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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: OREGON v WISCONSINDecember 28, 2011Nick AliottiPASADENA, CALIFORNIA NICK ALIOTTI: That's a hard one to answer because I'll put it this way. We play a lot of plays on defense. You know, you can look at that two ways. People might say, well, if you get them off the field in three‑and‑out, then you won't play so many plays, and a lot of that is true. I'm trying to answer your question here. But at the same token, we go so fast that we can score in less than a minute or we can be out in less than a minute. I think we've played. And I'm guessing, but I'm going to be really close, we've played probably more plays than almost everybody in the country but about two teams. That's pretty unusual when you're an 11‑2 team, and you win the Pac‑12‑‑ I always want to say Pac‑10. I think if you go back and look at our league alone, and I don't know the exact numbers, but I'm going to be close. If you look at the team that is number one on defense in the Pac‑12 this year, I believe they've played 200 plays less than we have. That's almost three games worth. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back; I'm giving you a long‑winded answer. But I'm trying to answer on yards per play and yards per attempted pass, I think we are probably one or two in both of those categories. So simple math, you play 80 plays, four yards a play is 320. You play 60 plays, 5 yards a play is 300. So I think you understand what I'm saying. Q. Have you ever seen a defense that's had to actually prepare for its own offense almost as much as the opposing offense? You almost had to refigure the philosophy because of the way your offense played? I'm sure you came to that realization when you're last in time in offense, and third in scoring? NICK ALIOTTI: It's interesting. It's kind of interesting when you think about it that way. It's nice. We do what we do so we've learned to live with it. So I don't want to stand here and be negative. That's why we play so many players. But it's nice when an offensive team stays on the field and has a six or seven‑minute drive. It's even nice if they didn't score, believe it or not, because you get a chance to rest a little bit. We know going in that this is Chip's philosophy. This is Chip's deal. That's why we play a lot of guys and try to learn how to play fast and substitute quite a lot, a lot like a hockey team. We have guys flying over the bench on to the rink. It is what it is. I always try to answer that question very diplomatically. But as a defensive coordinator, sometimes it can be those people that don't really understand the game, I think, get carried away more in the stats than how the game's being played. I appreciate your comments. The bottom line is winning. I'm not bragging. We've won 52 games in the last five years, so that's pretty good. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: We don't really talk about it, but we have kind of one of our side mantras is fast, hard and finish. So when we practice, and anybody that's ever had a chance to watch us practice, we practice extremely fast and hopefully we're practicing hard most of the time. Hard and smart would help and finishing plays. We really do coach and preach running to the ball and getting the most we can out of practice. It's like we go four plays and there is a whole new group coming in and they go for four plays. Then there is a whole new group, and they go for four plays. That's kind of what we preach and how we approach things from day one. So I think going into it, the guys know that that's how we're going to play based on the cards we've been dealt. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: Well, the first one was to stop and not let Cam Newton run and just kill us with his feet. I would say that's number one. But any time you get into a BCS game, they don't have only one good player. They also had a good running back and good receivers and a big line. But I'd say going into it we were containing Newton was very important. I thought for the most part we did a decent job of that. He threw the ball. I knew he could throw the ball, and he threw the ball very well, better than I would have liked him to. But we had a chance to win the game, so that was good. We stayed in the game and had a chance at the end to win. Q. Did you think you were better in that game? Had you guys won the game, I think what you guys had done on defense would have been heralded. It's like that's the thing. When you look back on it, are you proud? NICK ALIOTTI: I'll say it this way. I was really proud of our effort. There was a lot of fan fare and a lot of talk about two high‑scoring, high‑powers offenses, and I knew that they both were. I certainly knew that Auburn with Cam Newton, they were a juggernaut. They had a lot of good stuff going for them. I guess the best way I could answer is if someone were to ask me a month before we played that game if they were only going to score 22 points, I probably would have signed my name and said we'll take it. But it didn't work out that way. They also had a good defense and stopped us from doing some things. But anyway... Q. Similar talking about (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: You know what I'll say is it's unfortunate and it's unfortunate. When you get to these kind of games, you're very fortunate and happy to be in them. Unfortunately, you're not in these games playing somebody that's a bad team. When you get into a BCS Bowl or a Rose Bowl or get into a National Championship or any of those kind of games, both offenses are right around 44 to 46 points a game. Wisconsin is very balanced, and I'm going to be close in like 250 rushing and 237 passing. Only eight turnovers for the year. The guy has thrown for 72% completion ratio, close to 50% on third‑down conversions. Yeah, a lot of things as an offensive team. I'd like to see it be nice if‑‑ it wouldn't be a challenge or be as much fun if our scout team was going out there on the 2nd, that might not be bad either. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: Everything that happened when? Q. In '94? NICK ALIOTTI: I thought '94 was a special season. The first time you do anything is always the best. Though it doesn't get old coming back to the Rose Bowl, trust me. But in '94, that was a special deal because we hadn't been since '58 prior to that, and it was exciting. Playing Joe Paterno and a great Penn State team was exciting. The best thing I can say is when you grow up if you're in sports or even if you're not in sports, I guess, I just remember watching the Rose Bowl all my life. They always used to be played on January 1st as a young kid, lying on my grandmother's floor, we're all together, having a big, Italian family dinner and stuff like that and how special this game always was. Nothing has ever changed about that. This is a special game. The Rose Bowl was a special game. It's always been a special game being a west coast young man and watching it as a kid. Nothing has ever changed about that. The first one was special, but they're always nice to be in. It would be nice to win one. I don't say that with any extra added pressure or anything like that. It is what it is. One team's going to win and one team's going to lose, last time I checked. But it would be nice to win one. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: No, I don't. I actually smiled on the sidelines when it happened, believe it or not. I think that time, the first time, was an incredible experience. When you walked out on to the field for the first time in the Rose Bowl, you could feel the electricity with half the side being in Oregon's colors and half the side being in Penn State's colors. Just the electricity and the chills and the whole thing was just awesome. It was interesting. I think it was midway through the third quarter, and we were either tied 14‑14 or 17‑17 or something like that. I know it was very, very close. It's amazing. I should remember. We kicked the ball off, and they got a long kickoff return right after we had scored, and then they scored. There were a couple turnovers right after that real quick, and the game kind of turned around. But midway through the third quarter, and I think that Penn State had one of those offenses that year that they scored every two minutes or something like that with Ki‑Jana Carter and Kerry Collins and Kyle Brady, the tight end. They had three of the first nine guys taken in the draft. So I just got kind of rambling on that, but it was exciting. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Q. You were saying that you smiled. NICK ALIOTTI: I did, believe it or not, because you figure you're in the Rose Bowl and here you are. It's the biggest game you've been in in long time, maybe in your life. Then the very first play the guy goes 87 yards for a touchdown. You practice all week and you prepare all week, and here's a guy that goes 87 yards on the very first play. I guess you either could smile or you could cry. So I decided to smile because there was a lot of game left. It was interesting. I'm sitting there going well, if they scored on the first play in about 13 seconds, this thing could get up to about a 100. Q. Did you find guys getting motivation from frustration (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I think it's really important. I think everybody understands the importance of this game. I think everybody understands‑‑ I think everybody wants to win this football game. Unfortunately, Wisconsin really wants to win this football game too. I always find it interesting, not to be religious or anything like that, because I don't want to go there. But it's always kind of like this guy‑‑ we're praying for a win and they're praying for a win. So who is going to answer who? Anyway, I guess my point is both teams really want to win. They lost last year. We lost last time we were here. Both teams really want the win. Whoever plays the best on Saturday will‑‑ I would say Saturday, on January 2nd will get the win. Q. Do you remember much from that game? (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I do. I remember Ron Dayne running all over the place. We weren't a very good team on defense at UCLA that year, and I hate to even go back to that, because we had a tremendous offense. Without making excuses, just a young defense that kind of just tried to hang in there. But we still did win the Pac‑10, and that's the bottom line. We had a nightmare game in Miami. I remember that. I'll never forget that. Then I think that game was like a 38‑35 game too. But I remember Ron Dayne really running up‑and‑down the field. We seem to have problems tackling big, good running backs like Edgerrin James and Ron Dayne and those kind of guys. So that's what I do remember. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I believe that we do. I believe that we do. Q. How was preparing for (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: Well, I don't know if it's any different other than it's a different offense. So that's the best thing I could say, it's a different offense. I think the offense, any time there is the quarterback, that the offense runs through you. In Cam Newton's case, the offense truly ran through him.  He was going to take the ball and it was Cam right, Cam left, and Cam over here, Cam over there. I think that Russell Wilson is the leader of that offense. But he has a lot of supporting cast that he just tries to make sure that it's run smooth and he gets the ball to those people and makes his plays when it's his turn. I think Cam was Auburn's offense. I think Russell Wilson is a big part and the leader of Wisconsin's offense. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I don't know. I really don't know. Auburn was pretty tough. They looked really good. I think that Wisconsin is well balanced. They have‑‑ they're well balanced. They have a good offensive line. They run the ball. They throw the ball. They have good receivers. Like I said, any time you can throw for 250 and run for 250 and throw for 237 and you don't turn it over and you score 35 points a game, that's a pretty good offense, a very good offense. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I don't think this is the time or place to talk about that, with all due respect. I appreciate you asking that question. Life is what it is. And I've had a good opportunity and a good run here at Oregon as a defensive coordinator and coach in Eugene, Oregon. It's kind of been home for me. Right now I'm just going to try to enjoy the moment and I really appreciate the question. Enjoy the moment. Get our guys ready, and hopefully somehow, some way we can pull out a win on January 2nd. Q. (Inaudible)? NICK ALIOTTI: I like the fact that defense is‑‑ there's a lot of strategy involved. There is on offense too. But on defense, without getting too complex. You guys know the game. On offense, you can say ‑‑ I'm going to try to make this short and simple‑‑ you can say we're going to feature two tight ends, two backs, one wide receiver, and this other person is going to run these plays and run these passes. On defense, you have to prepare for everything. You have to prepare for war in time of peace. You cannot say, hey, you know, we didn't practice against empty formation this week. Timeout. You guys can't do that. Or we didn't practice against flop, unbalance. Timeout. You can't do that. So believe it or not, there is a lot of strategy involved in both. But on defense, I guess you'll have to prepare for war in a time of peace. On offense, you kind of know what you're going to do. Feature these groups, run these plays, throw these passes and adjust. We also adjust on defense. But on defense, we cannot just prepare for certain things. You have to prepare for all the what ifs. Q. Talk about Anthony Gildon? NICK ALIOTTI: I think he'll be outstanding. He's a smart young man, a personable young man, and really get it's and I think enjoys young people. He was probably the only old guy as the corner, so he's probably working with a lot of young kids to begin this year. Thank you guys. Thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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