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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: TCU v WISCONSINDecember 30, 2010Scott TolzienPASADENA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. (Questions regarding Andy Dalton.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: It's like anything else, the first time you meet someone, you're kind of small talking. You can tell he's a smart kid. You can tell he stands for the right things. He's just a good guy. We were small talking. We had a couple common denominators as far as paths he's been on, like camps we've gone to. He seems like a great guy, a great competitor, too. You see him on TV. He's a heck of a quarterback. Q. When you look at opposing teams, you're looking at their defenses. Did you look at his numbers and say they looked familiar? SCOTT TOLZIEN: You know, I didn't really look at his numbers. When we were at Disneyland, Coach Patterson introduced him as the quarterback that's won 43 games. That's all you need to know about him as far as I'm concerned. He wins games. We all know that's the most important statistic. He's doing it the right way. He's winning games. I think that's the highest compliment you can give to someone else. Q. At the beginning of the season you had high expectations. Now that you're at the Rose Bowl, are you surprised you're here, not surprised? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think what got us here was the approach that we had, and that was just taking it one game at a time, one week at a time, and even one day at a time. That goes all the way back till January. That was our recipe for success early in the season. I think the key was we didn't set the goal of, Let's go to the Rose Bowl. We focused on the daily preparation, the daily grind. Sometimes that takes care of those goals for you. Q. You knew you had a good team, you had the pieces; if you follow the formula, good things can happen. SCOTT TOLZIEN: On paper, you looked at it and said, Wow, we have a lot of talented players coming back. We all have had teams that had those names on paper, but it doesn't always necessarily equal success. I think the coolest part about it was that guys came ready to work every day, and we let our actions do the talking. It's gotten us to where we are. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: As is life. That's part of the game. That's part of life. You're going to have to go through some of those bumps along the way. Like they say, adversity only makes you stronger if you handle it in the right way. I think there's been a lot of us around here that we're able to learn from it. At this point we can say we don't regret that 7-6 season because it taught us a lot about the game of football and life. Q. Two years ago you were relatively unknown. Now you have a successful career. Can you put into words what these two years have been like for you? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, it's been special. Fortunately we've had success on the field. I think that always equals happiness, I guess. It's been awesome. The group of guys that we have, both coaches and players, all the times in the locker room. I could say that even if I wasn't the starter. I feel like it still would have been a blast just because it's you. You look around, and there's a hundred 'brothers' that you have on the team. We've been able to go to Orlando, Tampa Bay, Hawaii, Las Vegas. It's a special opportunity that not many people can say they've experienced. Q. How have you changed? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I'd like to say I'm the same. Hopefully so. My parents would be disappointed if I wasn't. I think there's a good group of guys here that they keep you humble, make sure you stay true to your values. I remember I came in as the freshman with the glasses, little study geek. But I wouldn't change it. It's helped out in the end. It's been fun. I wouldn't change a thing. Q. What do you think was the turning point for the program? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I would say it was the fall camp right before my junior season. I put together a good two-week stretch and was finally playing consistent football. My confidence grew. Light bulb went on and I finally felt like I could be the guy. Q. How close were you to not coming to Wisconsin? SCOTT TOLZIEN: You know, the recruiting process, kind of a whirlwind. I had some Mid-American Conference schools I was looking at. I lost a few of those opportunities just 'cause I wanted to wait until after my senior season to commit. Other guys committed and they filled up their quarterback spot. About two weeks before signing day, Wisconsin called me and offered me a scholarship. I committed on the spot. They said, You're going to get an opportunity and, the rest is what you make of it. I couldn't believe in that any more to this day based on what I've gone through. Q. Has it sunk in yet this is going to be your final college football game? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, there's been times when I've thought about it. I'm kind of trying to block that out for now because you don't want to make the game more than it is. You have to respect the game at all times. I think I go into it approaching it like any other game. When the game is over, you can look back on it and think about that being your last game. I'm just going to approach it like every other game. Q. Do you feel a professional career is a realistic goal for you? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I mean, I'm just going to control what I can control. That's just training as hard as I can after the season. If the opportunity arises, hopefully I'm ready for it. If it doesn't, I'm ready to move on. You just control what you can control. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: A, find a way to win the game. That's the ultimate obvious statement. You got to find a way to score one more point than the opponent, and then just trying to move the chains. We got a lot of weapons on our offense. It's my job to try to get the ball in their hands, and they can do their work. Q. I think Lance said when you are intense, they feed off your energy. Do you get a sense of that? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think we all do. It's a contagious thing. That's the great thing about football: there's 11 guys in that huddle, and we all feed off of each other. Whether you're a lineman or a receiver, it makes no difference. That's why it's the greatest team sport. You can feed off each other's energy. Q. Is today the day you wake up and say, We've been here forever; I wish we could play today? SCOTT TOLZIEN: It's felt like we've been here for two weeks. It's been long, but it's been a blast. Just a once in a lifetime opportunity. I think both teams are antsy and anxious for game day to be here to finally play the game we've been preparing and training for for a month now. It's right around the corner. I think we're all excited about that. Q. Excited to see yourself in USA Today? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I just found that out right when you said that. Yeah, it's cool, I guess. Something when I'm done playing, Wow, I was on the cover. For now it's just focusing on the preparation for the game, everything leading up to that. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, for sure. It was all a great time. The whole Rose Bowl experience, it's a first-class deal. You see why it's so special. Not only the game, but just the whole experience. But like you said, at the same time, a part of you is glad to get that over, and now you focus on the ultimate prize: the Rose Bowl game. Q. Does it still feel two days away? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah. You just try to take it one day at a time. I feel like we've been here for a while, which has been awesome. We're in Los Angeles, in California, we're experiencing everything that the Rose Bowl is about. At the same time, like I said, you're anxious for the game to get here. Q. The weather has been a big deal here recently. How do you think the field is going to be on Saturday? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think it will be awesome. Just knowing how the whole Rose Bowl operation is, it's a first-class deal. Seems like everything is done to perfection. Everything is executed to perfection, whether it's the motorcade or the events. So I have no reason to believe that the field is going to be in bad shape. If it does rain during the game, that's part of football. That's the way it is. It's the same for both teams. You just adjust and play the game. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I mean, they're an awesome defense. I say that because they are there, number one statistically in turnovers. I mean, they're talented. They're physical. They tackle well. They're well-coached. They all buy into their system. It's a pretty solid combination for their defense. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: No, it's not a distraction just because it's the same for both teams. Five, ten years from now, you're going to remember all those events. That's what makes the Rose Bowl such a special deal. You see why teams in the past speak so highly of the Rose Bowl and all the events. It's been fun. But it's been fun, and I can't believe we still haven't played the game. Saturday is going to be the ultimate pinnacle. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: No, I don't think so. They're a great team. They're one of three undefeated teams in college football. That's the highest compliment you can give to another team is their wins and losses. They're a great team, and we're going to have our hands full on Saturday. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: They've all been great. We've been fortunate enough to go to Disneyland, to improv night, comedy, the Beef Bowl. I think the one that caught everybody by surprise was the improv night. It was awesome. It was basically players only in a tight-knit room and a lot of laughs. I think that one was awesome. Going to Disneyland and the Beef Bowl. If you were asked that question to the linemen, it would be the Beef Bowl. But they've all been great. Q. (Question regarding the matchup.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: There's a lot of things. Been asked this question a lot, as our offense has. They really are a special defense. I mean, they've got talent. They're physical. They're well-coached. I mean, they got a great scheme. They all buy into it. I think one thing that kind of gets overlooked, they're a good tackling team. That sometimes gets overlooked. You see on film guys missing tackles, but these guys don't miss tackles. You put all those things together, and it's obvious why they're the number one defense in the country. Q. (Question regarding confidence.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think it gives you confidence just in the regard that you know you've done it before. But I think the key to everything is just that you're only as good as your last game. We haven't played in a month. We got to be doers again. It's one thing to say, We've done this in the past. You can't live life patting yourself on the back. You just got to look to the next thing. We got to be doers, we can't be sayers. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: It's a different deal. Rather than having one week, obviously we got four weeks, which has been great. They have a tough scheme defensively. It's given us time to kind of figure that out. But I think right now where we stand is the game plan is in; it's been in for weeks now. Hopefully I'd like to think we all got the looks down. Now it's more sharpening those edges, just kind of dealing with the anxiousness of the game, being confident that you got the looks down and just ready to go play ball. Q. Tell me about what some of those difficulties might be. SCOTT TOLZIEN: I really can't compare it to anyone in the Big Ten. I think it's unique what they do, unique in that they're really good at it. It's a different scheme, and they're very good at it. I mean, they're going to give you multiple looks. But they execute it well. Coach Patterson has a good game plan for them. We're going to have our hands full on Saturday trying to figure it out and adjust. Q. One of the things that defenses have to adjust to is adjustments on the fly. How do you prepare for that? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Really that's what fall camp -- you look at for three weeks you got two-a-day practices. It's just repetition after repetition after repetition. That's when that stuff kind of shows, I think. Like you said, they're going to know we've seen everything on film on them, and we know they've seen everything on film for us. Like you said, there's going to be stuff they've shown you that you haven't seen before. It's that repetition that helps you. With all those reps, you're going to eventually see every possible look. Q. Must give you confidence with all the experience you have in front of you. All of that bodes well. SCOTT TOLZIEN: It does. Just because guys have been around the block, they've been in big games, made plays in those big games. At this point that's the past and that's all talk, so we got to make it happen on Saturday and be doers. Q. Can you talk about the shared trust factor. SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah. It's big. We got a lot of older guys, upperclassmen on the line that I've been fortunate enough to play with for four or five years. That helps knowing the looks and communication and everything like that. Also just that trust factor. Those guys have done a great job all year long. It's made my job easier. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: His message really always stays the same. It's, Let's try to win the day. Let's prepare as hard as we can. Usually that stuff takes care of itself when you put in that work every day. You find yourself reaching those goals that you haven't set as goals. You set the preparation as your goal, and the rest takes care of yourself. Q. Any talk amongst the team that a win brings a legacy? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Guys have talked about that. I think it sure is important most definitely. But I think it's also important to try -- you got to respect the game at all times. You never want to blow it out of proportion and say, This is the biggest game of our lives and we can't blow this one. You can't go in with that mindset. You want to treat it like every other game. That's been the daily preparation, not making one game bigger than the next. I think it's no different with the Rose Bowl. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: A lot of things. This seems to be like the big question. I mean, it's a good one just because there's a lot of different pieces there. As I was saying earlier, they're physical, they're tough, they got a great scheme. They all buy into it. The other thing is they're a really good tackling team. That seems like an obvious thing, but there's a lot of teams you see missing tackles on film, but TCU doesn't. They got a pretty good combination of stuff there. Q. What do you learn about yourself? SCOTT TOLZIEN: The ups and downs, you learn that's part of the game. As all quarterbacks would say, you have to have a short memory. There's going to be good plays, there's going to be bad plays. You can't get too high with the good plays, too low with the bad ones. It's staying even-keeled, taking it one play at a time. Q. (Question regarding Michigan State.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think the whole key, honestly, was we had better preparation in our weeks after that. I think Michigan State was arguably one of our worst weeks of practice. We took note of that. We improved Sunday through Friday. I think that was the difference from that point forward. Q. Was the turning point Ohio State? SCOTT TOLZIEN: You know, I hope it didn't cross anyone's minds that this was the ultimate, you beat Ohio State, you're heading to the Rose Bowl, because there's still several games left after that. I think we learned that we can play with anyone. It's certainly a confidence booster. At the same time we had a quick turnaround at Iowa, extremely tough place to play. I think the great thing was guys dove into the preparation for next week, didn't let the Ohio State win linger in their heads, got back to work. Q. Do you feel you helped getting guys focused after that Ohio State game? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think as a group of seniors, we learned last year, the group of seniors last year, when we were juniors, they were phenomenal. Set a standard for what it is to play and lead like a senior. So I think as a group of seniors this year, we've been able to carry that forward. I think we've done a good job of keeping everyone in check, making sure we don't waste days. Q. What do you think you're going to take away from this week? SCOTT TOLZIEN: A lot of things. I mean, it's a special experience. I know fans that have been here have said that, and even former players that have played in the Rose Bowl, it's a first-class deal, a once in a lifetime deal, something you'll remember for the rest of your life. It's pretty neat to be living that right now. I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing to the next group or the next people when they ask me about the Rose Bowl. It's the best. Q. Have you had a chance to breathe it in yet? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think so. The great thing about coming out here early, you take it in, there's that awe factor. I think at this point in the week, we realize that we're supposed to be here and it's reality. I think at this point we're all just anxious for game day, for the game to be here. Q. Andy Dalton told me you bumped into each other at Disneyland. SCOTT TOLZIEN: We just kind of small talked, like anytime you meet someone new. You could just sense that he's a great guy, just a guy that's true to himself, true to his teammates, high character. I've seen him on film. He's a tremendous quarterback. He's really good. It was pretty cool to meet him. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: Well, I think the biggest thing, I know he's won 43 games as a starter. You almost feel like that's all you need to say about someone, they know how to win games. That's the highest compliment you can give to someone else. He's certainly found a way to win games. That's the most important thing, so... That's what I'm striving to do, is just win games. I think that's our common, I guess, attribute, trying to do everything in your power to win the game. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think, like you said, it's a confidence boost just knowing that you can do it. But at the same time, that's the past. You're only as good as your last game and your last play. We still have something that we need to prove. It's all talk right now. We got to make it happen on game day. Q. Even though they're the number one defense, do you feel you can impose your will? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Like any game, there's going to be ups and downs. Every game is a rollercoaster. Ultimately you hope you put more points up on the board than the other team. We expect it. It's going to be a four-quarter game. We'll have our successful plays and they're going to have their successful plays. That's the fun part of the game, is just that back and forth battle. Hopefully at the end of the day you can say you got more points on the scoreboard than them. Q. Do you think it might be a high-scoring game? SCOTT TOLZIEN: No, I don't really anticipate that. It could be a high-scoring game or low-scoring game. I'm not sure what it will be. I do think it's going to be a four-quarter game and a very exciting game. With that being said, can't wait for Saturday to be here. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: No, not at all. One of the three undefeated teams in college football. Only three can say that. That's special. There's a reason for that. You see it on film. They're a great team, well-coached, guys buy into their system. You never look at them like a smaller school. They're undefeated. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I don't think so. Like I said, they're one of three undefeated teams in college football. This program has been awesome the last couple years. So I don't think anywhere along the line you underestimate them. They're going to give us their best shot Saturday. Q. Is there a piece of advice you got this week? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I think just that it's another game. Everyone is going to tell you it's the biggest game of your life, this and that, you'll remember this one for the rest of your life. Only the teams that win are going to get remembered. I think the best piece is, it's another game. What got you to this point was just taking every game one at a time and not trying to blow a game out of proportion. I think the same holds true for this one. Q. Do you think that's true of the first 10 minutes, not letting things get away from you? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, that's important for sure, the first 10 minutes. You could probably say that about closing out the first half, starting out the third quarter. That's the great thing about the game. Each play matters and one play can make the difference. Q. (Question about Coach going to the Rose Bowl.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: The biggest thing, it's for the program. It's for yourself and it's everything you've collectively worked for as a group of individual players and coaches as well, top to bottom. I don't think Coach would want it any other way. It's a team deal. It's not about him; it's about the team. Q. What do you expect on Saturday with fan support? How important is that, to have all those fans? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I don't think there's doubt in anyone's mind that Wisconsin is going to travel well. That's awesome. Just as you commit to a school like this, all of a sudden you feel a part of the state, the whole Badger Nation. It's going to be special. TCU will have their fair share of fans there. That's a unique part of Bowl games. You have a neutral site. It will probably be half red and half purple. It's going to be exciting to have that battle going on. Q. (Question regarding Andy Dalton.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: I mean, it's going to be a huge challenge. The thing that sticks out to me about Andy is he has 43 wins as a starter. I mean, they say, Enough said. That's all that needs to be said about him. From one quarterback to another, I think that's the highest compliment you can give a someone. I think we all realize that. There's no secret to his success. He's found a way to get it done. He's a tremendous quarterback. It's going to be a tough battle on Saturday. Q. Talk about some of those Texas kids. There's some character. SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, they are. I don't think a week has gone by in my five years here where Jay hasn't made mention of the 'great state of Texas.' It's been fun. One of the coolest parts about playing college football at any university is meeting guys from all around the country, getting to know those guys. Q. You're the underdog; they're favored. How do you feel about that? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I can't argue that. They're one of three undefeated teams in college football and we're not. They're a great football team. I'm not going to go in there saying we should be favored because they're undefeated. You see it on film, too. They're a great football team. Q. What are the challenges you have seen? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I mainly speak from an offensive standpoint going against their defense. They got a lot of different pieces of their puzzle that make their defense great. They're physical. They tackle well. They're well-coached. Guys buy into their system, which can't be said about a lot of defenses. They got the total package. It's going to make it tough for us. Q. What is your reaction when the offense says you wasted three years using plays you don't use anymore? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I don't know, I've probably wasted my fair share of time, you know, studying or whatever it is. I wouldn't change it for anything. I see where we're at now. It's been a fun process all the way through. Q. How did those three years of not being the starter help what you did last year and for this year? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yeah, one thing that sticks out to me right away, they say you have to be a follower before you can be a leader. The first three years I was on the sidelines just taking everything in. Wasn't saying much; just observing. You see the good things, the things that you want to carry forward, and you see things that you don't feel like -- things you feel like you'd like to tweak. It's been fun in that regard. I think you appreciate things more when you have to go through that adversity. You can relate to guys on the team now that are on the sideline and not playing. You can say, Hey, you know what, it's not the end of the world. You just have to keep working. If you keep doing the right things, you'll be able to get on the field. Q. Have you appreciated this game yet, leading this team to this game, or is this something that's going to come after Saturday? SCOTT TOLZIEN: That's a good question. There's always times in the last month, since the Northwestern game, where you're going, Wow, this is pretty special. At the same time, like you said, it's still about the preparation and winning each day. I think after the season you'll have time to say, Wow, that was something special. I can't believe we did that. That's something for after the game. Right now it's just about focusing in on the game. Q. Do you still use all those plays you studied your first three years? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Absolutely you do. I've been so fortunate that we haven't had many coaching changes. Coach Chryst has been our offensive coordinator ever since I stepped foot in here. That's not true at a lot of different colleges. I'm thankful for that. For that reason you got a good grasp of the playbooks because you've been running those plays for so many years. Q. Name the name of your opponent's mascot. SCOTT TOLZIEN: The Horn Frogs. Q. Specifically what is the mascot's name? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Not sure. Q. Super Frog. SCOTT TOLZIEN: Okay. Q. (No microphone.) SCOTT TOLZIEN: The Mountain West. I know there's been some tweaking to that as far as the conference changes, but currently I want to say nine. Q. Right on. What is the closest conference road game for your opponent? SCOTT TOLZIEN: SMU. Q. How many players can you name from TCU? SCOTT TOLZIEN: I can name LaDainian Tomlinson. That's the first one. Q. Has your opponent produced a Heisman Trophy winner ever? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Yes, one. Q. Can you name him? SCOTT TOLZIEN: No. Q. What is TCU's in-game tradition? SCOTT TOLZIEN: Not sure. Q. Coach Chryst's name keeps coming up. Can you talk a little bit about what he brings to you guys as an offensive unit. SCOTT TOLZIEN: You know, I feel strongly about it. It's my opinion. But I feel like he's the best. He's really the foundation of everything that our offense is. We feed off his plays and we feed off his coaching style. We feed off his everyday approach. Like any coach, it starts with the X's and O's. I'm biased, but I think he's the best. But also his attitude every day. It's contagious. He enjoys his job. His attitude I think brings out the best in all of us. Q. How are you going to attack TCU's defense? SCOTT TOLZIEN: It's a different scheme, one that we've seen shades of on other teams scheme-wise. They're a combination of just tackling and being physical and being disciplined. They got a good combination. They feed off Coach Patterson. We're going to have our hands full on Saturday. End of FastScripts |
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