Rick Stockstill after winning debut as interim coach: “It’s a very special feeling”

Interim head coach Rick Stockstill met with reporters after Florida State’s 31-24 road win over Boston College, his first game leading the Seminoles. The victory ended a 12-game road losing streak that dated back to November 2023. “Very happy, very proud of that football team in there. They answered the bell,” Stockstill said. “Just really proud of them and the resiliency. I talked about toughness all week, the toughness that they played with and their competitive spirit. Long time since we won a game on the road and really happy for those guys in there because they work extremely hard to be able to dance in that locker room.” On the emotional significance of the win: “This was emotional for me here today. I got a lot of ‘good luck’ texts this morning from my family and former teammates,” “I poured my heart and soul into this place as a player, and I was going to do that throughout these next couple months here. I dreamt all my life of one day being a coach at Florida State. To have this opportunity, to have a win, it’s something that I’ll cherish all my life. “I think of Coach Bowden all the time. Coach Bowden meant so much to me and this program. I wanted our players to understand that they’re playing for all those players that came before them. It’s a very special feeling. It’s really special.” Stocktill on the fake field goal for a touchdown: He mentioned offensive line coach, Herb Hand, put the play in over the weekend. “There wasn’t a lot of time left in the first half, maybe in the 20-second range. We were down three. So in my mind, I’m thinking that they’re thinking, ‘hey, they’re just going to get it tied up and go into halftime at 17,’ so I said, ‘let’s do it.’ We did it, got the look we wanted, we kept it. “At halftime, coming off, they asked me, ‘why’d you do it?’ and the first thing going through my mind is I’ve got Coach Bowden blood in me. He’d run a trick play or two himself, so maybe he’s smiling down on me right now.” On Amari Thomas and Jasen Lopez: “Amari, the two things that stand out most about Amari to me in this game were his ball security and then he finished forward,” Stockstill said. “That’s the most reps he’s gotten for a young kid. Both he and Tre, they knocked them back. That was the toughness part of it. “I think J-Roc, he’s getting better every week. With Duce going down, he got a little bit more of an opportunity there today…. he just made some really nice plays.” Stockstill on the brand of football that was played: “I think today was really the first time that we played complementary football” “J-Roc had a great return early on the punt return. We faked a field goal for a touchdown, so the special teams contributed. Offense, you score 31 points. The defense got critical stops, and you got turnovers.” On what he hopes players take from the game: “I hope they take from here how much I love them, and how much I care about this program,” “No matter what happens moving forward, that they’ll always give their heart, their greatest effort, their passion, to this football program. You have an obligation when you put that Florida State helmet on to represent Coach Bowden and this football program.” Stockstill on the flight home: “I hope it’s a celebration. This is the first road win since ’23,” “Winning is hard, and when you win, you celebrate. You dance, you have fun, because in 24 hours you’ve got to forget about it and start worrying about Pitt. I hope they love the taste that they have in their mouths and they want more of it.”