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FEDEX ORANGE BOWL

December 30, 2007

Bill Young

MIAMI, FLORIDA

JASON ALPERT: Thank you so much we're with Kansas Defensive Coordinator Bill Young.

Q. Tell us about your time so far in Miami, and the preparations for the FedEx Orange Bowl?
BILL YOUNG: We've had a wonderful time. The hospitality's been unbelievable.
As far as our practices, we're working at Barry University, great facilities and great weather. It's just been tremendous, we couldn't have asked for more.

Q. What problems does a two-quarterback system present in preparing for it?
BILL YOUNG: Obviously, both quarterbacks can do the same thing. One of them is a little bit better runner it appears on tape. One is a little better passer. But the offense doesn't change that much.
Maybe with Taylor, they'll end up running the zone options, and the more quarterback run game. And then with Glennon, they'll throw the ball a little bit more. But we have to be aware of who is in the game and what the possibilities are that the might offense might choose to do.

Q. How has having a month to prepare for an offense like this that has two different types of quarterbacks. How has that benefited you? And how long have you been working on the Hokies offense?
BILL YOUNG: About half that time. We spent a couple of weeks recruiting and letting our players heal up. We spent a lot of time working with the younger players in developmental type practices, and then we got focused in on Virginia Tech.
But there shouldn't be any excuses from a knowledge standpoint about what they've done in the past. I'm sure they'll have some new wrinkles that they've installed for the ballgame.
But we've been able to study their film. It's to the point now that you put a tape in there and you know what the next play is. You've seen it so many times.

Q. One of the most simplistic things of this game has been Kansas' offense against Virginia Tech defense. Has your run defense been overlooked, do you think in that kind of thinking?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. I think it's, you know, particularly if you think of Virginia Tech, you think of the great defenses that I have they've had in the past. Though our job is to stop their offense and they feel like they're awfully good. We're very proud of our offensive football team and the things they've accomplished.
We've always said the best defense say great offense. And we hope they continue doing what they're doing.

Q. Couple questions about Aqib. First off when you have a corner that can take away one half of the field like what, what does it do for the defense and for you as a coordinator? Second question is he has a reputation as a chatty, full of personality kind of player out on the field. Did that take getting used to to get what he was about when he first came here?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. Aqib's really grown as an individual and as a player since he came to our program. He is an outstanding player, great personality. It's really helped our defense having a defensive back like that.
I know we went through several years last year when we struggled at the corner position because of injuries and so forth, so having a guy like him is a definite plus for us.

Q. You touched on this a few minutes ago. But it seems like with the Hokies and the two quarterback offense, they know that you were going to be spending a month studying their tendencies. And you know that they know that, because of all of that, might this be more than most games, kind of a chess match between the coaches and the coordinators, what to call when to call it?
BILL YOUNG: I think you took the words right out of our mouth. It's what we talk about all the time in the defensive staff room. We know they'll have some new wrinkles and we will, too. When they pull out their bag of tricks, we've got to be prepare.
As a defensive football team, you always have to be sound regardless what plays they're running. We need to be that. We need to get in the ballgame early and try to make them one dimensional and try to take the run game away from them as possible. And make them throw the football. And hopefully we can do that.

Q. I was wondering if during the games or practices, can you hear Talib and does that ever entertain you?
BILL YOUNG: No, I can't hear him. I'm deaf in one ear, and can't hear out of the other. So I don't hear a lot of that. But it doesn't bother us at all.
We want to play with a little bit of a swagger. We want to know that we're good. I don't know that we need to tell everybody how good we are but you want that self confidence.

Q. Does his talk seem to be more of the confidence building rather than malicious or traditional trash talk?
BILL YOUNG: We wouldn't allow trash talk. If we heard it, we'd get it corrected. But no, it's a confidence type thing.
I'm not really sure what you're referring to. But I don't notice Aqib doing that much talking. I notice he's a tough player and he gets out there and plays hard and he enjoys hard. But there is a lot of bantering back and forth in practice. Buts we want to make it a good experience for everybody.

Q. When Aqib was playing, I know he didn't play a great deal on offense, but he did spend some time there. Were you reluctant to let him do that or think about doing that because of the need to keep your focus on the job at hand, which is, number one, play quarterback?
BILL YOUNG: No, not really. You know, a couple of years ago we had a young man named Charles Gordon who was wide receiver and came on our side of the ball and did a great job for us. It was give and take.
Anything we can do to get points on the board and make plays on offense, it helps us on defense. It's a team game, and we're really excited for him ask his opportunities over there, and in the long run it certainly helps us.

Q. Miami, the sunshine, the scenery, going from 20-degree temperatures to 80, did your message to the players have to be different this week and focusing them on the task at hand than say playing in Boise or Shreveport or someplace else?
BILL YOUNG: I don't think so. We've got a mature football team. They're very focused and they know why we're here. Coach Mangino says we're here on a business trip, and there is no question they understand that.

Q. What have you observed that really stands out to you about the way mark Mangino goes about coaching this team and his work ethic and the way he relates with you guys or the assistant coaches? Is it?
BILL YOUNG: I think from a work ethic standpoint, he's second to none. No one's going to outwork us both as players and coaches, hopefully, and great attention to detail. We're going to dot every I, and cross every T and taking care of business. I think he does an extremely good job of all of those things.

Q. It seems like from the outside it's hard to get a good glimpse of what his personality is actually like. Is he kind of warm and friendly or is he generally gruff? What do you see?
BILL YOUNG: I think he got the nickname of bear when he came there. So that might describe him a little more than warm and fuzzy, I don't know. But he is an intense guy. Not in a malicious way. He is focused and he knows what it takes to win and he's working hard to get that done.

Q. Has he loosened up with you guys?
BILL YOUNG: Oh, yeah, he has a great penalty. It's not all business. He's a normal person. It's not like he's ready to play football on every snap. He enjoys life. Sits back, has a cigar, and he has fun.

Q. With the run defense against Missouri, it looks like they were able to find some holes have you taken that as motivation? You know Virginia Tech's going to try to run the ball. How's the run defense looking?
BILL YOUNG: We hope it's looking good. The things that Missouri did, and I talked with Dave Christiansen several times since then. They had a scheme that was different than anything we had seen. They ran a lot of unbalanced lines where the center was playing where the guard would play.
Sometimes he was lined up where the tackle was. We missed our fits because of just not being able to adjust and kick the front and understand just move one gap and this, that, and the other. Which we worked on it a lot during practice and thought it was going to be simple, but it didn't.
Virginia Tech has a different style of offense. They are a power running team. Their powers and counters and leads, and then they have the zone read. So we have our plate full. It's going to take a lot of effort and intensity so get the job done and stop them in the run game. I don't know if we'll stop them. Maybe we can slow them down.

Q. Do you recall where or how you found out about the shootings at Virginia Tech and can you imagine what it's like, the burden of responsibility this football team Bears? Because playing this season immediately after an event like that and dedicating it in so many ways to all the lives that were changed that day?
BILL YOUNG: I can't remember exactly where it was I was. But obviously it was a tremendous tragedy. Any time anything happens and it's so personal when it's your own university and people you may know, it had to be extremely tough on them.

Q. Can you imagine what this is like for them?
BILL YOUNG: Not really. I've never been in that situation. I, fortunately, have never been near anything like that.

Q. Can you talk about your linebacker corps, all being juniors, how well they've performed in comparison to the great linebackers you had a couple of seasons ago?
BILL YOUNG: Last year they were all starters and they got knocked around and developed and learned on the run. And this year they've done a tremendous job.
We're fortunate enough to lead the Big 12 in rushing defense, and it's a tribute to those guys. They're the second line of defense, so to speak. Their run-fits have gotten so much better. They're right on par with the great group we had a few years ago.

Q. When you have three juniors like that, how do you develop younger players that are going to have to step in?
BILL YOUNG: Our second team is three freshmen right behind them. One was a red shirt freshman and the other two are pure freshmen. So they're getting a tremendous amount of reps in practice. We've been fortunate to be ahead in games and they've played a little bit, too.
We've got an eye toward recruiting this year. It's important to get another set of young linebackers coming in where we can stagger them out and we don't lose all of them at once.

End of FastScripts

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