Florida's DJ Coleman discusses defense after Orange and Blue Game

Florida football's Orange and Blue Game took place on Saturday, April 11, inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where the offense and defense grinded out a 45-45 tie in a game that employed an unorthodox scoring method.

It was the first time that the Gator Nation got to see the revamped edition of the gridiron gang under new head coach Jon Sumrall and his staff on the field, and the action did not disappoint. Sure, there were plenty of rough spots along the way, but that is to be expected from an intrasquad scrimmage in the middle of April.

One of the marquee players of the day was senior safety DJ Coleman, a recent transfer from Baylor who made his mark on the scoresheet with a second-quarter interception of Aaron Philo. Take a look at what he had to offer during the postgame press conference below.

What'd you see on the interception that you made?

"I was just sliding in the box on me. I was ready for the run. Then I just see Philo looking straight at me, so I just sat there and then when he threw the ball, my instincts took over, I jumped up and caught it."

How did it feel to make a play like that early in the spring game?

"I feel great. I mean, those are big plays and momentum-shifting plays and in real games, we're going to need those to get the offense in great field positions.

What did you think of the scoring system today?

"I liked it. I mean, some people had their feelings about it, but I felt like it was good. Keep the defense together, not divide us, and we can still keep that practice momentum offense versus defense for the last time."

It was the offensive players who had feelings about it?

"I mean, some people just didn't like the format of not mixing it up, but I really didn't care."

Three interceptions overall for the secondary — what kind of statement do you think you guys made overall?

"Oh, I just feel like that shows where our ceiling can be. I mean, we still have some bone-headed players we got to clean up on. But when we're playing with the right technique and how our coaches teach us, I mean, the ball's right there for us."

Did you realize that you guys were going for the tie if the field goal was missed?

"Oh, we knew. We knew we were going for the tie. We knew we needed that stop right there."

Has being one of the more experienced guys in the secondary helped you adjust to the system?

"Oh, yeah, most definitely. Because, I mean, football is pretty universal. If you play enough snaps, you're going to do something at one spot and you'll end up doing it again. So I feel like that's helped me, no doubt. And just being more experienced, coming into a younger room, I feel like I could help lead the younger guys and bring them up."

Did you have fun today, and what was it like being in the Swamp for the first time with the fans?

"Being in the swamp for the first time with the fans, it was a different experience, just with it even being half full, with that being half full was crazy. I mean, and showing how we had fun, I feel like we had fun just because we was out there competing together and it was ups and downs, but we bounced back when we had downs. And when they had ups, like, the energy was very high. I'll say that.

"All right, appreciate you."

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football's DJ Coleman talks defense after Orange and Blue Game