RT Francis Mauigoa was one of the stars of Saturday’s win, with zero pressures allowed in 41 pass rush snaps. He met with reporters to discuss the big win and the upcoming game against FAMU
On the OL’s performance in Game 1: I feel like our whole line played one **** of a game this past week. We held it down and we fortunately gave the quarterback as much time as he needed back there. But we still have a lot to improve on, such as chasing down the ball and running down our opponent.
On the importance of the UF win: It was a statement that the environment doesn’t bother us. We're practicing over here with the loud sounds and everything. Going in, I heard from people that the environment was going to be loud and it's going to set us up for a game. But it proves the environment doesn’t affect us in any type of way.
On the evolution of his game: The game has been slowed down. I get to see stuff more now. With the experience from last year, I see what this guy is going to do and I can react out of it. It's just part of an experience.
On Matthew McCoy and Ryan Rodriguez at LG: They held it down. They dogged them. They did their job and they helped us improve the offensive line. They prepared well.
On refocusing after the win: One thing that coach tells us is, “Play the game and not the name.” We play the game as it is. We focus on the opponent. They got some stars on there and we treat everyone equally. This game is a big game to us as well.
On pushing the pile on the first drive: The whole week before the game, we said we’re going to push them, we're going to finish, we're the offensive lineman and we set the tone for the whole offense, for the whole team. We want to chase down dudes and we want to push the pile and set a standard for the whole team.
On FAMU: They’re coming off of a winning record and they’ve got some stars, really good defensive linemen. We treat everyone the same. These guys are undefeated for a reason and we’re going to try our best to win this one.
On Cam Ward: He's the type of guy that stays alive and moves around the pocket. So we try our best to hold it down and give him as much time as he needs. In the game last week, he was scrambling and one play, he looked back. I was like, “What are you doing? What are you looking back for?” And then he jogged out of the sideline. At first, you think this guy is a gangster. But the more you understand the game, I think he was trying to pull a late-hit penalty, which kind of makes sense. And that's when I know this guy is real. This guy is the real deal. I’m willingly putting my whole body on the line for this special dude right here, Cam Ward.
GO CANES
#CANESNATIONLIFER