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ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON v FLORIDA STATEDecember 30, 2014Byron MarshallPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Talk about playing for Coach Kelly and Coach Helfrich, pretty different guys. BYRON MARSHALL: Chip definitely was a great coach, but Coach Helfrich is a little bit more laid back. He's not always going to try to get into you, more so coming to you asking you what you see on this play and we can more talk about just kind of, drills, balls to the wall, work, work, work, and Coach Helfrich is really trying to get us to get the work in, but when it's time to rest we can so we can save our body. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: I mean, a little bit. But I think Chip, definitely was comfortable with certain players, so I was able to go out there and talk to him, but I can definitely see how Coach Helfrich is more of a people person. And I don't mean that in a bad way like Coach Kelly wasn't, but just different. Q. How about the offense? BYRON MARSHALL: It's pretty much stayed the same, honestly, just really just kind of working and progressed as a whole. We didn't change too much because it was working, so there was no need to. We just kept the wheels turning. Q. What was it like for you to go from running back to (inaudible)? BYRON MARSHALL: You know, I learned to embrace the role, learned to love it, so I appreciate all the help that I received. I had to spend a lot of extra time with the coaches and Marcus just really trying to get an understanding and a feel for the position just so I can perfect it and not just play it. Q. What was the time frame coming to terms with that? BYRON MARSHALL: A couple weeks, more so at the start of the season. I didn't know what the role was going to be until the start of the season, until week one, so it was kind of a real quick transition, just had to get used to it. It's such a different position, so just really tried to learn the ins and outs so I have it down. Q. How many positions have you (inaudible)? BYRON MARSHALL: On the offense? Q. Yeah. BYRON MARSHALL: I can play running back or every different wide out position as far as X, Y, Z and R, but that's part of it. I had to grow up and learn the whole playbook through and through so I can help myself and also so I can help other players out, all that. Q. You just started learning Y? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, some games they put me there, some games we switched off depending on the package and personnel, so yeah. Q. And you started learning R when (inaudible) got here? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah. Q. So they keep turning to you? BYRON MARSHALL: Knock on wood, hopefully no one else goes down. You know, just getting versatile I guess is a benefit to the team. Q. Would you describe yourself as a running back who's playing wide receiver or are you now a former running back? BYRON MARSHALL: I just describe myself as an athlete. I think I can be successful lining up anywhere, and that's not really trying to be cocky, just being honest. Q. What was the difference with Jake (Fisher), when he came back, that kept that line together? BYRON MARSHALL: Jake just has so much experience with the line, just such a big part. He's an All‑American, obviously, so you can tell that he knows what he's doing at that position. And Tyrell, he did a great job filling in for him. He was a freshman and trying to pick up the tempo of a college game. We were able to get that experience, help control the line that much more, and just helped us bust runs. Q. Seemed like a lot of people watching all of a sudden appreciated Jake more after that. Did you know how important he was or did you see when he was gone how important he was? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, of course. You see how he practices every day, how he plays, how his mind works, and he's a dog out there. He wants to get after every play. We definitely knew how valuable he was for the team, so when he went down, we were just trying to get after the rehab, get that work in so he could get back as soon as possible. Q. How often would you say Marcus would go to (inaudible)? BYRON MARSHALL: What do you mean by that? Q. How often does he go to the second and third option? BYRON MARSHALL: As many times as he needs to. He's not going to force it in there when he doesn't need to be forced. He really does a good job of reading his progressions, so as receivers we know it might turn into a scramble drill or we just might have a deep route, but just keep working trying to get open. Q. When you look at the offensive line they really view themselves (inaudible) but clearly they're individual players with individual personalities. Going off what you talked about Jake, can you expand on that? What sort of personality‑‑ clearly he was missed when he was out. What was it about his personality? BYRON MARSHALL: Like I said, just his leadership, really. Jake has been here for I don't know how many years, so he's just an experienced guy, and with the line, you need experience. He did a great job of taking the young guys under his wing, showing them the ins and outs, being in the game at crucial times. He's going to get after the linemen he's going to let them know what they need to do. He's just a real emotional player that we needed. Q. Did you guys understand when he got hurt against I believe it was Wyoming, did you understand how big of a deal it was? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah. I mean, every injury to us is a big deal, especially for our starters. But everybody plays a key role on this team, everybody. Any time someone gets injured, that's not what we want to see. So yeah. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, I mean, yeah. We need him. Everybody knows that, so when he went down, we didn't want to see that. Hopefully it wasn't season‑ending, which it wasn't, so just glad he was able to come back and play when he was ready. Q. When you see how many games in a row Florida State has won, what do you think about what it takes to do that? BYRON MARSHALL: Just relentless. You can tell that they don't like to lose. They don't know how to lose. They haven't done it in two years. Just to know that we want to come in and beat them, we've got to stay after it all four quarters until the clock is double zeroes at the end. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: They have solid players back there. I feel like we as an offense do what we need to do, we'll be able to match up just fine with them. Q. What's something about Coach Frost you wouldn't know if you weren't at practice every day with him? BYRON MARSHALL: Coach Frost is probably the biggest kid we have on the team. We like to have fun as much as we like to work, and Coach Frost likes to have fun. He's a kid at heart and likes to do little stuff, bug people, get on their nerves, but we know it's all love. He doesn't‑‑ he's one of the main culprits having fun when we're having fun, but he's also one of the main ones to be dead serious and get after it when we need to work. Q. Can you think of a prank he's pulled on you? BYRON MARSHALL: On me? Q. Or anybody. BYRON MARSHALL: Not off the top of my head, but if you're out there in practice you can just see it. Q. After practice Devon was saying if you're working with him after practice that's not really a place you want to be, having to run the hill. BYRON MARSHALL: Me and Devon had to run the hill once together, so we had to do that, and I've never run the hill again. Q. How many times did you have to go up there? BYRON MARSHALL: Sprint up the hill is what, like 60 yards, so sprint up 10 times, jog back down. Yeah, nonstop. Q. Was he running it with you? BYRON MARSHALL: Devon? Q. No, Coach Frost. BYRON MARSHALL: No, he was there just smiling, watching. Q. You've gotten to see a lot of film. Do they remind you of any Pac‑12 defense that you've faced this year? BYRON MARSHALL: Not too much. Somewhat a UCLA, but they really just have their own unique style of defense I feel. They do a good job at defining a lot of their coverages, so they'll start in one and convert to the other after the snap of the ball or disguise a line of blitzes. It doesn't really compare too much to other teams, though. Q. How much do they play man coverage? BYRON MARSHALL: I don't have a percentage off the top of my head, but a decent amount, back and forth to cover one, cover two, two man, Tampa two, so it just really goes back and forth, just kind of depends on the down and distance. Q. Michigan State plays like all man, right? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, so no, it's not like Michigan State. Like I said, they do a pretty good job of disguising their coverages. Q. Have you ever been around a guy that's been able to translate (inaudible) onto the football field? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, D‑Ant was one of them, B.J. Kelley who we have is unguardable pretty much. I feel like he is one of the fastest receivers we have or one of the fastest people on the team. Q. What does he provide that‑‑ is it noticeable that he's a track guy? BYRON MARSHALL: Devon? Yeah, just watch him play. If he gets open, he'll definitely just separate and accelerate on anybody. It doesn't matter who you are. He's a gold medalist, you know what I mean, which is not common. Q. Back in the spring and the summer when he won the National Championship, was that kind of eye popping for a bunch of your teammates? Did you guys expect that? What was the reaction? BYRON MARSHALL: I don't know if we expected it or not. We didn't know how fast he was. It was his first year at the collegiate level. It was definitely eye popping for a freshman to do what he did. We were happy for him. I don't think anyone doubted him too much, or we knew he was special when he was coming here, so it was special when he won. Q. Would you consider your group of receivers as hitting your stride this time of the year? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, I feel like we had a lot of youth kind of coming into the season, but as each one came into their own, each one has been a playmaker, so each game they get better and better. Everyone does. I think these last couple weeks, the last month and a half or so, we've just been really picking up, picking up, knowing that we need to play better and we can play better, and everyone is just hungry out there trying to make plays. We all want to score. We all want to go for a 250‑yard gain. Even though that's not going to happen, that's our mindset, so when we get the ball we're not trying to catch a seven‑yard slant and go down, we want to make a move and go down and score. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: It's key. Our tempo is so fast that we're definitely going to get gaps at times. Just to have someone else come in there for you and not have a dropoff is huge on offense. Q. Coach Frost says that (inaudible)? BYRON MARSHALL: You've got to run. You've got to run, you've got to run.  So much running we've got to do, especially in practice the ball doesn't move when you catch it downfield, so you run 30 yards down the field, you run back, you run 30 yards down the field, you run back. You block, then you run down the field and come back, just so when we get to the game it's slower. So we really just try to emphasize that work, work, work, no plays off, just keep grinding, so we're in shape. Q. Is it harder playing running back than running track? BYRON MARSHALL: By far. I definitely got a lot more tired in practice and I got in a lot better shape, but it was worth it, just to see it pay off for the games. Q. So much is made about the return of Jake (Fisher) to the lineup. What does it mean to the scheme and morale of the team? BYRON MARSHALL: Just experience. It definitely helps the line cohesiveness. Jake has been on the line for a couple years, so he knows what he's doing and he knows his role, and he knows other people's roles. If they're not playing like they should, he definitely gets after it. We didn't have Tyler Johnstone at the end of the season, and someone else had to step up. Definitely the leadership is definitely just valuable. Q. What about his mean streak? Everyone talks about his mean streak and his attitude. BYRON MARSHALL: Jake is a dog. He doesn't take nothing from nobody, and I can appreciate that about him. Just really just trying to get after it and make plays, and if he gets pissed off, then it's good. Honestly I like him mad. He gets to talking out there, and you can just see in his eyes that he's just ready. He's not scared of nobody, he don't care how big he may be or what round you may go in the draft, he just wants to play. Q. What was the low point for you guys this season? BYRON MARSHALL: Losing. That was it, losing. We don't like to lose. We had a couple low points with a lot of injuries. That hurts. That really hurts. We don't like to see guys get hurt like that. So I'd probably just say the Arizona loss and the injuries that we took. Q. What was the mindset after Arizona? Did you have time to think about if you're going to be in a place like that? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, that's in the back of everybody's mind. We have our end goal at the end of the season, and from there we go game by game because that's the only way we can get there, and knowing we didn't take care of what we needed to that night kind of pissed us off. We were a much better team than what we played. We didn't feel like Arizona was better than us, and we just kind of let one get away. Q. Why did you come to Oregon? Were there like three reasons, five, one? BYRON MARSHALL: For one, the team camaraderie. This team wasn't a whole bunch of cliques. Everybody was kind of cool to everybody, and that's unique in a team. You don't see that all that much. The program here is second to none really, just kind of different the way we do everything, and we win. We really take pride in winning. Q. Were the uniforms and the locker room and all that stuff, is that just value added at the end of the day? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, people don't believe me, but I could really care less about the uniforms. It was cool, but I'm not going to a team with flashy uniforms where the team hates each other, they're always fighting and they go out there and lose. Who cares how good you look then? Q. How have you seen Marcus handle this the last couple weeks? BYRON MARSHALL: Talking to him, you would never tell. He's just real low key, real down to earth, focused on what we've got to do. But even if it's not just football, he's just a cool guy, just kicks it, doesn't talk like, hey, I won the Heisman or is on all them talk shows, like what's up. It's nothing like that. He really just‑‑ he's really, like I said, just low key, down to earth, and just a regular guy. Q. He told me in Orlando he likes to kick back and play Mario Kart. BYRON MARSHALL: No, not Mario Kart. We'll go to the house sometimes and we'll play TKO over there or something like that. But no, he doesn't play Mario Kart. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: I mean, it's just a game. No, going out there like oh, I'm mad, but I guess if you're playing a game, he wants to win. Q. Still bragging rights there? BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, I guess. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: Coach Campbell called me into his office and said that I had a decent fall camp, that they were going to retire me as a running back but they didn't want me off the field, so they wanted me to line up in slot because Brandin was gone and we needed that next X factor on the team and they think I could be the guy as long as I go in there and embrace the role and do what I have to do. Q. Your very first reaction? Did you have any idea it was coming? BYRON MARSHALL: Not to that extent. I didn't expect it to happen like that. I was just like, I mean, all right. If that's how it goes, you kind of flip that switch in your head. There's not going back. It's not like, oh, I still want to play running back so I had the mindset to be pissed off and not want to practice and not want to play because that's not going to get me nowhere. Just really had to accept it, embrace it, just work, just really, really work, put in work to get to where I'm at right now. Q. What was the biggest initial challenge with the switch? BYRON MARSHALL: I couldn't read the defense for the life of me, and as a secondary, playing running back, I was really just focused on the box, and once you get out of the box it's pretty much one‑on‑one, so just make one miss. So just knowing the ins and outs of the defense, how to read them, what's my pre‑snap read, what's my down and play read, how to block in space, that's definitely a key issue, because we have a lot of outside runs or runs that bust so we need to keep blocking. Probably those two areas are really big that I needed to pick up on. Q. If you could identify a moment where the light went on and you said I'm able to do that? BYRON MARSHALL: I feel like from the first game, but it just took a while to get comfortable at it, if that makes sense. I felt like this was a position that I can play, but as long as I kept working and I just got more and more and more comfortable with it, then it just came natural, like I don't have to stare at the defense before the play to know what they are. I can give a quick look and say they're in cover one, I should run my route this one, or they're in cover one, I should run my route this way. It just came natural after a couple games. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: I think it's helped, but I mean, we knew what he was capable of when he was on scout team. We knew he was capable when he was coming in. We knew he was a track guy and he was fast, but we didn't know he was going to be that fast. But we knew that he was talented, so it doesn't surprise us the way it's translated. Running track can only help with your game speed as far as being on the football field, and you can tell that he has it. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: No, we're not like a hazing team where you need to score five touchdowns and get 100 yards before you're cool with us. It's nothing like that. Once we feed him all the info and knowledge that we've got to put him in the game so he's able to play with us as fast as us and make plays and help the team. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: Yeah, I guess. I mean, I can't just, well, they do this so we do this. Yeah, we definitely see some areas where they have trouble and there's a struggle and they're attacking us. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: It's huge. Thomas is a great player for us. He's been banged up this season, but I feel like this whole amount of rest and extra rest has just helped. He's feeling good, so yeah. Q. (Inaudible.) BYRON MARSHALL: A little bit. A little bit. It's a different game than high school. And especially with the kind of freshman season that he had last year, teams key in on him a lot more, and so maybe that's all he was expecting at the start of the year. I think he's coming into his role just fine. I think after the Stanford game he started running a lot harder and things like that, and you can see that. So definitely I can see that. He's just really elevated his game and changed it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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