	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROSE BOWL GAME: USC VS PENN STATE

December 28, 2016

Jason Cabinda

Pasadena, California

Q. Is it a little bit disappointing, the suspensions? How are you handling it as team leaders?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, we've been through a lot of adversity this year. Obviously we've had guys go down and it's kind of that same type of situation. That's kind of the approach we're taking at this point. Guys are going to have to step up. Kind of just how it's been, all year. Guys are going to have to step up. Guys are going to have new opportunities to play this game and show up and step up for us. Unfortunate situation obviously but guys are going to have to step up and fill those shoes.

Q. Did anybody have to say anything to Saeed or Manny, talk to them or encourage them?
JASON CABINDA: Obviously it's just disappointing. Those guys really want to play. It's an opportunity they are missing out on no doubt. But at some point, it's something you have to move on from and prepare, knowing that we're not going to have them. Simple as that.

Q. You Tweeted out today that you're coming back. Talk about that decision and what prompted to you make it now.
JASON CABINDA: I just felt like it's the right thing for me to do and I thought it was in the best interests for me. Obviously make sure I have my degree, as well and I get to play for Penn State for a whole 'nother year. Not a lot more to say than that. I love playing here and I love this place to death. I'm really excited to be able to come back.

Q. When did you make that decision? What went into the announcement today if you've known?
JASON CABINDA: I was always pretty sure I was coming back for the most part. To me, coming to school was about getting my education and making sure I had my degree and that's something I don't have at this point in time.

I was like 95 percent sure I was coming back. So for me, I just felt like, you know, today, I was ready to kind of make that announcement and really commit to it.

Q. How does USC compare to people you've played?
JASON CABINDA: I think from a talent aspect, they are up there with the best of them. They have got really good receivers, big receivers. I don't think we've played receivers as big as USC has, big possession receivers, make big catches. Very good quarterback, my opinion, a red-shirt freshman. Definitely not playing like a freshman. He's out there and he's really controlled that offense and he's kind of led the way for that offense.

Obviously that O-line, very big O-Line, big, strong, athletic guys, guys that can really move. Their No. 73 at right tackle, he's just humongous. It's going to be a good challenge. Good backs, obviously the type of backs you would expect to see from a place like USC; you have Ronald Jones and those guys. It's going to be a tough challenge, but we're up to it and we're excited.

Q. I know they kind of went off the radar in September. Nobody was paying attention to them. Have you been able to follow them toward the end of the year?
JASON CABINDA: No, not really too much. All I really know is we really had similar seasons in that kind of had a slow start and kind of just picked up and been hot since.

I think they have won eight games in a row and I think we've won maybe nine games in a row. Very similar seasons, similar stories in that aspect.

Q. You did say stepping up, you've got one defensive guy and one offensive guy. What specifically do you have to do to step up?
JASON CABINDA: I mean, it's not just going to be one or two guys. It has to be the whole defense playing better and kind of making up for that loss and filling those shoes. It's not going to be a one-man job. So it's going to be collectively on offense and collectively on defense, guys stepping up and playing better to kind of fill those shoes and make up for that production that we'll be missing.

Q. What do you have to do, you personally?
JASON CABINDA: Just making sure guys are on the same page. When you have a guy who has played all season, who you consider to be a veteran at this point, you know, go down, it's going to be a guy with less experience who comes up and has to come in and make plays.

So it's getting those guys in the right mind-set, making sure they are with the right mentality before this game and all those kinds of things.

Luckily we have a lot of veteran guys in this defense who are going to be able to rally around these guys who are stepping up and filling those shoes. I think we'll be all right.

Q. Looking at USC, this is a team who can really score points like your offense can. What do you see from them and how difficult are they to defend?
JASON CABINDA: Absolutely. I think they have a very controlled passing game, intermediate routes, short routes. They like to get the ball into their playmakers' hands and kind of get going. A lot of YACs, yards after catch, all those kinds of things. Very good receivers, Juju, No. 1, as well. They are good receivers.

Their quarterback, you know, quick release, strong arm, he's accurate. He moves around better than you want him to. I think he's kind of been their game changer. When he came in during the midseason and took over, I think since then, they have just been on a roll with this guy and impressed with him, as well. Obviously O-line, big, strong and athletic. They move really well.

You know, 73, he's like huge, I. Think he's 6-9, 360. We so are going to have some challenges. Their running backs, very similar to the type of running back you would expect to see out of a USC team. They are a very talented team and we are excited for the challenge.

Q. You had practice today, you're talking to us right now, n you were at Disneyland. How do you balance? This is a business trip but also trying to enjoy the experience.
JASON CABINDA: Absolutely. And that's the tough part, all around the country with Bowl games, it's knowing when you can turn that switch on and off, the coaches, the guys, you want to come out and have fun enjoy the experience.

But at the same time when it comes down to a business work and practice and meetings and stuff, you've got to lock in and be in the present. That's what our coaches say all the time, is being in the present. When you're in Disneyland, go out there and be a kid. Go on and be a kid and go on every ride and have as much fun.

But when it comes time to practice and meetings, all those kinds of things, that's when you have to lock and make sure you make the most of all those things.

Q. When did you decide you were coming back next year and why did you feel the need to say that today?
JASON CABINDA: I just felt like today I was really ready to commit to that decision. I've pretty much been 95 percent sure that's kind of what I was going to do the whole time but for today, whatever reason, I just felt very committed, 100 percent committed to the decision.

Q. I know you have this game to look forward to but everybody is going to be back, all the underclassmen pretty much said the same thing as you. The fact that you have everybody back, what does that say about how good this team could be going forward?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, there's no doubt about it. The future of this program is going in the right direction. We're going to have a lot of guys back, a lot of new, young talent coming in, as well.

I think we are going to be able to -- now we have a bit of a formula. We had that off-season formula of kind of how we get here and now everybody can say we won a Big 10 Championship but nobody in the room can say they have won a National Championship. That's obviously going to be the goal and at that point, it's going to be, all right, no one's won this; now we have a new formula. We have to work even harder than we did this past off-season, because we didn't achieve that this year, you know what I'm saying.

It's all about building on what you did last year and what you did the week before, the day before, all those kinds of things.

Q. What do you need to do to slow down Sam Darnold?
JASON CABINDA: We are going to have rattle him a little bit. He's been comfortable in the pocket. The offensive linemen have been doing a really good job protecting him. We're just going to have to put pressure on him. Our four-man rush is going to have to get to him. We're going to have to have success, negative yardage plays, sacks, all those kinds of things.

Young guy; show him a lot of looks, all those kinds of things, to slow this guy down and make sure he can't peg us pre-snap. All those kinds of things will make it easier for us to make his mind move slower.

Q. Does he remind you of anybody else you've played this year in terms of the style he brings?
JASON CABINDA: To be honest, no, not really that I can think of at the moment. I think he's a special guy. He's very good, playing really well, especially for a red-shirt freshman. He's a young guy. We're impressed. We're impressed by him. It's going to be a tough challenge.

Q. Why do you think you've been so dominant in the second half? Michigan State moved the ball on you the whole first half; Wisconsin moved the ball on you the whole first half; Purdue, second half, very different story. What's going on in the half and what are you doing in the second half?
JASON CABINDA: You go out there, the first half, you get a feel of how they are trying to attack you, and all those kinds of things, and then you have second half, you have to really make adjustments and really execute.

And at the same time it's a credit to Coach Galt, our strength coach, and what he's been able to do the off-season, especially our D-line and O-Lines have really been able to wear teams down over games.

When it comes to the third, fourth quarter, you're just seeing from our D-line, a ton of TFLs, a ton of sacks, those type of negative and zero yardage plays in the second half. I think that's really what has been slowing teams down, kind of getting them off-schedule and being able to make sure they are doing things that isn't necessarily in their rhythm and in their routine and what they want to do.

Q. USC is a very good first-half team but you also came back from 28-7 down against Wisconsin. Do you need to start faster and slow them down more in the first half?
JASON CABINDA: Absolutely. We talk about it all the time, after games, we're always telling each other, we can't afford to start slow like that. Because the teams only get better and better, as you see, down the road, these teams have only gotten better and better. We can't really afford to have a bad first half. We have to be able to make those negative yardage plays and play dominant like we have in the second half and play that same way and apply that to the first half. That's going to be key to this game.

Q. Your decision to come back for your senior year, what was that decision-making process like?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, you know, for me, I would just say at this point, I was pretty confident that that was a decision I was going to make, I would say 95 percent sure. I was just waiting until I was 100 percent sure committed to that decision before announcing it.

Today for whatever reason, I felt really confident. Had another talk with my parents and some friends of mine and felt like that was the right decision for me, so that's kind of why it happened.

Q. How did your teammates react?
JASON CABINDA: Obviously happy. It's great, being able to play another year with these guys, going through the grind another year, this off-season. That's how you get so close, all that hard work, during those winter workouts and that grind. That's why these teams, we get so close, because we've been through a lot. We've been through a lot and a lot of adversity. I'm just happy I'm going to be able to experience another year and experience more Whiteouts next year.

Q. How confident are you that some of the guys in the defense can step in?
JASON CABINDA: Oh yeah, it's an awesome opportunity for Koa obviously. It couldn't be a better opportunity for him to be honest. He's coming home. He's from Cali, and you know, being able to come in and be able to make more plays, it's huge for him.

We're confident in him and he's made plays for us all year to be honest. It's exciting to see him get more reps and do his thing out there. We're excited. We're confident in his ability.

Q. I saw somewhere you were in California with teammates. When was that and what was that experience like?
JASON CABINDA: It was cool. We've been experiencing L.A. Koa knows the area a lot. We just met a whole bunch of people. We just like it out here, walking around STAPLES Center, hitting balls and stuff like that. It's pretty cool out here. We're really enjoying the experience. Obviously Disneyland was absolutely awesome. Felt like a kid again. It was cool.

Q. Before coming here, didn't you come to L.A. before?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, yeah. I came out here, what was that, I think it was a couple summers before and I stayed out with Koa, me and Mark Allen, Johnny Thomas, a couple guys. We went out here and stayed with Koa, went to the beach, did a bunch of stuff. Stayed at his house a couple days. That was a nice vacation. He knows L.A. inside and out, so he was always taking us places every day and meeting his friends from high school, all those kinds of things was cool.

Q. Did you have a message to him going into this game that you guys are going to sort of tell him?
JASON CABINDA: He's a confident guy. We have a lot of confidence in his ability. He makes plays in practice all the time. So I mean, no worries at all in any kind of way. Just excitement to be honest. Just excitement to see him really unleash and see what he's going to be able to do this game.

Just tell him, no nerves, and I don't think he will be nervous at all. Just go out there and play free, that's what it's all about. You work hard and you prepare all week so that you can go out and play mistake-free and play without worry and those kinds of things.

Q. Firming up your decision to come back, not that you need more motivation or excitement for a Rose Bowl but does it add more, knowing that you can use it eyeing towards next year?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, absolutely, something to put the icing on the cake and something to really propel us into the next season and into this next off-season and grind and that kind of stuff. So yeah, absolutely.

Q. Have you thought about what the atmosphere is going to be like Monday?
JASON CABINDA: Not yet. I have somewhat of an idea but I probably have no idea how crazy it's going to be. It's going to be really special.

Q. What does Marcus Allen bring to this defense?
JASON CABINDA: Energy. A ton of energy. He's a leader out there in that secondary. Brings the toughness and comes down and hits guys and not afraid to hit anybody. Brings all those kinds of things to our defense and energy, pumping up the crowd, all those kinds of things, I think is really critical. He's a critical piece and obviously he's made a ton of huge plays for us, really season-changing plays for us: That fourth and one stop against Wisconsin; the block kick against Ohio State. He's done a lot for us and we wouldn't be where we are today without him.

Q. What about his personality? You look at him, he's laughing the whole time.
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, that guy, he's always got a smile on his face. He's one of the more sillier guys, fun guys. But when it's time to lock in, he does that. I think that's how it is with a lot of guys on the team. You start to see guys' character and personalities and stuff like that but when it comes to business, they lock in and that's really important. That's what he's about. He's a fun guy, always laughing, silly, likes to make people laugh, all those kinds of things.

Q. Did he start the 'showing the grill' thing?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, that was all Marcus. That just -- Marcus did it once and it kind of picked up.

Q. Kids who are red-shirting on either side of the ball that may jump out, people to keep an eye out for?
JASON CABINDA: I think Miles Sanders is a guy who has really developed over the course of the year. He's going to be a very good player for us down the road. Rob Windsor, as well.

Q. Guys who are sitting out and not playing, like freshmen.
JASON CABINDA: Shane Simmons, he's a really athletic guy. He's going to be freak issue, no doubt about it. He's long. His pass rush is very refined technique-wise, for such a young guy and he's only going to get stronger and better.

And Cam Brown, as well. Cam Brown is going to be a dude where after he takes this year, strength and conditioning and really fills his body out and stuff, he's going to be scared, so guys got to watch out for him. Kid's already like 6-5.

Q. What how much do you think him playing this year actually helped him?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Any time you can get experience, any time you can get experience really out there and get rid of those nerves, all those kinds of things, it can be huge for you. This off-season is going to be huge for him. You're going to see a dramatic jump in his production from this year to next year I think.

Q. Who was working him and B-Smith during drills early on in the second team? Who was with them?
JASON CABINDA: B-Smith, Cam, and I'm trying to think -- it might have been Jarvis.

Q. Looked like he was wearing a 35.
JASON CABINDA: I'm not sure. I can't think right now, I'm sorry. Might have been Jarvis, he's wearing No. 9. He's flipped back and forth between safety and linebacker depending on need and stuff like that.

That's another great thing about the guys we have. They are always willing to do whatever is best for the team, switching a position or being on scout or whatever the thing may be. Very selfless players: When you have guys who don't care about the individual recognition, all that kind of stuff, guys who only care about winning, you're going to have success.

Q. How did that first practice go?
JASON CABINDA: It was good. A lot of good, mental work. Really continuing, getting back into thinking USC, all those kinds of things, after like Christmas and all that kind of stuff. It was good, really good day, good work and going to be an even better practice tomorrow.

Q. How did you make the decision to come back?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, for me, obviously it's family, parents, it's coaches, teammates, all those kinds of things. For me, I was already pretty sure that I was going to stay. But for me, I just felt like I needed to wait until I felt 100 percent committed to that decision and today I really felt like that.

Q. How much of it factored into the fact that there's a good chance you guys don't lose anybody really. Obviously what you guys did this year, is that kind of in the back of your mind?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah. No doubt about it. When you have an opportunity to be a part of something special like gunning for a National Championship, all those kinds of things, that's absolutely a factor in being able to come back and play another year, for sure.

Q. Did you talk amongst yourselves? I know Mike is coming back, Marcus is still deciding, it sounds like.
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. You see Marcus, he Tweeted at me today after I Tweeted that. All those things are important. You want everybody to stay. You want to keep the family together as long as possible, and you know, that's something that a lot of people don't really understand.

When guys make these decisions to leave and stuff, sometimes it's out of necessity. You never know what's going on in their lives and their families and those kinds of things. We want to keep this family together as long as we possibly can because we know we still have a lot of winning we can do.

Q. You're think pretty in touch with what happens in the world college football, kind of what's going on -- guys commit -- do you think of that at all?
JASON CABINDA: Absolutely. It's tough. It's tough. Guys are trying to -- I think a lot of the things that people don't understand, people get mad at those guys for sitting out and stuff. But you've got to have your own interests in mind, too.

We sacrifice so much for the school and for our teammates and for the coaches and all that kind of stuff. But there comes a time where you have to think about me times and you have to think about your family. Guys have families they have to take care of. It's as simple as that. You want to see your moms and Dads and living better lives and if you have an opportunity to give them a better life, through going to the draft early or not playing in a Bowl game or not risking injury and stuff like that, you do that. I think it's as simple as that.

Q. Do you see it as a situational thing, or would you conditionally say, hey, go for it, seems like a good decision?
JASON CABINDA: It's a situational thing. It will always depend on your situation and what's going on. That's the other thing people don't understand is there's so many different factors that go into this draft process.

And that's why it's tough with college football. I think college basketball, they can declare, get an agent, go and work out for teams. And if they don't like the feel or feedback they are getting, they just come back to school. But that's not the case for us. You play or that's kind of it. It's tough. It's definitely tough. And you always have people in your ears saying this and saying that, who have their own interests in mind.

So I mean, it's very tough. You've got to listen to people that love you and have your interests at heart and you also have to listen to what you want to do, because at the same time, you have to understand, staying a whole 'nother year means going through a whole round of winter workouts, a whole 'nother grind of summer and a whole 'nother spring football.

Football is a physical game and it wears down on your body. I just think a lot of people don't understand all those different factors that go into these types of decisions.

Q. The USC guys this morning were talking about the variety of pressure looks that you'll bring to get after the quarterback. For those of us who haven't seen a lot of your defense out here on the West Coast, just what do you guys try to do schematically in getting at the quarterback?
JASON CABINDA: You definitely try to switch up looks and all those kinds of things and kind of get people off-balance, create negative yardage plays, disguising, all that kind of stuff. It's a tough, hard-nosed defense.

It's exactly what you would expect out of a place like Penn State. I think Pac 12 and Big Ten are kind of very different styles of football, so it will be interesting to see how it clashes and meets. We're really excited for this opportunity.

Q. What kind of difference has Coach Pry made, taking on a bigger role in everything?
JASON CABINDA: You know, I think that's been one of the hugest things in everything. Coach Pry, he's such a leader and sets the tone for the mentality aspect and really make sure that guys are getting better every single day.

I think he just sets a tone from the mind-set of, you know, every day, guys want to get better and guys want to do more. He really motivates guys to do more. He really believes in the talent that we have in the room and gives guys confidence, and when guys have confidence and are playing with confidence, you just play better. You're more productive, you play better, you're more confident, you play faster, all those things. So I think Coach Pry has done such a good job with our defense this year.

Q. He was comparing Ronald Jones, USC's running back to Curtis Samuel of Ohio State. Do you sort of see where he's coming from with that?
JASON CABINDA: Absolutely. Absolutely. They are both dynamic guys. I think a guy like Ronald Jones, he's what you would expect to see out of your typical USC running back. Really, he's a dynamic guy. He makes a lot of cuts. He has good vision, he's fast, breakaway speed, all those things.

It's going to be a tough challenge, but we are going to have to go out there and we're going to have to wrap him up, tackle well, be accountable all those things.

Q. Does USC remind you of a team that you've faced at all?
JASON CABINDA: No, I wouldn't say they have. It's very run-and-gun, controlled passing game, all those kinds of things, quick game, get the ball into your playmaker's hands, go, a lot of yards after catch, quick screens, all that kind of stuff. It's a new offense but we've played pretty well against a spread offense all year. We're pretty confident in our game plan and being able to execute this week.

Q. Now that you face this new offense that you haven't seen as much, is that kind of an exciting challenge for a defense to be able to get ready and show yourself?
JASON CABINDA: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Guys have been watching a ton of film and been looking at how to really stop this offense and there's a lot of things that we have to stop. They have good receivers, go backs, good at the skill position, good at the O-line. It's going to be tough, there's no doubt about it. But at the end of the day, we have a game plan and as long as we execute, I think we're going to like the result at the end of this game.

Q. USC's season turned around when they changed that quarterback. What's impressed you about what you've seen?
JASON CABINDA: I think his pocket presence is one of the most -- the best things I've seen about him and the O-line obviously is doing a really good job protecting. I think they only have 11 or 12 sacks on the year, so he's been protecting and I think he moves around a lot better than you'd want him to, you know, quick release, strong arm, accurate. He really takes command of that offense.

So you can just see that offense has really just been -- since they made that change, they have just been running this offense through. He's kind of taken over and been the leader for them.

Q. I just got a chance to talk to Coach Pry. Teammates talk about what kind of guy he is before they talk about coaching. What does that say about him?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, I mean, the way he inspires us from a mental talent aspect, he's very, very prideful in the university and he takes pride in having a good defense. He takes pride in upholding the linebacker-U traditions, and that comes first. Really cares about our guys. He wants us to do well in school, all these kinds of things. Very caring and very passionate guy about what he does.

And from a coaching aspect, he brings it, every single day, and he makes guys bring it, every single day to practice and get better every single day, and really inspires us to do better and be better and continue to grind.

I think that's the best thing about Coach Pry and kind of why we've been able to have such success on defense even with the adversity we've faced year.

Q. I want to ask you about Coach Pry and with Coach Franklin. Players take a little while to develop and grow into their new roles. What about Coach Pry and Coach Franklin what have you seen from them the last couple years as far as they have grown into their positions and gotten better themselves?
JASON CABINDA: Yeah, I think that's one of the good things about coaching is you're always going to make mistakes, and I think they are always meeting, every single day and saying, okay, how can we make this better. They are just never satisfied with their formulas. They are always tweaking things and saying, okay, how can we be better about this, how can we be more organized, all those kinds of things.

I think doing that develops guys and just makes us better in general. That's really what they do. They are never satisfied in any kind of way, regardless of the outcome. We won a Big 10 Championship this year, but I promise you that first team meeting after this game, that wasn't good enough. That's really what they bring out of the players.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297