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BOSTON COLLEGE FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 2, 2018

Steve Addazio

Boston, Massachusetts

STEVE ADDAZIO: We're excited to get out to Dallas to play Boise, a storied team that has had a bunch of ten-win seasons and competed and won the conference championship. Exciting football team. A team that's got a tremendous history. And Bryan Harsin has done a great job out there and we're going to have a chance to go out to a new venue, to a fifth bowl game in six years here and really let our team have a chance to develop through the bowl season and go out and try to get our eighth win.

We're very, very excited about it, about the quality of the team and the opponent that we're playing, and certainly excited about the bowl game and the venue that we're going to be in, in the Cotton Bowl, all the great things that go along with that. Looking forward to it. Happy to answer any questions.

Q. It's kind of like an exotic opponent, somebody you probably didn't expect to see, maybe a Big Ten or an SEC team?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Well, I think you're playing a team that has won a lot of football games. They've won three Fiesta Bowls in the last nine years and they are very, very good outstanding team. They've got some really, really good players and a tremendous back and quarterback, and they're ranked in the top-25 in offense, top 30-something in defense. I think we're playing a really, really good football team.

Something outside of a Big Ten or whatever match-up but a team that is really good football team. I don't know them specifically, I mean, I have not watched them or anything on tape, but I've watched them through the years when I catch 'em on TV and I know what their history is. So I think that's a real good team. We got a quality, good team, great match-up and a great venue. That's what's important and that's what we're excited about.

Q. Happy to be in Dallas this year instead of the Pinstripe Bowl, freezing, slippery conditions last year?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I'm happy to be where I can be. I mean, every time we have a chance to go play a bowl game, I'm exstatic. It gives us a chance to spend another month around our team, and a chance to develop our team, and go play an outside opponent. So honestly, like, I just love -- I love every bowl we've been to, to tell you the truth.

I find something exciting about every one of them. I think that's part of the experience and part of the fun, so never played Boise, never really seen Boise up close and personal, so just know very well their reputation and what their history has been. I'm excited about it, looking forward to it, yeah.

Q. I know there is not a lot left other than winning the bowl, but an eighth win would be a pretty good benchmark for this team after a while.
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah.

Q. Is that something you guys would talk about?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah, I mean, we want to win our eighth win, we want to develop our team, we want to get better, we want to continue to grow. It's all about development, man, to me.

We had a lot of good things happen to us this year, a lot of new good things happen to us this year, as a part of our continued development. So now we get a chance to tack on another 15 practices on to that, and then we get another chance to play another opponent, and as you said we get another chance to get another win, which would be our eighth win, so those are all great things.

Q. What's the play calling responsibilities going to be like? Is Scott going to stick around or is this going to be -- who is going to call the place on offense?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I think right now the plan is that Scott is going to be back for the bowl game. He and I talked about it several times, but we'll see. We'll see how that goes. He's got a job to do, too, but that's the plan right now. But plans change, you know, things come up, stuff happens. I'm not really concerned about it. We've got really good coaches here, and there is a lot of input that goes in on both sides of the ball by a lot of people, including myself.

But I anticipate Scott being here, probably when that dead period starts. That recruiting ends, right in there, the end of not this week but the end of the following week, something like that. That's when we would really be hitting our most serious practices, going in, preparing for this game. I gotta look at the calendar. I just got this information, let's call it, 15 minutes ago. So every bowl has a different start date. So when you have your start date, what you do is take that start date and back up your practices, so the earlier the bowl the further you back up those practices.

Before I walked down here, we were setting our calendar and working on that. So I've got to take a good, hard look at when the bulk of our real Boise practices begin, and I gotta make sure that all matches up. This weekend we practiced. Those were development. Next weekend we practiced. Those are development. At some point after that they shift from development and they start to merge into Boise.

So I want to -- I need to spend a little bit more time with the calendar to get a handle on it. I have a rough idea right now. Those dates will be an important factor in everything.

Q. What about these three guys going to the Senior Bowl, too?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah, four of them.

Q. They get to play a 14th game.
STEVE ADDAZIO: It's awesome, right? So we have four guys going to the Senior Bowl. It's tremendous. I don't think any one of them were five stars. In fact, I'm pretty sure none of them were four stars. They're just really smart, tough, talented, hard-working guys that have worked their tails off in this program, and now they're going to the Senior Bowl.

That's a great thing. I'm really proud of them, really happy for them. What great opportunity! The three of these guys and Zach Allen, and we've got several other guys going to other bowls as well, so I'm jacked up for all of them and I'm excited to watch them play in our bowl game. There will be some great moments in that bowl game with these guys. Last time they put on a BC uniform, and I expect it will be a great showing in Dallas. I'm jacked up about it.

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVE ADDAZIO: You know what? I really can't. I think Martin could probably address that more. I know there is a process. I'm not a part of that process, so I wasn't in that conversation, but I think Martin would be the best guy to address it and speak to -- you know, they have a process within the ACC and how they go about these things. Sometimes you have a little contact with the bowl people along the way. I'm sure, like everything else, there is a lot that goes into these things. There is a lot of little checker/chess moves, and like anything else, I'm sure there is politics and everything else that goes into these things.

I assumed -- I've been so busy recruiting and recruiting weekends, that, you know, I think I told these guys, they'll tell ya, I think we practiced Friday and Saturday and I think I said after practice Saturday, I don't care who we play, where we play, when we play, I don't care if we play in the parking lot or play on planet Pluto. I just know we have a chance to play a bowl game, and we have a chance to be together and we're going to have a chance to do some great things. So I'm excited and jacked up, and that's really -- but I would ask Martin, and he would be happy to answer those things. No, I was not around all of that dynamic.

Q. So when you got the word were you surprised? I'm sure you heard some projections.
STEVE ADDAZIO: You know what? I didn't. It was all over -- I don't know, you know, honestly I didn't know. It's kind of like when you start saying, hey, what round is a guy going to get drafted in? Who the heck knows? No. Was I surprised? No, because I knew I didn't know. You know? So I just got a text from Martin and Reggie and Jason and said this is what's going on. I'm like, great, fantastic, I went right into the staff room, and myself and Shane and Frank Piraino looked at the calendar and started doing the calendar, because in my world right now that's what's concerning me, is getting it all figured out, because I've got to manage the recruiting and the practice. As soon as I walk out of here, I'm going to go back upstairs and finally tune up that calendar.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.

Will Harris.

STEVE ADDAZIO: How you doing?

Q. Kind of like an exotic opponent from a FAR away division you probably thought you would never play against.
STEVE ADDAZIO: Right, like Coach just said we're just happy to find out finally who we're playing and get a chance to go out and get our eighth win and compete at the highest level so obviously Boise State, they're a good team, got a lot of wins under their belt ask they play a lot of good football so we're really excited. We just got the news today so couple minutes ago so we're ready.

Q. I asked about the chance to get an eighth win, something the program hasn't done in a while. Is that on your guys' minds coming into this one?
STEVE ADDAZIO: It means the world to us, because it's our next game. For a lot of us, especially, my fellow seniors up there, means our last game, putting on a BC uniform. Means the world to us and all the years that culminated up to this be point, it's going to be really special, it's going to be really special. Our job is to prepare adds best we can for this game and to come out as mentally and physically prepared as possible.

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVE ADDAZIO: No, I think everyone else knew before we did, even though we were sitting right here. Like Coach said, we finally got the information and we knew we were playing, where we were playing, who we were playing, now it's time to get to work.

Q. Talk about getting the word on the Senior Bowl. Must be an exciting weekend for you. How did you react to getting that news?
STEVE ADDAZIO: It was exciting, a chance to go out and compete. Some guys around the nation, especially with my teammates who also got invited as well, so that was exciting. At the same time my priority is looking forward to this bowl game and getting prepared for this bowl game and making sure we have the senior leadership and we're prepared for this game. P.

Q. You guys excited to be in a warmer environment this time around? There was a feel that you guys were cheated out of that last bowl win because of a frozen field?
STEVE ADDAZIO: No, we'll play anywhere. It doesn't really matter. It's our responsibility to come away with the plays that we need to make to win games. So whenever that doesn't happen, that's on us.

We've never blamed it on any exterior factor. We'll be ready for this one and can't wait. It's going to be exciting.

Q. Do you have any memories with the Cotton Bowl, Boise State, the Statue of Liberty play, specifically?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I was a lot younger when I saw that the first time. But, yeah, they got a long history of making big plays in bowl games. It will be very interesting to finally get the film on them. I've never seen Boise State on film, just here and there on TV, every once in a while so it will be interesting to break them down on film and get going on those guys.

Q. A lot of the senior leadership has come from the defensive backs going back to Justin Simmons and up to yourself. Is that something you think about? Did you learn a lot from those guys that you can bring into this?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I did, I did, I credit those guys all the time every time I talk to them, and I'm appreciative of those guys and everything they've taught me on and off the field, as far as technique and leadership on and off the field. I feel like that's been my job especially as a captain, that's been my job from day one.

I don't plan on switching up any way I go about it, just plan on attacking each and every day as hard as I can. Trying to lead that team in the best way I can, just like I've done since day one.

Q. During the bowl prep period we hear about the offense, lots of trick plays, creative plays called that are may be in the works. Is there more creativity that you can add to the defense as well?
STEVE ADDAZIO: We have a multiple defense so we can touch on a lot of things. Again, we haven't gotten to the film yet but once the coaches start to break down the film and we get into the bias see state weeks we will be able to draw up some stuff and, you know, see where our match-ups align in the near future, when we breakdown film.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Will.

THE MODERATOR: Chris Lind symptom. Questions for Chris?

Q. How do you feel? It's an opponent you never thought you would probably see in a college football game and now it's reality for you. What do you think did it?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I'm excited. It's a great opportunity. I'm excited that we have the TUBT to play in a bowl game against a great program like bias see State, playing in the Cotton Bowl it's going to be a great venue and excited for our team to get HUR eighth win ask playing against a team you don't see on tape and you don't see the teams they play so it's going to be interesting and cool bowl prep that is different from what we've been doing all season so looking forward to it.

Q. Give us the state of the offensive line. You came through all 12 games healthy. Where are you at right now?
STEVE ADDAZIO: We have a great room. Of everyone is healthy ask, working with each other ask trying to develop the young guys right now so as an older guy, I know Baker and Sam and Erin, guys who are leaving are trying to push the younger guys along so they can have a great team in the future. That's what we're trying right now to do as a room is develop those younger guys so they can be great BC offensive linemen and carry that tradition on.

Q. Your thoughts of getting to the Senior Bowl and having a 14th game season? What does that mean to you?
STEVE ADDAZIO: I'm very excited. Blessed to have the opportunity to play in that game and a tremendous opportunity and thank of the the guys on our team are going to be there and first before that happens I'm trying to end my BC career and as a senior class trying to do something special here and get our eighth win. Hasn't been done in a while ask that's something we have set out to do this season so we're looking forward to it as a senior leadership and as a team and me personally, to go out there and attack this game and attack this bowl prep.

Q. The idea that you can compete in the ACC does that make you free throw line like you can compete with anybody?
STEVE ADDAZIO: We play in one of the best conferences in the country but there's great teams everywhere and BROIS see State is one of those teams. We haven't been able to see the tape but I think they're 10-3 and that's a lot of football games to win so you've got to be a great team. To come in every week in and out like that means you're a special team pep.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Chris.

THE MODERATOR: Now we have Tommy Sweeney. Questions for Tommy.

Q. Better than Detroit?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Different than Detroit. Like everybody said, we'll play anywhere. Texas is great spot, Dallas is cool, Cotton Bowl is very famous, stadium, I think P BC got a win there in' 85, and, I think we have a tradition there, yeah, it's pretty cool. ^ CK?c.

Q. Talk about getting that eighth win that hasn't been accomplished in a while. Is that on your mind?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah, it's the only thing, really, and the game is 25 days from now, 24, that's the only thing that matters. Working together for a couple weeks now and we got that great opportunity to do so.

Q. Could you have being MABLGD a better week, first-team All-ACC, Senior Bowl, playing in Dallas, Texas? Of all places?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah, it's pretty cool. A lot of cool things, thankful for that, individually and for the team. Worry about the Senior Bowl stuff after but right now excited to get this chance to win an eighth game here with the boys and finish this thing up at BC

Q. Every been to Dallas?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Yeah, I think I played an AAU basketball TUSH A. There when I was in high school but I didn't see much of it, heard it's a cool city so want to check it out.

Q. Do you like the other side stuff that KOEMZ with the bowl games, like what you did in New York? Like the trappings, I guess, of the bowl games, not just playing in the game?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Some of it's pretty cool, in Detroit we saw the Ford museum, it was KOOSHLGS and running around New York City is a cool thing to do, it's cool stuff.

Q. What's the best bowl gift you've gotten?
STEVE ADDAZIO: Best bowl gift? Last year we got to go to like a hare Monday electronics, speakers and stuff like that so I was able to handle my Christmas shopping there so that took a load off there. ) Horr electric.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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