham to stay involved? I assume he will heavily.

BILLY NAPIER: Oh, yeah, yeah. Met with him this morning. He’ll be in the facility. I think that’s just who he is. He’s going to stay connected and do his part for the team.

He wants to do that and he definitely will be doing that.

Q. Does the nature of his injury, sort of the noncontact, sort of the add to the heartbreak of this whole thing?

BILLY NAPIER: I mean, injuries are a part of the game. You understand that as a coach. You certainly understand that as a player. And you never know what contributes to these things, right?

So, yeah, ultimately I think when you put one of these helmets on and put that jersey over them pads and run out there, I think that’s part of the game.

But I think there is opportunity that comes with injury. I think you can learn toughness. There is a mental and physical toughness. There is also a self-discipline component, and on the other end there is an appreciation of the game and what you miss about the game.

If you use it the right way it can be beneficial for you.

Q. Coaches always second guess themselves after the fact. Do you have any second guesses about not going for two there and maybe even the fourth down run the end of round on that play?

BILLY NAPIER: Sure. I think you’re always — look, we rolled the dice there and kind of had our play and went with it. Then they called timeout and we felt like maybe given the next one, given the dynamic of our team — I think a lot of it is the game, how the game has went. Where do you feel like your team is at, how you’re playing defense. Those types of things I think contribute.

If it was 47 to 47 maybe it’s a different approach. But just think defensively our kids battled their tail off and played a heck of a game. You felt like you were in pretty good shape there.

Obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. You’re always going to have that perspective. The end of round play is just an incredible play by one of their secondary players. It was well blocked. It was a great decision.

In terms of the execution of the play, the guy just made a phenomenal play, if you’d have told me that was going to happen. So I think it was a really good football play by their corner.

Q. What is your philosophy of being in shock down on fourth and inches? You turn that into a four, five yard gain.

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, we sneaked it earlier in the game underneath the center and obviously converted that. At that point in time we felt good about the play. We had a good play.

I think it would be different if maybe the checkers weren’t where we wanted them and we got what we wanted and their player made an incredible play.

Q. The reasons you were in a bind at the end of the first half with the field goal situation was because you guys were out of timeouts and there were a couple dead ball ones. For that to happen in week six, how frustrating is that? What were some of the issues that we know on there with regards to maybe not…

BILLY NAPIER: No, we just had a couple — we had some misalignments. Had to use them. I think ultimately felt strongly in that moment in time that we had to do that relative to the D&D in the field zone.

Yeah, you love to have some timeouts at the end of the half. I think looking back at it, those were alignment errors that we have to take ownership of.

So it is what it is.

Q. What would your message be to the fans about some of the game management issues? There is a lot have frustration out there.

BILLY NAPIER: In terms of the…

Q. In terms of timeouts and obviously the illegal substitution penalty at the end of the half with the field goal. What would you tell them?

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, we made a substitution error. You know, I think ultimately we know exactly what happened, why it happened. It was a mistake. You know, so got to take ownership of it.

Q. Do you think playcalling takes away, Billy, to game manage stuff like that, having that on your plate? I know playcalling thing has been ongoing. Does it detract in keeping things aligned, running smoothly?

BILLY NAPIER: In terms of which situation?

Q. Just the game management things when you have injuries or misalignments, stuff like that, any of the sloppiness that people talk about. As a head coach, does that…

BILLY NAPIER: Even if I weren’t calling the plays, if a guy is misaligned and we were about to get a penalty, we’re going to call a timeout.

Yeah, if anything, you’re probably a little more tuned into it to be quite honest. So, no, I don’t think this takes away from that part of the job.

Q. Coach, talking about Kentucky, giving the record between Kentucky in the last four years and also the season as a whole, how much would a win mean to you personally and just Florida as a whole?

BILLY NAPIER: Well, it’s the next challenge. It’s the next game. In particular for this group of players I think we’ve made — I think the way they performed this past week I think kind of reflects what’s taking place within that locker room, their attitude, their motivation, the passion they have for trying to get it right.

You know, the big game in this league is the next game. Regardless of the opponent and the location you got to treat it that way.

They key is you got to get consumed with the process rather than the result. If you go about that the right way it can help you be in the position that you want.

And certainly given our team, the record, you know, I think one of the most important things is that we depend on our values and that we use that to kind of align with our behavior, or self-discipline, the way we treat people, make decisions. I think all those things contribute.

So we got to get ready not only football-wise but we also got to get ready from the mindset standpoint to compete again with the same intangibles that we had last Saturday.

Q. Can the players find motivation from the last two games against Kentucky, the way they maybe — got run of the field last year pretty early.

BILLY NAPIER: There is no lack of respect here for Kentucky, I can promise that you. They’ve got a good football team. They’ve had a very consistent program, Coach Stoops has done a good job.

So that’s not an issue at all.

Q. How do you go about Montrell being injured? Could you get some guys back this week?

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, we’re hopeful we may get a couple guys back. Now, that’s to be determined as we speak here. We’re in that process of evaluating a couple of those guys that have been out, so we’ll have a better idea the next couple days.

Some of those guys are trending in the right direction, Montrell being in that group. We’ll know Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. There will be 100% clarity once we get there.

Q. You talk about being consumed with the process. Is that how you process like a bad loss like that, just a tough one? You got to be thinking — does it kept reflecting on it? How do you keep going forward without letting that gnaw at you?

BILLY NAPIER: It’s part of the challenge. Look, it’s on both ends. If you find a way to win that game then you’re sitting there coaching the mental part of, hey, it’s time to move forward to the next opponent.

Look, at this level, these jobs, I mean, it’s the ability to be consistent, handle the praise, handle the criticism. You have to learn independent of the outcome and then you have to also work independent of the outcome.

If you don’t then you have to chance for consistency. So yeah, it’s part of the challenge. Then obviously we got 250 people who contribute to our team each week, so it’s not just me. It’s every individual that contributes to our team.

You know, that’s the dynamic that we compete in. I think ultimately you can see it all across the country. I think in our league maybe there was one significant win. Every other game was a touchdown game, a field goal game. So all these games are very competitive.

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON

Q. How do you process this because it’s tough; what is the frustration like?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Like you said, it’s tough. After a loss like that, it’s devastating because we put a lot in, and I know the defense, give credit to them, they did a lot for us on Saturday. As an offense, we’ve got to finish. Like I said, it’s hard to lose that way, but we’ll be back to work today at practice and ready to go.

Q. How tough is it to lose Graham?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Man, Graham was one of the first guys that I talked to when I committed here, so our relationship was super close when I first got here, so it hurts me personally losing a guy like Graham, especially a leader for not just the offense but everybody on the team. It hurts a lot.

Q. How will you guys rally around DJ now?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: The same way we’ve been doing it, letting him know, you’ve got this. Being a young guy, DJ has got a lot of potential, so I would say just being there for him. When he makes a mistake, be there, and when he does good, rally around him just like how we’ve been doing.

Q. You’ve seen a lot of players over the years and you’re a veteran guy. What’s special about him?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: About DJ? I would say his leadership. Him coming in, being a little vocal, that’s something I’ve never seen before out of a freshman. That’s new to me. But his leadership, just being able to come and rally around the offense, especially in the Stanford game, he was the one hyping us up on the offensive line, and that was good for us to see as an offensive line, that we can come out there and do our job for him.

Q. What about just his skill set?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I would say being an elusive quarterback. That’s something I had at San Diego State, so being an elusive quarterback definitely helps out the offense in any aspect, being able to run and throw the ball and well. It’s big.

Q. Who was that?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: For me it was Moose Mayden, Jalen Mayden.

Q. How much does a mobile quarterback change the assignment for an offensive lineman and what you have to think about and do?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I wouldn’t say it changes it at as much. I would say you know as an O-lineman, especially in pass protection, you know you’ve got a timer in your head when the quarterback is able to throw the ball. So being able to roll outside the pocket is big for us. That timer can go fast, and then it also — he can scramble outside.

Q. The offensive line was in a pretty good groove two straight weeks without giving us any sacks. A tough Tennessee defensive front, but to give up three, was that a little disappointing for you? What’s the goal going forward in terms of pass protection?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Absolutely. Yeah, it was a little disappointing for us. The goal for us going forward is to protect, protect, protect. One big goal for us every week, each week, week in and week out, is no sacks, no sacks, no sacks, so protecting the quarterback is our main goal for sure, but going forward, just keep doing what we’ve been doing.

Q. What kind of leader is Jake Slaughter on the offensive line? What’s he like?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: He’s a big leader, man. He’s a vocal guy. I know you guys see him on film. He’s out there pointing everything out for us. Half the time we don’t even have to call much of the stuff anyway.

Q. What are you seeing from the Kentucky front on film? He always really has very physical front sevens, Mark Stoops.

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: After looking at a little bit of the games this year, they’re a good front up front. I think going into the game, we’ve got to definitely prepare a little bit different for them. I believe that they’re an odd defense and like to run a little bit of even, as well. We’ve just got to prepare for them same way we prepare for anyone else.

Q. For teams that run so many exotics up front and then you face a team like UCF that does the same thing, how much does that prepare you for a week like this and what did you learn from that that you can take into this one?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Well, from the UCF game, some things that we had keyed into was stance. So seeing if a person’s foot is back a little bit more. Not to give too much information on how we went, but seeing a little bit, a tilt in a stance, seeing that, you kind of know when a guy is stunting or seeing the keys in the defense, stacks, seeing if there’s a safety or a star coming, stuff like that.

Q. You mentioned protect, protect, protect. The irony with Graham is he was protected when he got hurt. What was it like on the sideline when you found out — seemed like a lot of guys were coming over to him. Was it obvious to you guys that he was pretty much done?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: That’s the thing for me, I didn’t know until the end of the game. I noticed Graham was on crutches, but I was just thinking it was just a regular injury, like anything else. But like I said, it was devastating to hear about it today when we found out. So yeah.

Q. What made Graham a good leader? What was he doing?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: On the field or off the field?

Q. All around.

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: All around, he’s a vocal guy, being able to call out things like an O-line should know that a quarterback knows, number one. I would say just the relationship outside of football, as well. He took us all out, the offensive line, before the year and got us a meal. Things like that, man, that shows that you’re able to look up to a guy like that. Me and him being like sixth-year seniors, fifth-year seniors, that’s big because you don’t really see that in most quarterbacks nowadays, being able to have that leader.

Q. Where did you eat?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I think it was like a golf course. It was good food, steak and lobster.

Q. What was the excitement level like on Saturday when you guys lined up to go for two, and what were your thoughts when Coach changed his mind?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Oh, man, I’ve been thinking about this a lot these last couple days. When we came out, we saw that they were in a front that I would say we didn’t like, necessarily. I saw on our side at least when the O-line moved out to the hash, I think they had maybe one or two guys out there. They were a little confused. Once they called the time-out, I was like, dang, they got us. They got us right there. Learn from that, maybe next time we go for it, maybe next time we do the same thing. It comes with the game.

Q. Being a veteran guy, you’ve played a lot of football. Gators aren’t having the best season that we all want. Mentally how do you go into that next game knowing people are talking about this and that but you’re a professional, you’re an athlete? Mentally moving forward how important is that next game to end on a positive note?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Like I said, this last game was very frustrating. One big thing Coach Napier said in the locker room was if you guys are not upset or mad that we lost this game, that means you don’t care. The energy and the emotions that we brought out in that game, I mean, we all wish we would have won that game.

The big thing going into next week is prepare, prepare, prepare way more than we did and key in on the little things. I think the little thing was something that we definitely could have looked at a little bit more as players.

Q. (Indiscernible).

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: A little bit more film watching. I feel like we were prepared for the defensive front up front. They did get us a couple times returning the front and bringing a backer in the box, which kind of got us a couple times. It got me — I think it was like the third or fourth play.

Q. Is there something that makes Kentucky unique at all, something that you really have to focus in and hone in on?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I don’t think so. Like I said, they’re a good defensive front up front, so being prepared for the front seven is like the biggest thing for us.

Q. It’s homecoming this week. As a transfer, what’s it been like learning the Gator fan base and Gator traditions and stuff like that?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Well, like I’ve been telling everybody since I got here, I’m not used to how big everybody is for football down here. I love this type of energy. I wish I had this all four years.

But it’s new to me, so I’m just going to take it in as much as I can. I love how everything has been going so far, and I heard there’s a concert on Friday, and I wish I could go to that.

Q. How do you feel about the offensive line, how it’s been playing?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I think we’ve been playing pretty good this year. I think there’s definitely some things that we’ve got to work on. Like I said, the sacks this last game is something we’re not looking forward to, and we’ve got to prepare for that and come out next week, same mindset as we’ve been having. No sacks, no sacks, no sacks.

Q. How do you think you adjusted transferring over from San Diego State and just playing in the SEC and this level of competition?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I think the biggest thing for me is my mentality or my mental — going into games you’ve got to prepare a little bit different from how it was at San Diego State compared to what it is now. Biggest thing for me is the SEC to Mountain West. It’s a different game when you come over here and you’re playing good teams every week, week in and week out. You don’t really get that much in the Mountain West.

Like I said at the beginning when I got here, I wanted to play SEC ball, and that’s the biggest thing for me.

Q. This year it’s been up-and-down establishing the run and obviously there have been some injuries. Maybe the importance of that even on Saturday, getting that going and getting some balance?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I definitely think that running the ball is another key thing, and I think that would be hand to hand with no sacks. Running the ball is our biggest thing, too. We’ve got to get that going, as well.

Q. As an offensive line, how do you feel like you are as a run blocking offensive line right now?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Right now I feel like we are decent but we can definitely be better. We can definitely be better. Like I said, prepare a little bit more for the returning fronts, stunts and everything. Definitely communication can play a big role in that, too.

Q. When DJ had to take over for Graham, he had a few drives that did not go well. How did he stay composed in that situation and come back and throw that touchdown pass?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Like we all said, rally around DJ. I think the guys, the energy that we had on the sideline, we’re not out of this, so we were able to come back in and get behind him and just let him know we’re all here for you, you’re here for us, let’s ball.

Q. Were you impressed the way he handled that?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. It was loud out there. This is the first time for me being as loud of a crowd as that. I think that played a huge role. But I think he did really well.

Q. When you look around college football, you see all these upsets, all these tight games. Is it that the portal has leveled the playing field?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I wouldn’t say that necessarily. I would say college football is kind of up in the air right now. Anybody can beat anybody. That’s the biggest thing that every team I’m sure pretty much takes into each week.

Q. Is that cool from a player standpoint that you can win any game?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I think it’s interesting because we talked about this the other day, there’s no teams that are like super juggernaut anymore. Anybody can get beat.

Q. When you talk to your old friends at San Diego State and they ask what’s it like there, what do you tell them?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I say it’s a different experience. Like I said, SEC ball and everything. Even the area, like I picked up on a couple new hobbies. Like I started fishing. I do it in my free time.

Q. You never fished before?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: I did when I was young with my grandpa, but I’ve really started to pick up on it. I’ve got my own fishing rod and everything.

Q. Where do you fish?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: There’s a local lake around here somewhere.

Q. What are you catching?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Bass.

Q. Do you see any gators out there?

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: Yeah, especially in my apartment complex, there’s one in the little lake that’s around there.

Q. You’re not officially a southern guy yet.

BRANDON CRENSHAW-DICKSON: No, not at all.

JORDAN CASTELL

Q. Obviously that Kentucky game last year, Ray Davis who’s now in the NFL ran all over you guys. What do you remember about that game, and is there kind of a revenge factor, just in terms of dealing with stopping the run and their physicality?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, I’d say to be real, that game I felt embarrassed. We went out there and they beat us. They beat us bad.

But you could say it’s a revenge game. We want to go out there and prove that what they did last year, they’re not doing it again. Let’s go out there and do what we’re supposed to do.

Q. How much better do you guys feel defensively over the last three games versus the Miami game and the A&M game, some of the issues you guys had?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, ever since the bye week, we all came together and talked, like you can see just on tape we’re playing so much faster and playing together. That bye week really helped us out.

Q. Did they simplify things? You guys look like a different defense the last two games?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, things are much more simple. Everybody is on the same page you can see. To be real, I’d say we’re just playing fast.

Q. And getting aligned it seems because I remember after Mississippi State the alignment had — Bridges, what’s his first name?

JORDAN CASTLE: Oh, Trikweze.

Q. Trikweze said alignment and then Jason talked about it later. What did you do to fix that?

JORDAN CASTLE: We’re just keeping things basic. We’ve got a lot of athletes on our team who can play ball. We have a saying that we say in the weight room, just place the ball, put it down. That’s something we just did throughout the bye week. We took it very serious and was kind of showing week by week that we’re all playing together.

Q. Tackling, I know that was an issue earlier in the season. What did you do to correct that?

JORDAN CASTLE: Tackling is something that we take very serious, especially Coach Harris, something we talk about a lot and something we need to keep getting better at. I missed a tackle myself, and that was on me. I was on myself hard about it.

Q. Billy likes complementary football; do you feel like the pieces are coming together?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, the pieces are coming. You can just watch the tapes. I feel like we started playing our best ball after that bye week, and you can just watch it week by week, we’re playing better. We’re playing so much faster.

Q. With the offense, too, you have the weapons. Without Graham now, but special teams has been solid. Do you feel like this team — I don’t want to say surprise some people, but after the game the other night, I know it was a heartbreaker but it showed something.

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, we went out there, we put up a fight. We didn’t get the result that we wanted, but we played fast. We ran to the ball, created turnovers, and controlled what we could control.

Q. How did you see DJ progress in spring ball and is he a guy who when he makes a mistake out there does he process it so it doesn’t happen again?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, me and DJ, we’re very close. Good boys. That’s somebody I see in the facility all day. We’ll even go upstairs and watch tape, just me and him. Just watching him get better every day and just seeing how serious he takes practice, every day you can just see him getting better. That kid is going to be great.

Q. How excited is the team to have him developing so quickly? I know it’s tough losing Graham — first off, just your thoughts on losing a leader like that.

JORDAN CASTLE: Losing Graham, it hurts a lot, but he’s still going to be in the room, of course, and when D-Lag first got up here, he already took DJ under his wing, so he’s still in the room. That’s the same thing as Montrell. Those guys are still in the room to just take the younger guys under their wing.

Playing early is something that I had to do myself. I can speak on it. Last year I had to step up and had to play. It kind of helped out, and just having older guys who I can talk to, like even Asa. Asa Turner is not playing right now, he’s hurt, but he kind of helped me out and took me under his wing, and we were out here until like 10:00 just watching film.

Q. What’s something DJ does that keeps defensive coordinators up at night? I know he’s mobile, but the ball seems to get there quickly.

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, DJ, he’s full of confidence. DJ can throw a pick, and that next drive he’s coming at you. It’s like the kid is full of confidence, and he plays with so much swag. It’s something that you’ve just got to stay on your toes.

Q. Sharif had an interception against Tennessee. How have you seen him grow and progress in the secondary this year?

JORDAN CASTLE: I’d say the whole secondary is just getting much better week by week. We’re creating turnovers, making plays on the ball. So yeah, that was a big play he made, and we needed that.

Q. How do you build off that performance from a turnover standpoint?

JORDAN CASTLE: I’d say just doing our job. Our goal is to create three turnovers a game just to help out with the offense, just doing our job. That’s a big help, and we needed that play.

Q. How important is that going to be with DJ now at quarterback because Coach talked about rallying around him and so forth.

JORDAN CASTLE: You know, just as a defense, we just want to get our quarterback the ball, create turnovers, strips, interceptions. Just get the quarterback the ball.

Q. Asa got added to the injury report last year but you got upgraded. How is he doing just being out and having to watch?

JORDAN CASTLE: Asa Turner, that man, he’ll sit here all day and work. Me, Coach Harris will have to tell that man, hey, relax, give your body a break. Asa is going to be back soon, I can tell you that. That man is in the treatment room taking care of his body all day, so he’s going to be back very soon.

Q. How much is he itching to get back out there?

JORDAN CASTLE: Yeah, he’s been watching film with me, and he’s not even playing, so just him taking his time out to help me prepare for me the game, I can tell he’s itching to play. Every week he tells me, hey, I’m coming back, I’m coming back. But he’s got to wait and make sure he’s healed up all the way.

Q. How has your unit dealt with his injury?

JORDAN CASTLE: Of course him not playing was a big effect, but he’s a guy who’s still in the room, and how much he’s in there you’d think he’s still playing. He’s still a big help and somebody we need in the room.

Q. I’m sure you’ve seen and heard the pressure your coach gets. Getting a win for the team but for your head coach given all of this, how special would that be and just to see that across the board?

JORDAN CASTLE: Is it would be a great feeling, of course, and everybody wants to win, of course, but what happened last year, what they did, it’s something I still think about, and as a whole, the defense, it’s embarrassing what they did.

We just want to come out there and just prove that what we’ve been doing week by week is just going to keep getting better.

Transcripts courtesy ASAP | Videos courtesy GatorVision & YouTube

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