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ROSE BOWL GAME: IOWA VS STANFORD

December 27, 2015

Kevin Anderson

Pasadena, California

An interview with:

KEVIN ANDERSON

Q. Is it reps, what is it?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Not to copy Bill Belichick, but we do say all the time just do your job, right? Whether it's stay in the gap and setting edge, or whether it's cover the receiver until the whistle is blown. It's kind of all about just doing your job and not caring who makes the play, not caring who gets the tackle. As a whole, if we do that and everyone completely is selfless, we can be successful.

Q. Is that pretty hard to do? It seems when you go back and watch last year's tape, for instance, maybe guys are trying to do something outside of their responsibility?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, everyone wants to make plays. Everyone wants to get the tackle, the sack or the pick. But when it comes down to it, the best players are the ones who stay in their gap and do the selfless things for their defense.

Q. Was there a point, was it off-season workouts, was it after the Northwestern game?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Probably spring ball. We just really hammered that home. Because I agree last year we did have guys, myself included, who I'd rather get the TFL [tackle for loss] than stay in my gap. That's detrimental to a successful defense. So that's kind of pounded and ingrained in us starting in spring ball, fall camp and into the season.

Q. How about this team, when you really study them, it seems they can be way more multiple, kind of like you guys. They don't give the offense a lot of credit for being explosive. When you watch them, what part of them did you not think they had that in their bag?
KEVIN ANDERSON: What's cool about them, which I like, is they make checks on the line. You can see the center and the quarterback pointing and they pretty much say -- and the defense even knows on the film we've been watching -- they say we're going to run over here. So the whole defense knows they're going to run over there, and they still get five, six yards consistently.

So the ability to say I'm going to tell you what we're going to do, and we're going to do it, and you can't stop us, that's really impressive.

Q. How tough is it for Stanford to balance athletics with academics?
KEVIN ANDERSON: It's difficult. After about four and a half years here I'm still trying to master that. You just have to be scheduled. And to be honest, it almost helps having so much schoolwork and having to be detailed in the classroom because that carries over into the football room and the football realm. So it's something that's not easy, but you slowly try to figure it out.

Q. How to keep them both going?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Exactly. So like Brennan Scarlett was just saying, if you have attention to detail to your football, it will carry over to school and vice versa. So I think trying to stay on top of your schoolwork carries over to trying to stay on top of your football and everything else.

Q. Iowa's regular season didn't penetrate the Pacific Northwest very much, did it? Their games weren't really sought after.
KEVIN ANDERSON: At the beginning of the season I didn't notice Iowa as much, but by the end when I saw them beating this team, beating Northwestern who beat us pretty handily, then definitely the Michigan State game and the later games of the season we started to really notice it and really realize how good of a team Iowa was.

It's pretty cool to see a similar type of team who comes out and plays smash-mouth football and power football to see them on film or see them on TV, have respect for them and be able to play them in a game. So I'm definitely very excited.

Q. So later on their publicity grew?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I'd say at the beginning of the year I didn't notice them and did not see them very much, but by the end of the year, I definitely noticed them.

Q. Was the Pac-12 Conference tough this year?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, I'd say it was difficult. Nearly every game in our schedule we had to bring our A-game. We knew if we didn't, any team could beat us at any point. So it's not easy, that's for sure.

Q. You're going to have to bring your A-game to the Rose Bowl?
KEVIN ANDERSON: That's for certain. Iowa's a great team, and we won't stand a chance if we don't bring anything else. So definitely have to bring our A-game.

Q. What are you majoring in?
KEVIN ANDERSON: I'm studying civil engineering right now. I just finished my undergrad in civil engineering. I'm doing a master's program in construction management.

Q. Are you going to build one of these buildings around here?
KEVIN ANDERSON: I'd like to. That would be pretty cool. That would be pretty enjoyable.

Q. It would? It would be a lot of work.
KEVIN ANDERSON: It would be, but that's why I love it.

Q. Have you been able to let this experience so far kind of soak in?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Yeah, having been here a couple times before you look back and realize how much fun it is and how good of an experience. So people have asked like, well, is it kind of not as fun because I've done it a couple times? But it's the opposite to where we know what to expect and know that we make some great memories and have some great time while we're down here.

Q. Is there something that really sticks with you and you think you're always going to remember?
KEVIN ANDERSON: Disneyland's pretty awesome. There is nothing better than running around all the different rides with a big pack of about ten giant football players. There are a lot of fun memories, from the Improv club we're going to tonight, to the Lawry's Beef Bowl. Everything's pretty enjoyable.

Q. What makes this team sort of different than in the past couple years?
KEVIN ANDERSON: That's a good question. I think everyone as a whole is a little more selfless. People aren't trying to make plays in general, and people are just trying to have the one singular goal and process and thought, thought process, and that's to win the game.

So I think guys are just trying to go out there and win the game and not necessarily rack up stats, and trying to play within the system, whether it's offensively, defensively or on special teams.

Q. At that Northwestern game and you guys had your players meeting, how did the season change?
KEVIN ANDERSON: People just realized that if we don't bring our A-game, we can be beaten. We have to bring it week in and week out, and any team can beat us. It kind of made us look at ourselves and we all had to think about what we really wanted to be, what our legacy wanted to be, how we wanted the season to go. So as much as it was not fun to lose the game, it was good for that sense.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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