10 questions with Kyle Parker

CLEMSON - Kyle Parker goes in-depth about last week's win at Miami and how he's progressed during his first season as the Tiger's signal caller.

Have you finished celebrating from the big win against Miami?
Parker: Yeah, it was good to go on the road and get a win like that, but right now we’re still focused on the rest of the season. The biggest thing we’re trying to do is just respect all of our opponents, go in there, and play the best game we can. I think there’s a lot we can get better at and a lot of work we can do.

How much different is your mood about this team right now than it was three weeks ago?
Parker: Yeah, it’s definitely different. That’s the biggest thing, we just realized that there was a lot of football left and there were a lot of things that we could do to kind of turn our season around. I think we’re on the right path to doing that. I think we could still play a little better, but we need to just keep the focus and realize the things that have gotten us our success and keep doing them.

After watching the film, do you think that from your standpoint you are still suffering with two extremes in your performance on plays?
Parker: Yeah, well there are some good plays. There are always some positives. But there are obviously things I could execute better. I would say just my game management and things like that--throwing into sacks and throwing the ball away. There are things along that line, but that’s what we work on every day. I think there are things like that specifically that I can get better at.

What do you take away from some of the big mistakes you made at Miami that you were able to calm yourself down about and go back out and make the big plays to win it?
Parker: I think the biggest thing I can look at with the specific mistake I made in the last few minutes with that throw down to the goal line is that it probably wasn’t the smartest decision to try and squeeze one in there, that it could have been thrown away or just don’t settle for a negative play and go for the field goal. It’s just things like that where I’m learning from my mistakes and just trying to become a better player.

Talk about the last few minutes of the game before OT when you guys were able to tie it up?
Parker: Yeah, there was still a lot of time left and we got the ball back and we were able to go down there and score and make it a game. I thought that was a good team win. They kind of picked me up getting third and short and then fourth and short. That was a really, really big job by Jamie (Harper) and then for the offensive line to just go in there and pick those first downs up. That really helped us get that field goal we needed.

What’s your take on CJ Spiller for Heisman hype that is starting to build back up?
Parker: I mean he’s good. He can catch a touchdown, run the ball, and return kicks. You just don’t see a whole lot of players in college football with the ability to do all that. He’s just an all-around athlete that knows how to make a lot of plays.

What extra steps are you taking to personally improve your ball game outside of what’s required of you?
Parker: I think that the biggest thing is me putting in the time that I think is necessary for us to be successful. I wouldn’t even just say it’s me. I think it’s everyone realizing what it takes to win and the effort we have to put in to get the result that we want. We’re taking extra steps as a team.

Would you describe yourself as a stubborn QB, and if so, is that a bad thing?
Parker: I wouldn’t necessarily say stubborn, but sometimes when I’m out there I tend to do things that are ill-advised. That’s just kind of how it happens, but I think I can work on it a little better and maybe make clearer decisions when I’m out there. Some plays happen where you watch the film and ask yourself why you did that. Others end up being good risks. I guess that’s just the game of football. When you’re out there trying to compete, good things are going to happen and bad things are going to happen.

Are you surprised with this team’s performance after a questionable start?
Parker: We realized that we have a lot of potential and we never quit. It would have been easy for us to get down whenever we lost those two games and realize that our season wasn’t going in the direction that we wanted it to, but the biggest thing was that our guys didn’t ever want to give up. They came back and worked hard and I think this is just us reaping the benefits of all that, plus putting in the time and effort.

Do you keep up with the ACC standings?
Parker: Yeah, I think that if this team plays the rest of the season like we’re capable of, I think we’ll be one of the two teams capable of being there in the championship. But that’s a little far into the future. I think what we need to do is just come out and work hard and make sure we’re not taking anything for granted. We have to continue this track that we’re on by playing hard.