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CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL: LSU VS OKLAHOMA

December 26, 2019

Jalen Hurts

Atlanta, Georgia

Q. When you guys come out here on a neutral site field like this or a neutral site preparation, is it different than preparing in Norman? Obviously the location is different but is there a mindset that you have to bring with you?
JALEN HURTS: We go to the field and practice just like we do back at home. Nothing really changes. Just have the same approach to what we do.

Q. Has that mindset that you guys have instilled, once you got to campus, do you feel like it's gone throughout the year?
JALEN HURTS: As far as?

Q. Just winning, going 1-0 every week?
JALEN HURTS: Yeah, we've tried to be consistent as a team and go out there and be the best version of ourselves every week.

Q. Have you had fun this week as far as going through this process of playing in a playoff game?
JALEN HURTS: Yeah, I've played in this playoff game before, so all the bowl stuff has been nice and getting to experience it again has been cool.

Q. Do you feel like everybody is kind of locked in?
JALEN HURTS: Yeah, I think we're locked in. I think we have the right approach. I think we've prepared well, so just got to finish the week strong.

Q. You guys have prepared for a conference championship game, and you get to do it at home and there's no bowl events. How do you balance those things?
JALEN HURTS: There's no distraction unless you want there to be. There's all the external factors that we try to keep out of our box and control what we can control, honestly.

Q. Do you have to remind anybody how to deal with all this? I guess Oklahoma hasn't done it as much as you have.
JALEN HURTS: Yeah, we're trying to get over that hump, and we've got a great opportunity to do it. When time needs to be, you obviously lay low as a leader, but it's gone well so far.

Q. What do you have to do to get over this hump and beat LSU?
JALEN HURTS: We've just got to go out there and execute our game plan, most importantly go out there and do our jobs.

Q. You talk about going out and having fun. How hard is it to balance that and --
JALEN HURTS: It's not hard at all. We know what we want to accomplish, and to do what we've got to achieve something great. So we put the work in, and we have an opportunity to do that.

Q. Do you feel like the offense has just kept getting more and more productive, with some of the remarkable performances down the stretch?
JALEN HURTS: I think there's still opportunities for us to -- we've got an opportunity this week to go out there and play really good football, go out there and execute our jobs and just be efficient at what we do. There's always steps that could be made.

Q. Is this pretty much the same LSU defense that you saw during your time in the SEC West?
JALEN HURTS: No, it's not the same Oklahoma team -- nothing is the same. It's all different.

Q. What do you necessarily see from LSU's defense that maybe is a little bit different than what you saw in your previous years?
JALEN HURTS: Well, they have a tradition of having really good speed guys and great DBs, great linebackers, great front guys. They're consistent at what they bring in, we've just got to go execute.

Q. What are your impressions of Stingley?
JALEN HURTS: He's a really good player. He's a really good player.

Q. How much did coming in and having to learn a new system as a true freshman and play right away, that experience help you with this year?
JALEN HURTS: Well, I think having six different coordinators -- not coordinators, six different coaches in my time has helped me more than anything, just being able to be a part of so many different people, have so many different people I can pull on and try and use it as an asset for me. Just learning those things, having those experiences I can call back on. It's been very beneficial I'd say.

Q. At what point did you really feel comfortable?
JALEN HURTS: When?

Q. What you're doing within the offense here and not having to think too much.
JALEN HURTS: I never said I was comfortable. It's a challenge every week going out there and trying to execute and do what we do.

Q. How do you feel like you left things with Alabama fans? Do you still kind of feel the love from them on social media and that kind of thing?
JALEN HURTS: Well, I appreciate the support that they've shown this entire year. I appreciate it genuinely. I think that says it all, the fact that they're supporting me, that they're there for me, that they're wishing me luck and hoping the best for the Oklahoma Sooners. I mean, that's a great thing.

Q. We've talked before about your story, but you've got two of the biggest fan bases in the country behind you, do you feel that?
JALEN HURTS: Oh, it's definitely there. Like I said, it's something no one else can say they have truly. I think it's a blessing, and I'm just thankful for it all.

Q. Has it gone by extremely fast for you, your career, or has it been a long process? What's it been like personally?
JALEN HURTS: It's gone by. This year has gone by pretty fast. Kind of taking a leap of faith in having to pick a school to go to and being here and seeing how it's all kind of unfolded and stuff and trying to go out there and finishing it the right way.

Q. Do you feel like one of the most accomplished players in the history of college football?
JALEN HURTS: Y'all can make that decision for me, whenever the time is right. You can make it now, make it in a month, whenever. I just go out there and do my job and try my best to lead and control what I can control.

Q. When you saw that it was going to be Atlanta, was there a grin on your face that you were coming here?
JALEN HURTS: No. I figured we would.

Q. 5-0 in this city; how do you explain that?
JALEN HURTS: We won the games. That's how I explain it.

Q. Is there some magic here with you, or is there anything to it?
JALEN HURTS: You go to Alabama, you play for SEC Championships, SEC Championship game is in Atlanta. Opening kickoff is in Atlanta. Nothing special to it, I guess. I enjoy playing here. It's a nice venue.

Q. Have you ever gotten to experience the city or are you confined to a hotel every time you're here?
JALEN HURTS: It depends. Like I said, it's a great city, great people. A real southern feel to the city, and it's a very nice city.

Q. Is it an advantage for you having all that experience in that building and here?
JALEN HURTS: I don't know, it's just -- we've got to go play, you know. Got to go play. Field is still 100 yards long and 53 yards wide.

Q. With three out of the four guys that are playoff quarterbacks having transferred, is transferring, is it the new trend? Is it going to be here for a while do you think?
JALEN HURTS: Well, transferring has always been a thing. It's not something that's new. I could have grad transferred 20 or 10 years ago, however long. The new thing about it is the portal and the four-year redshirt rule, which allows certain people to kind of change up their little process and get recruited again. But I don't think transferring is just an entirely new thing. It's just, I guess, being used more by certain people.

Q. Do you think it's going to change the way kids get recruited out of high school? Do you change the way you approach it knowing maybe you could extend workouts somewhere?
JALEN HURTS: No, I don't think that. I think you've got to approach it all the right way, and if you decide to go to a school, you've got to be as committed -- you've got to be committed all the way through, first off, because you go to the school to get a degree.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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