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ROSE BOWL GAME: USC VS PENN STATE

December 29, 2016

Trace McSorley

Pasadena, California

Q. So the home run swing celebration, what's the origin story behind that and how long have you been doing it?
TRACE McSORLEY: Just kind of came up it with it in the spring, and one of our other quarterbacks, Billy Fessler, we talked about wanting to do something, a little type of celebration going through spring ball.

Coach Moorhead brought a lot of passion, a lot of energy to the team and I was talking about, celebrate success, things like that, not going overboard, but having fun with your teammates.

So that was kind of our thought process behind doing something, and we wanted to do something where we could kind of be incorporated in some way. He just actually tossed up a baseball, and then I just do the baseball swing, and then it caught on, a little more than expected.

Q. It's fit perfectly with all the home run shots you've hit over the last couple months.
TRACE McSORLEY: It's definitely taken off since then.

Q. What's it like watching your coach getting all this attention?
TRACE McSORLEY: Not a surprise. Definitely Coach Moorhead always talks about teams with success, individual recognition comes and that's expected and that's been seen across the board with our offense, even the coaches down to the players. Definitely deserving.

We're happy for him that he's getting all this recognition, all this, people, just high demand for him. He's a great coach and we're very happy he came here and we're looking forward to getting this next game on with him and then moving forward with our off-season.

Q. Does it make you wonder how much longer you might have him as a coach when you hear all this stuff going on?
TRACE McSORLEY: No, not really. That will end up being his decision, and I guess you can ask him more about that.

Just focus on what I need to do as a player coming in each day, working hard, and being ready and being as prepared as I can be for the next game. I can't control personally how all that stuff plays out. So I'll just control the things I can control as a player and move on from there.

Q. What are you focused on when you look at the USC defense? What do you focus on the most?
TRACE McSORLEY: Well, you just kind of see the different kind of looks that they present and how they try and disguise their different coverages and their pressures and things like that. Looking at individual players, how they play certain techniques and different coverages, how they are playing, things like that.

Q. Is it any different from what you've seen this year?
TRACE McSORLEY: It's a little bit different. Just the type of athlete they have got, they are real fast, and that's really across the board: Defensive line, linebackers and especially in the back end. They are real athletic and very fast and they play with a lot of passion and a lot of energy and they are very physical. Similar to some things we've seen but just a little bit different being USC and Pac 12, just a little bit different.

Q. Have you always been a good deep-ball passer, or is that something you've had to work on?
TRACE McSORLEY: I'm not really sure. I guess I've always been pretty good at throwing them. Definitely something that I've always continued to work on.

Always wanted to be able to hit -- be accurate in the deep throws and give my receivers a chance down the field. It's something that I just continue to work on every day in the off-season and in practice. Just kind of the more repetitions I can get, the better it will be.

Q. When you look at a team that's faster on film than what you're used to, how do you prepare for that?
TRACE McSORLEY: Well, just kind of got to play with a lot of speed in practice. You try to get as much speed work as you can. And then Coach Moorhead always says, "Don't let the speed of the game surprise you."

So that comes with mentally being prepared for what you're going to see. So then when -- if you can mentally be prepared for the looks that you're going to see and the speed that it happens at, it won't surprise you as much.

And then the speed work in practice. Getting as many full speed reps, scout teams, giving you a great full-speed look each and every day, that's the best way you can prepare for that.

Q. Since October, you have the most completions of passes that have traveled 20-plus yards in the air of anybody in the FBS. When did you guys and Coach Moorhead figure out that you could be really effective working the deep ball?
TRACE McSORLEY: We just kind of got into it, started feeling like teams were really trying to take away our run and take Saquon out of our offense. Feel like make our passing game beat them.

We really like our receiver matchups outside. We've got big, strong, fast guys that can -- that are athletic. They can adjust to a ball and go out and make a play high or outrun someone. We like the matchups outside and we realize teams were packing up the box and loading the box, trying to stop the run and gave us one-on-one matchups outside.

Every game, we didn't necessarily go in thinking that that was going to be how it was going to play out; but knowing that if that's how the game began and that's what we saw in the first couple drives, then that would be the way that we could try and attack them. Try and loosen them up and try and make them take some guys out of the box, devote them pass coverage and be able to get our running game going.

Q. The fact you've been able to lean on multiple receivers, instead of maybe just having one go-to guy, how valuable is that as a quarterback?
TRACE McSORLEY: I think it's tremendously valuable as a quarterback because it doesn't let the defense focus in on one guy. We have got DaeSean, Chris, DeAndre, Mike. Even Irv and Juwan and all the guys on the outside, they are big, they are strong, they are fast, they are athletic. They can beat you in a variety of ways and they are not all the same type of receivers.

Some guys are bigger and they are a little different in and out of their routes. The type of variety that we have at the receiver position is tremendous for us, so it really creates a lot of problems for defenses.

Q. And losing Saeed, when you have a lot of depth at that position, wouldn't seem to hurt as much as maybe other positions. Do you look at it like that, given the depth you have at wide-out?
TRACE McSORLEY: No, it definitely hurts, losing Saeed. But we've always had that next-man-up mentality throughout this entire year, whether it's linebacker or offensive line or running back, wherever next guy had to step in and come in and play; that's always been our mentality.

Definitely having the depth that we do have at receiver and having guys that can play at a couple different receiver positions that are real flexible with what they can do, that helps us out a lot, too.

Q. Who needs to have a big game on your team for you guys to win?
TRACE McSORLEY: I mean, I think for us, there's not one guy. I mean, you could look across the entire board. Obviously if we can get Saquon going, that will only help our offense, help us to be able to win the game.

But we need to be balanced. We need to be able to run the ball. We need to be able to pass pro and complete passes down the field, get our move-the-ball passes going. So I wouldn't say it's one guy, but the more balanced we can be, I think that can only help us.

Q. Do you keep an eye on Adoree' Jackson; is he the guy in their defense that you're going to be concerned about?
TRACE McSORLEY: No, he's definitely a game changer. A guy of his capability, any time you throw the ball near him, he can maybe a play. When he gets the ball in his hands or he gets his hand on the ball, he's a threat to do something with.

He's a big-play guy, so you have to be aware of the type of player he is and where he is at all times, knowing how he plays guys and how he can play in certain different coverages and not being away from him, but respecting the type of player that he is. Not being scared of it, but respect that he is a tremendous talent and he's a tremendous player. You have got to know that and be aware of that.

Q. What do you think it's going to be like for you at two o'clock when you take the field? The Rose Bowl is such a special Bowl, I'm sure you've even on TV.
TRACE McSORLEY: Yeah, Rose Bowl is one of the most iconic games, if not the most iconic game, in college football. It's a game that as a kid, you dream about playing, and you watch it every year growing up. You get the opportunity to go to a Big Ten school or a Pac 12 school, that's what you want to be playing in at the end of every year. You want to be playing in the Rose Bowl.

So it's definitely going to be a surreal feeling. I've got a lot of family out in the L.A. area. They are all going to be there. Really the only time that they will ever get to see me play. So it's definitely very emotional for me for them to be able to be out there. Kind of was always out here as a kid and always see the Rose Bowl growing up, driving by it and stuff.

It's definitely going to be maybe a little bit emotional but it's going to be a surreal moment. Try and take as much of it in and get ready to play.

Q. You've played with some great teams, against some great teams in your conference. How great was it at Michigan and Ohio State, you and a bunch of others? It was a really competitive season to get to this point. You had to beat a lot of good teams?
TRACE McSORLEY: No, we did. There were definitely a lot of ups and downs throughout our season. Tough teams each and every week.

So there wasn't one week that we could take off or one week where we feel like we had an easy road. They are a tough conference, tough competition each week, and I think that helped us each and every week where we couldn't always maintain the same level we were playing from the week before.

We always had to get better and better and take the next step in our preparation, next step in what we needed to do to be able to beat the next team on our schedule.

Q. The way that college football is set up, you want to be in that final four, yet here you are in the Rose Bowl, which you just said is everybody's dream growing up. Do you have any mixed feelings about where you are this week?
TRACE McSORLEY: No, not really. I'm extremely excited to be here at the Rose Bowl. I mean, the Rose Bowl to me, Rose Bowl team, they have done a tremendous job with our trip, the things that we've been able to do, go out to Disneyland. Yesterday we were at Lawry's at the Beef Bowl. It's been a tremendous trip so far, being out in southern California, great weather, great atmosphere around the game.

I'm tremendously excited for this team and I'm tremendously thankful for this opportunity. We're just very excited and very thankful for it.

Q. Who is your family out here?
TRACE McSORLEY: My mom's whole side of her family, from Azusa, West Covina, that area.

Q. Can you appreciate, Sam Darnold came out of nowhere and has emerged and had a terrific season for them. Do you know much about him or can you appreciate as a quarterback what he's gone through?
TRACE McSORLEY: I haven't seen many USC games other than what I've been watching on film and that's all been of the defense.

All I've heard about Sam is that he's a tremendous player, big kid, strong arm, athletic, as well. He makes plays with his feet and he creates a lot of problems for the defense and obviously he's been one of the top guys as a redshirt freshman, I believe, coming in this year, he was, what, Pac 12 Freshman of the Year or something like that.

He's a tremendous player. Got to give credit to him. He's been a guy that in like team meetings and stuff, we talk about both offense and defense what they have got, he's definitely a guy that we have to on our defensive side account for and be ready to try and contain him.

Q. What's it like for you, hearing Joe's name coming up for all these jobs? And he's told us he's coming back. What's that like for you? You want stability; any player does.
TRACE McSORLEY: For him, continuing to say to you guys and also to us that he's coming back, it's reassuring as a player, but you can't let those things kind of distract you. You just have to eliminate as many distractions as you can and control the things you can't control and focus on what your job is that day.

And for us as players, to come in and be as prepared as we need to be for practice and come in and give our effort and be as precise as we can be when we get on the practice field and just control the things we can control, and let all that kind of be what it is.

Q. Did you have a conversation with him at all? I know, because he said, like he sent out a Tweet and he said that was essentially it.
TRACE McSORLEY: I mean, talked to him a little bit about it. All he said was: Don't worry about anything, that's kind of out there, some things will be thrown out but I'll be back next year, has kind of been his message to me. It's pretty much the message he's been given to everyone else has been the same thing across the board.

Q. What excites you the most about this game?
TRACE McSORLEY: Just the chance to be able to play in the Rose Bowl. It's a game that you dream about growing up, dream about playing here. You watch it every year on New Year's Day, and it's something that you always imagine as a kid growing up, it's been a dream.

It's a dream come true and I'm thankful for it. We are playing a tough team in USC, talent across the board, and it's definitely a team, two storied programs going at it, again, since -- I think the last time we played was the 2009 Rose Bowl. Definitely going to be a tremendous game and definitely excited for it.

Q. What do you see as USC's strength?
TRACE McSORLEY: They present a bunch of different looks. They try and mix up coverages.

They do a really good job of disguising what they do. With the type of athletes that they have, they can do that. They can be in one position at the snap and then right at the snap of the ball, they are quick enough, athletic enough to get to another position.

So that's something that we have been stressing a lot is being very disciplined in our post-snap recognition as quarterbacks.

Then they are athletic but they do have some strength up front on the defensive line and their linebacking core. They are very well-rounded, very athletic, very physical. So definitely going to be a tough challenge for us.

Q. Do they compare to anyone defensively you've played this year?
TRACE McSORLEY: Do I compare them -- not really. Because what they do is usually different from what we've been seeing in the Big Ten. It's tough to kind of compare them and say they are like this team or another team we've played already.

Q. You've been one of the hottest teams in the country, nine straight wins, and you've had a few weeks off now. Is that a rest versus rust factor? How do you stay sharp when you were clicking so well?
TRACE McSORLEY: I think the best way we do, obviously take that time off. Being on, playing nine games in a row and going into the post-season in the Big 10 Championship game, guys kind of needed to get their bodies back.

I think that's been the best thing for us is get guys healthy, if you had any kind of bumps and bruises now, that's kind of gone out of you and you're feeling good. I think that was the best thing for us.

And then mental -- just really trying to do as much mental preparation over this break as we can. We might not be out on the field as much and we've had a little bit of a break from playing and being at practice, but as much mental preparation as you can get so you know what you're seeing.

Once you get back into practice, all that stuff starts coming back. That chemistry is still there, and I guess blow dust off it a little, I guess is the best analogy for it. But it's still there. The speed is still there, recognition, all that kind of stuff.

Q. You talked about what the Rose Bowl means to you, but have you had that "oh, wow" moment yet? What's it going to being like when you step on the field?
TRACE McSORLEY: I haven't had that moment yet. We were at Lawry's last night and they had some Rose Bowl, kind of like Rose Bowl history video and like some Rose Bowl hype videos and stuff playing. I was like sitting there, you watch that, you kind of get chills, like we are really here and this is really happening.

I think probably get that moment when you pull up to the stadium and you walk in for the first time and you get to see everything. I think that's probably when that "oh, wow" moment will come. That will probably be on game day. So you have to be able to weather that that and not let it get you too high and not let it psyche you out. Just be able to remain focused on the game.

Q. This could potentially be a shootout. If it comes down to that, how much do you enjoy those kind of games?
TRACE McSORLEY: Games like that are a lot of fun. Obviously every time we step out on the field, our goal is to score touchdowns. Our goal is to put points on the board.

Coach Moorhead kind of just saying, our job as an offense is to score one more point than the defense gives up. It doesn't matter if we score 51 or we've got to score three points; as long as we score pun more point than the opponent, that's our job. We're excited for however it ends up playing out.

Q. What impresses you the most about what Saquon has been able to do this year?
TRACE McSORLEY: He's done so many different things as far as he's had his explosive games where he's been unstoppable, rushing for over 200 yards. But he's also had the games where he's kind of been eliminated a little bit.

We went to more of the pass game when teams were stuffing the box and his ability to still be a leader on this team and still kind of have that mentality that he's going to give everything he has on every single snap. I think that's the most impressive thing what he does, nothing physical.

Obviously the physical stuff he does is incredible and everybody sees what he does, whether he's having a great game, or he's kind of been eliminated -- or being a little limited. It's been tremendous to see him handle all that and still remain the leader that he has been for this offense.

Q. Do you ever shake your head when you see some of the things he does?
TRACE McSORLEY: Yeah, a couple of them. I remember when he hurdled against Maryland. Kind of went up, and I was kind of right him when he did it. I looked over and me, and Mike made eye contact. We started looking, like -- we both, all right, like that was impressive.

It's just kind of you see him do things like that, and it's just like, well, all right, that's the kind of player he is. He can make those plays. He's a tremendous athlete, tremendous talent.

Q. Sorry if you were asked this already, but Saeed's suspension, how does that affect your wide receiver core?
TRACE McSORLEY: We just come in with a next-man-up mentality. Obviously Saeed is a tremendous player and it hurts not having him. But we have to have a next-man-up mentality and we have a lot of guys that are versatile across the board that can play multiple positions in our receiver core, and we have obviously some younger guys that can step up and make plays.

It's just kind of the next-man-up mentality. We've got guys that have played in that position before, so just kind of getting back -- getting that next-man-up mentality rolling, that's been our main focus.

He might not be playing this game, but he's here with the team and he's doing everything as far as being here, being a leader still, talking with the young guys and making sure that the young guys that maybe have not gotten as many reps this year; that mentally they know what's going on, and being a teammate to everyone else.

Obviously he's here, he's enjoying his time. It hurts, I know it's hurting him that he's not going to be able to play with us on Monday. It's hurting him, but he's doing everything he can to still be a leader on this team and still be there for the team.

Q. How would you describe your progress in learning Coach Moorhead's system this season?
TRACE McSORLEY: It's been really good. As an offense, we've continued to take the next step each and every week and learning the offense. There hasn't been one week where we've taken a step back or maintained the same level.

We're always -- Coach Moorhead says: Just take that next step, continue to climb, climb, climb, and get better each and every week. And I think we've able to do a really good job of doing that.

It's been a little bit different each and every week, kind of how we've done that. It's not been just the same process, where just kind of taking a step. There's been some different wrinkles that have been thrown at us. And we've been able to adjust to the offense, whether maybe having to go off the game plan a little bit; or where there's games where we just stick to our game plan, things are working and things have been pretty smooth and you just keep rolling through there, or making adjustments or whatever it may be. We continue to take the next step each and every week.

Q. That's like the value of half-time, too, getting new stuff; what's half-time like with him? Is there a lot of changes at half-time?
TRACE McSORLEY: There's not a lot of changes. There will be a little bit of change here and there. Sometimes you come back in, we've just got to execute better with what we've got called. We have plays there and we are just not executing it to our full potential; or we come back, he throws us a new wrinkle, and we come up with how we are going to attack and how we are going to play against that look.

So kind of depends on how that game is going. Usually it's a little bit of both. We have to execute better a lot of times, and a lot of times it's getting new wrinkle, how you are going to adjust and make different adjustments at half-time.

Q. The key for USC's defense is stopping your explosive plays, is that something you've worked on or is that something that guys -- because they are special athletes?
TRACE McSORLEY: I think it's a little bit of both. I think a lot of the explosive plays is just guys making plays and being athletes, giving our receivers a chance to make plays down the field.

Our running backs and through our run game, being able to get guys blocked up and be able to get numbers in the box and get explosive plays through our run game that way. But we do talk a lot about winning the explosive play battle, and that's something we emphasize a lot is winning the explosive play battle; and on our defense, I know they emphasize eliminating the opponent's explosive plays they get. Definitely a big emphasis for us is winning that battle.

Q. They are talking a lot about it. Has anybody been able to kind of take those away from you?
TRACE McSORLEY: There will be games where they will be taken away and we won't have as many at other games. It's kind of how the game is playing out, really.

Q. When you're live during games, or film study, how impressed are you with Joe Moorhead's ability to get you into the right play? How much do you guys talk about that?
TRACE McSORLEY: We talk a lot about it through our meetings with tips, a lot of pre-snap tips we can get. There's not necessarily one thing. They are not necessarily looking for one specific coverage to make sure we get in the right place, man- or zone-type deal, something like that, pressure versus non-pressure, base defensive looks that we are kind of looking for.

He's done a really good job this year with making sure we are in the right play and him being down on the field so we can have that person to person contact on the sidelines in between drives, I think has been big for us.

He's talking to the quarterbacks, so we are all on the same page with what he's looking for and what we want to go to with certain looks and certain coverages and pressures and things like that.

There have obviously been a couple times where we might get skunked into something, and he's the first guy to point the thumb, not the finger, if something goes wrong. He's done a very good job with that and he's been a very good benefit for our offense.

Q. You get to throw the ball 30, 40 yards down the field all the time and you have weapons; how much fun is it to play in what he's designed?
TRACE McSORLEY: It's been a ton of fun. I think you can kind of see that through our offense with guys out there having a lot of fun. Guys are doing celebrations and stuff like that and high-fiving, and people go out, get to the sidelines and people get their little dances and stuff like that. It's been a lot of fun.

I think everyone on this offense is starting to have a ton of fun with putting points on the board. No one is worried about individual statistics, just offensive team success and I think that's been the best part is we are all doing this together. We are having this success together and that makes it all the more fun for us.

Q. The Kodak Black grill celebration, how did that come about?
TRACE McSORLEY: I think Marcus started doing it and it grew from there. People just started doing it randomly. That's really been it. Just kind of started and became infectious off the team and everyone else started doing it.

Q. Do you get any feedback on that?
TRACE McSORLEY: A lot of people ask, you know, what's that all about. It's just kind of like, just kind of like a thing that happened. Don't really know how to explain it or how it happened or where it came from. Just kind of started and guys have kind of taken off with it.

Q. Along those lines, your baseball swing, how did that come about?
TRACE McSORLEY: Me and Billy Fessler over the spring, we were talking about, Coach Moorhead came in and he wanted us to be able to do that, celebrate, have fun, celebrate success, things like that.

And me and Billy were talking one day want to go do something after we throw a touchdown and wanted to do something we could both kind of be incorporated in and have some fun with it. Came up doing a little baseball swing, something like that. He comes out, takes a step on the field, tosses the ball up, and I just do the baseball swing, act like I'm doing a home run. Something like that.

Q. How neat is that for young players? Ten years ago at Penn State that, probably never would have happened.
TRACE McSORLEY: It's awesome that Coach Franklin, Coach Moorhead are cool with that. They obviously know we can't go across the line and can't do anything really to try to draw attention to ourselves.

But Coach Franklin's big thing is celebrate with your teammates. Come over to the sidelines and celebrate with your teammates, having fun, smacking each other, hitting each other in the chest. That's what he wants, as long as we're celebrating together as a team.

That's been the biggest emphasis as far as that's gone. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself. Don't be disrespectful with anything you do. Just have fun with your teammates.

Q. What do you remember about your first meeting with Coach Moorhead, and how has your relationship with him developed over the last year or so since you've gotten to know him?
TRACE McSORLEY: First meeting with Coach Moorhead was more like real introductory, real individual meeting; him asking about my family and trying to get to know me. I was same thing, try to get to know him. He was telling me about himself and I was telling him about me, where I'm from, things like that.

Then we kind of got into a real first football meeting where is we're watching film and talking offense and talking ball. Just kind of came the same thing, try to absorb as much as you can from him. He's a genius as far as it comes to being on the offensive side of the football, so just try to absorb as much as you can every time you're in there talking ball.

Just continue to grow. The more we're together, it's kind of through spring ball and threw summer camp and now we're into the season, just the relationship keeps improving and keeps progressing and keeps getting better.

The more you get to know each other, the more you're around someone, you have to get more comfortable with each other and so then you can kind of start cracking jokes and have fun with them. The more we kind of were around each other, kind of started being comfortable, kind of started having a lot more fun, the relationship continues to get better.

And I think not only between myself and him, but the entire quarterback room as a whole, just the more we got comfortable around him, the more he got comfortable around us to be able to have the better relationship.

Q. Were you following at all these last couple of weeks, sort of the situation with him and getting some interest from other schools with head coaching jobs, that kind of thing?
TRACE McSORLEY: Not really. Knew that was going to happen. He came in, had a lot of offensive success, and knowing that any type of coach that has success, there are going to be some people that are interested in him and wanting his services.

Just kind of just be able to keep it out of mind and don't let it be a distraction. Focus on things that I can control. That was something that was going to be out of my control no matter what I did.

So I just not really worry about it and then just focus on the things that I can control and try to prepare for USC as best I could personally.

Q. Nice to know he's coming back, though, right?
TRACE McSORLEY: Oh, yeah. It's definitely nice. Definitely having that security blanket, knowing he'll be back next year and have another year to learn from him.

Like I said earlier, he's a genius. So the more I can be around him, the more I can learn from him, will only be better.

Q. How tricky is this offense? Can someone else call the plays from the sidelines if it's not Joe?
TRACE McSORLEY: I think probably someone who has been in our meetings and knows what we're looking for could. Just his mentality, he's been in this offense and this is his offense, so I think he's probably got obviously the best way of doing it.

Q. It's his thing.
TRACE McSORLEY: It's his thing, yeah. He can do it but we've had that next-man-up mentality the entire year, talking about a player, so I'm sure it would be corresponding to our coaches, as well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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