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FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: AKRON VS UTAH STATEDecember 21, 2015Matt WellsChuckie KeetonKyler FackrellBoise, Idaho COACH WELLS: I'd like to say thank you to Kevin McDonald and his staff for the invitation for Utah State to come participate in this. It's a great event. It's the third time we've been here in the last five years and I think it gets better and better every year. We're welcomed by the city of Boise and we appreciate that as a fellow member in the Mountain West. And on behalf of our athletic director, John Hartwell, and our president, Stan Albrecht, I'm honored to represent Utah State and excited to watch our kids play in this bowl game. We are now in a school-record five straight bowl games and I'm proud of these players. And these two right here represent a handful, I think about nine fifth-year seniors that really started their careers in this bowl run that we've had here in Boise and went back-to-back to Potato Bowls in '11 and '12. And now they'll get to finish here on the blue turf and so that's exciting for me to see as a coach and to be able to coach them one last time this year and hopefully send these guys out as winners. And so we're excited to do that. Akron and Coach Bowden have had a good year. They've had a really good month in November and it's a tough team that is very physical on the front seven on both sides of the ball so we'll have to meet that challenge and to do that. But we're excited about that and I'm excited to watch these kids play tomorrow afternoon here. Q. I wanted to ask you about your defense this year. Obviously a lot of people here in Boise saw just how good it was against Boise State down there at Logan. How do you assess how that group has done this year and what do you want to see out there tomorrow? COACH WELLS: I just want to see them play aggressive, play fast to the football. They do a good job of chasing the football I think all year. We have done a good job on defense stopping the run, creating turnovers in bunches really in the middle of the season. Hadn't got as many lately. I'd like to see some of that. But a lot of the times that will come and go in a game and it came in a flurry that game that you're talking about. But as long as you run to the football and you're very, very aggressive, then those kind of things, they can present themselves and we sure like to take advantage of those opportunities. Haven't been as good in the red zone defensively this year and that's an area you've got to play good in and be able to force field goals when teams get in your red zone, and that's maybe an area we haven't been as good in. But we've been good at stopping the run. We've been good at tackles for loss and plays behind the line of scrimmage. So there's things like that when you ask me to assess the defense that I can see from this year. Q. Matt, you talked about the run of bowl games that you had and the ones up here. When you look at your team this year, if you lose this game, would you still look at it as a success that you got to a bowl game? How do you look at that? COACH WELLS: I don't know, Brad. I hadn't thought about that for one minute, to be honest with you. I'm sure not planning on that tomorrow. But I think it's been a successful year. And anytime you can get to a bowl game at the end of the year, I think, is a reward for a good season. We certainly hope to and want to play well tomorrow. And I truly think we will. And all I can do as a head coach is I can go back and nothing's a predictor of success 100 percent of the time. But here's what I look at as I look back on four straight bowls experiences for me as a coach at Utah State. I look at the way we've practiced. Our guys, I mean, we haven't been missing curfew. We haven't missed meetings, late, stuff like that. It's been really good. I think the focus has been really good. We had some physical practices back in Logan. And again I think -- I've got to go back and look at the way we practiced and the way we focused, and our practice over the weekend in Boise have been very good. These guys are excited to go out and play, and I trust and hope that they're going to play well tomorrow. Q. I'm from Akron. I know it didn't happen on your watch, but the school had like a string of 14 years without a bowl. I just wondered if you could -- do you understand how much this means to the Zips and the intangibles that come along related to the school? COACH WELLS: Absolutely. I wasn't there at Utah State but I can tell you this: I'm alumni. So I was hurting as hard as everybody else. And these two knuckleheads will know more what I feel like here in the next several years as they look back on their experiences at Utah State. And mine were very good as a player. This is a good run that we've been on. I would assume that that program and their fan base and everybody is very, very excited. I remember ours in 2011, I remember being here, the year we played Ohio U. We got beat at the very end of the game. But that was exciting for our alumni and our fan base and our program. And that was a significant step to make that. And I think after that long of a drought, then that is exciting. And then it's even, to me, that much more of a motivating factor to build on it the year after. Q. For the players, could you talk about the emotions associated with your final college game? And for Coach, also your feelings on coaching these guys for the last time tomorrow? CHUCKIE KEETON: So I think seeing for myself, it's going to have high emotions just the fact this is the last time we'll be able to wear the uniform and the name on the front of the jersey. But at the same time, you kind of have to channel in on that emotion and step up for your teammates and kind of just stay calm through the storm. And that's a big thing that's kind of stayed true to our senior class. Whenever things are going well, when things aren't going too well that we stay level headed. And I think it's helped us through some tough times and it's helped us sustain some positive things as well. KYLER FACKRELL: As for me, I really don't think it's hit me. And I think it won't probably until a little while after the game is done and everything. But it's been amazing. Logan, Cache Valley, Coach Wells, all the coaches that have come and gone, it's been an amazing experience at Utah State, and I'm just truly grateful for it. COACH WELLS: I don't think it's hit me yet. I just was sitting here listening to these two guys: I came in the same year as these guys. My second day on the job was spent recruiting this guy down in Houston. I remember when Kyler came in that summer, he and Chuckie came in that summer together of '11. And as we got going on this journey, we've had some tremendous leaders reminded of just sitting at this press conference table with a few guys over the last couple of years, team leaders, Zach Vigil, Kevin Whimpey. Some of those guys, Tyler Larsen, some of those guys that have set up here with me over the last several bowl games. These two fit that category. We have several others in that locker room that are very, very similar to them. They're captains. They're tremendous role models. You have zero issues with them off the field. Academically at a high level, they're both Utah State grads, I think, as we speak. So that's a big deal to me. I don't think it's hit me yet. But I think what Chuckie said was right: Is there's high emotion. This game is an emotional game. And as long as we have our emotions at a fevered pitch at 1:30 you still have to stay level headed through the good, maybe a streak of the game or maybe something doesn't go your way early in the game or something like that. You do have to stay level headed and try to act medium and play the next play. But I'm excited to watch these guys go out and I think you're going to see a really good effort out of them tomorrow. Q. Coach, I can't imagine how much film you've seen on Akron over the last couple of weeks. But you have a great feel for their team. What have been the biggest things you've been fine tuning in your practice over the last couple days? COACH WELLS: Well, it's gone a little bit from what we do and how we do it to looking at Akron, their strengths and seeing what they do. You have five senior offensive linemen, veterans, and I think that's paved the way for them down the stretch. You look at their defense and their front seven on defense. They've got five out of the seven, I believe, are seniors. Four of them are Division I transfers. And you have the MAC defensive player of the year. They're very, very strong. But at the end of the day it's what we do and how we do it. And if we play at a very, very high level on offense and defense and play very sound and aggressive in the kicking game, those are our goals. That's what we want to do at a high level. I think if that happens, then that will be a very positive thing for us. So it always goes -- you fine tune it. I talked about their strengths but at the end of the day it's what we do at Utah State. Q. Chuckie, can you talk about that fourth quarter the last time you played a bowl game here and what comes -- you're smiling already -- talk about the feeling of that and how it went? CHUCKIE KEETON: I've been here so long I had to remember the last time we were here. But the fourth quarter last time it was an amazing experience to see an offensive line and specifically Kerwynn Williams take over. I was handing the ball off most of the time and sprinting behind him. But it was a great ride to be on, just seeing so much passion and all that, that was kind of a firsthand experience and a firsthand sight at leadership and just the will to win, because at one point he started cramping up. Not many people know that but he was cramping up while people were dog piling him in the end zone. So that kind of just, for me that stays in my mind and that's kind of, not necessarily a goal but something to envision as we continue to practice and prep for this game. Q. Coach, you talked about the red zone. They use Cody Grice sometimes at the goal line. Does he present anything different, and think of a different wrinkle? COACH WELLS: It's a nice wrinkle for them. I like doing that stuff as well. Couple of years ago this guy down here on the end caught a fade ball for a touchdown. So we may have our version of that as well. Q. Chuckie, congratulations on winning the humanitarian award on Saturday. I wanted to get a better idea for readers: Could you tell me some of your duties as the member of the SAAC and Christian -- Fellowship of Christian Athletes, some of the things you do in that regard? CHUCKIE KEETON: Thank you. I'm involved in a few things on campus. I was a SAMS leader before. I didn't do it this year. It was a Student Athlete Mentor program. SAC, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, my big thing is everybody knows that we play football but it's what's outside that makes it all worthwhile. There's only a certain amount of time you play football but you live a lot longer than that. So I think that's one of the things I'm most grateful for at Utah State, they gave me the opportunity to mold myself into like an actual person instead of just a football player. Q. Kyler, you and Nick Vigil had a pretty good tandem there at linebacker, what is it about him that you like of the guy who obviously works next to you a lot and what he's been able to bring to the table? KYLER FACKRELL: I think our defense and our team as a whole, we have really good relationships. We like the guys that we play with and that obviously helps a lot. Nick, he's a great athlete, and I think something that I look up to him for is especially obviously in the games a lot of people hustle. But in practice Nick is a great example of just sprinting to the ball, whether it's thrown 50 yards downfield or whatever it may be. And so I think just the fact that he does work so hard and that he is a great example of hustle is something that I've really enjoyed about him. Q. Kyler, what do you like most about what the defense has been able to accomplish this season? KYLER FACKRELL: I think the turnovers is probably something that we've struggled with in the past, and we've done a good job at, like Coach said, more so in the middle of the season and kind of struggled towards the end here. But getting turnovers has been huge for us, has led to some big wins, including the one against Boise. So that's something that I think we did a good job, Coach did a good job of emphasizing and we did a good job of kind of improving the last couple. Q. The fact that you always seem to have the talent to go to the next level, does that factor into the last game part of it, or are you just thinking about college and all that? KYLER FACKRELL: I think that that can be a temptation sometimes to kind of look ahead. But I think Chuckie is a great example of not doing that. And so I kind of take after his lead and just focusing on like what's right in front of me. And so we have this opportunity to go out and play with our teammates that we've been playing with this whole season and we've built relationships with. And so I think it's important that we don't look ahead that we're able to focus on just this game and go get a win. CHUCKIE KEETON: It's a huge thing. I believe that we have a few guys on our team that have the talent to do that but you can never really tell based on just how hard they work and how much they sacrifice themselves every single day. And I think that's honestly what kind of got us to this point as far as where our program is and I mean for us you take it one day at a time. For us, we take it one play at a time because you're never promised the next one. That's really just how we have to tackle this upcoming game. Q. Chuckie, can you sum up your career and was there one highlight, one thing going forward that stands out? CHUCKIE KEETON: The biggest highlight was winning the conference championship our sophomore year against Louisiana Tech. They were a good team at the time. And everything that came with it. They had some guys go to the league, had a guy that set the NCAA record for most consecutive passes without an interception. And to see our defense to step up the way they did and really take on that big of a challenge was a huge thing. And more than anything, I feel like that sums up my career is that accomplishment. And now there are bigger things that could have been done and that probably should have been done looking back at it, but I definitely focus more on the positive than any of the negatives that I've had to endure just because of guys like these guys next to me supporting me throughout the entire way. So it's been a fun ride but we still have one more game to go. Q. Coach, when you look at Akron at the quarterback position, not the body type you usually see at that position. Does he remind you of anybody? Are there some unique challenges he poses in the run game and how you evaluate him as a threat? COACH WELLS: I think he's a major threat to run the ball. I mean, when you see what they've done and how he does it, it's something that you have to keep in mind. Our defenders have to understand he's a threat to run the ball. So anytime you have a dual threat at quarterback I think it creates that. I like that from an offensive standpoint. That's why I recruit dual-threat quarterbacks. We have those in our program as well. The uniqueness of him is his lower body thickness and how strong he is. I mean, you've got to get a lot of hats on him. You've got to wrap up. He's a little bit bigger for a quarterback and strong. And strong lower body. So he's a different type of dual threat runner than we've seen. But he's really, really strong. Good player. Q. Chuckie, seems like when the running game is going, especially Devante, for you guys, makes a huge difference. What is it about him that you like as a quarterback when he's able to get going? CHUCKIE KEETON: The thing about him is just, I don't know, his state of mind as a person and that he's going to work hard; he's not going to talk enough. So how I see it he wants to improve or he just wants to talk about it. And he brings a level of intensity every day that I see, and it's pretty good. I mean, he's going to run through you. He's been working on his agility a little bit, and so he's trying to improve himself every single day. But once he gets started, it's incredible to see just because he can do so many different things and hopefully we can get him going. I think our line is -- they have a good challenge but at the same time I have a lot of trust in what they can do and I'm excited to play with these guys. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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