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ROSE BOWL GAME: IOWA VS STANFORDDecember 27, 2015Matt VandeBergPasadena, California Q. Both teams, 5 and 6 in the country, came so close to that ultimate prize. Any disappointment in being here or is being at the Rose Bowl for the first time in so long offset that a little bit? MATT VANDEBERG: Absolutely. This is an incredible opportunity that we have to play against the No. 6 team in the nation. It's an incredible challenge and we're playing a conference champion. We can't ask for much more of a unique challenge to come here for the first time and in a long time in Iowa history to be able to come here with the group of guys that we got, it's great. Q. It's been 25 years since you've been here and a lot longer since Iowa's won. As a player and in this generation, are you aware of the history and sort of the weight of how long it's been? MATT VANDEBERG: Oh, yeah. We understand that it's been a long time. We have got some banners up in our indoors and you can see even the last time we went here we know it's been a long time. So the opportunity to be here, it's incredible and we're excited, we're excited to play. Q. What kind of game do you think it's going to be? MATT VANDEBERG: I think it's going to be a dog fight. They're a great team, we're a great team. They got athletes over there, good players. I think it's just going to be a dog fight. Q. Junior? Senior? MATT VANDEBERG: I'm a junior. Q. Tell me about your head coach. You don't find many guys who are in one place for 17 years anymore. What are sort of the benefits of his track record of longevity there and sort of the continuity of his staff? MATT VANDEBERG: I think it speaks to how good of a coach he is that he's able to maintain here. Most coaches, two, three years and they're out and they're out looking for somebody else. I know Stanford has gone through a few coaching changes and whatnot. So for him to stay here that long, it really speaks to his character and what's been able to build here. We have had a lot of good teams come here under him and we're happy to be part of that legacy. Q. What sort of defines a Kirk Ferentz team in your eyes? MATT VANDEBERG: Teamwork. Being able to go out there and fight for one another, being able to understand that the game is bigger than you. It's about the 11 guys that are on the field at a time and the 111 of us that are on the team. I think that's kind of what KF likes to talk about. Q. [On learning the offense...] MATT VANDEBERG: I was able to pick up the offense quickly. I had DaVonte in front of me and with him showing me the ropes and being able to know what I had to do on the field and a lots of good coaching that I got off of it, I think that's how it all implemented in my game. Q. [On the offseason...] MATT VANDEBERG: No, that goes back to January. We have been working together ever since he's been the starter. Going through spring ball with him and then going into summer workouts we built that trust. And for us to be able to bring that to the field, I think that's a big deal for us. Q. [On paying together...] MATT VANDEBERG: I don't think it's something we really talk about. It's just he [C.J. Beathard] expects me to be in a certain place and I'm going to be there when he needs me to be there. I think that's how we go. With him being the playmaker, you have to -- he had another long run against Texas. With him on the other side, teams have to respect him, and when's on the field, teams are going to rotate to him and focus on him. So then I just get the six, seven yards to keep us on the field while he makes big plays. Q. [On his future plans...] MATT VANDEBERG: Not yet. I'll reflect on it January 2nd. But as of right now, I'm just focused on getting into this game and going out there and playing some football. Q. [On his biggest moment...] MATT VANDEBERG: I don't know if there really was one until the first game when I got pulled out and I saw my locker with my name on my jersey. That was probably the biggest thing. I'm thinking, I'm actually here. I don't take that for granted. Every game, every time I see my name on the back of that jersey I know I got to represent well and perform to the best of my ability. The first few plays I was in, I guess it was a good moment for my career. Q. [On quarterback C.J. Beathard...] MATT VANDEBERG: Being a dual-threat quarterback is big. He can move with his feet, so if we do get into a third and seven, third and eight, he can take off if he needs to in order to get that first down. The other thing is we don't have to worry about who is the leader of this team, who is commanding the troops, that sort of thing. We know it's CJ and I think that's really a benefit. Q. He seems like such a laid back dude. But you guys all talk about him and how he's a very sounds like he's kind of a strictly leader, kind of a hard ass? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, that's what you need. And he's laid back to the point of he's going to let things work out, but at the same time, if something needs to be done, he'll let us know about it. I mean, he's just a guy you want to play hard for. Q. Does he yell at anybody in the huddle? MATT VANDEBERG: I don't think so. Q. That's pretty cool, because football is a high-stress thing and everybody has to do their jobs. That's pretty cool your quarterback has never -- or if you're saying he's never lost his cool at anybody. I imagine Jake's -- just knowing Jake's personality a little bit that I do, he yelled at me a couple times. It must be -- that says a lot, I think, for CJ. Just not being, not having to resort to that. MATT VANDEBERG: Oh, yeah, he never gets too high or too low. We all have expectations for ourselves, and he's making plays when he's already hurt and I mean that's somebody you want to play hard for. So we understand that we got to do our job and with him out there, it makes it easier on us. Q. Is there a fear factor playing at 170 pounds when you were a freshman? MATT VANDEBERG: No, I knew I could -- I mean I understood that I was smaller than the rest of the guys, but I never really thought too much about it. I felt that if the coaches felt comfortable enough to put me on the field, then I should feel comfortable enough to be there. Q. The way you play your game, you play in traffic a lot, and you put your body out there for catches. I think that at the Pitt game, you got whacked a few times. But you don't seem to -- there's no fear in your game. Where does that come from? MATT VANDEBERG: That's a good question. That's just more about I need to do what I need to do in order to help the team. My job is to go across the middle and get smacked. But if we need the first down, that's what I need to do. If we're picking up a blitz, I'm working. And he's looking my way, I need to be able to help him out so he doesn't get trashed. So it's more of helping the team, whether or not I end up getting smacked. It's inevitable it's going to happen in the game of football. Q. When you do the third down or the first down thing, it was your trademark thing and then I think Henry stole it from you. MATT VANDEBERG: Henry does it a little more emphatic than I do. Q. Well, yeah. Which is weird because that doesn't seem his personality at all. But when you did that, was it more out of relief, like hey, it landed and I caught the ball and first down? MATT VANDEBERG: I think it's more, it comes from a buddy of mine back home. He had passed away not that long ago and that was something he did all the time in high school when we got a first down, he would do that. And it kind of stuck. Q. Was this a friend of yours from -- was it in your grade, was he in your grade? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, we went to school together. Q. A guy you played with? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah. Q. Who was it? MATT VANDEBERG: Adam Bauer. Q. Adam Bauer? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, he passed away and that was something that we did, and I wanted to incorporate that in my game. Q. Do people know that when you do that? MATT VANDEBERG: No, no. I just know that. Q. That's cool. Was this a neighbor guy in Brandon? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, yeah in Brandon. We were neighbors and we graduated together and grew up together. That's just something I wanted to bring for him. Q. When did he pass away? MATT VANDEBERG: This past season. Q. Before season? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah. Q. It must have been a big deal for you? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, it was. I made sure that anything I could do to help him or his mom. Q. Do you hear from the family? MATT VANDEBERG: We keep in contact. I try to get them to as many games as I can. Q. Do you do anything, a lot of you guys write stuff on your wrist band things. MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah. Q. Do you do anything like that? MATT VANDEBERG: I write AB on mine. For Adam Bauer. Q. B A U E R? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah. Q. Like the hockey gear? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah. Exactly. Q. So you write that -- you write that on your wrist band every game? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, every game. Q. What else do you write on your wrist band? MATT VANDEBERG: That's really it. Q. [On weather...] MATT VANDEBERG: Absolutely. California is a lot nicer than Iowa this time of year. Yeah, it hasn't been terrible. I know we got some snow as soon as we landed, but other than that it's been pretty nice. Q. [On fundamentals being the key to success...] MATT VANDEBERG: Absolutely. I think that the numbers show the balance between our run game and our pass game. You get to Big-Ten football you want to be able to pound the football and run it effectively. But when you have CJ back there, who is smart with the football and you know he's going to make good decisions, you got to put it in his hands every now and then, too. And he's able to make plays with his feet. So if he calls a run pass play, it might end up being a run play. We preach fundamentals every day. It's what we work on. I think that we have been pretty successful. Q. Last time you got to Michigan State when they took it down the field for those nine minutes. You guys are a ball-control offense as well and Stanford is as well. How important is it for you guys to stay on the field and hold on to that ball and does that become more of a point of emphasis after that last drive? MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, we know they have a potent offense. They got a Heisman candidate up there, so we know that they're able to move the football and the more we have the ball, the less they have it, I guess and it's kind of an easy thing to say, but it's kind of hard to do. Especially when they got a defense like they do. So it's going to be tough for us, but we understand that the more we have the ball, the less their offense has it. Q. What stands out about Stanford's defense when you watch the film there? MATT VANDEBERG: They got a lot of athletes on their defense. Guys that can move in space, guys that come down hard and tackle. It's going to be a unique challenge for us. Q. Schematically, do you see any quirks that you might not have seen before during the season, kind of showing up in the film? MATT VANDEBERG: I think that they play a lot of different coverages that we have to be ready for. Just every week, we got to be up to the challenge and we'll be there on January 1st. Q. [On defenses becoming more complex later in the season...] MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, you can tell the first few weeks you're not facing too many different variations of one two, three, four, six, eight or anything like that. But as you continue to get further on into the season you start seeing different blitzes, different drops, different zones, and things like that. So, yeah, you can definitely see how it elevates as the season goes on. Q. [On having a month to prepare...] MATT VANDEBERG: Yeah, I think that it's how each team handles the month prior to the game. Because when you're in season it's going right on to the next week. You worry about the last game for that next day and then you're on to the next opponent. And for us to have a month before this game, I think whichever team can prepare the best over that course of time will have the best opportunity on January 1st. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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