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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MEDIA CONFERENCEJanuary 14, 2015Dave ArandaJoe RudolphQ. Coach, looking at all the offense you had after Gary left, did you ever doubt that staying here would be the ideal situation for you? COACH ARANDA: No, this is something I wanted to do right from the start, and my family is awfully comfortable here. My wife loves it here. Kids have a great school environment. They have friends over to the house about every other day. I know that I love the kids here especially the group that's coming up. I'm excited about their potential and what we can accomplish. So I'm very happy that it worked out. Q. Is it gratifying to you in any sense knowing that all the work you put in in the past two years and the success you had led to this opportunity and that is the reason that you're still here, that Paul really wanted you? COACH ARANDA: I'm very humble. I feel I've been blessed. I look back at the relationships that I had with the previous staff with Gary and Chad and Bill, with T.J. and Andy, really grew close to Andy Ludwig, and just the interaction there the fellowship. I was blessed to be given this opportunity in the first place. I know with the new staff coming in, with Joe, with Inoke, they're great guys as well.  So you take advantage of the people that you have and what you can learn from them and how you can grow, how you can become better. So I'm awfully excited for that part of it and I see it as a blessing. Q. It's been suggested that you and Paul have a lot in common personality‑wise, tactics‑wise, that type of thing. What was it like sitting down and making that discovery for yourself, talking to Paul and maybe coming to the same conclusions about what you wanted to do and how he wanted to run this place? COACH ARANDA: It's been great conversation. I think in the past here when I would have discussions with past coaches‑‑ or I'm talking with my wife and it would be Dave, come on, let's get on with it. What are we trying to get to? What is the point? So it's always good to be able to talk something through and get to all sides of the argument, the good, the bad, the in between. I've been able to do that with Paul. I see that in Joe too. There is a thoroughness there, so I'm excited about what can come of that whether it is in spring ball or Alabama or whatever it is. Q. When you first started talking to Paul, did you talk much X's and O's whether or not you'd remain as a 3‑4 front or switch over to a 4‑3? COACH ARANDA: No, not really. A lot of it was more personality and getting to know Coach and then Coach getting to know me, probably most importantly. Talking about how practice will be structured, things he liked expectations for the defense, those types of things. Q. Do you care to share what the expectations of the defense will be this coming season? COACH ARANDA: We can improve in all areas and I say that with full confidence that we've got the ability to do that. I look back at whatever success that we've had, and we can build on those things. Whether it was being a stout front without a lot of movement, without a lot of pressure the first year, and then this past year movement every snap, the ability to create pressure. You'd like to have a balance somewhere there in between to where we can dictate that as opposed to at times that being dictated to us. Then, two, the ability to create takeaways. I feel I have failed in that area the last two years. We can be better in that area. You look at, I look at the bowl games and these playoff games and the success that comes to teams that create takeaways. So that is going to be a huge point of emphasis for us moving forward. The third thing I would say is the ability to finish the season. I feel like the previous two years there have been a stretch of games where it's been successful on defense, and we have not initially finished the season the way we played the interior or maybe the start of the season. So I think there are things that we can do to help facilitate that and be better in that area. So look forward to doing that. Q. Finishing the season, obviously a different performance from the Big Ten Championship game to the bowl game. What did you see differently? I'm sure you probably wanted to see more better things. But what was the difference from Ohio State to Auburn? COACH ARANDA: One of the best feelings for me is when you have a bunch of guys, whether it be players, coaches, support staff, you name it, just the community of Wisconsin Badgers football be all in. And when we played Auburn and the offense got to the point where we could get ‑‑ we were struggling there at the end in terms of catching our wind in terms of we're losing the edge on the perimeter, and to go into overtime and to look in Marcus Trotter's eyes and to look into Warren Haering's eyes, and to know that they knew we were going to win, that was so cool. You felt that. Sam's walking by and he's going, We're going to win this. You know, so that is such a big part of why we do what we do, and there is a lot of work to get to that point. There is a lot of work getting to know who your guys are and how to respond and get them to play together. But that was very evident in that game. That was very evident. So that is a strength of ours. We've got to be able to call it up a little bit more. Q. With the National Championship Game and Ohio State setting the bar so high and new coaches at Michigan and Nebraska especially, how much more difficult do you envision your task going forward than even it was this year? COACH ARANDA: Yeah, I'm excited about it. You want to be able to see your conference do well, and you want to be able to have those big games. You want that stage for your players and provide them with an opportunity to maybe go further than they thought they could. So I know that that is a motivating factor for our guys. It was this past year, and it will be even more so this year. So it creates a hunger, and we've got to continue to feed it. COACH RUDOLPH       THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Rudolph. Q. Joe, how well does this roster fit what you guys want to do offensively right now? COACH RUDOLPH: Well, just getting a chance to see them a little bit this year, I think that's part of just learning about them and getting a chance to know the guys, see how they play, what they do well. I think it's part of what you need to do going forward is put them in a position where they can be successful, and that is kind of‑‑ you've got to keep them in mind first when you're molding it. Q. What is the best part about being back? COACH RUDOLPH: I always have had incredible passion for Wisconsin. And being a part of it, being back when I coached and spending time here in every aspect I think as alum, as a former player, you just do. It's a great feeling. Q. What is the biggest challenge about being the offensive line coach here in addition to being the coordinator especially at a place like here where the line is so important? COACH RUDOLPH: Yeah, I love, I think, everything that truly signifies the tradition and really the foundation of your offensive line. It meets the parallel with the foundation of the football program. I think that's ultra important. I think those challenges will be fun. It will be great. I look forward to it. I think you create balance within your staff and the guys that you work with. You have to trust in certain areas. I think that will be exciting. I'm enjoying some of the guys I know. Some I'm getting to know. I look forward to working with them. I think you need those types of relationships to make it all work. Q. Was it difficult at all to leave the first time when you went with Paul to Pitt? Was it‑‑ I don't want to say a no‑brainer, but was it easy to come back this time? COACH RUDOLPH: I'm not a great person with change. I think when you're doing a job like this everything in your mind and everything that motivates you is to do great at what you're doing. So when change comes up and it deviates you from doing that, it takes a little while for it to settle in. Yeah, it was really difficult the first time. Obviously, you'd never do it if you didn't have great passion for the person you'd be working for. I think there are times when you recognize that you need challenges and challenges help you to grow. I think it was an opportunity, and I think it was really a great growth period for me. Q. (No microphone)? COACH RUDOLPH: Yeah, it seems that way, yet you have so many close ties and so much that you're passionate about. I think, like I said, when you're changing gears and excited about what you're doing, it's always difficult. I think for all the same reasons. You take the first trip and you take this one with excitement, and things start to settle down you really start to enjoy it. Q. You had an opportunity to coach Mickey when he was here. What about him as a person do you think makes him a good coach or going to be a good coach? COACH RUDOLPH: I think the one thing you truly appreciate about Mickey, and I had a chance to work with him for two years is there is a willingness there to not only learn but to kind of own it, to learn it at a different level. You appreciate it with him as a player. You also saw an ability in him as a person to create and build relationships. I think there was a time going into his senior year where I really thought as a team we needed a leader and needed guys to step up in that respect. And the way he was passionate about doing it, and the way he invested and making that happen and I just have always seen a great ability in him. So for it to come to this point is pretty fun. I think he'll do an outstanding job. Q. You made reference to the growth you had going out to Pitt and the three years you had with Paul.  How did that growth change with Paul? How is he a different coach and perhaps a different organizer than he was when he went out three years later coming back to Wisconsin? COACH RUDOLPH: Well, I think it's part of our profession. Like every day you're trying to work to be a little bit better, and you're working to change, and you're looking at things that help you. To watch Paul over the three years, the best part is to have watched what's been at his core and made him truly special remain exactly that. His trust in others, his belief in others, the way he takes input in and thinks through decisions and never stops trying to find the best outcome in situations, whether it be related to football or whether it related to the lives of the student‑athletes, those are things that motivate you as a coach to want to do the same. I think all the other things you do day‑in and day‑out, just the repetition of doing it, you get better and better and better with. I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing. It was three years where you continue to grow. And if he had been in his fourth year there he would have been a much better fourth year coach. Being here it's a great chance to put things forward that he had a chance to work through and he applied there. Q.  You talked about the growth that Paul made. But in what ways do you feel you've grown or been an offensive coordinator at Pitt that you think you can take here to Wisconsin? COACH RUDOLPH: I think first off going in and being able to put an offense in that really install it from ground zero, I think that's important. I think really appreciating the fact that you need to know your players and you need to know their capabilities and what they're good at. Like all coaches try to do to put them in the best position to be successful, and you have to be willing to change and bend, and always keep working towards what you think may be ideal. That growth happened from development, from recruiting, from we were forced to play guys that were a little younger and getting them ready and I think you learn a lot from that. Those are probably the main things that really forced you out of your comfort zone to have to do. Q. So much for being gone for three years. When you come back, you still know where everything is in town, the streets and the football offices look the same, that kind of thing? COACH RUDOLPH: Yeah, there have been some great changes. Some of the changes have been the facility, very impressive and have enjoyed that. I got turned around a whole bit today, honestly. But the streets, I'm pretty good there. I'm pretty good finding my way around that part of it. But it's been some really nice surprises coming back. Q. Obviously the fans focus a lot on the quarterback position. Is there a blueprint that a quarterback thrives on an offense by you? What are your thoughts about the guys on the roster here? COACH RUDOLPH: I think we're familiar with Joel because he was here, got to know him. But I think for the most part we'll enjoy kind of learning about them and finding out their strengths. I think that is the strength of the offense is trying to help guys have ownership so they really know it and understand it, and have confidence in execution. Just put them in positions where they are confident and they can be successful. That will be the ultimate goal. So I'm excited. That is the part that you're pumped to dig into and get going with. Q. Coach, with the Big Ten changing and evolving with the type of talent pool of Ohio State and Michigan, team speed seems to be trying to match other conferences in the nation. On the recruiting trail, do you start to go after a certain type of athlete more or does your recruiting style or technique or strategy change now coming into Wisconsin and trying to catch up or do you stay on your path that you've done before? How do you assess your strategy for recruiting? COACH RUDOLPH: It's probably a better question for Paul, but I would say this, your goal is always to get the best players you can find. Then I think your foundation is that you never compromise when it comes to character, when it comes to fitting your program. So that's how you create your pool. There is nobody that you wouldn't go after. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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