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ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON VS WISCONSIN

December 27, 2019

Jevon Holland

Pasadena, California

Q. Start with the matchups you'll probably have with this one. You've taken on tight ends throughout the season. Probably going to get a really good one here. What have you seen from Jake Ferguson, technique?
JEVON HOLLAND: He's a great tight end. He's really physical. Good point at the point of attack. Gets the job done. He doesn't really have many mistakes. Just got to prepare for another matchup.

Q. What's the key when you matchup with tight ends like that, or what's the key to where you're able to shut them down like you did against Stanford, or a tougher matchup with Washington or this guy (indiscernible)?
JEVON HOLLAND: Try to play bigger. Some receivers I play everything is smaller, slot receivers. But tight ends definitely have the size advantage. So taking every play slowly. So progress through my keys.

Q. Not sure how much you'll get to match up with Cephus. If you do, (indiscernible). He's clearly the leading receiver?
JEVON HOLLAND: He's a great player. Just going through my technique. Going to work every day so that I can just be as successful as possible.

Q. What makes him unique compared to just other wideouts you've gone up against?
JEVON HOLLAND: Really lengthy. He's got suddenness in his routes. I think he creates separation real well.

Q. Tell me a little bit about the last two years, working with Coach Heyward and what that's been like and what it's been like to work under him?
JEVON HOLLAND: It's been great. It's a really open environment. He's a great coach. You can communicate with him, you can communicate with him easily, make it easy to learn. You want to learn more about the position and everything like that. He has knowledge about safeties, knowledge about corners, in case we have to line up as corners, different techniques, what not.

Q. How much do you spend in the room together with him and Donte or do you guys have full separate rooms or do you meet together at some point?
JEVON HOLLAND: We're together sometimes. Earlier in fall camp but as of recent we've been separate.

Q. Have you talked to him at all about reports coming out a couple weeks ago that Marcus might bring him over to UNLV?
JEVON HOLLAND: We haven't discussed it, but I'm not worried. If he ends up taking that job, you've got to prepare yourself.

Q. There's been reports that that's not happening. So just curious.
JEVON HOLLAND: I try not to focus on the media that much.

Q. Tell me about the (inaudible), kind of in the similar role. You're in the deep safety spot now. Now he's working behind you. End of the year probably most of us know what to expect. By the end of the year he's had a pretty significant impact.
JEVON HOLLAND: Yeah, he's, like, man, his special teams impact, the way he comes in, always at 100 percent, it's been great. And that's kind of how our mentality of the team is, like the next man up has to be ready. You're one play away type thing.

I think that goes for all the guys that are playing at the 2 position, 3 position. Everybody comes in ready. (Indiscernible) an opportunity, take it. Definitely really big on special teams too.

Q. Tell us how much you know of his personal story, he's got a lot of difficulties?
JEVON HOLLAND: I don't know everything, but I do know he's been through a lot of like heartache and a lot of adversity.

Q. At practice I know you go against both quarterbacks, but once the season is over you'll be back, but Tyler will be among those competing for it. What do you see from him. You go against him in practice all the time.
JEVON HOLLAND: He's my dog. I'm excited. He's a hell of a player. Once the season is over, when we get on seven on seven what not, I'm ready to see him blossom into his own flower.

Q. Obviously everybody's different in every position especially when you talk about Justin probably been through -- what makes Tyler Tyler? What's his skill set that makes him Tyler? You've seen it (indiscernible) the day?
JEVON HOLLAND: He has a really nice swagger to how he plays. It's nice to see how he can control the offense but still keep his own type of personality and make plays within that personality like that.

Q. How many backup quarterbacks have you described as having that swagger? What I'm saying, it's usually like I have to kind of have to play the background guy, unbelievable player, but yet he's able to still have that presence about him?
JEVON HOLLAND: Yeah. I think that's tough. I think it's hard to -- any backup I think it's hard to stay positive as possible, just because you're not playing. It's the game you love. So I feel like for him to be able to do that and also keep that positive attitude, I think it's really big.

Q. What about just the learning process and his scheme, where he comes in and (indiscernible) forced practice, delay, spring practice. At that time, now looking back at it, how much of a whirlwind was that first two weeks before spring break of trying to learn all this? I know it's five practices barely with pads but just trying to understand --
JEVON HOLLAND: It was stressful, I'm not going to lie. It was stressful. I still had (indiscernible) in my mind and that was what I was thinking about all winter. Then we came in with Coach Avalos, and I was, like, okay, it's more of a nickel defense which, I like. But it was still confusing but the terminology changes for the same type of stuff. It was difficult in that five days, definitely. But we got through it.

Q. At what point did you -- did the pass terminology leave your mind on a day-to-day basis?
JEVON HOLLAND: I think about, like, day three, off my mind because I repeatedly had gone over it. I whiteboard my room, then I write the plays down so I remember everything.

Q. What's different in the back end now, the first day (indiscernible). Brady's been a huge breath of fresh air for you guys. What's different on the back end (indiscernible)?
JEVON HOLLAND: Just having reliable depth. Knowing what guys can come in and play. Knowing what guys are able to make an impact if they need to be in the game. I think that's what it is. Knowing how each -- excuse me, knowing how each other is going to play and how we're going to react to different situations, knowing that from each player it's like really, it's really good, so we're like all in sync. Basically we know what each other is going to do so we can react.

Q. When coaches talk about the reaction and say just play loose and play free, and you were just talking about learning the terminology and all that, are you to a point where you can just play loose and just make your eyes tell you where to go?
JEVON HOLLAND: Yeah, I think I'm passed that point by the end of spring ball where I can just go ahead and play. Like, I really feel like I try to stress that heavy while I'm learning something, so that I can just react and just play football. Because you play your best when you just react. That's what I think. I'm, we're past beyond that.

Q. Are you happy with how you performed this year?
JEVON HOLLAND: I'm happy with how I performed. I always think I can get better. I really do. I think there's major things I can improve on, coverage-wise, making tackles-wise, being more of a presence in later-season games, I think that's big.

Q. How as a defense do you deal with a running back, and as a unit, like Jonathan Taylor?
JEVON HOLLAND: Really you've just got to prepare for him. We've faced a lot of running backs in the past six games. He's one hell of a running back, definitely. He's a top guy. So I think you just have to go through each practice and try to take each practice slowly, focus on your keys and what the coaches have to do for us. And that's how you try to do your best to stop them.

Q. Your teammates talk about how, on tape, he's faster than maybe somebody realized. Do you see that right away when you turn it on?
JEVON HOLLAND: Definitely. I think his strides are a little bit longer. Some people think he's a little bit slower. But, no, he's definitely an explosive guys.

He reminds me of Arian Foster. I watched him a lot when I was younger on the Texans. That's who he reminds me of.

Q. You mentioned you obviously played against a lot of players this season. Do you gear up for a guy like that? Do you get pretty pumped up (indiscernible)?
JEVON HOLLAND: Yes, most definitely. It was great. Like when you want to be the best you have to play the best. So that's kind of the situation we're in right now. We've got to go out there. We've got to play the best running back if we're going to try to be the best team, beat the best team, type thing. Yes, definitely.

Q. Do you feel like after facing Utah, which was primarily a run-first team, that that was preparation or is their offense different than Wisconsin?
JEVON HOLLAND: I feel in terms of attitude and peace of mind it feels good to be able to face that type of team because Utah is a hell of a running team. And to now play another great running team in college football and have that, okay, we can stop the run but we've got to figure out how to stop this run, because this is a different type of team, but they are also a running team. So we've got those pieces.

Q. Was last year's bowl experience for you, having that time off, did that change anything? Was it difficult to have all that time off, get back into practice and get up for a game?
JEVON HOLLAND: I think so, yeah. I think it was. I feel like it is. It's more difficult because you kind of relax a little bit. You never really want to relax before you play a game. So I think that was the difficult part.

Q. Anything you would do different this year than you'd do last year?
JEVON HOLLAND: We had one less week because of the Pac-12 Championship. I feel a little bit more fresh. The feeling in my body of me playing didn't leave my body.

Q. Thoughts on Jonathan Taylor from afar, anybody in the Pac-12 that can compare to him or is that a different challenge?
JEVON HOLLAND: He's a unique running back. He's got his own strengths and weaknesses. That's every running back, to be honest with you. He's a hell of a player. I don't see a lot of players that play like him.

Q. The games you've watched where maybe teams have slowed him down a little bit, what do you think works against him (inaudible)?
JEVON HOLLAND: I think the best thing -- I didn't mean to cut you off -- but I think the best thing is just swarming to the ball, like 11 hats to the football. I think that's the best thing. He's hard to take on one-on-one, so we've got to get all 11 guys to the ball, flock to the rock.

Q. Talking about Jonathan Taylor, as just like a fan of college football, do you ever watch what he's done (indiscernible)?
JEVON HOLLAND: I watched the Ohio State game when they played them. I saw them talk about he broke the record of 6,000 yards or something like that. That was awesome.

Q. How much have you studied what he does on film? At this point do you have a pretty good idea of things he does well?
JEVON HOLLAND: Yeah, I think by now I have a pretty good idea. But there's always things to improve on.

Q. When you guys prepared to play Utah in the league championship game, everybody talked about Utah being the more physical team. And you guys, your offense or defense, have heard that all week and said, we can play some physical ball, too. Is that how things played out that week?
JEVON HOLLAND: No, not really.

Q. I wasn't sure because everyone talks about Utah being so physical. What was the key for you guys stopping them that night?
JEVON HOLLAND: We knew what we could do. We knew our potential. So when we came out and played we just knew that overall the way we play, when we're all in key, it's going to be greater than the other.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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