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ROSE BOWL GAME: IOWA VS STANFORD

December 29, 2015

Kevin Hogan cont.

Pasadena, California

Q. The Iowa defense is pretty straightforward. You know what the Hawkeyes are trying to do. What kind of challenges does that present as you prepare for that?
KEVIN HOGAN: It's tough because they, like you said, they do a lot of the same things, but they do their jobs very well. They execute their scheme very well. They have great techniques, and trust in their coaching. And it's kind of like Oregon's offense, I'd say, where they don't do a whole lot, but they do what they do very well and kind of exploit the holes when they're there. And that's what this defense does is they line up in the same front, same coverage, and try and show you something and lull you to sleep, and get you under a rhythm thinking they're just going to just keep doing that, and then they're going to hit you with a blitz and different coverage and get you out of sync.

So it's definitely a challenge where you have to not necessarily be looking for stuff presnap, but after the ball is snapped, you gotta see what they're doing. So it's going to be a lot of post-snap reads, a lot of adjustments after the ball is snapped. And yeah, I mean, they're just very good at what they do. As simple as it is, they're just very good at it.

Q. You know a team is going to try to take McCaffrey away, how much does that even matter?
KEVIN HOGAN: I don't know. I mean, I don't think teams have done a great job of that this year. I don't know what you can do to limit him, because it's not like we're just going to hand the ball off to him all game. We're going to split him out wide, put him on their linebackers, on their safeties and present mismatches. If teams have to send out different personnel matchings to match ours, and when we go big tight end sets with Christian out there and split him out wide, it's tough to cover him with linebackers and safeties.

So I think we have a great game plan. If they try and limit us in one aspect, I think we're very comfortable with all aspects of our offense.

Q. Did you have any idea what kind of career yours would turn into, especially coming off the heels of an Andrew Luck era at Stanford and here you are going out as a senior like this?
KEVIN HOGAN: No. I don't think you can ever -- you dream about it. You definitely dream about it. But you can never assume that you're going to have success or as much success as we've had here at Stanford. And it just shows the hard work that we've put in, countless hours and fight that this team has.

So I'm excited that as a senior we're able to get back to the Rose Bowl. I mean, this game means so much. It's the game that you dream about as a kid to play in, and I'm so glad that I'll be able to go out with this being my final game.

Q. With your game planning against the Iowa pass defense, how much of a factor does Desmond King's ability have on where you're going to go with the ball?
KEVIN HOGAN: I wouldn't say it's too much of a factor. I mean, he's a great player. He's definitely a great player, but we're not going to like shy away from him. We're going to go through our reads, go through our progressions, and they haven't seen a ^ receiving corps like ours all year. So it's going to be an exciting challenge. He does what is asked of him very well, and he creates a lot of turnovers, a lot of big plays for his team.

We're not going to shy away from anyone. I'm going to take my guys any day. So it's going to be a lot of fun competing against them, and it should be a great game.

Q. This is your third Rose Bowl in four years now. Are you still getting the same jitters as the first time you played it or is it starting to become like an everyday^ sort of thing now?
KEVIN HOGAN: Oh, you can never treat this like an everyday thing. It's so special. It means so much. And just the history of this game. And yeah, we've been here a couple of times before, but I still have that same mindset of almost being a little kid on Christmas morning, being down here.

And I'm a little bit more relaxed, just having gone through the process. And it's a good relaxed. It's not any complacency at all, not taking for granted this opportunity. I'm very excited. But I feel like I'm confident and in a good relaxed feeling.

Q. So Blake was telling me how he feels like this team this year is a little different than most years, especially with Coach. He felt like he's more enthusiastic and he's like having fun. Can you kind of just speak to that and how you've seen Coach just kind of have fun this season?
KEVIN HOGAN: Yeah. I think it began back in training camp. Whereas if there had been some chippiness at practice or maybe a little scuffle, which definitely happens in training camp, he might have gotten upset and stopped practice. And now it's like he's kind of one of us. He goes into practice with that competitive mindset and kind of allows us to be who we are. And it's all great. We all love each other. There's no negative feelings. But when you get out there and you're competing, there's some chippiness that goes on.

And I think that he's been a lot more relaxed in allowing us to play with that passion and that competitiveness. And it shows on Saturdays. I've never seen him celebrating as much as he has before this year. And it's exciting to see that he's one of your teammates. He's on your side and has your back. And he trusts us so much, the amount of time he allowed us to go for it on fourth down this year, whereas previously we might have punted, it's been awesome. And just to know that the coach has your back really allows us to go out and play even extra hard for him.

Q. Most of the talk has been about the offense, McCaffrey and your dominant offensive line. Can you talk a little bit about the defense because they did lose a lot of players last year. But you have to have defense to win games. Can you just speak to that side of the ball?
KEVIN HOGAN: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the defense has won games for us this year. And yeah, they lost a lot of talent to the NFL last year and graduation. But just goes to show what Coach Anderson has done on the defensive side. And the leadership that they have on the defensive side with Ronnie Harris, Blake Martinez, Kevin Anderson, all those guys have done a great job. We have a lot of young players playing over there. But these guys have been leading very well and kind of preaching the Stanford standard, and what is required here to be successful. And I have no doubt that they're going to keep that standard and that the young guys are going to carry it moving forward.

Q. When Coach Harbaugh initially was recruiting you, what was that like?
KEVIN HOGAN: Oh, wow. It's been a while. I just remember Coach being extremely fiery, and at the time I was being recruited by Coach Hamilton, and felt a great relationship with him. And then just coming out and, you know, he did a great job of selling Stanford. And yes, Stanford sells itself, but he got players out here. He got my class out here to come take visits. And it's something that Coach Shaw definitely carried over.

Q. Harbaugh left in like December or January of that year and then David Shaw took over. Did David get ahold of you like right away or what was that like?
KEVIN HOGAN: I don't remember exactly how we found out. I think it was shortly before --

Q. Do you ever wonder how things would have been if Harbaugh had stayed?
KEVIN HOGAN: It's tough to say. I mean, we've had so much success here. And I was never around him as a player. Just heard stories from other guys.

Q. Let me move on. How would you describe David Shaw as a head coach for people who don't know him? Does he ever surprise you?
KEVIN HOGAN: I think that he's grown so much with his passion and showing it in the game. And no, he doesn't surprise us. He just shows how much preparation he puts in, and he watches so much film on his own and won't be there in meetings, but will be watching the entire season of the opponents that we're playing, in all three phases. And will then come out and share wisdom and kind of talk about what they do, and then just the adjustments that he and his staff make during games has been great. It's ben a great second-half team.

Q. What have you seen from Iowa's corners? Everybody talks about Desmond King but what about Greg Mabin specifically? A lot of teams have been attacking him this year.
KEVIN HOGAN: They're both very good players. They have a great secondary. They work well together. It's going to be a lot of fun going against those guys. Can't say anything but positive. They've had a great season. It's going to be a (inaudible), and their scheme allows them to do what they do very well. So I'm looking forward to the challenge. And both guys on both sides do and extremely well job.

Q. A lot of teams have been attacking Mabin specifically. Is that something you read presnap to see where he is, especially with (inaudible) on the other side?
KEVIN HOGAN: Not at all. We're going to go through our reads, our progressions, take our matches or mismatches where we see them. So if I like a matchup on one side, I'll take that. And it doesn't matter who's out there at corner. I trust our guys. They haven't seen a receiving corps like ours or a tight end groups. So it's going to be a lot of fun and great challenge for us.

Q. Coach Parker talked yesterday about keeping two safeties high. Is that something you've seen on film from Iowa?
KEVIN HOGAN: Yeah. They do that every time, but -- not every time. It allows their safeties to come down and help in the run game. Yeah, they line up in two high, which is primarily a pass prevention kind of defense, but it's quarter coverage so it allows their safeties to kind of read the line of scrimmage and see if it's pass-run. And they only cover a quarter of the field, so it allows them to come down and support in the run game, but also be over top if it's a pass game.

Q. So Josh started out talking about the ogre position. What's ogre for you guys?
KEVIN HOGAN: It's our extra lineman who is kind of a wing lineman, where we line up in our big personnel setting and formation, so he's just out there on the wing. It's usually a lineman lined up at the tight end position kind of deal.

Q. Is that with you or is that just standard?
KEVIN HOGAN: Oh, I think it's just for Stanford. I think it's kind of just a funny name that we gave to him because it's a lineman lining up out at tight end. It's a funny position name that guys take pride in.

Q. Do you want to see another bowl?
KEVIN HOGAN: It's exciting. It's our goal at the beginning of each year. So we're excited to be back. It's the best bowl there is, and to be able to have this as my last game. It's great.

Q. Do you want to go to another bowl in another part of the country?
KEVIN HOGAN: I mean, our goal at the beginning of each year is to win our conference, and that's what we did. And we're here, and we're just going to try and go out and get a win.

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