TAMPA, Fla. – Each day we will sit down with a different player and coach, talking about the bowl, family, what’s going on in Tampa, etc.. Featured today: junior Langston Moore and defensive coordinator Charlie Strong.

First Langston Moore and then Charlie Strong will follow.

What’s your favorite part of Christmas?

LM: Just hanging out and being at home with my Mom and my family.

What’s your favorite present you gave and what’s the best present you received?

LM: My favorite present I probably got was my friends and family coming down for the bowl from Charleston. It will be great to see them all. I think the present I gave them was me coming home. I think my Mom was pretty worried I wasn’t coming home so that was the biggest present I gave. A win in the bowl would be a great present for them, it would start the New Year off right.

Favorite holiday?

LM: Christmas of course.

What place are you looking forward to visiting in Tampa?

LM: I would like to go to the Aquarium again this year. The thing I am really excited about this year is going to the Tampa Bay NFL game. It will interesting to have a chance to see their pre-game ceremony and how they do things. It will be exciting for a bunch of college people to go down there and see a game in the stadium we will play in in a few days. I have never been to an NFL game.

Favorite NFL team?

LM: The Indianapolis Colts but they aren’t doing too well this year.

What’s the best part of the bowl?

LM: People really go out of their way to do nice things for you, they really make you feel special. You work hard to earn a spot like this, especially a January 1st bowl, and people take the time to make it nice.
We flew down here Christmas Day and they had a nice meal set up for us. There is so much effort and time put into making it a first class thing and that’s a tribute to the coaches and all the staff. They do a great job.

What do you like to do in your off time in Tampa?

LM: We mainly hang around and try to get the inside connection with Larrell (Johnson, Tampa native). It’s a spread out city and very big. We also like going to the mall. The coaches keep us busy at night with different events. But they also give us a chance to go on our own. The coaches try to give us a bit of culture and to learn about the city?

Is this the best way you could spend your Christmas vacation?

LM: Besides being at home with my family, yes. I am with my second family.

Later in the day, at the Outback Bowl Welcome Dinner, Charlie Strong sat down to talk about his bowl experience.

Do you like coming back to Tampa for the second straight year?

CS: Yes.

How was your Christmas holiday?

CS: It was great. I got a good chance to spend a lot of time with my family. I had a chance to cool down, spend time with them and focus on them. Now that we are down here in Tampa, it’s time to focus on football and the game.

Does the team seem ready?

CS: Yes, they are happy. Contrary to what people believe, we are glad to be back in Tampa. It’s a real accomplishment to beat the same team two years in a row. Especially a talented team like Ohio State. We are looking at as a big statement game for us which will help us next year.

How was your first practice here in Tampa?

CS: With the lay off we had, it took them a while to warm up. But once they got warmed up and back into the football frame of mind, they practiced well. We need to keep practicing and improving.

What are some things you are looking forward to in Tampa?

CS: We are looking forward to all the events. A bowl game is a privilege so many of the events will be interesting. We are going to enjoy it but we always want the players to have in the back of their mind that we are here to win a football game.