JIM MCELWAIN
With some humor to kick things off: "What a great place to have a bowl game. I'll say this: Thanks for the weather. It's been outstanding. Coming from Montana, I sent a couple pictures. Believe me, they wish they were here. ... This place we're staying, this Rosen Shingles Creek place, whoa. I'm telling you what now. I didn't know if I was supposed to take my shoes off when I walked in the lobby or not, but my mom would have told me to anyway."
On he and Jim Harbaugh's similar backgrounds: "I think first of all, calling me a quarterback in the same category as Jim Harbaugh, I mean the guy played in the NFL, for Christ's sakes. I didn't. I mean, I was really excited to run through the tunnel at Woodward Stadium in Cheney. So some of you look that up. It's a beautiful place. It really is. So I haven't thought of that, you know, other than the fact, you know, obviously, I'm well aware of what he's done and what he's accomplished and, obviously, at both levels of football. And I think the one similarity, you know, both of us growing up sons of coaches, grew up with it, grew up in it. And it's a passion to be able to coach and affect young men's lives in a positive way. And, you know, I've studied what he did at Stanford whenever we could grab some film and, you know, they do some great stuff. And he obviously knows how to do it at all levels."
On the impact of his seniors and departing juniors: "It's never saying goodbye because they're Gators forever. And what they've done to set this team apart, what they've done to create a legacy moving forward is something that all Gator fans and the University of Florida is grateful for. And they will know, as players who have played for me in the past. And it's amazing how many have come and visited us here at the University of Florida, but they will always be welcomed back. And I I'm just so proud of how they committed themselves and affect the people -- you know, how they've brought this freshman class in, you know, is outstanding. I mean, you know, to see the opening day of workouts Antonio Morrison taking Martez Ivey and saying, you're my lifting partner, that's something pretty special. And there's a lot of those things that went on for creating this team. And you know what? They set a high standard for us moving forward."
On Treon Harris: "You know, he's worked his tail off. This is important to him. Being a Florida Gator is important to him. And he's -- obviously, there's plays he'd like back, yet this is another opportunity to go, you know, see how you do. And I'm excited to see him play."
On if he'll re-tool the offense like Baylor did the other night: "It was interesting. I went ahead and pulled out some old wishbone film. And that triple option, man, that's the way to go. And I told them to go ahead and put -- well, what the heck. Antonio Morrison, we're going to put him in a neck roll. He's running the option for us."
On Michigan's defense: "I just look at it statistically. What they've done is real. You know, how they keep people out of the end zone is pretty fantastic. And they've got them playing at a high level. And they're competitive. They don't give you anything easy. They don't give up a lot of explosive plays. I think that's the one thing that kind of you take note. When you break down the explosive play reels, be it run or pass, and you're able to get through it in about 12 minutes, that means they haven't had a lot, you know, as you look at it. So they do a heck of a job."
On UM offensive coordinator Tim Drevno: "Timmy's awesome now. We were together back at Montana State, coached for a guy by the name of Cliff Hysell, a defensive guy that has since passed and one of the really good defensive minds out there of all times. He was assistant with Jim Swinney out in Fresno and he's a Montana guy. And Tim and I, we went through a lot there. And it was great to see him the other day. I'm just so excited for how he's moved through this profession and I'm sure he was scratching his head when he was going for the head job at the University of San Diego and they hired this guy by the name of Jim Harbaugh and Jim kept him there. And he mentioned to me how grateful he was for that and how much he's learned. But to see him kind of keep going, it's great to see. It's great to see he and his wife at one of the functions, and we laughed about a few of the old times. There's no doubt about it. But anybody who knows me, you're going to find a chuckle in anything."
On the importance of his offensive linemen and their future: "As I've said from the start -- and any coach will tell you and it's not cliché -- it starts up front. End of discussion. You turn on the film and it's pretty simple. Whichever line is going in the direction they want to go, you're usually going to dominate the game. And, you know, in our case, we've got some guys that are really learning by trial by fire. And that, to me, is positive because they're good players and we've got a lot going for us in the future. And, you know, they're taking their lumps a little bit, and yet you know what? Every day they come back and get a little bit better and that's what it's all about."
On selling the message to his players: "It's about honesty. It's about truth. It's about knowing that you care for them and their well-being. And, you know, you'd have to ask the players on that. You know what I mean? So I ain't selling anything. That's a good thing. I did sell, though. I take that back. I worked at JCPenneys and I worked for Universal Athletics where I sold shoes, tennis shoes. It might have been the best thing I ever did."
On Kelvin Taylor: "I've got to tell you, man, this is a great person, Kelvin. And he's a great Gator and he's a guy that's going to be remembered for all the things that he's given. He plays hard. He's at practice. He does things right in the classroom. He's always early to stuff. He's what you want in a player. I'm just sure that he was here. And I know this: Moving forward, he's going to make a really good pro. But more than that, he'll continually come back and give back to the Gators."
On his plans for bringing in the new year: "I haven't really thought that far ahead, to be honest. We've got a luncheon coming up, and then we go to a focus Friday and we do some Chutes and Ladders and do a one reel tonight. I guess I'll probably think about that when we get up into the hotel room, but I'm not sure I'll probably see the new year come in. I might be tucked into bed getting ready for tomorrow."
On if he's rooting for anybody in the CFP: "Obviously, I spent some time at one of the teams that's playing and I've got three kids that graduated from that university and, you know, there's a bunch of that memorabilia sitting in my house. So I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm not routing for Alabama, but I don't think that has anything to do -- I've got friends at Oklahoma, on their staff, some friends at Clemson that are on their staff. You know, I'm just excited to see good ball."
On dead fish: "We've eliminated the dead fish. I think we're good."
JIM HARBAUGH
On Florida and the preparation of his team this week: "The entire team is just, you know, so capable of playing at a very high level offensively, defensively, their return game. You know, everywhere you look, it's an explosive football team. ... I believe they (Michigan) are ready to play. Beyond that, it would be predicting, so I'm really not in that business of predicting. I believe their guys are ready to play in the football game, very excited to play in the football game, and it's been great being down here in Florida. Got some real good sweat, some real good work here. The football gods have provided us heat and sun to shape the body and carve the mind. It has been really good for us -- or carve the body and shape the mind, however you look at it. It's been good. Preparations have gone well."
On if he and McElwain are different: "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know that we are so different or so similar. I have a lot of respect for Coach. Tim Drevno and Coach McElwain, worked together. So I've heard great things from Coach Drevno. He's an outstanding coach. I would imagine it's -- the similarities would be that it certainly hasn't been a one-man show by us or them. I mean, it's a team effort all the way. I see their team -- you know, they play great team defense. They play as a team offensively, special teams. And maybe that's the -- I think you're trying to say that it's somehow him against me or something or comparing or -- I don't know that I would be comfortable doing that because, from our end, it's been a team effort."
