So yesterday was the final regular season midweek press conference. Below are excerpts from senior offensive lineman and Tampa native A.J. Trump and junior kicker Matt Bosher.

A.J. Trump

[on USF] They’ve started to do good things and they have been for a few years now. It’s going to be big. I heard that it’s close to getting sold out and that stadium [Raymond James] will get loud. I’ve been there before. It’s going to be fun.

[importance of winning this game] You look at 10 wins is where we want to be. 10-3 is our goal. Our goal started as a national title then ACC title then BCS. I can’t afford to lose any more goals. I want to be a part of the team that helped start the turnaround. Ten wins going into next year and hopefully these guys will be ranked in the top 25 and make a run. For the seniors as their legacy they want to be part of the team that helped turn it around.

[Senior Day] I stayed out a little while longer, went to see my family on the field, climbed the stands a bit. I’m going to miss it, going to miss our fans. I don’t think it really hit me yet. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. Give me a couple of months and then I’ll be like, ‘Damn, I wish I would’ve gotten me a piece of the field.’ I’ll find a way.

Matt Bosher

[on making tackles] I know I’ve had a couple but the kickoff team’s done a good job this year of getting downfield and making plays.

[bouncing back from those two early missed FGs] Making sure I focus on every kick at hand whether it’s an extra point, short field goal, long field goal. Take every kick one at a time and make sure I focus hard on each one.

[due to not taking kickoffs?] I was always involved in the game. I was punting too. It wasn’t necessarily what I wasn’t doing, I just didn’t focus. I kind of took it for granted, wish I could take it back. I just have to look forward to this coming week and take each kick one at a time.

[punting] That was a big focus this offeseaosn with Coach [Joe] Pannunzio and Coach Shannon getting a lot more consistent on punts. Last year I had some struggles, got everything under control and made sure I got focused and fundamentals right so I could do what they asked whenever they asked.

I think the whole team’s been doing very well. A lot of people expected us to not do as much as we did at the beginning, and I feel like we worked hard this season. I’m looking forward to playing in a good bowl game, but we’ve got to focus on playing USF and getting a good win out of them.

This year we’re finishing out very strong, little slip-up here and there, but for the most part the team’s been a really strong team. We’ve been competitive with everybody and we played a lot of good teams. I feel like this team’s a lot more mature and we play a lot more as a team and not as individuals.

[importance of winning final regular season game] It’s a huge confidence-builder going into a bowl game. You end with a win and it’s a huge perk to a long season. It’s rewarding. A good state of mind. You’re on a roll. You won a couple of games in a row and ready to go into a bowl game against a team you probably haven’t played before.

I believe we can definitely improve form here. This team is growing. Coach Shannon’s done a great job since he’s been here getting the best players in the country here. I can’t wait to be here for another year. Hopefully it’s going to be an amazing year.

Thankful for my family and friends, the ability to be here at the University of Miami. It’s a great school, great city, and I’m happy to be here.

Nike Pro Combat gloves

Nike Pro Combat uniform

It’s going to be fun. I think everybody’s looking forward to it. I think those new uniforms look pretty amazing. They’re just different. It’s a little bit of a curveball than anybody else has and there are cool reasonings behind the design that everybody likes.

[favorite is] The gloves, and I was reading how everything is kind of focused on the back of the uniform saying everybody is behind us, we’re faster than everybody else. That’s pretty unique.

Trump

I can’t wait. I saw Florida State’s last week and they looked pretty cool, not to complement them or anything. I’m excited, I’m jacked. People are saying I need to get them a pair of gloves, but they’re mine. I like the gloves. They’ll probably be personal fouls with us throwing up the U. Hopefully that won’t happen. That’s going to help us get going, we’ll all be looking good.