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MOTEL 6 CACTUS BOWL: WEST VIRGINIA VS ARIZONA STATE

December 31, 2015

Tony Gibson

Phoenix, Arizona

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

TONY GIBSON: Anytime you have this long, our last game was almost a month ago, to sit around and watch, we've been occupied. That first week after the Kansas State game, we were on the road recruiting, had a big recruiting weekend, had a couple practices before we even knew who we were playing. It was happening pretty quick.

Then our kids had finals, so you had three or four days to do the breakdowns and start going again. That's when the temptation starts. I've seen this, we need to change this. Then I always go back, Let's wait till spring to start this up. Let's push that back and hold off.

The thing I like about our guys right now is I feel we're playing very fast and they understand what we're doing. When you do get that temptation, put on the film, watch your guys perform, I'm pretty happy with where they're at at this point.

Q. Has there ever been a day or two before a bowl game that you've added one little thing, changed one little thing?
TONY GIBSON: Not really. Not really. Again, you have that temptation, you may talk about it with your staff, but to present it to the kids, get them thinking, that's the last thing I want to do. I want them to be able to go out and, again, perform and play fast.

Ricky has had a lot of starts. Last game as a Mountaineer. He continues to get better. He's a guy we've counted on all year long. Whether Chestnut was down or Daryl was down, he's that guy. Ricky has played a lot of snaps, a lot of good snaps the last couple years. He's game-ready. He has a lot of games under his belt. We're excited about him.

Q. (No microphone.)
TONY GIBSON: Just a great young man. Maybe as good of a guy as I've ever been around. The things he does in the Morgantown community with the homeless, with young kids around. You can't say enough good things about him.

He's a great kid. He's a great student. He's already graduated. Will finish his masters up here in another six months, I think. Just a great guy to be around. We're going to lose him.

Not only Terrell, but for all 12 seniors on defense, the other eight on offense and special teams, we need to send these 20 guys out. They've been through a lot through the transition from the Big East to the Big 12. These guys have been through it. We definitely want to get a win.

Everybody tells you, the teams that win the bowl games are the ones that are most excited to play. I think our guys are going to be excited to play. I think those 20 seniors will make sure that happens.

Q. Are you excited, Tony?
TONY GIBSON: Yeah, I'm excited. I'm really excited to get the opportunity. Here is what I'm excited about with our kids. We're the only bowl game on at that time slot Saturday. We're the only show on. I'm excited for our kids. I'm excited for the whole country to get to see these guys perform, so...

Q. (No microphone.)
TONY GIBSON: I was actually coach with Rich there. I got done playing, got beat in the playoffs. So Rich said, What do you want to do?

I want to coach.

Anytime they would bring recruits on campus, I would take 'em and host 'em, help out. So I loved the recruiting part of it. I went right in and went on the road as soon as I was done playing. That January I recruited a little bit.

I did that. Was coaching in the spring there, helping in the secondary, special teams. Got a phone call in, I don't know, June, maybe late June, early July. They said, You need to apply for the head coaching job at the high school. I'm 23 years old.

I applied for it, got the job. I got there. The first meeting we had, I think I had nine boys and one girl show up for the first meeting. We were down in the field house. We knew we were at the point where we needed to get some guys out here. We did, got it going.

Then right before the season started, in the middle of the season, our AD got sick, had to step away for a while. They named me interim AD, head coach. I think at that time, I know it was the longest losing streak in West Virginia. I was thinking country maybe. When we did win our first game that year, we were USA Today. It was a big deal.

Really got the kids believing in what we were doing. Knocked down some walls, built weight rooms, all the things.

Then that fall after the season was over, Rich called me back, some guys left. I went back and coached secondary. Kind of the rest is history from there. Rich left to go to Tulane after that. I went to Cumberland University for two years. Went from there to West Virginia Tech as defensive coordinator for a couple years. Came to West Virginia in 2001.

Q. I know you're close with Rich. What made you decide to come back here? What were some of those factors for you?
TONY GIBSON: Opportunity, number one. Number two, it's home. Again, there's not many times or anyplace I've ever been, when I left West Virginia, that I wasn't thinking about it. I've had a lot of different jobs, four different jobs at this level at a couple different universities.

Every time I was away from West Virginia, in my mind, there was always a piece of me, What's going on in Morgantown? I was always watching to see what was happening. You always want to be back. You can leave, but you always want to go back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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