FSU players Akeem Dent, Wyatt Rector, and Malik McClain speak after Tuesday practice

The Florida State Seminoles are starting down the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns when they host them inside Doak Campbell Stadium this weekend at noon. Tight end Wyatt Rector, safety Akeem Dent, and wide receiver Malik McClain spoke with the media after Tuesday’s practice to discuss their blowout win over the Syracuse Orange and their improvement overall throughout the season.

Wyatt Rector

Rector has had an interesting career in the Garnet and Gold, playing multiple positions and has been a force on special teams. Last Saturday, the former quarterback was able to re-live what it was like to throw a touchdown when he was able to connect with one at the goal line.

“It’s a play that we’ve been running for a long time now. I’ve been waiting for them to call it. I’ve been waiting for my moment. So it’s fourth down, we get to the sideline, and coach Norvell is just asking. He’s like, I think we could run outside. I was like yeah, we can run it. I’m ready. I was like, I’m ready, coach; let’s go. So we get out there, and then I told Johnny (Wilson), I was like this is it, Johnny let’s go. like it’s just like practice, and then next you know, Jordan hands the ball off Mycah (Pittman), and Mycah pitches to me, and I knew I was gonna get smacked because coach Norvell told me to run the ball like if Jordan is covered. But if Jordan is not covered, throw the ball. As soon as I saw the dude off the edge, I was like, I gotta get the ball out quick, but he turned it was a touchdown; it was awesome.”

Rector goes over the team's improvement during his time at FSU, what he enjoys about playing on the special teams unit, and more in his full interview below.

Akeem Dent

The FSU defense has seen a huge jump in production that extends from the latter half of last season. FSU is first in the ACC in pass defense and second in the country according to Seminoles.com and Dent said that staying focused and by the book has help with those results.

“I mean just staying focused, staying honed in on our technique, you know, knowing the leverages of everything so we just playing by the book basically.” adding that, “Everybody has bought into the coaching here, so everybody’s just here now. Everybody know what they expect. Everybody know what to do so everybody just having fun with it now.”

Dent was asked when he knew that the turnaround was coming he said, “When Norvell first got the job his first meetting when he first introduced himself to the team I seen it coming I just didnt know when.”

Dent goes over the buy in and what it feels like to be a part of a top ranked defense moving forward in his full interview below.

Video courtesy of Noles247

Malik McClain

Wide receiver Malik McClain has been a standout in the receiving room this season averaging 10.9 yards a reception and two touchdowns. One of those was on Saturday after delivering a stiff arm before crossing the end zone. McClain went over what that play was like.

“Really it was nothing planned. I just saw him and stuck my arm out, he fell and I just ran for the touchdown.” Saying that he didn’t see it until he got home, “I kinda saw it really on the replay but and I was like woah I didn’t really see it until I got home.”

When asked about whether his teammates were celebrating it in the film room he said, “Yeah of course, they all went crazy.” He also said that they have a competition in the wide receiver room about who has the most knockdowns he said, “Probably Johnny, he had four in one game.”

McClain goes over the impact of the transfer wide receivers, the importance of blocking, and his improvement in his full interview below.