Mickens: Florida State wideouts present 'a great challenge' for Clemson's secondary
Domonique Thomas
On scoring his first touchdown: “It was definitely a good feeling. Something I’ve always dreamed about doing as a little kid. The feeling after it actually happened was a surreal feeling. I plan to do it a lot more.”
On his mindset when he gets in the game: “I always come in with the mindset of like, ‘I’m just trying to do my best,’ to make plays and to go out and put my best foot forward.”
On Will Shipley and Phil Mafah: “Those guys have been a really big help in me learning the game at this level. Shipley is a great leader. He always tries to give me his perspective on things he would have done differently. We both bounce ideas off each other. Same as Phil.”
On people comparing his quads to other players: “That’s what everyone said my first spring, that I remind them of Earl Campbell or Robert Newhouse. I’ve watched Earl Campbell, my dad sends me his highlights all the time.”
On his grandfather: “I had a great relationship with my grandad, I saw him almost every day. I don’t know if you all know the story, but he put a football in my incubator with me. I think my love for football started that day. I kind of felt like I was born to play this game. My first words were, ‘hut-hut.’”
R.J. Mickens
On battling FSU’s wideouts: “100%. It’s a great challenge for us as a secondary and the defense as a whole. It’s a great challenge. They are great players. They’ve got playmakers at all those positions. A quarterback that really makes you stay on top of your game. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
On playing Jordan Travis last year: “He was a great competitor. He just didn’t give up even though we were up by like 20 points or so; they just kept fighting. Their offense put up some points late. They didn’t give up. That says a lot about their program and what they are made of. He’s a great competitor.”
On the implications of the game for the winner: “Coach always says that the most important game is the game that you are playing. This game is no bigger than next week vs. Syracuse because if we win this game, and then don’t perform up at Syracuse does this game really matter? The most important game is always the next game and it’s this game because we are playing them this week. We’ve just got to have a best-of-one mentality and show up this week.”