Coach Graham Media Availability (Oct. 9, 2017)

On Washington being a similar team from last year...
"They’re obviously the team to beat in our league. They won the league (last year) and made it all the way to the playoffs last year and they have very good personnel. Some of those guys have been playing defense there three or four years now. They are very good, very well coached. They are a really good football team."
 
On his relationship with Chris Peterson...
"We go back. We competed together when he was at Boise and I was at Tulsa. They came down, spent a week with us before we had played them. So, we’ve got a relationship and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. His team will be very disciplined, very well coached, very well prepared, physical tough team. So, we’ve competed against each other when I was at Tulsa and he was at Boise and then obviously here. He does things the right way, and first-class."
 
On Washington’s motions and shifts...
"You’ve got to get lined up. You’ve got to be sound with what you’re doing. They’re very good at what they do. You’re going to get anywhere around 10 to 15 shifts that is prior to the cadence starting and then you’ll get somewhere around 15 and 17 motions. There is a lot of wing sets, broad blocking surfaces. You’ve got to be sound about what you’re doing. They’re very patient, very well coached, very disciplined team."
 
On the home fans during the Oregon game...
"Our fans were awesome in the Oregon game. It was a tremendous atmosphere. We need the same thing this week. This is Pac-12 play, so it’s like tournament play and we have to find a way to win the next one. We have a top-five team in the nation coming in here. We need our fans to be loud and proud and do what they do. This is a very difficult place to play because we have such great fans that do a great job on game day. So, we’re going to need them out in force and need them for sixty minutes."
 
On how John Humphrey has looked playing defense...
"I think with the injury to Joey, we have other players, but they’re younger. If John can be healthy, I think he can help us. Obviously, he’s in the starting rotation as a receiver. It’s very important that we have corners. So, with Joey being injured, I think it’s something that we’ve looked at and obviously he doesn't have a lot of experience there. We’re trying to teach it to him in a short amount of time. I don’t know how much he’ll play there, but we’re starting to work him there so he’ll be able to do it in the future because of the need that we have. The number one reason why we’re looking at that is because of Joey being injured."
 
Surprised with how team has performed so far this season...
"No, We’ve developed slower than I would have wanted us to be. But, we’re out and where we need to be. Every week is going to be a tough game and anybody can beat anybody on any given Saturday in this league. I remember, when we won the South, I think we were 1-1 and got blown out by Stanford, I think in the first conference game of the year and then won like seven straight. I told our coaches that I don’t think any of those games we had put our second teamers in. It was all the way down to the wire every week. So, I’m not surprised at how hard our guys play, the character our guys play with. We have a good football team. Obviously, we’re playing the best in the league this Saturday and we’ve got to bring our best game. I’m looking forward to our guys doing that."
 
On how team utilized bye week...
"I think we really worked hard on being fundamentally disciplined, getting better at the things we needed to work on, and then I think we were pretty productive as far as our time spent in the film room and studying and then just to be able to rest and heal up a little bit is very much needed. Also, it’s going to be seven or eight straight weeks now, so the main thing is to be rejuvenated and focused on what we’re doing and get better fundamentally and I think we did that."
 
What impressed most about Jake Browning...
"He is just a winner. He just wins. I don’t think he’s lost very many games. We’ve played against him quite a bit. He’s a really sold decision maker. He extends plays a lot better than what you think he does. There’s a lot of guys that get a lot more attention, but he just wins football games. He’s a championship quarterback and as far as I’m concerned, he sets the standard in our league because he proves it on the football field every week. We’re out here to win and he’s just a winner. He’s just a guy that goes out there and wins. He doesn't require a lot of credit for it and that’s what I like about him. I like his demeanor and his personality and you can tell he’s a high character kid and you can’t argue with his win-loss totals."
 
On dealing with balance of Gaskin and Browning...
"You’ve got to stop the run. Gaskin is a really good back. Coleman is a really good back as well. They’re going to run the ball. I think where they’ve really matured is on the offensive line. Their offensive line is very good, very physical. They’re going to do what they do and execute it very well. They’re an inside-outside zone team. They’re very balanced with what they do and they’re going to take what you give them. They play a lot of tight ends, wing sets, rod blocks, and surfaces to force things to be balanced up. The strength to me, even though their running backs are really good, is the offensive line, how well they’re coached, and how well they do it."
 
On the strength of the Pac-12 South...
"The biggest thing about this league is the parity. You just watch each team evolve. Where everybody thinks everybody is in week one isn’t as important as where you are in November. How your team develops, and how much improvement your team has made is the biggest thing. You have to get to November and be playing for it. I think our first year we started off 2-0, but every other year we’ve been 1-1. I think most teams in the South, no one has gone undefeated. I think it says a lot about how hard it is to win football games in this league and the parity that you have. So, it’s just going to be a dogfight every week and you have to improve, continue to develop, and you have to get better each week because you want to be one of the ones left standing going into November."
 
On reminding players about conference standings implications...
"I just talk to them about the next day. Win the rep, next rep, win the practice. I talk to them a lot about the things that I think motivates them, the people that put them here, and their family, what they have sacrificed. But really, at this point, I’ve spent less time talking because we’ve been doing this a while and these guys have got a lot invested. We’ve got a lot of guys that have been with the program for three, four years, and some five. The more you invest, the more it means to you. I think we’ve got an experienced team and I think they know we’ve got a football team. They also know that we’ve got to bring our best every week and this is the time of year we’re in right now and they know that you can’t worry about anything other than the team in front of you, the next rep, and the next practice."
 
On his assessment of the team entering the week...
"I think we played our best game against Oregon. I think we did some good things against Stanford, but we didn't tackle well enough to win that game. At Stanford hey were the better team that day. I feel confident with where we’re at. I think we know what we’re about and what we have to do and we just have to perform. I think one of the biggest things that has to develop quickly is we have to get back to winning special teams. If there’s been anything surprising, maybe that’s surprised me a bit. On the same hand, I can’t say enough positive things about Brandon Ruiz and how he’s developed. He’s really getting better every week and has really had a lot of expectations on him coming in. He’s met those and exceeded them in a lot of ways. So, We’ve got to go into every week with good special teams when you’re playing close games. Special teams is either a win or a tie and I think that’s what hurt us in the beginning of the year."