Nov. 19, 2012
On what he’s learned over the years and how much the Arizona game means to him…
“I’ve learned a lot over the years. I learned a lot of great characteristics that I can take into life and everything I plan on doing in the future. I can’t even explain how much this game means to me.”
On finishing the rivalry as a winner…
“I want to win. That’s my biggest thing. It doesn’t even have to be a rivalry; I want to win every game. This being my last game against the Wildcats, I want to go out there and bring the territorial cup back to Tempe.”
On how much the two teams dislike each other…
“It dates back to before I was here. We keep it in the locker room but guys are down there talking about how much they want to win and how much they don’t like U of A.”
On what he remembers most about last years game…
“We came out there and beat ourselves. We didn’t execute a lot of things and that’s one of the things we’re going to focus on this week.”
On if having home field advantage means anything this game…
“No, because it’s a new year. There’s different coaches and players, so it’s a new year."
On what it’s like playing in the game…
“There’s a lot of emotion in the game. You have a lot of fans watching and really observing what you do. When you go out there, you just want to perform to the best of your abilities not only for the fans, but for the other players on the field as well.”
On the coaching staff being familiar with Arizona’s schemes…
“It helps us. Coach Graham knows some of the coaches that are down in Tucson but it’s a new head coach so he’s going to do some different things.”
On the similarities between ASU and Arizona…
“It’s an up-tempo offense. They’re going to try to catch us off-guard and tempo the game. They’re going to try to get us misaligned with their tempo.”
On the challenge of stopping Arizona’s offense…
“It all comes back down to what we need to do. As long as we can stop the run and rattle the quarterback, everything else should take care of itself.”
On remembering the past few games with Arizona…
“When they were down here they stomped on the Pitchfork. That’s one of the things I’ll remember and I’ll use it to my advantage when I play.”
On Matt Scott…
“He’s a good passer. He doesn’t really like to run but he can throw the ball.”
On the older players talking to the younger players about how much this rivalry game means…
“We talked to them about it. Not a lot of the younger guys were familiar with the rivalry. We told them this is one of the most important games of the year to the people in Tempe and all of our fans. We told them to just go out there and play. This is the last game of the season so you have to lay it all out there.”
On his confidence going into the Arizona game…
“I’ve been playing confident every game so this is just another game for me. It’s my last game so I want to go out there and show everyone what I’m capable of and what this Sun Devil team is capable of.”
On the importance of this game on a national level…
“This school is turning into a defensive mindset school. We go out there and dominate on defense. It’s going to bring a lot of the top defensive recruits here. It’s going to set Coach Graham and the Sun Devils up for the future.”
On what the rivalry game means to him…
“The Territorial Cup is a big deal. We won two years ago but they won last year and before that. It’s a big deal for us. We want to bring the trophy home.”
On what allowed the receivers to succeed against Washington State…
“We wanted to be more engaged in the offense. In the past, the receivers had been kind of down so we wanted to show everyone that we are playmakers like we’re supposed to be.”
On if having home field advantage means anything in the rivalry game…
“We already have motivation. It’s not about being at home or away. We just want to go in there and come home victorious.”
On what it’s like playing in Tucson…
“It’s a hostile environment. The fans are screaming at you when you take the field. You have to really focus in on the game at-hand and not let that stuff get to you. It’s our biggest game of the season. It’s a packed stadium. It’s crowded. Sometimes people engage in trash talk but I try to stay away from that. It’s a great feeling. It’s college football at its best. It’s very competitive out there.”
On what this game means to him…
“It’s exciting. I want to end my career beating Arizona more than I’ve lost to them. It’s a pivotal game for me since I’m a junior now. It’s a huge rivalry game because the whole state is behind it. A lot of people that live around here are either from U of A or ASU. It’s important for the recruiting battle in the state. It’s an exciting game. It’s a game that you always mark down in the beginning of the season. We have clocks down in the locker room and in the weight room. We always know how many days are until the game. Now that the countdown is winding down, there’s a level of anticipation building up each day.”
On how important this game is for the seniors…
“You want to send the seniors out with a win, especially with the rivalry game. The rest of their lives they can say they beat their rivals the last time they ever played them. It’s a huge thing because it’s a morale booster for the team. If you win this game, it makes the season a lot sweeter at the end.”
On if the rivalry game was on his radar when he was living in California…
“Not really but during rivalry week, I watched all the games. I knew it was a big game between the two schools but I never paid too much attention to it.”
On his introduction to the rivalry game…
“It was during the summer I first got to Arizona. During conditioning, everyone said that last rep at the end of the day was the U of A rep. You have to give it your best and make sure you get that last little push at the end. That’s when I first started to realize how big of a game this is and how much the seniors pride themselves on winning that game.”
On how much Arizona and Arizona State dislike each other…
“For us, it’s a big game to focus on our team. Getting the fundamentals down this week and getting our game plan executed is a big thing. It’s going to come down to who runs the ball better. We have very similar offenses and schemes but execution is going to determine who wins the game.”
On the keys to managing emotions…
“For me, it’s going to be helping the younger guys understand the atmosphere. Letting them know how to handle the energy they’re going to feel during the week. They’re going to feel some butterflies when they see the stadium down in Tucson and all the fans going against them. It is the kind of atmosphere that might make you too hyped up and not allow you to make your plays. You can lose focus down there. I’m helping the younger guys understand that you just need to focus in on the football game. You have to do your job each play and if you do that, then you’ll be fine.”
On the season-long emphasis on discipline and how it will help on Friday…
“Our job is to put our head to the grindstone and do our plays. It’s not trash talking or talking back at all. In-between the whistles, you have to focus on the guy in front of you.”
On the emphasis Coach Graham has placed on the game against Arizona…
“It’s always important because it’s a rivalry game. You’re always looking forward to it. Now that it’s this week, it’s kind of like a one-game season. He wants to start his career here with a win and I want to get that win since we lost last season. If we win this game, we’ll get a better bowl game. “
On the countdown clocks…
“It’s a digital clock. It counts down days, hours, minutes, and seconds. We all know the exact time until the game. It counts down to the exact kickoff time. It’s been up since the first day Coach Graham stepped in the door. It’s a reminder that we need to focus in. It’s one of those games that you have to win. The rivalry is the biggest game for the state and for us as players. We put an extra emphasis on this game. When you’re getting tired at the end of practice or you don’t want to work out as hard, you look at that clock and know that you need to get some work done.”