Anaheim, Calif – Florida State wide receiver Rashad Greene sat back in a director’s chair with the sunny Disneyland skyline behind him. He was answering a floury of questions with a smile on his face. However, when he was asked about Oregon defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Greene, a fellow senior, turned somber for a moment.
“I don’t know him as a person, but as a senior you don’t want anything like that to happen to anyone,” Greene said in solidarity. “I hope everything works out for him for the best and may God continue to bless him.”
Greene is one of the Seminoles’ main weapons, catching 93 passes on the year for 1306 yards and seven touchdowns.
Here’s the rest of Greene’s Saturday afternoon conversation with the Emerald.
Does your game plan change with Ifo Ekpre-Olomu’s injury?
As far as us, our progression didn’t change. We were ready to play against the best and we’re still going to take every player [Oregon] puts out there seriously. We don’t take our opponents lightly. For them, it may have been an impact but I’m sure that they have guys in their program that can do as much as he did.
For us, our game plan doesn’t change. We were ready to play the best and I was ready to compete against the best, but things happen and that’s the nature of this game.
Is there a defense that you’ve played against in your time at Florida State that compares to Oregon’s?
Being here at Florida State, I don’t recall many teams dropping eight guys and rushing three, so that’s definitely going to be different for us. But at the same time, we’ve done a great job preparing for these guys.
What are your impressions of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota?
He makes plays and at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. He does a great job at extending plays and creating plays with his legs. He’s a leader as well and you can see that from his play and from the sidelines that his teammates gravitate to him— the whole team, not just the offense. They follow him and that’s a great guy to follow.
Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt