	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROSE BOWL GAME: OREGON VS WISCONSIN

December 29, 2019

Jim Leonhard

Pasadena, California

Q. What much prime rib did you eat last night?
COACH LEONHARD: As much as they allowed me to. I don't know, eight ounces maybe. It was a great event. The guys had a blast, and they do it the right way, so it was a big time event.

Q. What's your favorite part of this experience so far from a coaching perspective, (indiscernible) as like a player?
COACH LEONHARD: As a coach, to me, Disney. I've got three boys. We had a blast. They enjoyed it, had a lot of fun. Just watching the guys experience new things, and you see -- they've earned it. They've earned the right to be here and experience those things. We know we have a huge game at the end of this, but seeing those guys relax a little bit and enjoy all the festivities.

Q. (Indiscernible) can you give us examples of what you've improved, or what you've done better in the four years that you've been here?
COACH LEONHARD: I think just from a game-planning standpoint and an adjustment standpoint, just get to things faster. You see things a little bit quicker than when you're a younger coach when you don't have experience. And gaining just knowledge of what this team is, how it changes week to week, how it changes year to year. And just kind of from a prep standpoint of what guys can handle, I think that's been the number one thing that I've improved on over the course of time being a coach.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of success (indiscernible). When you have that level of success, (inaudible) as a defensive coordinator, not a head coach. Are those things that you think about?
COACH LEONHARD: I think it validates what you're doing, right? You're always questioning what can you do better. And when you're getting recognition it validates, I'm on the right path, we're doing the right things. We have a great staff here that helps me out. It's definitely not just me.

So just trying to make sure those guys understand how valued they are as well and -- but at the same time there's only one place to do this job; that's home. And that's Madison for me. That's the draw of staying with the Badgers. And we have a great locker room. We have great players. It's a good mix of guys that are very smart and talented. So I love that.

I think it is truly what college football is about is what we try to preach to our guys every single day and what they value and what the culture of this program is.

Q. You talk about prep. How do you prepare for a guy like Justin Herbert?
COACH LEONHARD: He's impressive. He's very, very talented. I don't think he gets enough credit for what they ask him to do. He's a true progression quarterback.

Most of these spread offenses that you look at, they don't ask the quarterback to do what they ask him to do. I'm extremely impressed by him. More athletic than he gets credit for. There's a reason he's going to be one of the top quarterbacks in this up coming draft.

So I'm impressed with what he does. He makes you earn it every down. I think you have to, within the structure of what you do, you have to try to confuse him. You have to try to provide different looks for him because he's extremely intelligent and you don't fool him very often.

Q. Is there someone you would compare him to during your career at all, whether on the field or as a coach?
COACH LEONHARD: I mean, it's always hard when I look back at some of the NFL quarterbacks. I don't like comparing college guys there because they're not at that level yet. I would say in our league, with who we play, Nate Stanley at Iowa. It's very similar just with what is on his plate, what they ask him to do, checking in and out of runs, how they give him tells in the pass game to help him get through his progressions.

You watch one concept and the ball goes to every single guy. That's when you know a quarterback truly gets it. And it's not just, they call a play, I throw it here or I run. And to me I think in the Big Ten, Stanley's probably the closest as far as what they put on the quarterback. And obviously this kid is special.

Q. Wisconsin has won five straight bowl games, hasn't lost since Paul came back. Preparing during bowl season, what is it that you think you guys are doing well to put yourself into the position to be successful that consistently?
COACH LEONHARD: I think Coach Chryst and going back to Coach Alvarez and everyone before, the structure of how to prepare a team with extended time is tricky. And I think we do a good job of getting our guys rest. I think we do a good job of understanding that, game plan-wise, you have so much time to overthink things. You want to keep it simple enough where guys play fast. You don't want to get too complex.

You need to have a few tweaks because you know they're going to have some things going into a bowl game, but it's all about balance. It's about balance. And it's not nearly as drastic as it was in the past when you had over a month in some cases to play a bowl game from your last regular season game. We don't have that time anymore.

But I think that's what -- we've done a good job of creating a plan based on the amount of time that we have and then just going out and executing the plan and being clear with our players.

Q. This offensive Oregon line, 200 combined starts between them all. What do you see from the group and how difficult will the challenge be for you guys to generate the pressure that you're accustomed to?
COACH LEONHARD: This group, if they're not the best we've played this year they're right up there. Extremely athletic. Physical in the run game. I mean, it is not basketball on grass. Like everyone talks Pac-12, that's the narrative out there.

They're a physical group. Running backs are downhill guys. And you watch this offensive line embarrassing people. And I think our guys understand the challenge that's at hand. And, once again, these guys get out in space and make some amazing plays for those wide receivers and getting them open and the running backs. We've got our work cut out for us with that group up front.

Q. Are there some young guys that were standing out in bowl prep that got you excited for next year, the coming years?
COACH LEONHARD: I think there's a number of guys. And I don't necessarily know if there's anybody that we don't know about at this point because with the freshman rule, a lot of these guys have seen the field. So I don't necessarily know if I need to point out any one guy.

And it's a little bit different with us being in the Big ten. It wasn't a huge period of let's just do developmental work and then you're bouncing in. So I think the guys have just continued with the right approach. And I like what that group has done. We've challenged them. Some of those young guys have gotten a decent amount of reps here over this last three-week period.

But I just like the whole progression throughout the course of the year. I think guys stayed focused. Guys stayed hungry. A lot of them have seen field this season to get that taste. And I'm excited for the offseason. We've got one big game to get before we transition to that.

Q. You should have nine starters coming back (indiscernible). At the 2 spot, Zack and Chris (indiscernible). What do you see there? Are Leo and Izayah the guys that you anticipate stepping in? What do they do well to give themselves a chance?
COACH LEONHARD: I think there's going to be great competition at those positions. Obviously the production that Zack and Chris have had this year is unbelievable. Just disruption week in, week out and leadership. It's hard to say you're going to take one of those guys out and you're going to get the same thing.

So that's, to me, it's going to be all about competition, really from the first day of offseason training all the way through fall camp. And creating depth. It's one thing to say you're the starter, but you've got to create depth to keep guys hungry, to keep them focused and to push.

And I like the group that we have, but to say, you're going to just say, Leo, you're the next guy. I don't know. He's got to earn that. We love his approach and what he can do on the field. Obviously he's getting reps as a true freshman.

The same with Izayah. He started early in the season and just got to continue to develop. He's been in the program long enough to know exactly what he needs to do. It's on him to get it in his mind and execute it, once he gets back from the offseason and to roll.

But the number one thing is creating the depth, is creating depth. Been fortunate in defensive backside to have that. We're still going through changes with depth almost every week and that's just a young group growing up. And that's part of the process. So we need to create that type of competition at every position.

Q. When game planning against a group like Oregon, how rare is it to see a quarterback and offensive line with as many starts as they have?
COACH LEONHARD: It's uncommon in college football with that experience. And it's not a secret that they're having a lot of success and a lot of consistency. When you have that much experience, that's the number one thing, just so consistent week in, week out. And that's what gives them a chance. They put up a lot of points.

Schematically they're great. They stretch you out width of the field, length of the field, and they do some great things and get everybody involved. It's not necessarily a lot of tendencies as far as what they do, which is a credit to how they call plays and how they execute plays.

So we've got a big test and it obviously starts up front. They're a physical group that they've seen everything that you can throw at them. So you've got to do some things, you've got to mix it up. But you've got to go out there and execute and tackle.

Q. You started game planning for Oregon, what was the biggest surprise about their offense?
COACH LEONHARD: I don't necessarily know that there were any surprises. I think with a lot of -- a lot of times the spread offenses kind of get thrown into the same categories. And they're unique in what they do -- from a skill standpoint, from a game planning and what they ask that quarterback to do.

I think it makes them a little different than some teams that you play that might not -- you don't see everything connected. Sometimes there's beauty in the simplicity -- not to say they're simple, but there's certain things that are more straightforward than what I expected but they execute it extremely well.

And the more you dig in the more you appreciate what they do on offense because you see it all in how it works together. So I've got a tremendous amount of respect for what they do on offense and it doesn't make my job any easier to help get our guys a plan on how to stop it. But you do respect what they do because they understand it and they play at great speed and they know how to get athletes in space.

Q. How impressed have you been with their rushing attack and C.J. Verdell?
COACH LEONHARD: Very impressed, running backs are downhill guys. They don't mess around; they're going to get downhill and they're going to make the first guy miss. If they can't make you miss, they'll try to run you over.

I like that group. Very physical. They're very dynamic in a lot of different ways, whether it's pass game, run game. It's a deep group and they use a lot of guys, but they all have different strengths and they complement each other really well.

Q. In terms of game planning for Oregon, did you just look at this year's games or any from last year? Or how far back did you go?
COACH LEONHARD: We looked a little bit at last year, kind of some teams that do similar things that we do. But it's a good group. In the Pac-12 there are teams that play a similar style of defense to us which is helpful. That's not always the case.

You look at the other side of the ball, our offense, you know, we're a little unique in what we do, so you've got to search a little bit harder than maybe what we do on defense to find teams that are similar. But these guys have been playing great offense for a long time. So it doesn't matter how long you go back, or you just go back three, four games, and you see great execution on the offensive side of the ball.

Q. I'm just thinking in terms of Herbert. Arroyo said footwork, progressions, that was an offensive line, that was the major thing that they worked on from last year to this year. Just wondering if that shows up on film from what you've seen.
COACH LEONHARD: For sure. I mean, you see the consistency in what he does, as soon as he takes a snap from a footwork standpoint, how he moves in the pocket, how patient he is in the pocket. And I was impressed with the earlier tape that you watched, but it's just consistency.

This year he's been really good and he's played some good defenses that can get after the quarterback, and he never gets flustered. And seems to always make the right decisions. His numbers are impressive. He's one of those guys that you go, as talented as he is and coming into the season, you feel like you should be hearing his name a lot more, in my opinion.

And there's some guys doing some special things obviously around the country. But I think you've got to put him right in that mix. I don't know what he's done this year that really would change the narrative of him being one of the top quarterbacks after this season. I'm impressed with what he's done.

And, like I said, I think there's little nuances that you just look at numbers it's one thing but you look at what they ask him to do, from a coordinator's standpoint, I'm impressed at all the things that he does.

Q. What Pac-12 defense do you think you guys are similar to?
COACH LEONHARD: Obviously Cal with Justin Wilcox being there, run some similar things to us. Stanford is similar to us. Those are probably the top two. Washington a little bit. Just impressed with the way those three teams kind of approach the game. And similar from an athletic standpoint and having guys that are dynamic, but also schematically doing different things to help them. It's not just saying we're better than you, we're going to get after you.

They work it both ways they let guys make plays, but from a scheme standpoint they do some creative things, which is what we try to do on our side as well.

Q. Curious, you played a handful of really great quarterbacks this year -- Shea Patterson, Justin Fields and now Oregon. From what you've seen how does Justin Herbert compare?
COACH LEONHARD: I think he's right in that conversation. He creates a little bit differently than a guy like Fields. Fields will do it with his leg a little bit more, but Herbert's athleticism gets undervalued. He wants to stay in the pocket and extend plays to throw the ball down the field. But you watch him take off and run and he's talented at that aspect of it.

And he's as good as we've played, in my opinion. Fields has had an unbelievable year, unbelievable night last night in the loss. But Shea Patterson, same. I think just from the progression standpoint and how he gets through some of the things in the passing game, I would say more consistent than Shea has. And I know from when we played him to the end of the year, Shea really picked it up and had a great season.

Q. Justin is big, in terms of bringing him down. Is that something you talked to your guys about, that that is not going to be touch football or anything like that?
COACH LEONHARD: For sure. You can tell that -- Fields is a guy that you watch on tape and you go, I don't know how big he is. Then you see him and go, wow, that's a big guy.

Herbert, you see that on tape. You see the size. I don't think it's going to be a shock to our guys when they go out there and go, wow, he's tall, and he's big. And to me, he's more athletic and he can run a little better than teams give him credit for.

And obviously when he's done it he's hurt people. He's got first down not that he's running for touchdowns and breaking tackles a lot. But if he gets in space he can eat up ground in a hurry.

Q. Chris was just saying that sometimes people just think of the 60-yard touchdowns but an eight-yard run from a quarterback can be a back breaker for a defense?
COACH LEONHARD: For sure.

Q. Can you expand on that a little bit more, how much can that maybe catch the defense off guard?
COACH LEONHARD: Anytime a quarterback can extend a play it causes stress to a defense. And anytime you have a play stopped -- great coverage and all of a sudden the quarterback either scrambles and runs for a first down or scrambles to buy time and throws a first down, that wears on you. And just more plays that you have to play. You've got to line up, first and 10 again and go out there and execute.

That's part of football is making teams move the ball down the field methodically and not giving up big plays. But anytime you can have a great call, or anytime you can -- anytime an outside linebacker wins on a pass rush and he steps up and runs for a first down, you've got him beat and then it is a little bit demoralizing for a defense. And that's football.

And he does a great job of doing that, whether it's stepping up and buying extra time to throw the ball down the field or whether it's taking off and running for a first down. He's done a great job and that's why they've been efficient on offense and that's why they've been consistent throughout the year.

Q. You guys made a big emphasis getting to the quarterback this season, but running against an offensive line that's been together for some time. Has the Outland winner on it. How much more of a challenge is this offensive line to even get to Justin?
COACH LEONHARD: It's a huge challenge. Just the experience they have, you know you're not going to trick them very often. So it comes down to winning one-on-one matchups. It comes down to executing the scheme and what you're asking guys to do, but you know you've got to help them out at times.

You can't just say, go win your one-on-one and it's on you the rest of the game. That would be pretty lazy on my part as a coordinator. You've got to mix things up, you've got to try to create confusion. You've got to make them communicate.

You can't take for granted a team that has experience and say, well, this is going to be a long day. You have to make them and force them into tough looks, you have to force them to communicate and make sure they're on their game. You can't give them a down off. You can't give them a play off where they get in rhythm and get comfortable. You have to mix looks up. Just like (indiscernible) a quarterback; you have to take the same mentality as an offensive line and force them to think and stress them out a little bit.

Q. And knowing that Mario is a former offensive line coach, the offensive line is his pride and joy, so knowing that that is going to be a huge point of emphasis for them to win the trenches, how do you encourage your guys to make sure that they're the ones that win in trenches? You know what I mean, knowing you're going against someone who takes a lot of pride in their offensive line?
COACH LEONHARD: I think we know our defense and the success starts up front as well. I'm sure they have a chip on their shoulder. As far as Wisconsin, that's what you hear about, the offensive line. And I know they feel like they probably don't get the credit that they deserve. And I know they're getting more credit this year than maybe in the past.

But I'm sure they're going into the game with a big chip on their shoulder and want to be the best offensive line on the field. And our approach doesn't change on defense. We know it starts with our front seven and how we attack the line of scrimmage and how we attack the quarterback.

So I don't think our guys have to approach the game any different. We know we're going up against a great group. We see a great group every day. So we know we don't have to go completely out of structure to try to create, but we have a good test every day trying to figure out how to get to the quarterback and how to stop a great rushing attack. So, I like the approach our guys have had and we know we step on that field on game day and we have a big test in front of us for 60 minutes.

Q. You've said you're comfortable in your role at Wisconsin and everything, but are there a coach or two that would get hired at the NFL level that's I would go join them in a heartbeat?
COACH LEONHARD: I don't necessarily know that. I know so much is the fit and who you're working for. And that's a huge deal and where you're doing it. And don't necessarily like to think about it that much. I want to have fun with the group that we have.

I'm extremely happy doing what I'm doing and where I'm doing it. And this place means a lot to me. And I love college football because it's more than Saturday. It's about the impact of these guys and how do you get them to grow and develop. And that is one of the top things on my mind as a coach, not just Xs and Os. And it's not like that every place. That's not valued at every place, and to me that's a huge part of it.

Q. Do you look at it more as flattery, too, when everybody's been mentioning you in the past year or two as a guy who could be a defensive coordinator at the next level and emerging and everything?
COACH LEONHARD: It feels great knowing that you're doing a good job and people are noticing. You don't do it necessarily for that. But obviously it makes you feel good when the work that you put in is being recognized. But I've been through this as a player, as a coach. And to me you just work. And you can't rest on your laurels and what you've done in the past.

And I know I'm still an extremely young coach. I know there's still -- there's coaches out there that have forgotten more than I know at this point. And I don't take that for granted. I understand the growth that I need to have from now till next season. I know over the course of time where I want to be as a coach.

And I guess that's what I focus on more so than opportunities or more so than what people are telling me. Like, I know my strengths. I know my weaknesses. I think that's what helps me be good, but also just keeps me down the path of not worrying what you guys say so much.

Q. (Inaudible) as consistent for your defense?
COACH LEONHARD: I think he has a great understanding for football. He's got a high football IQ, and we ask our inside linebackers to communicate and do a lot of different things. And for a guy to come in and be able to handle what we ask them to do and be extremely consistent is extremely hard.

I have a lot -- I had a lot of respect for the way he's handled himself throughout the course of the year. And it's been a grind for him being a young player in a big time change in load obviously from last year to this year. So anytime a guy can handle that and just be the same guy every day, you have to respect that.

Q. Have you talked to him about his connection with Oregon, with his dad or anything like that?
COACH LEONHARD: Not necessarily. I know there is one, and I know that obviously this game's going to mean a lot to him. I have no doubt he'll handle it the right way. He's very level-headed and he knows how to handle his emotions. I'm sure he's getting a little pressure at home right now, but it's going to be fun for him. Obviously there's a lot of value and meaning into this one.

Q. I know you probably have thought about next year obviously. But on paper you look at the defense and you say, okay, if guys develop and get better we should be good or other guys step up and fill Zack and Chris's roles, who are some of the young guys who might need to pop to the forefront next year for you, guys we haven't seen that much?
COACH LEONHARD: Obviously you look at the guys you lose. You look at Zack Baun and that amount of production and consistency and leadership is going to be extremely hard to replace with one guy. We've been very fortunate in previous years that we've been able to do that, when you talk about the talent, whether it's Schobert and Watt and Biegel and Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley. We've had an impressive line of linebackers that have stepped into that role.

And is it fair to just say, you're the next one? I don't think so. And we didn't say that to Zack when it came to this year. We knew he was going to have a good year for us and be dynamic. But the consistency he did it at was a credit to him and a testament to the work he put in.

And really the same thing with Chris. We knew what he was capable of doing. We know the roles he was asked to do year in, year out and how that changed year in, year out for him, and the consistency and just being dynamic every week. You can't take that for granted. That's extremely hard to do.

And that's why it's awesome to see them getting the credit kind of nationally for the seasons that they've put together. So I think you start with those position groups and you look at who you have. And you're going to challenge that group to step up, and we have some young talent coming in at the position should provide for some great competition.

Q. A lot of guys have talked about Eric Burrell being the leader of the defense next season when Chris leaves. What do you see from him and maybe your confidence in replacing some of the things (indiscernible)?
COACH LEONHARD: I think Eric is a guy that's extremely well respected in the locker room. And I think when he speaks guys listen. They understand. He understands what this place is and how we need to win and what we need to do to win and how we work. So I like his approach.

He's taken more of a leadership role this season than he has in the past. He has some strong leaders in front of him, which I think he sat back and learned from. And I think that helped him mature and grow early in his time. And I'm excited if he wants that role to really help develop that in the offseason and knowing that he's taken the steps to be that guy.

And on the field, having production, making plays and doing all that just adds -- it adds another level of respect from your teammates and coaches. So I think he can be one of those guys that helps lead this program and especially this defense next season. And we'll be looking for a lot of guys to help out in that area.

Q. You talked about your growth as a coach. When you first started as a D coordinator did you feel more comfortable scheming, preparing for a team or play calling?
COACH LEONHARD: I think naturally scheming more than play calling because I hadn't had the experience of doing it. So from a schematic standpoint, I knew I could get our guys to a position to have a chance every play. And as a coach that's kind of, number one; can you not get them beat based on what you're doing?

And I think we've done a great job making adjustments and cleaning some inconsistencies up, maybe, what we were doing from year one from when I was here. And then maybe you just create more of a rhythm and a better understanding the more you call plays. And it is a feel kind of thing.

So I think some guys have it. Some guys maybe don't. And I mean at times you've just got to rely on kind of the prep during the week. And there's other times, I think, it's more of a feel of the game situation. And I think there is a little bit of instinct to it.

And, I mean, just, to me, just being honest and real with yourself when you go back and watch yourself through a game afterwards, I think that's a huge part of the process. You come out of the game thinking everything you called was great, you're probably kidding yourself. And there are some great calls that players made right. It wasn't the right call. It might have put them in a bad situation and they overcame it. That gives you confidence as a play caller as well that you understand you don't have to be perfect all the time.

But to me that self-evaluation after every game and after every season and just talking to the staff -- what could we have done different? Talking to Coach Chryst; what do you see? You're always trying to get a different set of eyes on what you're doing. And I feel like that's a strength of mine is being open to that, and I know I don't have all the answers, so how do we get there? I want to get the best answers week in, week out to give our team a chance to win and put the right guys in position to make plays.

Q. (Indiscernible) as his last game as a Badger, what can you say about his development?
COACH LEONHARD: Chris, I was impressed the first time I met him and talked to him and more impressed now watching him walk out after this game, just seeing how much more consistent he is. He's always been a leader. He's always been extremely vocal.

He didn't always do it the right way. He would challenge guys, and just him getting an understanding of the right ways to do things. He always knew how to work. He always had passion for football and just from a consistency standpoint and how he leads this team, with the edge that he gives this team, I mean, he's going to do it his way. He's brash. He's vocal. He has a lot of confidence. He always finds a way to get a chip on his shoulder, and that just spills over to the rest of this locker room.

And when you see a guy develop kind of that and saying the right thing at the right time, I think, is a very unique skill and he has that with this team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297