Head Coach Herm Edwards
Opening Statement:
“Oregon State is a much improved football team. Got to their sixth win last week and they’re bowl eligible and they’re excited. Defensive coordinator, they made a switch there. You can see that they’ve changed a little bit, not so much what they’re doing but certain things I think defensive coordinators like calling that shows up on the tape. I’ve always said this is one of the toughest offenses we face when you think of what they can do. They run the ball very nicely, they’re multi-dimensional, use a lot of formations, and have a lot of movement. Tight end package is very good, they throw vertical passes down the field, can make some explosive plays on you, they give you a lot of eye candy, and if you’re not in your right proper gap, they can run the football, they’re similar to us. They run the ball for about 228 yards a game so they can churn some yardage offensively and they’re capable of hitting the big pass plays. The quarterback does a nice job, plays under center some, with some boots and some waggles and their defense is one that is taking the ball away. They’re an exciting football team. I think when you watch them, obviously, they’re well coached on both sides of the ball. I think Coach Smith (Jonathan) does a really good job offensively, they’re very difficult to defend. We will have our work cut out for us as we go on a second road game, and I think our players understand the opponent we’re about to face. We’ve played them now, I think four times since I’ve been here, I think that’s correct, and it always seems to go down to the fourth quarter with these guys so, we’re excited about the opportunity.”
On the resiliency of this past weekend's win:
“I think if you know the players and the staff we’ve assembled here and how this journey has gone along, nothing surprises me. I’ve been doing it too long that you know, you’re going to hit some lows and then how do you come out of those. I think that’s the testament of the team that believes in each other, the culture of the team, players and coaches, coaches and players, however you want to spin it, and I think if you just stay together, you get through those valleys and then there are some peaks that’s football, it happens at every level, professional level, and college level. I think how you handle them are very important and we’ve been pretty steady when it comes to that and the players, when you watch them play… I think I keep going back to the USC game, I mean that could’ve gone anyway, it was sitting right there in the fourth quarter for somebody to make something happen and they stayed steady and found a way to make enough plays to win. This game (UW) started out not good and I thought the score in the second quarter was kind of okay and then they came and kicked the field goal but okay, we get the ball in the third quarter and just the sense I had on the sideline of the players watching them, and I was with every group, I was getting around all of them. They were very calm, they were like, ‘okay, we’re going to keep playing coach, we’re going to keep playing’ and they did and they played through it and in the fourth quarter you know, 21-6 and we ended up winning. Made it interesting, that’s the longest three seconds I’ve ever seen and you still get a second left, it’s wonderful to be at home and that’s part of it, it’s good to be at home I’ll leave it at that.”
On the personnel available on offense:
“Obviously we have to make more explosive plays in the passing game. That has to be a part of it. That number three is running real hot right now, he’s doing good, he’s making a lot of plays in the passing game and in the running game but we have capable players at receiver, two more capable backs, and then Jayden (Daniels) has done a nice job of running the ball as well, he’s been a part of it. But, we definitely need to make some plays in the passing game, we have to do that, that’s important to us and I think if we get that going then things become not simpler but you’ve got some options, you want some options offensively and you always want to make defenders defend the field. You have to make them defend the whole field, not just in the box and I think if you can spread the ball and throw it some, you make them defend the field, that’s important.”
On goals and looking forward to these upcoming weeks:
“I’ve always talked to the team about this, the most week is the week you’re about to take on. Don’t get caught up in all that stuff, just prepare to win, and if you do that, I think it makes things real simple. When you start thinking all this stuff… don’t worry about that, worry about this week. I think for the most part, these guys have done that. They understand that we have to get focused on this week, the big picture will take care of itself and the big picture takes care of itself if you win. So how do you win? You prepare for this week and you don’t worry about the rest of that stuff. There’s enough out there that can worry about that stuff. If they do this then this could happen if they did that, if they didn’t do this, there’s enough of that. We just have to be focused on trying to prepare to beat Oregon State. That's the most important thing, and if you win it all takes care of itself. That’s kind of always been my process of how I look at it because there’s nothing else you can do except to play this game, there’s no other games except this one, this is the most important game and I said that in the beginning. The most important game is the game you play this week. If you win it takes care of itself, just prepare to win. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”
On Tyler Johnson returning to football:
“I think if you know Tyler, Tyler’s just Tyler. We’ll leave it at that. I’m glad he’s here and he’s having a tremendous season, he really is. He’s been a big part of our defense since we’ve been here and I think his improvement, you guys have watched, he’s a big play player, he makes an impact for you defensively and he’s always around the ball. He always makes some plays, it just seems like… he’s Tyler. I'll just leave it at that, he’s number 41 and I’ll leave it at that.”
On passing game opportunities against Washington after watching film:
“I think there are some opportunities out there but you are right, the conditions, neither team threw it a whole lot because of the conditions, the ball was wet, we saw that but I also think we had a hot hand running and sometimes when you get a hand running, you feel okay, we have run it but you make the point, we have to get some explosive plays in the passing game and he has got to be able to do that and I think we have run it well enough now that we have an opportunity, we just got to make sure we hit it when the opportunity presents itself so that is kind of where we are sitting at with that.”
On the offensive line’s impact in the running game:
“Very good and Spencer Lovell, you know the guy had not played a whole lot around here, he had to start last week, he had to go in against USC and was a starter this week and I thought they did a nice job of running the ball and pass protecting too. I think sometimes when routes don’t develop or guys are covered and the quarterback has to move around, people think the offensive line is not doing a good job. Passing is all on timing and sometimes if guys aren't open or they throw a coverage at us that defends it, the offensive line are kind of sitting there, they have a clock in their heads too saying the ball should be out and when it’s not then all of a sudden everybody’s thinking well they didn’t protect the quarterback, I don’t know about that, it’s just maybe they covered us. So, they have done a nice job when you think about how they’ve played all year. We’ve been able to run the football and people know we are trying to run the football so when you can still do that, it says a lot about them. The back is pretty special, but when you have a special guy he makes everyone look better and he is playing well right now.”
On Darien Butler’s legacy at ASU:
“When you come in here, and he wasn’t a touted five star guy, he is just Darien Butler and his stature, he's not 6’. He just came in here, and he came in late, because he’s actually a blue shirt guy and we said hey man, ‘you would get an opportunity to compete’ and his freshman year he ends up starting with Merlin (Robertson) and you have watched him progress from being that little young freshman guy to team captain. And I’ll tell you what… 3 is having a really good year, but Darien Butler… you watch that guy play, wow, he shows up on the tape. He is just a different person, his confidence, in pass coverage, blitzing, tackling, you see 20, you watch our tape and you watch him flash, you just see him, he just shows up, wow. That is the confidence that guy has, and he understands the defense, he gets guys lined up. We put a lot on his plate and he has done a nice job and I think all three of those linebackers, when you think about it, they played together for a little while, 34, 20, and 8. They are all interchangeable, sometimes, Darien is gonna have to play Mike. Sometimes when we only play 3 DB’s, he is the nickelback. Sometimes he is the wheel, so he has played all the positions and he is really having a good year.”
On talking to Marcus Allen about Rachaad White and memories playing against him:
“I recruited him (Marcus Allen) when he was a freshman at Lincoln high school when I was at San Diego State my last year so that’s how far we go back. Then I went to the league and obviously he came into the league but I remember when he came to Kansas City, we had kept in contact all that time but he came to Kansas City with Joe Montana, should call him Joe Legend, that is what I should call him, and watching him everyday work along with Montana and knowing who he was from high school, to USC, to the Raiders all those years. When I was coaching with Kansas City, watching his development and just the player he became. I have whispered at him about 3, I said hey, you know I called him cuddy because he always used to cut to get into open field, there’s a lot of similarities, height wise, catching the ball, running style a little bit, Marcus was a taller running back… but was a great pass protector too, a great blocker, I think his first year at USC, he played fullback, people don’t know that. He was a great blocker, just a great human being, we have been friends a long time.”
On first impression of Darien Butler:
“It did not surprise me when he came in as a freshman and his passion for the game, he wanted to prove himself because he was not a highly recruited guy because of that and then we recruited him and told him you have to have this blue shirt deal and you have to wait and it worked out and he came to camp and about the first week or two, I was looking and AP is coaching the linebackers and I go ‘that dude number 20 is kind of interesting’, he said ‘yeah’, I said ‘number 8 is kind of interesting too’ and then as we kept going, the season started and I said we are going to start two freshman linebackers, we put him in there and you guys are watching, his whole body has changed too, he is a different player and that comes with confidence and studying and he is always going to be that guy that has to try and prove himself because he is not the biggest guy, all I know is that when the ball gets thrown or they run it, Butler is around, Butler shows up, he just shows up and that is bottomline. When guys watch him on tape, they go who is 20, he is a good player, the scouts come in here and go I just needed to see him in person and they look at him and they sit there and they say ‘I love the way this guy plays’... and they all look at him and watch him so it will be interesting when the season is over with where he stacks up.
On lack of pressure from D-Line:
“We are getting some pressure, I think sometimes when you look at sacks you want to knock the quarterback down, you want to get to him, we are hitting him, we are moving him off his spot but you are right, you’d like some more sacks but we are getting close and there are a lot of guys in there playing some young guys I mean we are just trying to throw bodies in there because of some injuries and everything else but they are doing a pretty nice job they really are and I like to think if you can make the quarterback get off his spot and move him, you watch the tape and they are working at it and we gotta keep rolling them in there and keep working.”