CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: GEORGIA VS TCU

January 7, 2023

Max Duggan

SoFi Stadium

TCU Horned Frogs

Press Conference

Q. What the challenges that they present?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, well, Michigan's defense was obviously so great and they played so well, but I think with Georgia you've seen obviously Coach Smart being a defensive guy and the talent that they have on that side of the ball and their coaching staff, it's going to be a real challenge for us.

We know what they are as a team. They've been so great on defense and creating trouble and challenges for all offenses this year.

We know it's going to be hard, but we're looking forward to it.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it kind of depends kind of game-plan wise and how the game is playing out. Certain things happen, whether you design quarterback runs or whether it's in drop-back stuff when they're playing man all the backs are turned to me and I'm able to run. I assume that they would have something kind of ready, guys on the backfield, things of that sort. But it kind of just depends on the game if you're able to use them and use it as an advantage. I'm going to.

But we'll kind of see how the game turns out.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it helps a ton being in such close games. The whole season hasn't been pretty, but being able to be in tight games and have to face some adversity and be able to come back from deficits and when things get tight at the end of games, we're not going to panic. I think when you get in games like that like we have this year and be successful and win games it puts confidence in us that we can do it and we know how to plan and prepare for it, so we're comfortable in that position.

Q. The underdog label has kind of developed for you guys. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I guess in our eyes for our program, I guess we don't really see it as a Cinderella story. We believe in ourselves and we feel like we've earned this position. Obviously we know what type of challenge is in front of us with Georgia and how great they are offensively, defensively, special teams, the staff that they have. I think it's just a great opportunity for us and we're looking forward to it.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: You know, I think for myself, I've been able to or fortunate enough to play a lot of football games in college, be around a lot of great leaders when I was younger, the seniors that I had that I was able to learn from, see how they handled challenges. For our team, as well, we have a lot of guys, a lot of seniors, a lot of veterans that have played in a lot of big-time football games and have matured over their years of college and understand how to be that guy in those moments.

But I think it just all starts with Coach Dykes and the culture he brought in, Coach Kaz, our strength coach, of implementing that mindset and maturity and being treated like a professional and acting that way just kind of every day, and I think it's helped us.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it's just acting as a professional and being treated like a professional, not as a kid. They put a lot of trust in us. They put a lot on our plates to hold each other accountable and to be disciplined, to be detailed and treat yourself as a professional because in our eyes in the day of college football, that's how you are.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, we know that we haven't won a national title since 1938, but we've had so many great teams prior in those years. We've had a lot of great years of football and a lot of teams that have built up this program to get us to this point.

In our eyes we're not really too worried about that. We're worried about this team this year, the game that is at hand right now, and it would be pretty incredible to bring a National Championship back to Fort Worth. It's been a long time.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, just speaks a lot to Coach Dykes and what he brought into our culture and this program. There was a lot to be built up on this program, and we were in a good spot, but I think we just needed just Coach Dykes coming in and bringing his mindset that he's had, that he's been successful at different programs, allowing us to be confident and be ourselves, and I think that's really helped us kind of have a turn.

Q. How close were you (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it was a hard decision. I think in my eyes, I was ready for it, and it was something that I thought a lot about, but I think in the moment and the things that are happening this year, I've been able to accomplish a lot with my teammates in this program in the four years, and this year has been pretty incredible. Graduating at TCU, just kind of the timing of being here four years and playing a lot I think was kind of the determining factor of it.

It was just something that I was ready for and I thought was the best timing for myself and my family. But it was a hard decision, and there was a lot of thought that went into it.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it was pretty cool. I saw a clip of that with Shaq and Kenny and Ernie and all those guys. It's pretty fun to watch. I enjoy watching it. It's pretty incredible to have our logo and our brand out there and seeing the guys like even those guys, being able to talk about us and be on a national stage and having our letters out there, it means so much to our fans and our players, our program.

It's pretty -- it's so valuable in an aspect of advertisement and publicity and all that stuff. Just so much for our university.

Q. With the entire football world that has now rallied around Damar Hamlin's injury, what are your thoughts on when it first happened, and the second part of that is what is going to be your mindset when you take the field Monday, seeing that Damar's first words were about "did we win," what does that mean to you?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I mean, just first of all, what an unfortunate, terrible incident to happen. Prayers out to him and his family, the Bills' organization, everyone that was involved. I've seen stuff that he's doing better right now, so that's incredible to hear.

But I think just in today's age, I think a lot of people just get caught up in football and the game and things of that sort. But when you see things like that happen and somebody's life could possibly be taken away like that, kind of puts a lot of things into perspective of there's a lot bigger things in this world than a game right now.

Seeing the guys, seeing the football world and community and just everyone around kind of surround him and his family and support him has been pretty incredible because there's so much support and people and so much love for them, and I think it puts a lot of things into perspective of what's really important.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, we've learned a ton about ourselves. I think when adversity hits, you can learn so much just about what type of program you are, what type of men that you have in that locker room when bad things happen.

We were able to kind of go through some adversity, being down in a lot of games, coming back from deficits, home and away, other things happening. You learn to fight. You learn to keep believing in each other, trust in our coaching staff and the values and roots that we have as a program in our culture, and it's helped us get to this point.

College football season, it's not always pretty. There's things that go wrong. But it's how people handle as things -- how you're going to end up at the end of the season, and we're fortunate enough to be in this position because of the values that we've set for our program.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: You know, I think it's kind of been amongst our program, but I think the great thing that Coach Dykes does is put confidence in us and allows us to be ourselves and play loose. It allows our players to go out there on Saturdays and be aggressive and be bold within themselves. It helps a lot when you hear it from Coach Dykes every day in team meetings, at practice, before we go out for games in the locker room. He knows what there's a lot of confidence in us, and he believes in us and the coaching staff believes in us, and just allows us to go out there and be ourselves on Saturdays.

I think that has been the biggest impact on us.

Q. (Indiscernible) what was that like, and how are you guys similar and maybe different?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, so we were out there for a couple days and I was with him and CJ and Caleb for most of the time. We were always with each other. Getting to be with Stetson and learn his story and his why and get to know him and meet his family, the guy is just an incredible example of what college football is all about. He's a great dude. He's so talented on the field.

But going to Georgia as a walk-on, having to go JuCo and come back and earn a scholarship, now being able to play in two National Championships is pretty incredible. You just see his drive and his determination and the confidence and belief that he has in himself and his teammates. It's a great example for a lot of young kids to kind of look upon.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think it's kind of in ways not a lot of people really thought you'd be in that position, but I think continuing to believe in yourself and the guys around you and the think the teammates have believed in us and the coaching staff have believed in us.

But continuing to go to work and do as much as you can, work as hard as you can, treat people right to get to the position that we're in, it's pretty cool to see.

Q. As far as self-scout (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: I think just coming into this season, something I kind of wanted to get better at and really make a jump was downfield accuracy and kind of the deep ball, vertical game. I think it's something that I've worked on that has been a huge help for us that has really shown that I think opposing teams have understood that we're going to take shots vertically, we're going to throw it downfield, and that's what we're going to do.

But there's a lot of stuff that I think I've tried to work on, whether it's using legs, using my feet, things of that sort, that opposing teams can look for. But I think kind of the vertical threat is something I wanted to work on a lot in the off-season.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, our O-line, those guys make our offense go. I know they don't get the recognition that they deserve ever, but I mean, those guys take a mindset every day going into the game that they want to be the best guys out there, they want to be the most physical, they want to make it hard on opposing defenses, and they want to have the run game be the leader, and obviously pass pro, too.

But when Kendre goes down, you see Emari come in, and those guys, we leaned on them. They took kind of a chip on their shoulder to help us and lead us in all of our games, especially in Michigan.

But going into Georgia, they understand what type of D-line that we're going to go against. Their linebackers, things of that sort, pressures, but they're taking a great mindset of they want to be as tough as they can, as physical as they can, and for us to lean on them.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think when we were there, obviously me, CJ, Stetson were fortunate enough to be in the playoff and discussed about that. CJ and Stetson were playing each other, and there was cool conversations of what could happen, who plays each other, things of that sort. It was a bunch of fun conversations, getting to know those guys. They're all great guys.

But yeah, starting the beginning of the season you have expectations for your team and you have a lot of belief just like everybody does in fall camp. Everybody thinks they're going to be good. But I think we stayed the course, continued on the journey, listened to Coach Dykes and coach cause and everything that they preached to get to this point. It was something that we believed could happen and it was something we knew we could get there, but there was a lot of hard work to be put into that, though.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it can help a lot. I think in so many different aspects of the game, whether it's when they have to go six-man box and we're in 10 personnel and we have to go zone reads and we have to have that D-end account for me or whoever is in that running back, that causes troubles of them having to be disciplined and do their jobs correctly.

Obviously in the throw game, whether it's stuff that breaks down and I'm able to create stuff with my feet and maybe try to get a first down, whether it's QB designed runs, there's just a lot that we can do to create that extra aspect of the game that we need opponents to scout for.

But they know -- they watch film, too. They know what they're going to do. They're so well-coached. They're talented. They're going to have stuff for us, so we have to make sure we execute on our end.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, no, there's been so much support from past players, back in the Southwest Conference, Mountain West, all the past conferences, the teams that we've had that have so much support for us because we wouldn't be here without those guys that built up this program, were tremendous leaders and examples for us and guys that we grew up when we got here that we wanted to be like. There's so many greats. But there's been a lot of support, a lot of calls, a lot of text messages from guys that are watching us and rooting for us, so it's pretty cool to see all their support.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it's fun when you get to go play the champ. Obviously the defending champion, and it's like in any sport, when you get to go compete against those guys, it's so much fun because we know how successful Georgia has been in their program. It's been incredible what they've done even prior up to the last couple years. It's truly special what they've done.

We're excited. Not a lot of times you get to go compete against a champion, and to be on the same field as them and kind of show what we're all about and compete against them and earn our spot, I think it's something that we're excited about.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I did not know that. I guess in our eyes, I guess we're not really too worried about that or see it too much. I think it's pretty neat to see a lot of support from people all around the country, that get to know the story about TCU, the story about our program. We get to tell our story about that little school in Fort Worth. I think it's pretty cool that people are kind of starting to recognize TCU, get more eyes on it.

I think it helps so much for our program, our university. It's a fortunate position to be in.

Our social media guys are probably walking around and going to show me a little bit.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it's huge. Obviously our coaching staff does a great job of providing that and plays and concepts for us to learn. I think it helped a ton in fall camp when we were not able to meet but we were able to be at home and see things of concepts that we're going to run prior up 209 next day or that week. You have the drawings and all that sort of things.

It's been pretty successful for us, and it's been an advantage for us to learn concepts and see it on paper or see it digitally, things of that sort. Our coaching staff has done a good job of implementing it into our program.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it was something that I didn't really know a whole lot about until our staff showed up, and it was something new, but I was excited about it because if I wasn't in the facility with Coach Riley or our offensive staff, I was able to see notes, I was able to see drawings and concepts at home and notes-wise, but it was something that I was excited about. It was something different that we haven't done.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it was super impactful because obviously we have new concepts and a new offense and things of that sort. So when you have a new offensive coordinator come in and try to teach us his philosophy and his terminology and you don't get all the meeting times with him, you're able to learn it at home. You're able to learn it with your roommates that are on the team. Guys on the team get to discuss it when they're not in the facility, and I think that's what's helped us kind of jump start this program is we're so confident in our offensive philosophy and our concepts.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think with Coach Riley, you knew the introduction of him being an up-and-coming innovative offensive coordinator. You know his time at East Carolina and with Lincoln and then at App State, Kansas, what he did at SMU was pretty evident because we played against them and you see what he was able to do.

But I think just he's such a good person, such a good man, he's so open to new relationships, and he allows you to be yourself, and he's so open to connecting with you and teaching you. He's such a great teacher.

But our relationship has been great because we're so open dialogue. Things that I like, things that he likes, things that he sees the way I see them, it's been a great first year kind of getting to work with him.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: You know, I think just the mindset of not being scared to make a play. He's done so much and obviously schematic-wise of football, but I think the mindset of being bold and being aggressive and not being afraid to make a play is something that he's really preached to us in the quarterback room and us as an offense, which has helped us get to this point.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Well, they're pretty talented on defense with their players. They've got studs everywhere. Their twos come in and give them kind of fresh breath, those guys are studs.

They're so well-coached. Their staff, they know what they're doing. They've been around a long time. They've been really successful on the defensive side of the ball, and they put those guys in spots to be successful.

It's going to be a challenge for us because they're so talented and well-coached and disciplined and detailed and that causes a lot of trouble for a lot of teams. Not a lot of teams are as talented and disciplined like those guys.

They fly around to the ball. They're fast. They're powerful. Just kind of everything that you want in a team that a lot of people maybe have just one of those traits, they've got all of them.

It's going to be a big challenge for us. We've got to make sure that we execute, we do our job, we don't get behind the sticks and give them momentum, but it's going to be a fun challenge for us. We're excited.

Q. Can you just talk about what it's like to have someone on the outside (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, Quentin makes my job pretty easy. I can just kind of close my eyes and throw it up to him, and he usually bails me out.

I've said all along, Q is just a different cat out there than a lot of kids. When he's out on the field, he's usually the best player on the field. Just as a football player, what he does with the ball, whether it's down vertical shots, whether it's underneath stuff, he makes things look so easy, and he's such an impactful player where he can change the game in one play. The thing about Q is he's such a good kid, outside the program or off the field. He's such a hard worker. He's humble. He's a great leader and he's such a good person to be around and to hang out with outside the locker room. It's pretty cool to see a kid like that that's so humble and so hardworking have the success that he's having.

Q. Talk about Coach P and the impact he's had on the team.

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, Coach P built this program up. Not a lot of people have done what he's been able to do of staying at a school for so long and taking them through all the other conferences and getting to the Big 12. Like I've said, there's so many other teams that have came through this program that have built this program up, whether it was Andy and the Rose Bowl team, the 2014 team, Coach P had so many great teams back in the day in the early 2000s.

What Coach P was able to do was create values and roots for this program to set us up to be in this position, and we wouldn't be here without everything that he did for us.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, we know how good they are, and we understand that there's going to be opportunities that if they come up, that we've got to take advantage of it, whether it's hitting a hole in a run fit, whether it's maybe scrambling on a 3rd and long, things of that sort. We understand they're a disciplined group. They're a detailed group. Coach Smart is going to have them ready to go.

We understand there's not going to be a lot of opportunities where we're going to have easy stuff, so we've got to make sure that we're executing well, we're focused up, and we do our job well.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: You know, I don't know if there's a lot of separation. I think there's so many similarities of just belief in yourself and continuing to work hard and believe in the guys around you and the support staff that you have.

I think that's the biggest thing that you kind of see amongst us, and it's pretty special to see what Stetson has done in his career and the position that he's been able to be in, playing for two national titles, the success that he's had as a player, so it's pretty special.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, well, you know how special he is. You see everything that he's done and where he's projected right now. You know he's such a stud, and he causes so many troubles for opposing offensive lines and teams because he's so impactful, whether it's him actually making plays and causing disruptions or him taking on double teams and allowing one-on-ones for other guys on his defensive line.

I mean, the dude is so powerful, he's so big. He's fast. He's twitchy. He just causes so many issues for a lot of teams, and we've got to make sure we're aware where he's at and make sure that we have him kind of dialed in because we know it's going to be a big challenge for us.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, no, Q's dad was obviously a big help because obviously with him we wouldn't be here. Having him on our team has been so incredible, and I think it speaks to what he's done, what Coach Kelly has done with him and building him up as a player.

The kid is just so special, and he's helped us so much. He's so invaluable, and he makes my job really easy.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think it's something that we just haven't really listened to anybody or anything outside of our walls or outside of our program. We saw ourselves how we see ourselves, and I think that was the big thing is that we had belief in ourselves as a team, our program, our coaching staff. We just stayed the course.

We've been through adversity, had deficits, things of that sort, but continuing to believe in ourselves and continuing to fight and overcome adversity has really helped us and something that I've been extremely proud of our team.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it's pretty special because we have so many guys, a lot of production came back, a lot of guys that have been here for a lot of years when we haven't been that good, when we've been kind of down.

But to see those guys stay the course and continue to fight and believe and just being with all the guys in this locker room has been pretty cool, and to see them have success and be in this position, I'm proud of all of them.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, we've got to execute better. I think it's something that we didn't do a great job against Michigan. Obviously our defense bailed us out a lot. We had some explosive plays. But we have to execute play in and play out better, whether it's our scheme, game plan. We've got to do a better job as players of having successful plays because if we don't do that against Georgia, we're going to get beat.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: There's nothing that was surprising to me or our guys. We knew what type of player Emari has been. He's been so impactful. He's had so many big games for us. Even this year and the last couple years of being here. There's no surprise. We knew what he was, and just so proud of him because he works so hard. He's such a humble kid. He's a good leader. He's a good person. To see him get that spot in that moment was pretty special for him.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: You know, I think we're not really thinking about it that much. We're not too worried about it. It's our team versus their team on a Monday night. Whoever is going to be better that night. We know what type of team they are and how talented they are, but in our eyes we have a lot of belief in us as a team. We understand how good Georgia is and we have to play really well to beat them, but it's a opportunity that we're excited to be a part of.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it starts with Coach Dykes and the culture that he brought into us. He puts a lot of confidence and belief into us of what we are as players and what we are as people, and I think it starts seeing the work and the preparation that started last January with Coach Kaz and the strength staff of all the stuff that we did leading up to this position. We know the work that we've put into it, and I think that's where that belief comes from.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Jordan is such a talented player and to see his work ethic come on -- the thing about Jordan is when you see guys that are highly recruited and come in a with a lot of expectation, sometimes it's hard to deal with with those guys. Jordan is not that guy. He's an easygoing guy. He loves his teammates, he loves to practice, he loves to play. He's so talented. When he gets a shot to go into the game, he makes a lot of big-time plays. Even when he doesn't have the ball, when people don't understand, he's a phenomenal blocker. He makes so much big-time plays. Last week Q's long run late in the game, Jordan had a huge block that kind of propelled that.

I think he's such a great teammate, and it's pretty exciting to see what he's been doing.

Q. Took him a little while to build some trust with you. What was that process like?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think when a young kid comes in there and you get to know each other and how he runs routes, how his mindset is as a route runner, his body movements, things of that sort, you learn as you go, but yeah, there's a lot of trust in him on my end. I'm going to let it fly to him. I trust him in a lot of big-time moments. I'll go to him. It's been pretty fun to see his growth.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, he's been so much help this season, not even just last game. He's done so much for us in the run game and pass protection. He's a great leader. We're glad to have him. He's been so much help and he's the reason why we're here today. It's been pretty special to see his growth and his work ethic really show up on Saturdays.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it helps a lot to have leadership in that room. We have a lot of young guys, so to have Emari who's played in a lot of big-time games and has a lot of success and being a veteran has just been so valuable for us, and it's awesome to see the success that he's had on the field and obviously continued to lead those guys in that room.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Oh, my grit? I don't know, I try to pride myself maybe on trying to be up there around the 8s, 9s, things of that sort. That's what I hope to play like and have that grit mindset and toughness. I try to be like those guys that have played before us that have built this program up, played gritty, played tough, played hard, and some of that's stuff that I pride myself on.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I'd probably say resilient. Those guys continuing to fight back and believe in each other and get through adversity and not let something bad happen kind of affect them and impact their mindset and this team. Continuing to get through a lot of hardships, continuing to fight through adversity and be themselves to get to this point. It's been -- really proud of all the guys on this team to see how they've grown.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it's something that you kind of need as a quarterback because nothing is ever pretty. It's nothing like you're ever going to have a clean pocket. There's bad stuff that's going to happen where you're going to miss a block, someone is going to run the wrong route, I'm going to miss a throw. Stuff is going to happen in the pocket where it's messy. I think you need to be calm under chaos, and I think you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and I think it's what a lot of the greats have done.

You see our coaches have talked about if you want to be great, you've got to be comfortable being uncomfortable. There's going to be a lot of chaos and I think you want to thrive in that position, and that's something that I want to be like and I've tried to build upon being like that.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, sometimes after a game I don't feel too good, but I know that guys on our O-line, guys on the defense, our running backs probably feel a lot worse, so there's nothing for me to complain about or feel sorry for myself because I know those guys get beat up way more than I do, and they don't get the recognition they deserve from the media. I kind of just take it to the chin and I don't really complain about it because I know guys are going through it way worse than I am.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think it started last January with Coach Kaz coming in and the strength staff of the mindset and the hard work and the things that we did building up to this moment. I think it starts with preparation and being in those moments where you continue to believe -- you've been through a lot of hard stuff and continue to believe in each other, this team, this coaching staff.

It's just been a lot of confidence in us when we get into those moments that we're not -- it's not going to be too big of a moment. We're going to stay the course and just be ourselves, and I think that's where it kind of starts from.

Q. (Indiscernible). What are some things that you think you're going to have to do differently (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, what they do defensively is pretty special. They're so well-coached. They're so talented. They do a lot of different things, whether it's in coverage, whether it's with their backers, pressures up front, things of that sort. We know what they're going to be like, and it's going to be a challenge for us because of how good they are.

But I think something that we need to do is we've got to execute at a higher level than we did against Michigan. We know if we don't execute or have those opportunities that we kind of take, it's going to be a long night for us because we know how good they are and the challenge that they provide.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it was just a lot of belief in our program and our team, and it starts with Coach Dykes and the culture that he brought into us. We're not too focused on what people are saying outside our walls, outside our program. We see ourselves like we see ourselves, and I think that's all that matters. When the ball rolls out there we've got to play the game still, so it doesn't really matter what other people are saying.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it's something that we've shown all year, that we're an explosive offense. We're a physical offense. Defensively we make a lot of plays. We're tough. We're physical. Special teams we've got a lot of playmakers, we're well-coached. I think we've been able to execute this year and fight through some adversity, deficits, things of that sort, and I think it's going to be a fun game. I think those are some of the reasons why we're going to have a shot, but it's going to be a hard challenge for us.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Emari has been such an incredible person to play with. Obviously our friendship started when I showed up here as a freshman. He's been here a while, and I've been able to play with him. So our relationship and our friendship is incredible because he's such a good person to be with outside the locker room, off the field.

But on the field he's such a special player, what he does, whether it's running the ball, whether it's in pass pro, being a leader for our team, being a leader in the running back room. He never complains about touches, never complains reps. He's that sort. When he get his opportunity, he goes in there, and he's a big reason why we're here today.

Q. How would you describe your leadership style? Second, apparently Drake (indiscernible) are you worried about (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, so starting off with leadership style, I think there's a lot of things, and I think it's just taking ownership of these guys around us and caring more about them than myself, putting them in better positions to be successful, things of that sort. I think that's kind of my leadership style.

Regards to Drake, I didn't know that he was on the Frogs, but hopefully we're not going to worry too much about that stuff. Hopefully we can get a win for him.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think staying the course, continuing to play our game, be ourselves. I think when stuff got tight, we were able to make plays in incredible situations and believe in ourselves. We have to execute at a higher level, and I think that's something that we're going to take with us, that we need to do a better job coming into this week.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, probably when I was probably a freshman or sophomore when I was able to have opportunities to run. I think it was something you see not a lot of quarterbacks being able to run, and I think track helped me so much with the speed work and the workouts that I was able to do because I was able to be a better athlete that way because of track, and it shows up on Saturdays where you can kind of run away from guys, angles, foot speed, things of that sort, and I think guys were able to start understanding I was maybe able to run probably freshman or sophomore year.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, my parents have been saying there's a lot of purple going around. I've had a lot of text messages and calls from people that are supporting us. I think a lot of watch parties around restaurants and bars up there in Council Bluffs on Monday night, so it's pretty special to have that support from all those people back home.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think there's a lot of thought -- it was a hard decision, but it was something that I was ready for and I thought I was ready for with the timing of we were able to accomplish a lot in our four years here as a team. I was able to graduate in December at TCU. A lot of things that kind of set up the timing that I was ready for, but it was a hard decision.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Who would I not let date my sister? Probably Steve Avila right there. That's probably the first option.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Who's the most famous person in my phone? Probably Quentin, honestly. Quentin is the most famous one I've got.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: The weirdest thing I eat? Honest, I don't eat a whole lot on game day. I'm just that kid where, like, I don't know if it's nerves, things of that sort, but I try to do as much as I can with nutrition, but nothing too crazy. It's like sandwiches, applesauce, things of that sort. Nothing that's too weird I don't think.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think we saw ourselves with the production that we had coming in with Coach Dykes, and we understood that that was an opportunity that we could have had, but there was a lot of hard work to get put into it. We didn't know how the season was going to go. You never really know how things are going to go. I think you believe you can be in this position, and we worked hard to be in this position, and now we're here and we've got to execute at a high level against Georgia. We know how good they are and the problems that they create for us, so we've just got to make sure that we're on our game, we're doing our job, executing at a high level, and hopefully we'll be successful.

Q. Seeing how much Coach Dykes (indiscernible) you guys have a certain culture and he spends time with you guys, how much do you think (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, Coach Kaz is so valuable for us and what he creates for us and the culture he brings in, whether that's in strength and conditioning, whether it's sports psych and the mindset he creates. But I think the great job is that he's such an open person. He's been in the moment. He's been in these positions, and he creates for that.

Obviously he has such a great staff with Coach Bolt, that's our speed coach that does a great job of creating that; Coach R.J. works heavily with quarterbacks; sports dietician, Coach TB; Coach Reb, strength and power.

I think that just staff has done a great job of understanding the tools that we need to be successful. They put so much effort into us and so much time. It's really helped show on Saturdays.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I was able to spend a lot of time with Stetson and get to hear his story and his why, getting to meet his family. I think it was really cool. He's such a good dude, such a fun guy to hang around with, and I think that's what's cool with him.

Obviously him as a player, he's such a special player. He's so talented. He makes that team go. Hearing his story of being a walk-on and going to JuCo and coming back and now playing in two National Championships, it's pretty remarkable, and I think he's such a great role model and a great story for a lot of kids.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think there's just been a lot of belief in ourselves, a lot of people -- you start one way but continuing to work really hard, believe in yourself, believe in the people that have supported us in getting to this point are kind of similarities that we have seen.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Obviously they have such good corners and DBs in the back end, so it's going to be difficult for our receivers, and I think our receivers are excited about the opportunity.

But I think whoever wants it more, whoever is more focused, whoever is going to execute at a higher level. Obviously both guys, whether it's match-up -- they're going to make plays. Such tremendous players on that end, such a great match-up. But like Coach Riley said, it's going to get stronger throughout the game. There's going to be punches thrown back and forth amongst each other play-wise. Whoever is going to continue to fight, continue to believe longer in the game and make plays is going to be the big reason.

Q. Who on your team best embodies a horned frog?

MAX DUGGAN: Let's think about this. I'm going to say Gunnar Henderson. He's kind of that smaller guy that doesn't care about anything else. He's going to put his body on the line; he's going to make plays. He's going to get into a dogfight with each other. He's not afraid of anything. I think he kind of embodies that horned frog.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: He has some good energy. He's not someone that you want to mess with. There's a lot of things that you don't want to mess with Gunnar about. It's pretty cool.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Oh, boy, an NIL deal for Coach Dykes? I don't know, like baseball cards maybe. Maybe him getting -- he was a baseball player at Tech, a good baseball player. Maybe him getting one of those trading cards that you see and maybe getting to sign out, so I think that would be pretty cool for Coach Dykes.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, that is good. His shoe game is pretty cool. He's always having something go out, so it's pretty special.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Can I wink? Yeah. Is that good enough? Yeah.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: If I'm traveling to Mars, am I traveling up or over? Up, right? You have to leave the atmosphere, so up -- out? I don't know anything about space, so that's probably a bad answer. I'm not sure.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, it's been pretty cool to see all the stuff that's happened with us and the image, the brand that we've kind of ran with, that our fans have. I think the college football landscape has had a lot of fun with it, so it's been pretty special, and it's pretty cool to have on our sidelines.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think just initial thoughts was just a lot of fear and just scared in that moment for him and his family and the guys and coaching staff that were on the field that had to experience it.

I'm glad to hear that he's doing better, but to hear he asked if they won, that means in a moment where his life could have been taken away that he was caring about his teammates, his family. He was thinking about the guys that were in the locker room, and it's pretty remarkable to hear someone like that that was in a moment that he was thinking about other people. It was pretty remarkable to hear that.

Q. Did that affect your -- seeing an injury like that, did that affect your mindset?

MAX DUGGAN: I think it makes guys want to play as hard as they can because you never know when this game could be taken away, and to give as much as you can to the guys that you are with and this coaching staff, to be with them as long as possible, I think that's something you want to take with you because you never know when something could be taken away from you.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think there's just a lot of trust in my O-line. When things kind of get tight, it's just staying in there, trust the O-line that they're going to have my back. They're going to create space for me to be able to throw the ball, and I think as a quarterback you want to be the guy that kind of sits in the pocket and allows for -- we've got studs out there at receiver, to give them a chance to get the ball and not take off after one read when things get tight but sitting in the pocket because I think that's what all the greats do, and you see them do such a great job of sitting in that pocket and being poised and that sort of thing.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think it's a tool, and it's an advantage for us that we can use. Obviously I know Jordan is going to be ready for it. They're going to be game planned for him, things of that sort. But when that opportunity arises to use your feet, whether it's zone read, whether it's a scramble, whether it's QB designed runs, things of that sort, but I think it's a tool that can be an advantage for us, but understanding when to use your legs, how to be smart, taking hits, things of that sort, when our team needs to play to use it.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I do know how to slide. I grew up playing baseball. I know how to slide. I think I choose my times smart when there's a lot of guys around there, but I think if it's kind of one-on-one or a need a play, I don't really want to slide. Usually the refs are kind of stingy on it mark us down pretty late when we slide. It's kind of tough on the spot. At that point you might as well just run through somebody.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, I think just believing in the guys around us and not putting too much on my shoulders, and I think I was always trying to be perfect and make the perfect play, but I think now just letting guys around me be the guys and be athletic and not really be too tight playing. I think that's something that I've learned and seen myself grow in that aspect.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: I think it was a mindset of coming in and not trying to be too much, not trying to do anything outside of my job, and I think that's something that Coach Dykes and Coach Riley really implemented into myself and our team is just be yourself, do your job, execute at a high level, and you don't need to do anything outside of that.

Q. There's a lot of speculation about (indiscernible)?

MAX DUGGAN: Yeah, so I actually have a girlfriend. I do have a girlfriend. She enjoys watching the shows, though, so I've been able to sit with her and see all the fun stuff. I know there's some pretty cool stuff out there, but yeah, I have a girlfriend right now.

Q. (Indiscernible).

MAX DUGGAN: My ideal first date? I think going to some sort of experience, whether it's a concert, a baseball game, things of that sort, because maybe it's a first date, you don't know each other, it's not awkward, there's something live going on in front of you.

I heard too much stuff about first dates when it's like you go to dinner and you don't know what to talk about. I think going to some sort of live event is -- I took my girlfriend to a baseball game, a Rangers' game.