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ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON VS WISCONSIN

December 29, 2019

Zack Baun

Pasadena, California

Q. When you look at Oregon's offense, what aspect impresses you the most?
ZACK BAUN: I'd say their athleticism, from their wide receivers, running back and offensive line, they're all really good athletes, and they make really good plays in space.

Q. Is there something about Oregon that maybe surprises you that you didn't think until you really started digging into the prep, that you were like, oh, wow, this is surprising?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, I haven't looked much into Oregon before getting this opportunity, but they're a lot more physical than I thought they'd be. I think in the past they've tended to be more speed and beat you on the edge and outrun you. But I think they're a hard-nosed football team, and I really wasn't expecting that.

Q. Speaking of physical, CJ Verdell, their running back, takes a lot of pride in being physical. When you look at what he has, what do you see?
ZACK BAUN: Downhill runner. He's not looking for the cut-back or anything. He's got his nose in one gap and that's the gap he's going to hit. He's a real physical back, and then once he breaks through the line, he can really make plays in space.

Q. Obviously you have your own running back who's top in the nation, Jonathan Taylor. How would you compare the two, or is there a comparison between Jonathan and CJ?
ZACK BAUN: Well, I can just see a lot of J.T., and I think he's the best running back I've ever seen. It's been a pleasure being able to play with him the past few years. But yeah, J.T. is unlike any other.

Q. Is this your first time in California?
ZACK BAUN: We went to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl a few years ago, but LA is like none other. It's so cool.

Q. Where are you from?
ZACK BAUN: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Q. How was the beef bowl?
ZACK BAUN: The beef bowl? It was good. Probably one of the best pieces of meat I've ever tried. It was good. I actually didn't know Lawry's seasoned salt was a restaurant.

Q. You're going to be one of the guys leaving after this year. You still have one game left, but who are some of the young guys on defense who are going to have to either play more prominent roles or develop in order to keep things going next year?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, I think last year we said we were a young team. I still think we're a young team in the fact that those guys still have so much room to develop and grow. When you say the guys that I think need to -- not step up but elevate their game a little bit, would be Keeanu Benton, Jack Sanborn, the safeties, Eric Burrell and Reggie Pearson. I think there's a lot of room for improvement, and I'm really excited for what those guys can do.

Q. How about the edges?
ZACK BAUN: Oh, there's a lot of the young talent. Izayah Green-May is going to be one of those guys that is looking for his breakout year. Jaylan Franklin, Noah Burks, I think he had some really good experience this year.

Q. Did you watch Ohio State-Clemson last night?
ZACK BAUN: I did.

Q. Were you pulling for anybody? Did you care? Were you surprised by the result?
ZACK BAUN: Watching that game, I was just kind of being a football fan, watching it from the outside.

Q. Didn't have to worry about scheming or anything?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, it was cool to see another good team go against Ohio State and see kind of how we compare.

Q. The Oregon offensive line is very experienced. Is that something you see on tape watching them? How does that showcase itself on tape?
ZACK BAUN: They really work as a group. They're really physical. They're like big athletes. They're athletes, but they can move, and they're always working together. You can see their communication and hand signals on tape, and they're just a good overall line.

Q. Knowing their cohesiveness, how much more of an emphasis does that place on you guys to get cleaner?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, I mean, if they're playing as sound as they are, that means we've got to step up our game and play sound football and make sure all gaps are spoken for.

Q. Obviously Penei Sewell, Outland Trophy winner, big part of the offensive line. Have you seen the talent in him, especially him being so young still?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, he's one of the most athletic tackles I've ever seen, ever got a chance to go against and watch on film. What he can do is really big for their team, and he plays an essential part in what they're trying to do.

Q. What was it that made you guys want to emphasize getting to the quarterback more in the off-season?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, I think just the fact that we weren't able to do it last year as much, and it was one of the parts of my game personally that I knew had to step up and contribute for this team in a way that I didn't last year, and it ended up working out for us. It gets the team fired up, and it gives the whole team momentum.

Q. You're also going against not just a very cohesive offensive line but a former offensive line coach, too. So just knowing how much emphasis they place on winning the trenches, have you guys talked about how you're going to break through the trenches or what the best strategy of attack is for you?
ZACK BAUN: I mean, just playing physical, I know they're going to come out and play -- they play a physical brand of football, and that's fun because we like to do that, too, here at Wisconsin. It's a good opportunity for us to showcase our physicality. Yeah.

Q. Has it gone as well as you could have hoped considering some of the injuries that you had dealt with early in your career, production-wise, award-wise, just everything? Has it gone about as well as you possibly could have hoped?
ZACK BAUN: I never really set any goals or wasn't expecting anything out of this year but to play a better brand of football than I did last year and showcase my abilities in a way that I wanted to, and I worked hard with Coach April, the outside linebacker coach, what can I do differently, what type of moves will work to my body and my skill set, and I just wanted to contribute as much as I could, and I did that for the team.

Q. Do you think you were playing at a similar level last year and the stats just weren't there? When you look at your tape from last year a lot of the things you were doing just weren't getting home. Do you think you're playing at a much higher level this year?
ZACK BAUN: I would say so, and I think I have the stats to back that up: A big aspect of that was just finishing plays. I would get to the quarterback but maybe he would slip out of my arms or wrap up on a tackle and he would break loose. Just refining my game in a way that I could just finish on the ball more.

Q. This Oregon offensive line has got about 218 starts between the five of them. Talk about the chemistry they've built and how big of a challenge is it going to be for you guys to get that pressure?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, one, they're a physical team, they're a physical O-line. They pride themselves on that. And then two, they work in cohesion and they're very together. You can see their communication on film. You can tell they've played together for a while now. We've just got to bring a physical mentality to it and can't back down from anything.

Q. You think as Oregon as kind of up-tempo, speed, but does that offensive line maybe stray away from what people think of their ability to maul people?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, until I got to take a look at this year's Oregon team, I always thought the speed, outrun you, recruit a bunch of athletes, and they still are that, but they've kind of evolved into this physical downhill spread-you-out game.

Q. There's some young guys that -- obviously this being your last year, there's some young guys that make you feel excited about the future, maybe guys we haven't heard of yet?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, there's been a lot. The first that comes to mind is Keeanu Benton, Jack Sanborn has done a really good job for us this year, Reggie Pearson, the safeties will continue -- the back end will continue to grow as they get more experience, but I'm really excited for the group that's to come in the future.

Q. What about some of the guys who we haven't seen this year, whether it's Spencer Lytle, at your position maybe? There's a lot of young guys behind you that are probably in the same spot that you were a couple years ago wanting to get out there and know they can contribute but there's guys in front of them.
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, and I wouldn't even say those guys are in the same position as me because the way we've been mixing them in all season and all last year, they're far ahead of where I was at, and mentally they're in the playbook all the time. Spencer knows what he's doing, he knows where he needs to be, it's just gaining that physical aspect and being in the weight room a little bit more.

Q. I know you've got a game to play on Wednesday, but NFL-wise do you think you've put yourself in a position -- I don't want to say skyrocketed but I'm sure you look at some of that stuff, put yourself in a position to be an early pick, whether it's day one, day two?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, I just want to play to the best of my ability and really take hold of this linebacker position as much as I could. I wanted to just contribute for the team as much as I could, and if that puts me ahead of wherever I was going to be, then I'm happy for that, and I'm excited for the opportunity.

Q. Do you look at any of that stuff?
ZACK BAUN: Here and there. Here and there, you have to, yeah.

Q. What do you think about what some have said about you potentially?
ZACK BAUN: I don't really know. I don't really have a comment on that right now.

Q. What makes Coach Leonhard such a good coach? What has he done well to put you guys in position for success?
ZACK BAUN: I think he does a really good job relaying things, like complex things in a way that college kids like us will understand. He understands that we're not doing this for a job. Our heart and soul is in it, but it's different when you're in the NFL and playing for money. He just configures things in a way that we'll understand and does a good job simplifying things for the young guys and doesn't make things too complex.

Q. Is he the type of coach you want to play for because you know he's going to put you in position for success and give you the freedom to play as yourselves, if that makes sense?
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, he's just like one of us, and he understands we want to make plays, and he's going to put us in the right position to make plays. He does a good job if a guy is hot or a guy is feeling it, he'll give you a call that you'll get to showcase what you're able to do.

Q. Are there instances where he's like, Zack has got a sack --
ZACK BAUN: Yeah, if he sees me fired up he'll call me a blitz or call Chris and do what he needs to do. But he definitely plays off the energy of who's hot on the field, and then if our offense is doing well, as well.

Q. You guys won five straight bowl games, haven't lost since Coach Chryst came back. What are you doing in bowl prep to put yourselves in position for success?
ZACK BAUN: I think Coach makes it a point before we even leave, before we even know where we're going, if we have another opportunity to play a game, we're going to take advantage of the opportunity to play the game and not so much get overwhelmed by the things surrounding the bowl. So just focusing on the game and the task at hand I think has been the driving force to why we've been so successful in bowl games.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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