On putting the win vs Utah into perspective
“We don’t dialogue a lot on all that. The whole thing is being focused. We just have to be focused on getting better and I felt like we are doing that. You just can't have any distractions and just continue to have a passion every day to getting better fundamentally. And have a short memory; move on to the next deal and on the same hand, I tell them ‘too have fun.’ Especially when things are going well and your winning. I talk to them about being a football player most of your life. Getting to coach games like this Saturday, and like the last few games here, is what it is all about, so just enjoy it too. I think this a really close football team. They don’t say a whole lot. I like how they do everything exactly like we wanted them to do it all week and when you invest all week, that’s what makes it happen. The deal is, if you're being distracted and talking about all this stuff, then you can be distracted from what you’re doing. That’s everybody; coaches and players. We just have to keep our head down and understand how difficult it is in this league to be successful and to keep getting better. I am proud of where we are at, but we haven’t accomplished anything. We just have to go figure out how to go get another win.”
On improvement of tackling over the course of the year
“I think it has gotten better. That was our big focus in the off week was to improve fundamentally in our tackling and we saw some things we could work on. I think we have gotten better every week, every day, every rep as a football team and we have to continue to do that. Anything we have done to this point is not good enough to get to where we want to be.”
On actions behind the scenes to improve the team
“I look at it differently. I call it the non-conference or the preseason games. We want to win every game and once that is over with, it’s over with. We are three and one in the conference. Once you have lost one, you can’t lose any more. The way I look at that is differently; the key is to getting better every week and figuring out how to win the next game. You want to win all non-conference games. Our goal is to be Pac-12 champions. To do that is to get better every week and I think we have done that. Behind the scenes we are just grinding -- I love it. I love coming to work every day. I think our players love each other and care for each other. This is a very close group and I think tough people come out of tough times. In 2013, we played a tough schedule. We played Wisconsin and getting beat to Notre Dame around the sixth game. I think we have been through the hard times. I think it builds character and toughness. You get to a point where you know what it takes, sacrifice wise, to get there and these guys have done it. Behind the scenes, I think there is a lot of confidence building with our guys. We have just kept our head down, kept plugin and getting better. Whether it be coaches or players, we have a good football team and we are confident in that. That is what I feel. There is such a fine line between winning and losing, it’s amazing to me but it’s awesome. I love being able to do this and I think it’s going to be a sold-out crowd this week -- I encourage people to get their tickets as quickly as possible. I hope we do everything we can to have as many people without violating the fire code.”
On guys continuing to buy in
“I don’t think we have validated anything. We haven’t done anything. We go win the next eight games and yeah, we have validated ourselves. I am not really thinking about that, I just love to compete and have fun. It is just a fun deal to be associated with, especially when you have been through the muck. You know how I feel about change. We don’t change anything; the time is always the same, ask coach (Tim) Cassidy. Everything is exactly the same. If it was up to me we wouldn’t have a home and away uniform, if it was up to me but it’s not up to me. Obviously, I don’t play, and I am not a recruit so we're going to have a few more uniforms. I think that you can over analyze all those things. I am just having fun coaching and I am loving developing this group. I love the humility of our players and coaches, just how we work together. We have interaction between our offensive and defensive staffs. I have worked and consulted with them on both sides of the football. It’s nothing like teaching and seeing our kids get it. Our players deserve all the credit because they’re the ones with the investment. I do think that we haven’t compromised our values and have a culture, that is the reason why its producing discipline and why we’re getting better.”
On AJ Latu’s injury
“Expect AJ to play. He wasn’t able to practice last week, and I think we made a smart decision to not trying to get him to play, so I expect him to be back. We are pretty healthy other than bumps and bruises. I expect Jalen Harvey to play. Steve Miller is fine. I always go out there and tell them they're fine, I’ll tell them if they're hurt. Kyle Williams is good to go.”
On what Phil Bennett brings to the coaching staff
“One of the things is every person I hire I want to hire good men that believe in the teaching model. That is first and foremost. That means you have to love your kids. You have to love this and have a passion for it. You have to be a guy that embraces our philosophy. In having a guy that I have such a long history with, one of the things I knew about Phil (Bennett) was he taught me back when I was in my early 20’s was secondary play. I used to go to a clinic called the San Angelo Football Clinic and Wade Phillips, Emory Bellard, R.C. Slocum, Phil Bennett. I sat in rooms listening to those guys. Tommy Tubberville and guys like that too. I knew Phil was a great developer of defensive backs and we knew we were going to have a large turnover. Some by design and some not by design. We knew we needed dramatic changes in personnel in the secondary and he is the best I know at developing DB’s (Defensive Back’s). The defensive staff and how he (Phil) came in and how he works with myself, with Coach (Keith) Patterson, coach (Michael) Slater, coach (Shawn) Slocum, who has been around Shawn his whole life. There was no getting to know each other, I love how he does it. I also felt like his personality is similar to mine. We can’t reinvent the kids we recruited to be here. We have to adapt to it. Just like how we adapted this year to guys we have back there (in the secondary). I think they are all new, I don’t know if any of them started last year, maybe Chad (Adams) started one game. That’s what has been really successful and what has been nice with Coach (Billy) Napier; we are working together, and we game plan together. During the game, we are communicating together. Before, it was just me and Mike (Norvell). Mike and I were pretty close. There was none of that stuff that you have in other situations. Hiring Phil has been great. Billy is a coach’s kid. Billy has been in really good programs and Billy is a teacher. How Phil helps us not only defensively, but he interacts with our offensive staff as well. We haven’t had to go through all new people and I think that’s helped a great deal. If you think about, just between me and Phil, we have 70 years of coaching defense. If we just put our heads together and really adapt to our players and stay true to what we should do, then eventually we will keep getting better. Moving forward is the key; the key is continuity and keep those things in place, especially when it comes to teaching. It’s like when you have a teacher in Math, and you have him for half the semester and then they leave, it affects people.”
On time of possession
"I think that’s what I was just talking about. You just want to win games. In 2017, we evolve and see what our strengths and weaknesses are. We’ve game planned to that and snaps is the most important thing. 70 to 55. That’s 15 snaps. So, we had fifteen more snaps than Utah had. I think that gives us a better chance to win. The time of possession is not always true, but I like that stat. I’d like to be there the rest of the way because it tells you that you’re making first downs and you’re doing some things right. But, also it’s been a little bit different sometimes because our personality of our team has been a little bit different when you’re the highest points scoring team you just have to adapt to what you’re doing. That’s where I think we’re doing a good job, we’re evolving and we’re adapting and how you do that is, you stay focused and you stay humble.”
On J’Marcus Rhodes play
“I think J’Marcus (Rhoades) is having a great year. He’s another guy that has gotten better every week. He’s a guy that’s just continuing to get better in terms of how he presents. He’s our strong safety and just with his stems and disguises, he’s really growing and a complete player. I think he’s just scratched the surface on how good he can be. He’ssacrificesdone a good job.”
On throwing a game ball into the crowd after the Utah win
“I do that after every time we win.”
On Michael Crow receiving a game ball
“There’s about six game balls. I always give one to Jim (Hudson), our Band Director and then I’ll always throw one in the stands and then for the Washington game, I gave one to Dr. (Michael) Crow. I always do that.”
On fan base criticism on jeopardy of job
“Just like I said, I started off coaching seventh-grade football thirty years ago. I’m a competitor. I don’t expect anybody to be happy or support mediocrity and I take responsibility. That’s how I dealt with it. At the same hand, I have confidence and belief in what I am doing. I know we’re doing things the right way. Sometimes our society is one that we want to come easy and sometimes they do. But sometimes they don’t and when you get knocked on your can, sometimes you get back up. If you’re doing things the right way and you have a plan, you reap what you sow. On the same hand, you could do everything right and still not win -- still not be successful. It’s hard. I’m not lying to you. It’s hard for my family. But, on the same hand, it’s a blessing to be able to do this. My son gets to be around these young men that I coach that are champions. He’s blessed to get to do that and my wife is blessed to be a part of their lives. There’s give and take on that, I don’t blame them. Nobody was more disappointed and frustrated than I was. I think that I wasn’t doing a very good job. So, you’re going to get criticism when that happens. What you do is you roll your sleeves up and you go to work, but if you’re doing things the right way, you reap what you sow, which is what I believe. You just keep plugging. So, they have every right. This is their team. I tell our players right before they take the field give them what they want. As a matter of fact, if you hear me in the locker room, I’ll say ‘hey, who do you play for’ and it’s who I coach for. Those people in the stands. That’s who pays my salary. So, I don’t blame them one bit. I want to win. I’m a competitor. No one has higher expectations than I do. It’s not fun. It’s also something I’ve been doing for a while. In my life, the way I learn things is to get up off the ground and persevere through things. The blessing I have to get to do this. It’s amazing that there’s an occupation to get to do this and get paid for it. I’m pretty blessed. I’m thankful they have high expectations and that’s something I’ve wanted ever since I’ve been here. When I first got here, I was trying to drive expectations up because I truly mean what I say. I come here and our mission is to build young men that are champions in life, but at the same time, I want to win a Pac-12 championship. I want to stand on that stage and hoist that trophy up. As a matter of fact, in my locker room where I dress, I have a picture of the Rose Bowl champion stadium from 1987 and I look at that every day. Those are things that are goals of ours to do and obviously, the Rose Bowl is very important to our fan base and important to this place and when I meet those guys, I see their rings. I’d like to have one of those. With that comes expectations. I don’t have a problem with expectations. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere that is not happy with mediocrity.”
On most impressive qualities about Sam Darnold
“One, I think he’s tough. I think he is very smart. His arm talent is phenomenal. He’s strong and he’s hard to bring down. He’s a guy that you got to have a really solid plan for because he can hurt you. He extends plays and can really really damage you. So, you’ve got to have a plan for that. The thing about USC is they obviously have the best skill players that we’re going to play all year long. They’re the most physically talented football team we’re going to play in the same lines as a Washington. Washington and USC are probably the most two talented teams. He’s got a really great running back and great receivers and that’s the strength of their team, their offense.”
On Darnold being most dangerous when extending plays
“I think so. I think he’s a great rhythm passer. He gets the ball off on time and there are challenges with that. He throws really well on the move and sprinting out. Where I think he’s the most dangerous is when he’s scrambling. He’s stays alive with his eyes downfield and he made a throw to the tight end in the Utah game that was like, wow. He was running around and threw it probably thirty yards on a dime and there were probably two defenders right there. He can throw into the small windows. He can be leaning one way and throw the other. So, he’s pretty special.”
On seeing uniforms for Colorado game honoring Pat Tillman
“Obviously, the most important thing to me is what we’re celebrating that week and that’s the people that put their life on the line that sacrifice every day so that we can do this game like we do it. It’s a big honor for me. I think so few that pay the price for so many in this country and I know sometimes we take that for granted. It is a special deal because we obviously recognize the great sun devil, Pat Tillman for all the people that serve and defend our great country.”
“We don’t dialogue a lot on all that. The whole thing is being focused. We just have to be focused on getting better and I felt like we are doing that. You just can't have any distractions and just continue to have a passion every day to getting better fundamentally. And have a short memory; move on to the next deal and on the same hand, I tell them ‘too have fun.’ Especially when things are going well and your winning. I talk to them about being a football player most of your life. Getting to coach games like this Saturday, and like the last few games here, is what it is all about, so just enjoy it too. I think this a really close football team. They don’t say a whole lot. I like how they do everything exactly like we wanted them to do it all week and when you invest all week, that’s what makes it happen. The deal is, if you're being distracted and talking about all this stuff, then you can be distracted from what you’re doing. That’s everybody; coaches and players. We just have to keep our head down and understand how difficult it is in this league to be successful and to keep getting better. I am proud of where we are at, but we haven’t accomplished anything. We just have to go figure out how to go get another win.”
On improvement of tackling over the course of the year
“I think it has gotten better. That was our big focus in the off week was to improve fundamentally in our tackling and we saw some things we could work on. I think we have gotten better every week, every day, every rep as a football team and we have to continue to do that. Anything we have done to this point is not good enough to get to where we want to be.”
On actions behind the scenes to improve the team
“I look at it differently. I call it the non-conference or the preseason games. We want to win every game and once that is over with, it’s over with. We are three and one in the conference. Once you have lost one, you can’t lose any more. The way I look at that is differently; the key is to getting better every week and figuring out how to win the next game. You want to win all non-conference games. Our goal is to be Pac-12 champions. To do that is to get better every week and I think we have done that. Behind the scenes we are just grinding -- I love it. I love coming to work every day. I think our players love each other and care for each other. This is a very close group and I think tough people come out of tough times. In 2013, we played a tough schedule. We played Wisconsin and getting beat to Notre Dame around the sixth game. I think we have been through the hard times. I think it builds character and toughness. You get to a point where you know what it takes, sacrifice wise, to get there and these guys have done it. Behind the scenes, I think there is a lot of confidence building with our guys. We have just kept our head down, kept plugin and getting better. Whether it be coaches or players, we have a good football team and we are confident in that. That is what I feel. There is such a fine line between winning and losing, it’s amazing to me but it’s awesome. I love being able to do this and I think it’s going to be a sold-out crowd this week -- I encourage people to get their tickets as quickly as possible. I hope we do everything we can to have as many people without violating the fire code.”
On guys continuing to buy in
“I don’t think we have validated anything. We haven’t done anything. We go win the next eight games and yeah, we have validated ourselves. I am not really thinking about that, I just love to compete and have fun. It is just a fun deal to be associated with, especially when you have been through the muck. You know how I feel about change. We don’t change anything; the time is always the same, ask coach (Tim) Cassidy. Everything is exactly the same. If it was up to me we wouldn’t have a home and away uniform, if it was up to me but it’s not up to me. Obviously, I don’t play, and I am not a recruit so we're going to have a few more uniforms. I think that you can over analyze all those things. I am just having fun coaching and I am loving developing this group. I love the humility of our players and coaches, just how we work together. We have interaction between our offensive and defensive staffs. I have worked and consulted with them on both sides of the football. It’s nothing like teaching and seeing our kids get it. Our players deserve all the credit because they’re the ones with the investment. I do think that we haven’t compromised our values and have a culture, that is the reason why its producing discipline and why we’re getting better.”
On AJ Latu’s injury
“Expect AJ to play. He wasn’t able to practice last week, and I think we made a smart decision to not trying to get him to play, so I expect him to be back. We are pretty healthy other than bumps and bruises. I expect Jalen Harvey to play. Steve Miller is fine. I always go out there and tell them they're fine, I’ll tell them if they're hurt. Kyle Williams is good to go.”
On what Phil Bennett brings to the coaching staff
“One of the things is every person I hire I want to hire good men that believe in the teaching model. That is first and foremost. That means you have to love your kids. You have to love this and have a passion for it. You have to be a guy that embraces our philosophy. In having a guy that I have such a long history with, one of the things I knew about Phil (Bennett) was he taught me back when I was in my early 20’s was secondary play. I used to go to a clinic called the San Angelo Football Clinic and Wade Phillips, Emory Bellard, R.C. Slocum, Phil Bennett. I sat in rooms listening to those guys. Tommy Tubberville and guys like that too. I knew Phil was a great developer of defensive backs and we knew we were going to have a large turnover. Some by design and some not by design. We knew we needed dramatic changes in personnel in the secondary and he is the best I know at developing DB’s (Defensive Back’s). The defensive staff and how he (Phil) came in and how he works with myself, with Coach (Keith) Patterson, coach (Michael) Slater, coach (Shawn) Slocum, who has been around Shawn his whole life. There was no getting to know each other, I love how he does it. I also felt like his personality is similar to mine. We can’t reinvent the kids we recruited to be here. We have to adapt to it. Just like how we adapted this year to guys we have back there (in the secondary). I think they are all new, I don’t know if any of them started last year, maybe Chad (Adams) started one game. That’s what has been really successful and what has been nice with Coach (Billy) Napier; we are working together, and we game plan together. During the game, we are communicating together. Before, it was just me and Mike (Norvell). Mike and I were pretty close. There was none of that stuff that you have in other situations. Hiring Phil has been great. Billy is a coach’s kid. Billy has been in really good programs and Billy is a teacher. How Phil helps us not only defensively, but he interacts with our offensive staff as well. We haven’t had to go through all new people and I think that’s helped a great deal. If you think about, just between me and Phil, we have 70 years of coaching defense. If we just put our heads together and really adapt to our players and stay true to what we should do, then eventually we will keep getting better. Moving forward is the key; the key is continuity and keep those things in place, especially when it comes to teaching. It’s like when you have a teacher in Math, and you have him for half the semester and then they leave, it affects people.”
On time of possession
"I think that’s what I was just talking about. You just want to win games. In 2017, we evolve and see what our strengths and weaknesses are. We’ve game planned to that and snaps is the most important thing. 70 to 55. That’s 15 snaps. So, we had fifteen more snaps than Utah had. I think that gives us a better chance to win. The time of possession is not always true, but I like that stat. I’d like to be there the rest of the way because it tells you that you’re making first downs and you’re doing some things right. But, also it’s been a little bit different sometimes because our personality of our team has been a little bit different when you’re the highest points scoring team you just have to adapt to what you’re doing. That’s where I think we’re doing a good job, we’re evolving and we’re adapting and how you do that is, you stay focused and you stay humble.”
On J’Marcus Rhodes play
“I think J’Marcus (Rhoades) is having a great year. He’s another guy that has gotten better every week. He’s a guy that’s just continuing to get better in terms of how he presents. He’s our strong safety and just with his stems and disguises, he’s really growing and a complete player. I think he’s just scratched the surface on how good he can be. He’ssacrificesdone a good job.”
On throwing a game ball into the crowd after the Utah win
“I do that after every time we win.”
On Michael Crow receiving a game ball
“There’s about six game balls. I always give one to Jim (Hudson), our Band Director and then I’ll always throw one in the stands and then for the Washington game, I gave one to Dr. (Michael) Crow. I always do that.”
On fan base criticism on jeopardy of job
“Just like I said, I started off coaching seventh-grade football thirty years ago. I’m a competitor. I don’t expect anybody to be happy or support mediocrity and I take responsibility. That’s how I dealt with it. At the same hand, I have confidence and belief in what I am doing. I know we’re doing things the right way. Sometimes our society is one that we want to come easy and sometimes they do. But sometimes they don’t and when you get knocked on your can, sometimes you get back up. If you’re doing things the right way and you have a plan, you reap what you sow. On the same hand, you could do everything right and still not win -- still not be successful. It’s hard. I’m not lying to you. It’s hard for my family. But, on the same hand, it’s a blessing to be able to do this. My son gets to be around these young men that I coach that are champions. He’s blessed to get to do that and my wife is blessed to be a part of their lives. There’s give and take on that, I don’t blame them. Nobody was more disappointed and frustrated than I was. I think that I wasn’t doing a very good job. So, you’re going to get criticism when that happens. What you do is you roll your sleeves up and you go to work, but if you’re doing things the right way, you reap what you sow, which is what I believe. You just keep plugging. So, they have every right. This is their team. I tell our players right before they take the field give them what they want. As a matter of fact, if you hear me in the locker room, I’ll say ‘hey, who do you play for’ and it’s who I coach for. Those people in the stands. That’s who pays my salary. So, I don’t blame them one bit. I want to win. I’m a competitor. No one has higher expectations than I do. It’s not fun. It’s also something I’ve been doing for a while. In my life, the way I learn things is to get up off the ground and persevere through things. The blessing I have to get to do this. It’s amazing that there’s an occupation to get to do this and get paid for it. I’m pretty blessed. I’m thankful they have high expectations and that’s something I’ve wanted ever since I’ve been here. When I first got here, I was trying to drive expectations up because I truly mean what I say. I come here and our mission is to build young men that are champions in life, but at the same time, I want to win a Pac-12 championship. I want to stand on that stage and hoist that trophy up. As a matter of fact, in my locker room where I dress, I have a picture of the Rose Bowl champion stadium from 1987 and I look at that every day. Those are things that are goals of ours to do and obviously, the Rose Bowl is very important to our fan base and important to this place and when I meet those guys, I see their rings. I’d like to have one of those. With that comes expectations. I don’t have a problem with expectations. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere that is not happy with mediocrity.”
On most impressive qualities about Sam Darnold
“One, I think he’s tough. I think he is very smart. His arm talent is phenomenal. He’s strong and he’s hard to bring down. He’s a guy that you got to have a really solid plan for because he can hurt you. He extends plays and can really really damage you. So, you’ve got to have a plan for that. The thing about USC is they obviously have the best skill players that we’re going to play all year long. They’re the most physically talented football team we’re going to play in the same lines as a Washington. Washington and USC are probably the most two talented teams. He’s got a really great running back and great receivers and that’s the strength of their team, their offense.”
On Darnold being most dangerous when extending plays
“I think so. I think he’s a great rhythm passer. He gets the ball off on time and there are challenges with that. He throws really well on the move and sprinting out. Where I think he’s the most dangerous is when he’s scrambling. He’s stays alive with his eyes downfield and he made a throw to the tight end in the Utah game that was like, wow. He was running around and threw it probably thirty yards on a dime and there were probably two defenders right there. He can throw into the small windows. He can be leaning one way and throw the other. So, he’s pretty special.”
On seeing uniforms for Colorado game honoring Pat Tillman
“Obviously, the most important thing to me is what we’re celebrating that week and that’s the people that put their life on the line that sacrifice every day so that we can do this game like we do it. It’s a big honor for me. I think so few that pay the price for so many in this country and I know sometimes we take that for granted. It is a special deal because we obviously recognize the great sun devil, Pat Tillman for all the people that serve and defend our great country.”