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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: MIAMI VS WISCONSIN

December 28, 2017

Jim Leonhard

Miami Gardens, Florida

Q. It's minus whatever back home, so would it be smart to stay there?
JIM LEONHARD: No, no.

Q. How ready do you think T.J. Edwards is for the NFL based on what you've seen of him the past couple years?
JIM LEONHARD: I think he's ready, especially mentally. He's got a great grasp of football, and obviously at this time still developing as a player physically and all that stuff. Obviously the more time, the better. But what he's done on the field this year has been very impressive to me, just consistency that he's made big plays for us. He's always been consistent in the shotgun, making tackles, and just the big plays he's made this year is just impressive and just a credit to how he's approached really since the season ended last year.

Q. Is it a little shocking to you that he didn't really play defense at all in high school? I don't know if you knew that or not. He was a quarterback.
JIM LEONHARD: Yeah, it's impressive. You just never know throughout this recruiting stuff. He's just a good football player. He's got a great understanding of the game and great instincts. Defensively he hasn't played that long, so it's just fun to see that growth, and that's why some of our guys make big jumps like that.

Q. What's the mood of the defense been this week?
JIM LEONHARD: I think guys are excited. You get in the grind of a season, and you're used to going and just playing week in and week out, and all of a sudden you hit a bowl game, and it's a little bit different because physically you've got to take a little time to get these guys' bodies back and mentally give them a little bit of a break, and then you reach that point where everyone is just ready to go. You get so much extra time watching tape and kind of talking the game plan, you just try to make ways to get it not stale and keep it fresh, and then eventually guys turn it up and go out there and get ready to compete.

Q. Do you think guys may have been too excited against Ohio State?
JIM LEONHARD: No, I think we've got great experience on this defense and guys that have played in big games. They're hungry. They want it. They want to be champions. They want to win the Big Ten, and we obviously knew what was on the line, if we won that game, pretty good opportunity to get in the playoffs. Yeah, I'm sure nerves play into it a little bit, but our group of guys is awesome that way, it doesn't really seem to faze them good or bad. They just go out and play ball.

We made some mistakes early and couldn't quite overcome them. But that's football.

Q. Do you have a sense that they do want to prove that that's the kind of group they are?
JIM LEONHARD: Yeah, we have a very competitive group. They have high standards for the way that they want to play, and that's a great problem to have. Obviously we're coming off a performance that you wouldn't your best, guys just can't wait to get on the field, and that's the other thing, you never want to have that taste in your mouth for a couple weeks leading up to a bowl game. Our guys have locked in, and I've liked the approach this week, and get one opportunity to go out there in a bowl game and try to get a win.

Q. What have you seen from Travis Homer on film?
JIM LEONHARD: Extremely dynamic. You know, to me it's the run game and the pass game. Not like he gets a ton of targets in the pass game, but seems like good things happen when he gets the ball in his hands. I mean, very, very explosive out of the backfield, physical runner, obviously great -- elusive, great speed. He's a problem. He's a handful. We've got to make sure we try to limit him early in the game.

Q. Is there anybody that you've played with or played against in the pros that he kind of reminds you of?
JIM LEONHARD: I mean, hard to say one guy. I mean, I played with a lot of great backs, and he's one. It's fun to watch. As a fan of football, it's fun to watch the way he plays. To me, it's watch him block. You watch him go up there and pick up a linebacker, come across and hit a DB coming off the edge. That to me truly shows you his mentality and his mindset and how he plays the game. He competes, very physical, he runs hard. You can tell he loves the game, and to me that's the biggest credit to who he is as a player.

Q. You know that they have a turnover chain but you guys statistically match up well against the Hurricanes. How do you see the match-up defensively in both sides?
JIM LEONHARD: I think our approach is always take care of the run first, try to make a team one-dimensional and eliminate big plays. They're a very explosive offense. Obviously they feed off that defense, they feed off their special teams and the turnovers, the momentum. You've got to try to limit that, and you stop the run and you eliminate them from throwing it over your head you've got a great chance week in and week out. Nothing changes this game, it's just that's their strength, as well, and we know that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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