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CITI BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: TEXAS v ALABAMAJanuary 5, 2010Mark IngramPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. What did you say to Peek after the press conference yesterday when he was talking about you breaking down at the Heisman? Did you have any words for him? MARK INGRAM: We were just joking around. He said he couldn't make fun of me because he shed a few tears, too. But that just shows -- like when I broke down that night at the ceremony, it just shows how much it means to you. It was more than just a trophy; it was overcoming adversity, not letting stuff hold you back, being able to overcome obstacles in life that are rough for you. It was more than just a trophy, it just shows how much it meant to me. Q. The intensity you guys had against Florida, can you talk about that? MARK INGRAM: Definitely. It's in everybody's mind and everybody's spirit and everybody's heart. You've got to go out there with the will not to be denied and will just to hit the other team in the mouth. You've got to keep coming back strong. It's going to be a great game and it's going to be a physical game, and it's going to come down to who keeps their mistakes limited and who has the will to win. Q. How important is it to the offense to give that defense something to play for out there? MARK INGRAM: It's real important, whether it's offense, defense or special teams. Offense got to go out and set the tempo, got to execute in order to have success in this game. Both teams are great. Any little thing can swing the game a different way. Q. Does winning the Heisman make you more of a marked guy? Do you feel like you could be any more marked than you were in the SEC anyway? MARK INGRAM: Sure. I'm sure it puts a target on your back. I remember that Auburn game, they loaded the box to try stop the run, and they did. I just can't get frustrated and things like that because people are going to try to stop the run. We're not going to let the running game beat us. They might stack the box, and that's when the passing game has to step up. That's what this team thrives on is being able to support each other. When one thing doesn't work you've got to make another thing happen. I'm sure in some ways, some teams will have you as a marked target, but Texas does a lot of great things anyway. I think the game plan, we'll throw a few new wrinkles in there. But I think for the most part they're going to do what they do because they're great at it. Q. What does the Miracle on Ice represent to this team? MARK INGRAM: Coach Saban said like they beat -- I don't know who they beat, like the semifinals or something, and that was like the biggest win ever, but then they still had another game to win the gold medal. He was telling us like when we played Florida we beat them, and that was like the semifinals, we've still got one more to go. We're coming off our biggest win, but we've got one more to go. You have to have that same intensity and desire to win and succeed and win the game. If you win that game and lose this one, that one doesn't mean anything, so you have to take advantage of your opportunities. Q. So Florida is Russia? MARK INGRAM: I guess in that analogy. (Laughter.) In that movie, I guess, that's how it all relates. Q. The SEC has not lost in a National Championship game. What pride is there in that for the conference? MARK INGRAM: We take pride in our conference. We're all like rivals, but we all beat up on each other, and we hand each other so many losses sometimes -- the SEC, we all don't like each other, but we take pride in each other. Like in the Bowl games, teams that I hate during the season, I root for them in the Bowl season because you've got to take pride in your conference. It's such a tough conference and so many great teams, playing in the SEC, you've got to take pride in it. Q. How would you describe the way your team has started off games this season, particularly winning drives? MARK INGRAM: I remember earlier in the year sometimes we came out slow and it would take a while to get going, and we kind of learned from that. We can't start off slow because teams will hang with you. So you've got to come out fast, you've got to come out fast, got to come out swinging, can't hold anything back. You've got to get the momentum going for you early in the game so it can carry on so guys have some rhythm, some tempo to carry on in the game. Q. There was a time when it would take a player years to develop the reputation to win a Heisman Trophy. You blew up basically in one year. Before the trophy when did your life start to change? When did you have to start changing your phone number and all that stuff? MARK INGRAM: I remember like after Ole Miss people started Heisman whispers here and there, but then after that South Carolina game, people really started talking about it. That was when people around Alabama were really, come on, we need to get it. They were just real supportive throughout the whole time. Really that's like when everything started changing, after that South Carolina game. Q. When did you think you could win it? When did you think you were really, really had a chance to win it? MARK INGRAM: I really wasn't focused on it at all. It was kind of cool to be up in there, but I wasn't focused on it at all. I was focused on trying to win games. I think I had a good shot up until the Auburn game, and I thought that Auburn game kind of like knocked me out. But then after Florida, after that I kind of thought I had a chance. My main focus was trying to win games. That was my main focus throughout the whole entire year. The Heisman was in the back of my head, and my main focus -- our main goal was to win the National Championship and the SEC Championship before the season started. That's what we had our mindset on and I wanted to help us do it. Q. The blocked kicks by Cody, where were you and what did you see? MARK INGRAM: The first one was huge, and the second one, I was over there, and I didn't want to watch. I was over on the bench like looking down. Then right when they ran on the field, I ran out there, like I've got to watch, I've got to watch. I remember thinking they blocked it, and I remember hearing two thuds, boom, boom, and just kind of laid down on the ground. I had fumbled and kind of let them back in the game a little bit, so I felt really bad. Q. People in Texas are talking about the Muschamp factor. What do you expect out of their defense? MARK INGRAM: Well, he's worked with Coach Saban a long time, so they kind of had the same scheme, same philosophies. Our defenses are really similar, but he's a great coach and he coached those players up really well and they have a great defense. Q. Is it imperative for you to limit McCoy's possessions, hold onto the ball? MARK INGRAM: Our role is to go out there and put up points, do whatever we can to help the team put points on the board. Of course to keep the ball out of his hands, but I don't think that's our main emphasis. Our main emphasis is to try to put as many points on the board as we can. Their defense is going to have their hands full because he's a playmaker out there. But our main focus right now is to play as a team and give ourselves the best chance to be successful. Q. When you look at that Texas defense, No. 1 in the country, what do you see on film that they do well that makes them so good against the run? MARK INGRAM: They get movement on the front. The D-line penetrates the offensive line, the linebackers are really fast, they float to the ball really fast. The secondary, when the ball squirts out -- just overall on defense, they have a lot of talent on defense and they get to the ball and make tackles and make a lot of plays. Q. What differences and similarities do you see between them and Florida? MARK INGRAM: Texas is Texas and Florida was Florida. Texas, they cause a lot of turnovers, I think have the most takeaways in the country, most interceptions in the country. They get to the ball, cause you to get out of rhythm, disrupt a lot of plays, and they're a headache for a lot of offenses, and we're going to have our hands full. Q. Talking about turnovers, why have you been so good at limiting turnovers? MARK INGRAM: Just paying attention to detail. You've got to hold on to the ball. You're a running back; if you don't have the ball, you can't do nothing. It's just a pride factor. You don't want to put the ball on the ground because if you're a running back and you don't have the ball, you can't do nothing. You've got to hold onto the ball. Q. You talked about moving off campus and getting a recliner. Do you have a lot of furniture already or are you going to have to start from scratch? MARK INGRAM: No, I haven't even looked yet. I'm going to start from scratch. I haven't even really looked at a spot or anything yet. Q. You have the chair figured out? MARK INGRAM: Yeah, I'm probably going to get that chair. I'm going to get that big chair. Q. Does it come in a variety of colors? MARK INGRAM: I have no idea. I think we get to pick our gifts today after practice. I'll probably decide then. End of FastScripts |
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