OPENING STATEMENT:
“We have another conference opponent this week. Utah is very well coached. They have a lot of veteran players on their team when you watch the tape, even from last year. They play complementary football and run the ball very well. Their quarterback got hurt last year against us. It looks like he (Tyler Huntley) has gained some weight and some muscle. He is playing well. Their defense is outstanding. They only give up about 13 points per game. They are very good in the red zone because they do not give up touchdowns. They do not punt the ball very much on offense, they only have about 16 punts. They are a very powerful football team on both sides. They are big up front and physical, we know that coming in here last year. They score a lot of points and do not allow a lot of points. They score about 34 points per game. Opponents only average 13 points per game. We will have our hands full to say the least. Their coach has done a marvelous job. He has been their a long time. He had created a program a lot like his image. It is very tough to play a team like this so we need to be prepared to put our shoulder pads on and tie them up tight because it is going to be that type of football game.”
ON HBO EXPERIMENT LAST WEEK:
“I am hoping it helps college football in general. When you invite a program like HBO here to visit your campus, it says a lot about your university, a lot about the Pac-12 and what type of brand of football we are trying to build. It goes into depth because it takes you behind the scenes. If you are any kind of football fan, all college programs are run a little bit differently. You will see some uniqueness to certain programs and how they do things. But, I think it is about the student-athletes and what they go through. We watch them on Saturday perform, but the process of getting ready to play a football game is unique for a lot of people. Taking them behind the scenes will hopefully present a good image for college football.”
ON BEING A YOUNG AND RESILIENT TEAM:
“When you are young, you grow to learn how to put people away. We are so young right now that at times, we play like that. We get a sense of urgency and we go after it. We are in our second year of this program. We have not had a lot of pot holes yet. There could be some on the horizon. When we hit them, we have to stay steady. I will stay steady. We will continue to build this thing. This is a new program. It is brand new. I have watched enough college football and visited with numerous coaches who have coached college football. Before I took this job, I spoke to some of them about the process of building something and how you have to go about doing it. I have talked to some coaches who have done that. We have to stay steady in what we believe in. When you play a lot of young guys, there is a point where they eventually have to figure out how to close a game out. To their credit, they do not blink. They play until there is no time left on the clock. As long as you do that, you will have a chance if you keep the game close. We have been able to do that for the last two seasons. We have been pretty competitive. If you remember my first press conference, I said we wanted a competitive consistency. I think we have delivered that thus far. Now, we need to continue to do that and grow from that. What does competitive consistency look like? It is having the ability, regardless of who the opponent is, to have a chance to win the game. To these players’ credit, the ones last year, the ones this year, and the coaching staff have done that. That is all you can ask for. From there, you build on that.”
ON JAYDEN DANIELS DEVELOPMENT:
“The only number I am quite concerned with is that he does not turn the ball over. I know he has only turned it over one time. He is not careless with the ball. I do not pay a lot of attention to all the other stuff because he is a freshman. Every game is a new experience, new team, and new environment for him. I do not get into all of the numbers. I am glad he is on our team. As he continues to grow, he has a chance to be a very good player. I have said that this year. I said that you will watch young players grow up on the grass. Every week, you will watch them grow up. I think Jayden has captured a lot of people’s imagination because of how he has played in big moments. Kudos to him, but there is still a lot to be done. I tell my coaching staff that all the time that we have a lot of work to do still. We are laying bricks. We are just stacking them right now. I like the excitement right now. Excitement is good for the program and our fanbase. It brings energy. That is a good thing. I hope the fans understand the direction that we are heading in. Are we there yet? No, it is a journey. We have not arrived yet, but we will keep working as hard as we can to get there.”
ON STAYING IN GAMES WITH A YOUNG TEAM:
“Visiting with some of the coaches before the game, the comments that always come out is that our guys play hard. I say that it gives us a chance. When the opposing team’s staff tells you that, it is a nice complement to have that your team plays hard. That is a good thing. We have a tough schedule heading into the second half of our season. There are a lot of good teams there. That is good for us because we want to see where we stack up. That is what this season is about. Where do we stack up this year? We know what we were last year. As we continue to grow, where are we now with all of these young guys and how much better are they going to get better as the season continues on.”
ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO REINVIGORATE PASS RUSH:
“We have not sacked the quarterback and intercepted passes enough. A lot of it is getting one-on-one matchups. It was very difficult this week because the ball was coming out very quickly. At times, we were only rushing three. When we went to man-to-man, the pressure got to the pocket a little bit more. All of those things become a factor. Sacks are coordinated with the rush and the coverage. When you play a team like Washington State, they do not give up a lot of sacks because they get the ball out so fast. That is difficult. We have not hit home as much as we would have liked. If we have to rush more than four, then you may have to put some people in bad spots. We feel pretty good about our secondary and they did a good job this week with all of the man coverage that was required because we could not slow them down in zone. They found open zones, we could not get there on the rush, and they hit there spots. So, we decided to play a lot of man coverage. They caught some balls, but we did a pretty good job covering them.”
ON COMMUNICATION WITH DANNY GONZALES:
“There is not anything that I am surprised about. I have seen everything. When he comes up with something, I tell him that we should do it if it will help us. During the course of the game, I always take notes and give recommendations of what we should shift to. I kept saying that we practiced on zone, but we still just were not getting there. I remember when we rushed three, their quarterback was sitting there all day. I said enough of this. One thing about me is that I like getting it over with. It is like going to the dentist. Just pull it out. Pull my tooth out. We should get it done. That is how I feel about football. We can sit here all day or we can go after him and make him make a decision. Danny (Gonzales) and I said we were both fine with asking our guys to cover. We were going to live with the consequences. It is like the fourth and two call at the 45 yard line. It was real simple for me, I told Likens, ‘I do not care what you got. I said #3 (Eno Benjamin) is carrying the ball.’ If we did not make it, then I would have lived with that. But, if we did not make it because we threw a pass, then I could not have lived with that. If we are going to be a tough football team, then we have to run the ball and give it to our best player. If we do not make it, then I would tip my cap to them. There are certain things that happen in a football game that my personality will not allow that to happen. I asked the team that today, ‘Did you guys know what I was going to do?’ They said they know. There are certain things I want to do.”
ON PAC-12 TEAMS BEATING UP EACH OTHER:
“That is what it does to you. It is kind of interesting because if you are a fan of any team, then you have got a chance. There will come a point when you will not have a chance to win anymore once you have about three losses. If you have too many losses, then you do not have a chance to win the conference. We all look at each other as if anything can happen. That is how I looked at it last year. We were 3-3 and I remember telling the team that we were not out of it. I remember that when there were about five games remaining, the conversation became that we had to win out. We did not because we lost to Oregon. There will be a point when we have our number. We will have to get to that number if we want to be involved in the race. I like that part of it that a lot of teams are still in it. It is good for the fanbase, the players, and the conference because everyone has to keep playing.”
ON REFLECTING ON FIRST HALF OF SEASON:
“6-0 would be nice. I do not prepare to lose. I actually prepare to win every week. That is what I expect. When I stop doing that, I am going to go back to Carmel. I will sit down and watch everyone else do it. I just prepare each week to win a football game. If we do that, we will get an opportunity the next week to win one. I think that has to be the mindset. I think the players know that now and that is what we are all about. You prepare every week to win a game. That is what is so great about this game. Every week you have another opportunity and eventually you run out. Then, you count it up and see what you did. You folks have a tough job because you are asked things without having all of the information. Who is going to win? How many wins? It is hard because you are not in the building every day and you do not see the kids every day. You just have to see what you see and come up with an answer. That is why it is a hard job what you guys have. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong. For me, I listen to my eyes every day because I see it. I know this program better than anybody because I am in this building every day. I watch players and I watch coaches. There is a mindset that I have. It will always be about winning. I think the players know that. That is who I am. That is how it works for me. There is no grey area. Just give yourself a chance to win, that is all I ask for. You will win your set of games. There is never a set number. This week is always big. I have never had a win that was not big. Sometimes a week may seem bigger because of the perception. They all count as one win last time I checked. It does not matter. If you understand that, then you have the kind of mindset that will allow you to win, but there is a lot of work involved in it. It is hard.”
ON HAVING THE MINDSET TO BELIEVE IN CERTAIN HABITS:
“I have learned that from coaches. I learned that when I was a player of playing that you have to believe that this is what happens. You have to understand who you are and you have to understand who your good players are. When it is on the line, you put them in position so they can do what they have to do. I have done it sometimes. It did not work. I have said it all the time. Kevin Mawae and I laugh at it all the time. New Orleans Saints. Monday Night Football. It was fourth and 1 on the minus-35. We could have punted it down there. I wanted them to say it. I told them that we can punt it or force them to go a long field or we can go for it right now and close the game out. I told them I know you guys want to punt it. They got mad at me. They said they wanted to run the ball. We had Curtis Barber, a hall of fame player. I wanted to see how the team felt. We ran it and lost three yards on fourth and one. The other team got the ball, but we still won the game. Sometimes, you do that just to see how your team is going to react. The players have to have ownership. They play. When the big moments appear, I want them to have a say. When you get really good, it is easy because you are just a gifted player. When crunch time comes, you better be in position to get the ball to your best player. Last year, it was either #3 (Eno Benjamin) or that guy that went to the New England Patriots (N’Keal Harry). There was no doubt. They are circled on my list. If you go down, that is okay because you went down with your best player. You have to go down with your best guys, coverage, or your best call. If you are beat, then you are beat. I never second-guess myself. The players appreciate that. Your football team understands that. When I was with the Jets, if we were on the one or two yard line, I could not call a timeout and tell those guys that we were going to throw a pass. The offensive line would beat me up. There are certain things you have to do. You have to trust your players.”
ON STATE OF RECRUITING NOW:
“There is more tension put on your football team, especially when you are ranked, when people are talking about you, or when you have a young dynamic quarterback that everyone is talking about right now. I do not know that, but I assume that from what you guys are saying because I do not turn on the television because you are asking me that question. I think people are saying that outside of our building. The HBO thing will help us. This is all about building a program. Anything we have to do to build a positive image of our program, we will do. Talking with AP (Antonio Pierce), who is connected with all of the people, he has told me that we are doing good. That is all I need to hear. We will try to win another game and see what happens. The more you win, things start coming your way a bit. It should be interesting.”
ON CHASE LUCAS HANDLING EMOTIONS:
“I think he is playing a lot better. Last year was tough for him because he had a new coaching staff and there were some things required of him that was not required of him the previous year. It was smart to move him to defense I think because he was a young guy and for him to continue to play, I think that is where he will need to play. He was a little frustrated at times. I have earned his trust. He gets it now. He understand what we need. The last couple of games, he has played really good. They caught some balls on him, but he has tight coverage. You cannot play these balls any tighter. The more he plays and is familiar with the system, the better player he will be because he has a lot of talent. I am happy for him because he is all in. I told all those defensive guys this is the hardest thing that they will ever have to deal with coming here. They have a defensive minded head coach. I am always harder on them than anyone else in the building. That is the way it is. I am that way. I was that way in pro football. When I took this job, I walked into the defensive room and told them that it was not going to be fair because there is a certain standard I expect out of them. Danny (Gonzales) expects a certain standard. If you are a secondary guy, it is even worse for those guys. I feel bad for them because I expect certain things out of them. I do not need a book to coach them. All the information is in my head because I have done it my whole life. They do not have the answers to the questions. I have the answers to the questions and I also pose the questions to them. I give them the question and I answer it for them. I tell them why we are going to do it and I show them why. I always show them why it is better to do it this way. I learned it on the grass. It worked at the highest level and it will work here if we do it correctly. It is hard on those guys. You guys have seen me at practice. When individual drills start, I coach them. The players know when I come over there, every night I decide which drills we are going to do. I am not the head coach anymore. I am the secondary coach. You can call (John) Lynch. All of those dudes look out for me when I come over. For 15 minutes, I am the position coach. I am not the head coach. The most gratifying thing I do every day is to go on the grass and coach those guys and give them things I have learned as a player. It is hard on those guys, but I love them and they know I love them. When the game starts, it is like I am playing. I understand how hard it is to play back there in the back end, but that is what those guys have to deal with.”
ON POSSIBLE CARRYOVER EFFECT FROM LAST YEAR’S WIN OVER UTAH TO THIS YEAR:
“It was a pretty tight game heading into the third quarter when their quarterback got hurt. That is tough for anybody. We were able to run the football. I think the heat got to them. It wore them down some. It was a very physical football game for both parties. A lot of the players that were here last year are not here on defense and on offense. These guys are a very good football team. This is a veteran-laded group and they have played together for awhile. This is going to be tough going there on the road. It is going to be under 60 degrees probably. Our guys have not dealt with that. I am trying to get the bubble turned down to 50 degrees because I know our guys. At Cal, it was 65 degrees and they were cold. I will make fun of them and I will do what I have to do. It is going to be a wonderful environment to play in because it is going to be loud like the Michigan State game. We will be going on the road against a good time, picked to win the conference, and I can see why they picked them. Utah is really good. We get to go experience that now. We will show up and play. We will learn a lot.”
ON EMBRACING UNDERDOG ROLE:
“It is the perception of what other people say. You folks have a hard job. I do not pay attention to any of that stuff, but I guess we are the under dog. As long as we get to play with 11 players we will go ahead and play. I do not understand how people figure all of that stuff out without the ball being kicked. I get the formulas and all that stuff, but I do not pay much attention to that stuff."
ON BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IN YEAR TWO:
“In certain areas, yes. In certain areas, no. We still lack depth. That is our problem. You have to have depth if you are going to have consistency in your program. You should not have to play 29 redshirts or true freshman. That should not be the case, but that is the case. Hopefully, two years from now, we will have freshman that are not able to crack the lineup. That is when you know you have a good team. Recruiting is simple. Can you out recruit the class that you just brought in? That is what you strive to do. The guys that you just brought in know that we are going to recruit some guys that are just as good as them. That is the competitive environment that is here. The players are learning that quickly. When the season ends, the players will know who the competition is. We have a left tackle and a right guard that are freshman. That is not fair. They should not be playing this much. They should not be. They should not have to play this much, but good for them because it will make them better. That is where our program is right now. We are still light in some areas. We need to do a better job at recruiting. We need to get some guys in here that can fill those needs. Look at the running back situation. We have Eno (Benjamin). There are some positions that are light and we have to do a better job. We will get it done. We are building, but we are not there yet."
“We have another conference opponent this week. Utah is very well coached. They have a lot of veteran players on their team when you watch the tape, even from last year. They play complementary football and run the ball very well. Their quarterback got hurt last year against us. It looks like he (Tyler Huntley) has gained some weight and some muscle. He is playing well. Their defense is outstanding. They only give up about 13 points per game. They are very good in the red zone because they do not give up touchdowns. They do not punt the ball very much on offense, they only have about 16 punts. They are a very powerful football team on both sides. They are big up front and physical, we know that coming in here last year. They score a lot of points and do not allow a lot of points. They score about 34 points per game. Opponents only average 13 points per game. We will have our hands full to say the least. Their coach has done a marvelous job. He has been their a long time. He had created a program a lot like his image. It is very tough to play a team like this so we need to be prepared to put our shoulder pads on and tie them up tight because it is going to be that type of football game.”
ON HBO EXPERIMENT LAST WEEK:
“I am hoping it helps college football in general. When you invite a program like HBO here to visit your campus, it says a lot about your university, a lot about the Pac-12 and what type of brand of football we are trying to build. It goes into depth because it takes you behind the scenes. If you are any kind of football fan, all college programs are run a little bit differently. You will see some uniqueness to certain programs and how they do things. But, I think it is about the student-athletes and what they go through. We watch them on Saturday perform, but the process of getting ready to play a football game is unique for a lot of people. Taking them behind the scenes will hopefully present a good image for college football.”
ON BEING A YOUNG AND RESILIENT TEAM:
“When you are young, you grow to learn how to put people away. We are so young right now that at times, we play like that. We get a sense of urgency and we go after it. We are in our second year of this program. We have not had a lot of pot holes yet. There could be some on the horizon. When we hit them, we have to stay steady. I will stay steady. We will continue to build this thing. This is a new program. It is brand new. I have watched enough college football and visited with numerous coaches who have coached college football. Before I took this job, I spoke to some of them about the process of building something and how you have to go about doing it. I have talked to some coaches who have done that. We have to stay steady in what we believe in. When you play a lot of young guys, there is a point where they eventually have to figure out how to close a game out. To their credit, they do not blink. They play until there is no time left on the clock. As long as you do that, you will have a chance if you keep the game close. We have been able to do that for the last two seasons. We have been pretty competitive. If you remember my first press conference, I said we wanted a competitive consistency. I think we have delivered that thus far. Now, we need to continue to do that and grow from that. What does competitive consistency look like? It is having the ability, regardless of who the opponent is, to have a chance to win the game. To these players’ credit, the ones last year, the ones this year, and the coaching staff have done that. That is all you can ask for. From there, you build on that.”
ON JAYDEN DANIELS DEVELOPMENT:
“The only number I am quite concerned with is that he does not turn the ball over. I know he has only turned it over one time. He is not careless with the ball. I do not pay a lot of attention to all the other stuff because he is a freshman. Every game is a new experience, new team, and new environment for him. I do not get into all of the numbers. I am glad he is on our team. As he continues to grow, he has a chance to be a very good player. I have said that this year. I said that you will watch young players grow up on the grass. Every week, you will watch them grow up. I think Jayden has captured a lot of people’s imagination because of how he has played in big moments. Kudos to him, but there is still a lot to be done. I tell my coaching staff that all the time that we have a lot of work to do still. We are laying bricks. We are just stacking them right now. I like the excitement right now. Excitement is good for the program and our fanbase. It brings energy. That is a good thing. I hope the fans understand the direction that we are heading in. Are we there yet? No, it is a journey. We have not arrived yet, but we will keep working as hard as we can to get there.”
ON STAYING IN GAMES WITH A YOUNG TEAM:
“Visiting with some of the coaches before the game, the comments that always come out is that our guys play hard. I say that it gives us a chance. When the opposing team’s staff tells you that, it is a nice complement to have that your team plays hard. That is a good thing. We have a tough schedule heading into the second half of our season. There are a lot of good teams there. That is good for us because we want to see where we stack up. That is what this season is about. Where do we stack up this year? We know what we were last year. As we continue to grow, where are we now with all of these young guys and how much better are they going to get better as the season continues on.”
ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO REINVIGORATE PASS RUSH:
“We have not sacked the quarterback and intercepted passes enough. A lot of it is getting one-on-one matchups. It was very difficult this week because the ball was coming out very quickly. At times, we were only rushing three. When we went to man-to-man, the pressure got to the pocket a little bit more. All of those things become a factor. Sacks are coordinated with the rush and the coverage. When you play a team like Washington State, they do not give up a lot of sacks because they get the ball out so fast. That is difficult. We have not hit home as much as we would have liked. If we have to rush more than four, then you may have to put some people in bad spots. We feel pretty good about our secondary and they did a good job this week with all of the man coverage that was required because we could not slow them down in zone. They found open zones, we could not get there on the rush, and they hit there spots. So, we decided to play a lot of man coverage. They caught some balls, but we did a pretty good job covering them.”
ON COMMUNICATION WITH DANNY GONZALES:
“There is not anything that I am surprised about. I have seen everything. When he comes up with something, I tell him that we should do it if it will help us. During the course of the game, I always take notes and give recommendations of what we should shift to. I kept saying that we practiced on zone, but we still just were not getting there. I remember when we rushed three, their quarterback was sitting there all day. I said enough of this. One thing about me is that I like getting it over with. It is like going to the dentist. Just pull it out. Pull my tooth out. We should get it done. That is how I feel about football. We can sit here all day or we can go after him and make him make a decision. Danny (Gonzales) and I said we were both fine with asking our guys to cover. We were going to live with the consequences. It is like the fourth and two call at the 45 yard line. It was real simple for me, I told Likens, ‘I do not care what you got. I said #3 (Eno Benjamin) is carrying the ball.’ If we did not make it, then I would have lived with that. But, if we did not make it because we threw a pass, then I could not have lived with that. If we are going to be a tough football team, then we have to run the ball and give it to our best player. If we do not make it, then I would tip my cap to them. There are certain things that happen in a football game that my personality will not allow that to happen. I asked the team that today, ‘Did you guys know what I was going to do?’ They said they know. There are certain things I want to do.”
ON PAC-12 TEAMS BEATING UP EACH OTHER:
“That is what it does to you. It is kind of interesting because if you are a fan of any team, then you have got a chance. There will come a point when you will not have a chance to win anymore once you have about three losses. If you have too many losses, then you do not have a chance to win the conference. We all look at each other as if anything can happen. That is how I looked at it last year. We were 3-3 and I remember telling the team that we were not out of it. I remember that when there were about five games remaining, the conversation became that we had to win out. We did not because we lost to Oregon. There will be a point when we have our number. We will have to get to that number if we want to be involved in the race. I like that part of it that a lot of teams are still in it. It is good for the fanbase, the players, and the conference because everyone has to keep playing.”
ON REFLECTING ON FIRST HALF OF SEASON:
“6-0 would be nice. I do not prepare to lose. I actually prepare to win every week. That is what I expect. When I stop doing that, I am going to go back to Carmel. I will sit down and watch everyone else do it. I just prepare each week to win a football game. If we do that, we will get an opportunity the next week to win one. I think that has to be the mindset. I think the players know that now and that is what we are all about. You prepare every week to win a game. That is what is so great about this game. Every week you have another opportunity and eventually you run out. Then, you count it up and see what you did. You folks have a tough job because you are asked things without having all of the information. Who is going to win? How many wins? It is hard because you are not in the building every day and you do not see the kids every day. You just have to see what you see and come up with an answer. That is why it is a hard job what you guys have. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong. For me, I listen to my eyes every day because I see it. I know this program better than anybody because I am in this building every day. I watch players and I watch coaches. There is a mindset that I have. It will always be about winning. I think the players know that. That is who I am. That is how it works for me. There is no grey area. Just give yourself a chance to win, that is all I ask for. You will win your set of games. There is never a set number. This week is always big. I have never had a win that was not big. Sometimes a week may seem bigger because of the perception. They all count as one win last time I checked. It does not matter. If you understand that, then you have the kind of mindset that will allow you to win, but there is a lot of work involved in it. It is hard.”
ON HAVING THE MINDSET TO BELIEVE IN CERTAIN HABITS:
“I have learned that from coaches. I learned that when I was a player of playing that you have to believe that this is what happens. You have to understand who you are and you have to understand who your good players are. When it is on the line, you put them in position so they can do what they have to do. I have done it sometimes. It did not work. I have said it all the time. Kevin Mawae and I laugh at it all the time. New Orleans Saints. Monday Night Football. It was fourth and 1 on the minus-35. We could have punted it down there. I wanted them to say it. I told them that we can punt it or force them to go a long field or we can go for it right now and close the game out. I told them I know you guys want to punt it. They got mad at me. They said they wanted to run the ball. We had Curtis Barber, a hall of fame player. I wanted to see how the team felt. We ran it and lost three yards on fourth and one. The other team got the ball, but we still won the game. Sometimes, you do that just to see how your team is going to react. The players have to have ownership. They play. When the big moments appear, I want them to have a say. When you get really good, it is easy because you are just a gifted player. When crunch time comes, you better be in position to get the ball to your best player. Last year, it was either #3 (Eno Benjamin) or that guy that went to the New England Patriots (N’Keal Harry). There was no doubt. They are circled on my list. If you go down, that is okay because you went down with your best player. You have to go down with your best guys, coverage, or your best call. If you are beat, then you are beat. I never second-guess myself. The players appreciate that. Your football team understands that. When I was with the Jets, if we were on the one or two yard line, I could not call a timeout and tell those guys that we were going to throw a pass. The offensive line would beat me up. There are certain things you have to do. You have to trust your players.”
ON STATE OF RECRUITING NOW:
“There is more tension put on your football team, especially when you are ranked, when people are talking about you, or when you have a young dynamic quarterback that everyone is talking about right now. I do not know that, but I assume that from what you guys are saying because I do not turn on the television because you are asking me that question. I think people are saying that outside of our building. The HBO thing will help us. This is all about building a program. Anything we have to do to build a positive image of our program, we will do. Talking with AP (Antonio Pierce), who is connected with all of the people, he has told me that we are doing good. That is all I need to hear. We will try to win another game and see what happens. The more you win, things start coming your way a bit. It should be interesting.”
ON CHASE LUCAS HANDLING EMOTIONS:
“I think he is playing a lot better. Last year was tough for him because he had a new coaching staff and there were some things required of him that was not required of him the previous year. It was smart to move him to defense I think because he was a young guy and for him to continue to play, I think that is where he will need to play. He was a little frustrated at times. I have earned his trust. He gets it now. He understand what we need. The last couple of games, he has played really good. They caught some balls on him, but he has tight coverage. You cannot play these balls any tighter. The more he plays and is familiar with the system, the better player he will be because he has a lot of talent. I am happy for him because he is all in. I told all those defensive guys this is the hardest thing that they will ever have to deal with coming here. They have a defensive minded head coach. I am always harder on them than anyone else in the building. That is the way it is. I am that way. I was that way in pro football. When I took this job, I walked into the defensive room and told them that it was not going to be fair because there is a certain standard I expect out of them. Danny (Gonzales) expects a certain standard. If you are a secondary guy, it is even worse for those guys. I feel bad for them because I expect certain things out of them. I do not need a book to coach them. All the information is in my head because I have done it my whole life. They do not have the answers to the questions. I have the answers to the questions and I also pose the questions to them. I give them the question and I answer it for them. I tell them why we are going to do it and I show them why. I always show them why it is better to do it this way. I learned it on the grass. It worked at the highest level and it will work here if we do it correctly. It is hard on those guys. You guys have seen me at practice. When individual drills start, I coach them. The players know when I come over there, every night I decide which drills we are going to do. I am not the head coach anymore. I am the secondary coach. You can call (John) Lynch. All of those dudes look out for me when I come over. For 15 minutes, I am the position coach. I am not the head coach. The most gratifying thing I do every day is to go on the grass and coach those guys and give them things I have learned as a player. It is hard on those guys, but I love them and they know I love them. When the game starts, it is like I am playing. I understand how hard it is to play back there in the back end, but that is what those guys have to deal with.”
ON POSSIBLE CARRYOVER EFFECT FROM LAST YEAR’S WIN OVER UTAH TO THIS YEAR:
“It was a pretty tight game heading into the third quarter when their quarterback got hurt. That is tough for anybody. We were able to run the football. I think the heat got to them. It wore them down some. It was a very physical football game for both parties. A lot of the players that were here last year are not here on defense and on offense. These guys are a very good football team. This is a veteran-laded group and they have played together for awhile. This is going to be tough going there on the road. It is going to be under 60 degrees probably. Our guys have not dealt with that. I am trying to get the bubble turned down to 50 degrees because I know our guys. At Cal, it was 65 degrees and they were cold. I will make fun of them and I will do what I have to do. It is going to be a wonderful environment to play in because it is going to be loud like the Michigan State game. We will be going on the road against a good time, picked to win the conference, and I can see why they picked them. Utah is really good. We get to go experience that now. We will show up and play. We will learn a lot.”
ON EMBRACING UNDERDOG ROLE:
“It is the perception of what other people say. You folks have a hard job. I do not pay attention to any of that stuff, but I guess we are the under dog. As long as we get to play with 11 players we will go ahead and play. I do not understand how people figure all of that stuff out without the ball being kicked. I get the formulas and all that stuff, but I do not pay much attention to that stuff."
ON BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IN YEAR TWO:
“In certain areas, yes. In certain areas, no. We still lack depth. That is our problem. You have to have depth if you are going to have consistency in your program. You should not have to play 29 redshirts or true freshman. That should not be the case, but that is the case. Hopefully, two years from now, we will have freshman that are not able to crack the lineup. That is when you know you have a good team. Recruiting is simple. Can you out recruit the class that you just brought in? That is what you strive to do. The guys that you just brought in know that we are going to recruit some guys that are just as good as them. That is the competitive environment that is here. The players are learning that quickly. When the season ends, the players will know who the competition is. We have a left tackle and a right guard that are freshman. That is not fair. They should not be playing this much. They should not be. They should not have to play this much, but good for them because it will make them better. That is where our program is right now. We are still light in some areas. We need to do a better job at recruiting. We need to get some guys in here that can fill those needs. Look at the running back situation. We have Eno (Benjamin). There are some positions that are light and we have to do a better job. We will get it done. We are building, but we are not there yet."