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ROSE BOWL GAME: TEXAS v SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

January 2, 2006

Vince Young

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

Q Vince, how about this Chamber of Commerce weather?
VINCE YOUNG: Wow, I'm shocked. Supposed to be Sunshine City. I'm shocked.
Q. Has that affected you guys' preparations or your mental state at all?
VINCE YOUNG: No, not really. We're still having fun. All we've got to do is just focus.
That's all Coach wants us to do and that's what we've been doing.
Q. You personally, how do you deal with pressure? You obviously deal with it well.
VINCE YOUNG: Pressure, probably just sitting at home and getting it out of the way. I know when I step on the field at game time I'll be focused and take care of business.
Q. When the game is coming and you warm up, do you ever get butterflies, that type of stuff?
VINCE YOUNG: I get butterflies when we pull up to the stadium, and then I'm ready to go.
Q. Is it hard to keep waiting for this game to happen because there's talk every day? Is the anticipation hard to handle?
VINCE YOUNG: It's pretty hard. We've been practicing every day. I'm getting pretty tired of looking at these guys and I'm ready to play right now.
Q. What effect does it have on you guys that it seems like Southern Cal is getting all the attention, all the love. Is that a motivation for you guys at all?
VINCE YOUNG: Not really. They can have all that. We're prepared to go out and play. Once with you get on the field we're going to get after them guys.
Q. Are you surprised how people are looking at this as a lopsided contest, the betting lines, national networks are giving USC credit as being one of the greatest teams of all time?
VINCE YOUNG: I don't really care about all that. All I care about is my teammates. We did a lot of hard work to get to this point.
Q. How many roses are tattooed on your arm?
VINCE YOUNG: About five or six.
Q. Who are they for?
VINCE YOUNG: For the women in my life, my mom, my sister, my grandma.
Q. What have they given to you in terms of inner strength, and do you think that's a more important thing than athletic skill?
VINCE YOUNG: They just raised me to be the great man that I am today. They've helped me understand women more (laughter). Just a lot of different things and how much hard work they put in to have everything I wanted when I was little. I want the same thing for them, when I have a little cash in my pocket, take care of them.
Q. People say that -- is that the feeling that you bring to the field, that people talk about that you've been able to forget mistakes the next play, that nothing rattles you, nothing phases you?
VINCE YOUNG: That's how I am with my teammates and myself and knowing that everybody makes mistakes. A lot of guys make mistakes but they still find a way to win the ballgame, so I try to put it in the past and move on and see what happens. I just go out there and try to make something happen.
Q. Is what those women gave you, what you have inside, is that your greatest attribute?
VINCE YOUNG: Yeah, I believe that people like being around me. My mama has raised me to be a great man. If I wasn't playing football I'd be doing something else, being a role model.
Q. Vince, for everything that you've watched on film and everything that Coach Brown has talked to you about, what would you say is the one thing that may be a surprise to you in watching film of USC?
VINCE YOUNG: Just the takeaways is the big thing. You've got to protect the ball. They're No. 1 in the nation in takeaways. As the offense goes into the game, executing our plays, and we don't get the 3rd down and try to force it. I don't need to force it, just take over the ball and the running backs. If we don't get it put away, then our defense will get the ball back for us.
Q. After experiencing last year, how much has that helped in terms of preparation for this year?
VINCE YOUNG: Not just the Rose Bowl. We had a lot of big games that has helped us prepare for this game today. I mean, we're looking forward to it.
Q. Out of the women in your life, who is the biggest football fan?
VINCE YOUNG: My grandma. She's a coach (laughing).
Q. Why?
VINCE YOUNG: She always asks a certain question, why did I do that, why did I do that. She asks the guys, are you okay, how does your body feel. Mom, she'd just be happy.
Q. Does your grandma give you play calls or anything?
VINCE YOUNG: Sometimes she'll tell me to run some more.
Q. Your mom is big on visions. Have you envisioned how Wednesday's game will go?
VINCE YOUNG: I've envisioned that me and my guys, we're going to be pretty excited. We're going to be real pumped. We're going to not only give just USC but the whole world a good game.
Q. What gives you the confidence to be able to break that streak and do what two other national championship teams have not been able to do so far?
VINCE YOUNG: Just a bunch of hard work. From the Rose Bowl, it kind of just took off and carried over. A lot of guys on the team, we knew what it takes and understand what we need to do to play well to get to this point.
Q. Matt said you guys talked a little bit at the Heisman Trophy ceremony about his decision to come out; you kind of asked for his advice. What did he tell you, and will you continue to seek that advice when this game is over?
VINCE YOUNG: It's just a big decision. I don't know, I've got to still sit down with my family members and my team and coaches and see what's the best plan for me to do. Right now the biggest thing is him saying spend time with your family, with my teammates. This is the moment that he wanted to see.
Q. What's the next 48 hours going to be like for Vince Young?
VINCE YOUNG: Just hanging out, kicking it with my family members, teammates, people, relaxing.

End of FastScripts...

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