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VIZIO FIESTA BOWL: BOISE STATE v ARIZONADecember 28, 2014Tanner RossGLENDALE, ARIZONA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. What does it mean for you to be in the Fiesta Bowl? TANNER VALLEJO: Man, this is why most of the players come to Boise State, is to get to big‑time games like this. We just are playing to go out with a win. Q. As you walk around that football facility, look at all that success, now you're part of it, being at the Fiesta Bowl... TANNER VALLEJO: It means everything to us, just believing in the coaches, buying in, it's got us here. From what happened last year, we could have crumbled as a team. The whole world was watching what Boise State was going to do, how we were going to respond. I think this is the best thing that could have happened to us, best way to respond. Q. How did the first victory change everything for this program? TANNER VALLEJO: I mean, I think it helps get higher recruits in. It just puts them in the national spotlight. That first win, I forget what they used to call Boise State, but it put us up with the top names in the country. Even though it was impossible for us to get to the national championship, it was always known that Boise State could possibly be in this game. When I got the offer from Boise State, it was like, Whoa. I remember showing one of my friends that I got a Boise State offer, and he went crazier than I did. It was funny. That was the first visit I set up and the only visit I ended up taking. I took some unofficial visits, too. Q. Did you ever come to Arizona? TANNER VALLEJO: No. Q. How was the ride to the airport with the Pettinatos? TANNER VALLEJO: They're great people. Every time I'm out at home training on that football field, usually Dan is out there training, too. So we'll be training together. Q. Serious bragging rights on the line? TANNER VALLEJO: Yeah, I mean, the Fiesta Bowl, so serious bragging rights either way. I'm mainly focused on what I can do to help win for the Broncos, then celebrate after if we get the win. Q. You have played so well down the stretch, Arizona kind of seems like they might be a different beast offensively than you faced down the stretch. Is this an opportunity for you guys to do it on a big stage against a real high‑quality opponent? TANNER VALLEJO: Definitely. I think Arizona's probably one of the best, if not the best, offense we'll go up against this year. It's going to be a good test for us. We've been preparing knowing like it's the best offense we are going to face this year. Q. Corey Bell halfway through the season got some injuries, but then they propped him right back up to his key spot. Talk about him. TANNER VALLEJO: Corey has always been a leader no matter what his role is. He's always out there being vocal. He's got some of the most high energy on the team. He's probably the highest energy player on the team. When you look up to a player like that, a senior, kind of teaches you the work ethic you need to be successful. Q. What about a guy like Beau? TANNER VALLEJO: I'm happy for Beau. He had to split time with Demarcus Lawrence. That's never easy with an NFL‑type player. I think Beau is an NFL‑type player when he's going at full speed, going full speed. I'm happy for him and hopefully we can send the seniors out with a win. Q. What are you envisioning on the 31st? You played Ole Miss, but it wasn't full. Supposed to be full on Wednesday. Is it hard to put into words what you think is going to be happening? TANNER VALLEJO: I'll probably stay up in the stands when we run out of the tunnel, then once the defense gets on the field, it's 'go time'. I don't notice any of the fans on the field except at home because it's so loud. Q. You look at Scooby, 150 tackles, the way you rotate guys, you'll say you'll never have a guy with those type of numbers on the defense. You're okay with rotating guys, getting the same results. TANNER VALLEJO: I mean, it's obviously hard when you rotate that much. But Scooby is a great player and you can see that on film. He's got one of the highest motors, you can tell, probably the highest motor on this team. Talking to Dan, it's not just in the game, it's in practice, he's going hard, too. For us, we'll do anything to get the win. No one is selfish as a linebacker. We're happy with whatever numbers we put up, as long as we get that win. Q. (Question about having young players.) TANNER VALLEJO: They're both very good players. The quarterback obviously is a play‑maker. He can do it with his feet and his arm. Whenever there's a play broken down, he's going to make something happen. Then the runningback, they run downhill, physical. That's the same way we do it, too. But obviously they have a bright future ahead of them, just freshmen. They got a great team ahead of them. Q. Anything different about playing a freshman? He's had a great season. The more you play, the more experience you have. He's played a full season. Different when you're playing a freshman quarterback? TANNER VALLEJO: No. I mean, not when they're this good, you see how good they are on film. He looks like he could be a junior, senior by the way he plays. I think he's like 100 yards short of breaking a record. He's obviously a play‑maker. Regardless of what grade a player is, they can still hurt you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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