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ROSE BOWL GAME: USC VS PENN STATE

December 28, 2016

John Reed

Pasadena, California

Q. Talk about this week so far, what you've been doing at Disneyland and the first practice today?
JOHN REED: Disneyland was fun. It was I think some guys, first time riding roller coasters and stuff. It was exciting, get to be with the team as a whole throughout the day, was really fun. Preparing for today, just locking in.

We're pretty much ready to begin the actual prep for the game. We've done a fair amount of it already, but now that we're here in L.A., to start that game prep again, it's been great. Everybody was really locked in today at practice. Just getting back to it.

Q. What does it mean with Manny now suspended? What does that do for the defense? Does it change a lot for you guys and how do you have to adjust to that going into practice this week and the game plan?
JOHN REED: Just like a next-man up mentality. Next guy, we have a lot of depth at a lot of positions now, so we're really confident in whoever is going to step in for Manny.

Q. What are you most looking forward to about the rest of the week?
JOHN REED: I'm just, like I said, I'm just kind of happy to be here. Grew up want to go play in the Rose Bowl. Never been on the West Coast. First time being in California, Los Angeles. I'm just happy to be here. I'm actually glad that it's hot but and there's no humidity. You can actually breathe out here.

I'm just happy to be here honestly. Ready to compete most of all.

Q. Not quite like Philadelphia.
JOHN REED: The sun is beaming down but you can actually breathe.

Q. Bowl practice, what's that like? Is it a productive time, completely I different atmosphere, a place where David Beckham played soccer. Is it hard to focus for a Bowl practice?
JOHN REED: I wouldn't necessarily say it's harder to focus but definitely it's a little different playing in a different place than we are used to. We are used to practicing back home and we're practicing in L.A. now. The biggest thing is there's no humidity out here so it makes it easier to get things done in practice. It's great.

Q. It's defensive day, everybody is talking about how many points you score but it's finally your day to talk about D.
JOHN REED: We're a team. We don't really look at it as that. We're happy for each other. Whoever gets the most of the media and things, I don't think anybody in our team ever worries about those things. We are not necessarily playing just for media attention. We're playing for each other, playing for our family back home and stuff. That doesn't really bother us. Whoever gets it, we're happy for them, if anything.

Q. Game-plan wise and just USC, have you looked at pretty much what you're going to look at and implemented what you're going to implement?
JOHN REED: We have pretty much I think everything in. We've gone through a lot of the things they are going to be running at us. We've really prepared and watched a lot of film over break and everything like that.

So with school being out, all your focus will be on the game and breaking things down as if you were an NFL player. It's been great.

Q. I know how tight you guys are, always talk about the family part of it, and we're going to be without two of the guys for the game itself. What do you say to them as kind of the family, the teammates, to the guys?
JOHN REED: They can still be leaders and things like that. We know there's going to be guys that are going to be able to step in. We have a lot of depth, and they are going to help those guys make the transition be a little easier coming in. A lot of those guys have already played a lot.

So people who are stepping in for them have already played. They have a lot of game experience, so we have a lot of confidence in whoever is going to take over that position.

Q. The linebackers have gotten used to Coach Pry but he stepped up into that defensive role. What did you find out about Coach Pry? What should we know about him?
JOHN REED: Coach Pry is a great person, great person. He puts us in the best position to succeed as players, each much us individually and we all come together collectively as a defense. We are allowed to do certain things that fit us as players, but it all comes together to better the defense.

Just his positive attitude, always on the sideline, always listening to us. He's hard on us when he needs to be. He's our biggest, like biggest person that just wants to support us. He's just a great person. I always like to say Coach Pry is a person that is really going to change your life off the field the way he coaches. I just love being coached by him honestly.

Q. What can you tell us about Marcus Allen and what he brings? Why are you smiling as soon as I say that?
JOHN REED: Marcus Allen is like, all energy. Just energy. Makes you enjoy playing football so much more. Always happy, always excited.

We have so much fun. Like, I don't know.

Q. Give me an example; can you?
JOHN REED: Just like, just everything, throughout the plays. Things we'll say between plays; like you're locked in, but you can still have a little fun out there. He makes sure that you're staying focused but you're having fun at the same time. That's one of the reasons why I love playing with him so much.

Q. Did he start the "show the grill" thing?
JOHN REED: Yeah, he started that. It's from Kodak Black. We've been listening to Kodak for the longest time, so I think he saw him do it one time and we just followed up.

Q. What can you tell us about this USC offense, particularly the quarterback?
JOHN REED: Quarterback makes a lot of great throws. I know he's a great quarterback. They are saying he's a freshman. That's not how he plays.

So you know, it's going to be a challenge for us but we're excited. We're really excited to have that challenge now. The offense as a whole is really explosive. They have a lot of great players and we're excited to play them.

Q. Do they remind you of anybody you've played or is this a unique team?
JOHN REED: Maybe a little bit like Ohio State but not really. They do some things similar but not necessarily. They are two different teams. They are unique, certain aspects, just across the board. They have guys who can make plays from multiple positions. That's definitely something, we've played against it, sort of like a Curtis Samuel but not necessarily on a different team, different scheme. It will be something different than we've seen this season.

Q. Great receiving core. What are your keys as a secondary to doing what you need to do against these guys?
JOHN REED: Just doing our job well. Making sure we're in the right place at the right time, staying disciplined in all of our coverages, using our technique and fundamentals and things such as that, executing. When we see things that match film, just making sure we're able to be there in the correct place to make the play.

Q. And one last thing, can you tell us about some of the red-shirting guys on defense that we haven't seen that we should be looking out for for next year?
JOHN REED: Oh, I get this question -- it's really, it's going to sound crazy, it's a lot of them, though. A lot of those guys, they may not have came in big but they are getting big; a lot of guys that came in as fast but they are getting faster. They have got a lot of talent in that class. We're really excited.

Q. Anybody offensively that you go against in practice?
JOHN REED: I would say defensively, the guys who I work with the most are T.J. and Zech McPhearson who both have come along the whole season and are guys who are going to help us in the secondary.

I can say that because I work with them every day and I'm in the film room with them and we're at meetings. Probably be the two guys who stick out for me personally.

Q. What is it about them that's impressive?
JOHN REED: T.J. is a bigger guy. He's able to get hands on the line. He has good ball skills. His technique has grown all the way throughout the season and he continues to improvement.

Zech is real athletic, long arms. He may not be six foot but his arms pretty much put him there at that height. He's really athletic. Both of those guys, most of all, they are coachable. They listen to everything everybody is telling them and they take it in, and they apply it to their game and they have improved throughout the season.

Q. USC's quarterback, do you see any similarities between him and Trace?
JOHN REED: I never really looked at it like that, side-by-side. Like when I break down film, I look at it for what it is. I guess they are both two really good quarterbacks. Guys have explosive plays. USC's quarterback, may not get a lot of credit for his feet but he makes a lot of guys miss in the pocket. He doesn't get sacked a lot of times because he's making D's miss and he has great feet. I guess that's probably the two similarities they got from me, and their arm, both of them.

Q. After September when you were 2-2, what did Coach Franklin do to get you guys focused or keep you guys from getting down?
JOHN REED: Well, Coach Franklin, he didn't really have to say much, because we were all on the same page. All of us as a team, we're always on the same page. A lot of times, some things don't need to be said. We knew we needed to keep grinding and keep improving every day and keeping that confidence that we all have each other and keeping that tight bond that makes us so successful, and just to stay hungry and keep working.

Coach Franklin said that we were all on the same page before he even said it, so we knew what we had to do in order to be successful throughout the season.

Q. We know you're a film guy. What have you seen in your early looks with USC that's kind of intrigued you the most?
JOHN REED: Let's see, they have a lot of guys that have catches. I know that sounds funny, but they have a lot of guys that could cycle in and make plays. Guys that could cycle in and are real weapons. They may not be starting but they are able to make plays. It's probably what sticks out the most for me. That, and probably would say the work of the quarterback throughout the season.

Q. When you were able to get out there today for the first time in the practice field, how good did it feel to get out there with the team?
JOHN REED: It feels good. We're always together, so when we get back on the field, we're excited to be playing, but at the same time, a lot of us are always together off the field and things like that. It isn't like we were just seeing them for the first time. But it was fun to be out here running. We're doing footwork and on our own and stuff like that, but to be able to have a full, functional practice was really good.

Q. How aware are you of what Adoree' Jackson does on offense?
JOHN REED: We know on offense and even special teams, the work he does there. He's an explosive guy, real athletic. I remember in his previous years, he played a little more receiver than he did this year, so you have to respect that as a defense and things like that.

We know he's going to be pretty much everywhere, if they play him on offense. So we have to kind of prepare for that.

Q. Is he the kind of talent that when he steps on the field, you have to be cognizant of where he is?
JOHN REED: Yeah, I think they have a few players like that though. Offensively, I've said they have a lot of weapons. You have to kind of know what each guy does in their offense and how are they using this guy in certain situations and things like that. That's just being aware in your film study and as a football player.

Q. Specifically who jumps out at you?
JOHN REED: Probably the quarterback, I would say. I know it sounds funny. Obviously the quarterback, he's usually in the same place, but the quarterback, he's really stuck out to us a lot, the throws he's able to make and things like that.

Q. Did you guys go back and start studying them in week one when they had a different quarterback?
JOHN REED: Because at the same time, they had a different quarterback but they were running a lot of the same plays. It was at the beginning of the season when they had him, but they have put in some more things. Scheme-wise, they are very similar.

But their new quarterback took over for the majority of the season, so we have broken down a lot of their film. We are not just breaking down the first three games. We are comparing those three games to the rest of the season and things such as that.

Q. Do you spend more time on the back end of the schedule?
JOHN REED: The way I watch -- it depends. The way I watch film is I watch it in cut-ups. So I'll watchful games to see how tempo is, to see how guys are playing and see what it's like for each player during certain plays, how did they play in the first and how did they play in the second quarter. But a lot of times, I break it down in cut ups and things like that, third downs, situational football and things like that, when I'm watching guys.

Most likely I'll be watching every game throughout their whole entire season. I'll be noticing who is in personnel and things like that. That I'll definitely take into account.

Q. You've got a different view from what the linebackers see out there. What can you kind of recall or have seen from Brandon Smith, Koa, Cam, their time out there that gives you confidence that you guys are not going to miss a beat here?
JOHN REED: Well, we work with them every day in practice. We know what type of guys they are, the work they are going to put in. They have made a lot of plays when they have gone in.

Brandon Smith, Cam, Koa, they have all made plays. So we have the utmost confidence in them and we know that they are going to be able to make plays when they step on the field.

Q. Speaking of Jason, as a guy coming back next year, what sort of excitement does it bring to have him sort of formally announce he's coming back next season?
JOHN REED: It's great, because you know, he's a big part of the defense. He's a leader, very vocal. Just the command he has over certain parts of the defense and the defense as a whole, it's been great. He always knows what he's doing. He watches a lot of film.

He works really hard and everybody has trust in him, so when he makes a call, boom, that's it, that's the call we're going with. There is no questions. We may talk about it on the sideline but when we're in the midst of the game and everybody is on the field, we trust what he's seeing and the calls he's going to make from it.

Q. Looking at USC, how do you sort of game plan for a guy who like Adoree' Jackson, might only play a couple of snaps on offense, might not play at all on offense?
JOHN REED: He makes the most of those snaps, though. Just have to know the plays that they are looking to use him in. You may expect a couple new plays, but for the most part, it's going to be very similar. Just know where he's at and what they do and where he's at in certain places. Just staying locked in where he's at. They have a couple players who are like this. You can't necessarily key in on one player at a time.

Q. Have you thought at all about what the atmosphere of the stadium is going to be like?
JOHN REED: We've played in Beaver Stadium at home, we've played in the Big 10 Championship and things like that. I honestly I haven't even thought about how the stadium is going to be. I've thought more about, we're going to be in the Rose Bowl and I grew up wanting to play in the Rose Bowl.

Whenever I usually got really excited to watch a game, it was the Rose Bowl game or Bowl game. I'm just more grateful than anything. I haven't really thought so much about the stadium or roaring or anything. I usually block that out for the most part when I play.

Q. Any offenses that you've played this year that you can compare to USC?
JOHN REED: They are very unique. Maybe the closest thing would be Ohio State but not necessarily. That's probably the closest thing. We haven't really played that much of a similar offense throughout the season, I would say.

Q. The quarterback is a red-shirt freshman.
JOHN REED: He may be a red-shirt freshman but he doesn't play like it, though. He has a great skill set. He's able to make a lot of great throws and things like that.

Q. Anyone that's comparable to him that you've played?
JOHN REED: Not too sure. It's funny, I'm not probably the greatest for the comparisons and things like that on the spot. When I watch film, I watch it for what I see. I look at his ability. I didn't really look to necessarily compare him to another quarterback we play.

Q. USC is a team that loves to throw the ball. When you look at them, what are the biggest challenges trying to stop that?
JOHN REED: First as a defense, make sure you're stopping the run and be prepared for certain concepts they are going to run and when they are going to run them. Knowing what each guy is used for and knowing their strengths and weaknesses. Just being an aware football player, that's it.

Q. When you start to game plan, what's the one thing that you know you have to stop?
JOHN REED: For a great defense, I think first of all, you've got to stop the run. That's huge. They have a great running back who is able to pop a lot of plays, really explosive. We have to make sure we stop the run, and then obviously defending the pass. They have a great pass game, too, and they have a lot of explosive players. I guess most of all, just make sure you're doing your job as a whole on your defense, being where you're supposed to be at each and every possession.

Q. The quarterback is one of the best in the country in the red zone, 18 touchdowns, no picks. In short field like that, what changes for you defensively and what do you have to do to stop him, his success in the red zone?
JOHN REED: You know, red zone, you're not giving a lot of ground, things like that. Just playing aggressive, not playing on our heels. You can't play on your heels at all, period, whether you're in the red zone or not. Just playing disciplined football, is what it comes down to.

Q. You were practicing today, Disneyland yesterday.
JOHN REED: It's a lot of running around.

Q. Exactly. But it's also a business trip. How do you kind of balance the game planning and still enjoying the experience when you're out here?
JOHN REED: I think it's just maturity. I think the maturity of your team, we have a lot of mature guys. Guys know when we're supposed to have fun, we're going to have fun and stay respectful in the same way. When it's time to lock in, when we need to get things done, there's no questions asked. Guys aren't in play-around mode. Guys are locked in and ready to play. We know why we're here at the end of the day.

Q. Manny is not going to be out there for this game. When someone doesn't play like that, guys have stepped up all season, does that help in this situation, knowing you've had next-man-up all year?
JOHN REED: We've had a lot of guys play throughout the whole season in every position, so it definitely helps the depth we have been able to build throughout the season, so it definitely helps in this situation.

Q. Sam Darnold, what have you seen from him on film and if there's one strength that you can maybe point to, like one thing he does exceptionally well, what is it?
JOHN REED: We've seen him on film a lot obviously. You know, Thursday, we noticed his ability to be able to escape sacks in the pocket and his footwork, things like that, really impressive.

Q. How difficult is that as a corner to hang with your guy when you have a quarterback who can break contain? He's not the fastest guys.
JOHN REED: But he makes people miss, though.

It is definitely difficult, but at the same time, you need to stay fundamentally sound. When plays start to break down, you're not going into scramble mode. You've had practiced that and you're prepared for that. It's just pretty much staying as disciplined as possible, staying with your man, not necessarily looking back and trying to look back at the quarterback the whole time and lose your guy.

Q. Marcus, I asked him what kind of offense, if any, does it compare to and he said a little bit of Indiana, a little bit of Ohio State. Is that what you guys kind of take from it?
JOHN REED: That is definitely it. That's probably the best comparison I would say. A little bit of Ohio State, a little bit of Indiana. They are definitely unique in their own way.

Q. If you compare Darnold to another quarterback that maybe you've seen, or even like you've watched, other college football quarterbacks, is there anyone that sticks out to you?
JOHN REED: I'm not too sure. A lot of people ask that, like the comparison and stuff. When it comes from me, when I'm watching film on guys, I don't necessarily make a whole lot of comparisons. I see what I see and I judge off that. If they have other strengths and weaknesses, that may stick out to me.

Like another guy, I may be able to pinpoint him, but a lot of times, I'm watching it for what it is. I'm not searching to see, what is this guy like. I'm trying to see what he's good at and take it away.

Q. What's it been like with Koa here as a resource? He knows L.A. like the back of his hand. What's it like having a guy like that on your team?
JOHN REED: I mean, it's good. I'm not really -- if I'm outside, need to get food, so I ask him for food places and stuff like that. It is good having him out here, though, because he knows everything. I ask him questions -- I've never been this far. I've never been to California or the West Coast in general.

Q. How far west before coming here, where was the furthest west you've been?
JOHN REED: I'm not sure. Maybe I guess Missouri maybe.

Q. You were never an Oregon guy?
JOHN REED: I was invited. I didn't go. That flight, yeah.

Q. We see Marcus's personality and I'm sure you guys do, too. How would you explain him to us?
JOHN REED: Just really, really energetic. Like non-stop energy. Likes to have fun. That's Marcus. But at the same time, real physical on the field.

Q. Does that physicality, it seems like that's something people rally behind, energy. Is that kind of what he does well for you guys?
JOHN REED: Yeah, well, it's not even -- just like how vocal he is on the field. Just making sure all of us are having fun at all times. I don't know, us playing together, we have a good chemistry.

So we are always on the same page when it comes to making calls and things like that. So we don't always have to be so outright in the calls we're making. Because a lot of times, we know. I look at him and we're like, all right, cool, we know the call.

Q. Does he get on you, because we know you're very serious about your business.
JOHN REED: Like if anything, he tries to make me have more fun.

Q. That's what I mean.
JOHN REED: Yeah, like that's probably the biggest thing. He's like: "You need to be having more fun."

I'm like, "Yo, I'm cool. Let me play." But at the same time it's been good for me, playing with a guy like that. So I can actually really enjoy myself. I have a fun, but I'm always like -- so he's like, "Yo, relax."

I'm like, "I'm good. Let me play." It's just fun, though, because we're real cool off the field, real cool on the field. It just makes playing football that much more fun with him on the field.

Q. Does he talk the same on the field as he does off? Is it nonstop?
JOHN REED: Yeah, for the most part, yeah, right. But it's fun, though, when you're playing like that. It's kind of funny, some of the stuff you can hear people saying between plays and stuff like that, it's hilarious.

Q. Who are some of the young guys, who stands out to you, whether it's a scout team guy, true freshmen guys?
JOHN REED: Probably Garrett Taylor coming up. He makes a lot of plays in practice. He's still developing he's getting better and better each and every week. And then Zech and T.J., they are still there. Just their growth and how coachable they are and things like that has been great to see.

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