|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MOTEL 6 CACTUS BOWL: WEST VIRGINIA VS ARIZONA STATEDecember 31, 2015Todd GrahamPhoenix, Arizona THE MODERATOR: Coach will make and opening statement and then take questions. COACH GRAHAM: We're awfully excited to be her. The hospitality has been tremendous. Obviously we've got a special group of young men. This has been a great reward for us to be associated with such a first-class organization and bowl. Got an opportunity last night to have an event at Chase Field. Chase Field looks tremendous. As a matter of fact it was pretty spectacular looking actually. So we're very excited about that venue and the opportunity for our guys to compete there. I want to congratulate West Virginia. They've got a tremendous football team. That's something exciting. To get to come to such a first-class bowl and to be treated with the type of hospitality we've had has been absolutely first class. Then to get to play a great opponent and have two really good teams going at it, it's going to be exciting for our players. It's been a special week for us, obviously a special group. These seniors are really, really important to us and our Sun Devil Nation. What they've done academically and on the field has been pretty special. I think you can go back to 1970 before we've had as much success as we've had in the last four years here. I'm really proud of what they've done academically, four best years academically in our football program. That's something I'm really excited about. We're looking forward to Saturday. We've had a tremendous week. It's awesome. Our host and committee members have just been tremendous. It's been a great, great experience for our players. The hotel and resort has been awesome. Got to spend a lot of quality time together. It's been a great week so far. THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. (No microphone.) COACH GRAHAM: We got a chance to visit a little bit last night. His background comes from working with Coach Leach, the Air Raid. He's done a really solid job of adapting to the players that they have there. It's very different than what we've experienced in the past and very difficult. Their run game is very, very impressive. Two runningbacks are very, very good runners. As good of tandem runningbacks as we played against all year. Then they can stretch the field vertically. It's very different. It's a run, play-action pass more oriented offense. Q. How has Gibby changed from when you had him at Pittsburgh? How has he evolved as a coach? COACH GRAHAM: He looks like a linebacker now. Used to look line a DB (laughter). I'm obviously proud of Tony. We've had a relationship that's spanned quite some time. As a matter of fact, in 1993, he was playing at Glenville, West Virginia, I was coaching at East Central University. We coached against each other for the national championship. He shattered his arm, was a great player for them. So our history kind of goes back there. He's really done a great job with the defense. He's really evolved. The big difference is how he's evolved as a coordinator and what he's done. They do a tremendous job of making it difficult. Obviously the scheme is a scheme that we ran back when I was back at West Virginia, the 3-3. It's somewhat of a complicated system. You have to really do a great job being able to fit all the runs, those things. He's done a great job in developing his players. He's always been a fundamentalist, a guy that coaches fundamentals extremely well. He's moved to coaching linebackers now and has done a tremendous job. I've been really proud of what he's done there. They're a very solid defensive unit and they're very, very well-coached. As far as how much he's changed, he hasn't changed a bit as far as we still communicate. We were saying last night, I talked to him right about a week before we knew we were coming here, we exchange ideas, talk from time to time about defensive stuff. He hasn't changed a lot. He's a fundamentally sound coach, very aggressive. His guys are going to play extremely hard. You can tell his players play hard for him. Q. Your recollections of being in the Mountain State? COACH GRAHAM: My greatest recollection of being at WVU is some of the best fans maybe anywhere I've ever been. Just passionate. An incredible place to coach and play football. I have great, great memories of there. My second year there was a lot better than the first year. One memory I have is losing to Temple. Didn't want to do that again. My last year there was pretty special. You always remember things as a coach, I remember the Miami game. We were winning there, then they scored late to beat us to win the national championship. I have great memories there, great people. Q. A lot of craziness in the coaching circles. You and Rich are out here. It's amazing how it spreads around. COACH GRAHAM: It does. I've got a pretty close-knit group that I've been associated with. It was interesting last night to get to see Coach Nehlen's son, the training staff, a lot of people that were still there when I was working there. Obviously I'm a big fan of Coach Nehlen. It was great to see Danny last night. In coaching, that's what it's kind of about. I spent half my career as a high school coach in Texas. That's what I love about the profession. The guys I tend to connect with are guys that really are relationship-driven, want to make a difference in kids' lives. Tony worked for me there when we were there at West Virginia, then worked for me at Pitt the year we were there. I've got a lot of people. It was more than I realized. Last night was a cool event to see everybody. Q. Your last game against West Virginia was the Backyard Brawl. COACH GRAHAM: I remember two of the best wide receivers I've ever seen. Pretty special. It was a one-point game, 21-20. Q. Winning field goal. COACH GRAHAM: Yes. Gino was the quarterback. It was a heck of a ballgame. But the thing I remember about that game is obviously the intensity of that game is pretty special. I remember those receivers were pretty difficult to handle. Q. What jumps out at you about this team? COACH GRAHAM: Obviously when I think of West Virginia, blue-collar, tough, physical. Very impressed with the physicality on offense, how well they run the football. When I turned the film on, I thought I was going to see more of an Air Raid-type offense. That's not what I've seen. Dana has done a great job of adapting to his players. They're very formidable. Run, play-action pass. They can flat run the football. Their offensive line is physical. They have the ability to stretch the field vertically. They have receivers that can hurt you deep. Obviously that's the biggest concern for us. Q. Can you talk about that conversation you had a week before this? COACH GRAHAM: We're good friends. I'm not a network person. I don't have a lot of people that I spend time talking to. We've exchanged ideas, always remained close as far as the coaching profession. We always would talk different points in the season. We talked before the season, usually during the middle of the season, then the end of the season. We were talking there, had no idea we were going to play each other in the bowl game. He was calling to see how things are going. He's always asking me about my family, I'm asking him about his. He's someone that I have a lot of respect for. Q. People get promoted and get some momentum. Seems like Gibby has gone through that progression. COACH GRAHAM: I think he is and was a great recruiter. He's a relationship guy. I mean, obviously I've coached with him and worked with him. His players are going to play for him 'cause he is a relationship guy. That's obviously the key component to recruiting. He's very genuine. He's going to do well there. Probably because he was such a good recruiter, people didn't think about as far as the schematic part of it, being a coordinator. I think he's shown he's very capable there. I'm very impressed when I watch their defense, how they've progressed in his seasons there. Coach Patterson, who works for me, was there as well. Tony worked with Keith, as well. He's done a great job developing. They've definitely gotten better, have a solid unit. He's evolved as well schematically in some of the things he's doing. I'm a pressure-oriented guy. You can tell he's become more aggressive there. I like that. Q. Is it going to be weird looking across and seeing Shell out there? COACH GRAHAM: Not really. I mean, I'm awful happy for him. He's a good young man. I had the opportunity to recruit him. I recruited him when I was at Pitt. I can remember sitting and visiting with him, talking with him. Really happy that he's found a home there and done well in his career. But not really. My deal, this isn't about all that. It's not about me or Coach Holgorsen or Coach Gibson. It's about what these two teams have accomplished, going and competing for a bowl win. We've always competed against each other. But a lot of that stuff, you know, I mean, we had just some epic battles, man. Gosh, I remember at Tulsa, they kicked a 53-yard field goal with one second left to beat us one year. We've always gone against each other, so it's always been that we've been competitors. Nothing but respect from my end. Obviously Coach Patterson, he and I were college roommates. He's my defensive coordinator. He worked for Coach Holgorsen. We have great respect for him as a coach and his knowledge. He's one of the best offensive minds there is in the business. Nothing but respect there. Q. (No microphone.) COACH GRAHAM: He's a young man that's right at 2500 yards rushing, 2500 yards receiving. I don't think that's ever happened before in the history of the game. He's a very versatile player. I'll be honest with you, he is a runningback/receiver. He played runningback primarily, then we put him at receiver for most of his career. This last year we played him primarily at receiver and then put him at runningback. He's so versatile, you'd be foolish to play him at one and not the other. He's a guy that's going to have a great opportunity at the next level. Great character, local product. D.J. Foster is going to be successful going on and playing football. When he's done, I can tell you this, he can sure be successful here in the Valley because people have a great deal of respect for what he's done, not only on the football field, but in the community. He almost has a legacy of being a hometown hero because he could have went anywhere in the country and he chose to stay here. Around the country, that's one of the things I hope we always keep in college football. It saddens me how a lot of the rivalries are dissipating because of whatever reason. We should respect the game that way. When you look and you see, I remember Scottie Gyorko, when you take a hometown guy from West Virginia, a hometown kid from the Valley, it's pretty special when they go and are able to do that locally. We live in the era of free agency and all that, coaching, playing, all that. Every person has to do what's best for them. But it's awful fun to see kids like that because there is a lot to be said for representing your state, representing your community. It's a big deal. You think about like the teams that don't play anymore. It's crazy. I mean, I think Pitt and WVU are going to play again in the future. The fact that that game went away... Oklahoma and Nebraska no longer play. You go on and on. It's ridiculous, in my opinion. Q. (No microphone.) COACH GRAHAM: I love it here. My wife and I, we used to come out, I've been a head coach 10 years now, so I guess 10 years now we used to come out to the Fiesta event for coaches. We fell in love with this out here. First house I ever paid off (laughter). Q. When you and Keith first saw this matchup, did you chuckle with each other? What went through your mind? COACH GRAHAM: No. I mean, really, I think more in terms now of Keith and I have been around each other for 30 years, so we really don't talk as much as you think. We don't have to. We know what each other is thinking. I really mean this, I'll be honest with you. Our team and our players really wanted to play in this game. Obviously our goals were to be in the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. If we're not going to be there, to be able to have this group of seniors that have been as special to our community, Sun Devil Nation, as they've been, to be right here, to be able to play in front of them one more time, then to be able to play against a great opponent, I like that. So when we seen it was West Virginia, one, we knew it was going to be a heck of a challenge, but we were excited because it's a great opponent. That's what you want in these games. Q. Do you feel the kids have gotten to enjoy even though they haven't left the area? COACH GRAHAM: Really, it's not been really much different than going to San Francisco, San Diego, El Paso. Been to a lot of different places. When our players came to me after we finished the season, conference championship game, everything was sorting out, that's where they wanted to be as well. It's nice here. The thing that makes it nice is the Fiesta Bowl, Cactus Bowl committee that runs this bowl is so first class. The accommodations, in any bowl I've played in, I'm staying in a nicer facility, resort that we've stayed in. That makes it awful nice as well. It's been pretty much spending time with each other, enjoying each other, enjoying the time together, celebrating the success we've had. Really business, focusing on the game and practice and playing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|