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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: OREGON v WISCONSINDecember 29, 2011Antonio FenelusPASADENA, CALIFORNIA ANTONIO FENELUS: Second time being here so know what to expect a bit more. Q. Can you talk about how practice is going, how you feel it's going? ANTONIO FENELUS: I feel like practice is going pretty good. I think we are going a pretty good job of preparing for Oregon right now, just the up‑tempo type of offense right now. Q. Aaron said yesterday or two days ago that the running back‑‑ what are you doing now‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: I think what he meant by that, when we first got into Bowl prep, we were really focusing on the fast tempo type stuff and just their main plays and stuff like that. We have just been cleaning stuff up right now. So although tough and hard, we tried to go really hard at it at the beginning of Bowl prep and now we are just kind of cleaning stuff up and trying a couple of new things. Q. Have you done anything differently, just having fun out here, or is it all about business for you or have you taken in anything at all? ANTONIO FENELUS: Something we learned from last year, it's a Bowl game you and know it's like a vacation, but just remembering why we came here and we came here to win a game, and you know, last year we kind of got distracted a little bit of, you know, we didn't know what to expect and stuff like that, was having a little bit too much fun. But I think we are doing a good job, but you know, having fun when the time is needed and then when it comes to practice time, just being serious, being locked in and ready to go. Q. Do you think it helps having extra time to prepare for these guys, more than a week? ANTONIO FENELUS: I definitely think so. Just because they run a high‑powered offense and they have got a lot of tricks and gadgets and stuff like that, and having this much time to prepare for Oregon is going to definitely benefit us, I feel like when it comes time to game day. Q. What do you learn, what's the benefit? ANTONIO FENELUS: Just that‑‑ just figuring out the tendencies that they have and just when they run screens and you know when they like to throw it deep and stuff like that, just you know preparing for a team like this in a week would be pretty tough. Not saying we couldn't get it done but it's a lot tougher but being that we have a month or however long it was to prepare for them is definitely going to benefit us. Q. Inaudible. ANTONIO FENELUS: I started on kickoffs since I want to say like midseason when we started to have a couple of miss accuse and stuff like that and the team started to break out on a lot of kick returns. Q. How important will that be? ANTONIO FENELUS: That's going to be very important because that's what they are good at, special teams, punt returns, kick returns, and so we have been stressing that since the beginning of Bowl prep, to get it done on all four phases. Q. Do you think you have some things cleaned up in coverage? ANTONIO FENELUS: I think so. We know what we have ahead of us. We know we are going to be facing a good team and we can't, you know, come out there lackadaisical in kickoffs and punts and we have to be good on all four phases. Q. You can use more starters like this‑‑ it's the end of the season. ANTONIO FENELUS: I think so. Just being guys who are getting a chance to get their legs back and stuff like that, you know going through 12‑ or 11‑game stretch is pretty hard on any team and I think we have been doing a good job. But you know, making sure those guys are healthy and able to contribute to different special teams. I love just getting out there and getting a chance to make a tackle or block somebody or the punt return, kick return, stuff like that. Q. Inaudible. ANTONIO FENELUS: Not sure, but it's pretty decent amount. Q. How has your team to this point prepared? ANTONIO FENELUS: I think we have been doing a good job. Coach Ash has been setting up a lot of high‑tempo against the scout team and stuff like that, trying to get a play off in like five seconds. So we have been pretty gassed, but it's going to pay off. Q. How was adjusting to that at first? ANTONIO FENELUS: It was pretty tough, playing in the Big Ten, you know you don't really face too many quick‑tempo teams, maybe Michigan State probably, Nebraska probably was as quick as we faced, but I think the scout team has been doing a good job of giving us a good look with that stuff. Q. Is it almost like conditioning? ANTONIO FENELUS: Basically and we go fast‑tempo as a scout team and did a little conditioning after practice, something different we did during the year. We didn't really have to worry about the conditioning as much, but he's done a good job with getting us in shape. Q. Have you seen the progress? ANTONIO FENELUS: I definitely think so, guys are not as tired as they was when we first started running. So from the week right after that last game, been pushing us, pushing us and that's what he does a good job of, same stuff he does in the summer. Q. Inaudible. ANTONIO FENELUS: I like being the underdog, me, myself. I don't mind being the underdog. I know what our team is capable of doing, and I know we are going to come out and be ready to go, so that's just an opinion by some other people, so I mean, they are a good team. I mean, they lost two games, we lost two games. So you can think what you want, but we are going to come out there ready to play. Q. ANTONIO FENELUS: Most definitely, their offense, they are saying that we won't be able to stop their offense, but I know what our team can do and we'll be ready on January 2. Q. The last Rose Bowl was a tough situation, you were the underdogs yet the fans expected you to win and TCU was a good team and nobody recognized how good they were, a tough situation. ANTONIO FENELUS: TCU was a great team. Them and Auburn was the only two teams to go undefeated. We lost a tough game by two points, so I mean, we didn't get blown out or anything like that. We still shouldn't have lost but you know, they came out on top.  Somebody has to lose, somebody has to win. Q. Can you talk about how‑‑ talking about getting ready, did that help, did they do a good job in that? ANTONIO FENELUS: They have been doing a great job, especially with Melvin, he's going to be great running back for us. He runs hard and makes guys miss, and Gazel (ph) he's a slot guy, substituting for No.6 from Oregon. And they have been giving us a good look on offense, the scout team, what we are going to go against game day. Q. Aside from the pace, is there anything uniquely special about the running game? ANTONIO FENELUS: They run a lot of miss‑direction type stuff, zone read, zone read option. That's what we have been practicing, so we are going to be ready when those guys come to play us. Q. Have you seen that from other teams this year? ANTONIO FENELUS: They run a lot out of shotgun and they only have like two personnel. It's a little different, like the team, the last we faced that ran a lot of option was probably Nebraska but it was a did I know type of offense. They are pretty good at what they do. Very high‑powered offense, you know they have got the run game that's very successful for them and as well as the pass game. Q. Do you marvel at all; is it pretty impressive to get that many guys organized to do something that quickly? ANTONIO FENELUS: Whenever you practice something, you start to get good at it. That's what they do, and just like we do, what we do is fun. We are good at running and that's what our team does. I'm not surprised by them having success at it. But we'll be ready to go. Q. Talk about what he's done in the nickel this year. ANTONIO FENELUS: He's done a great job, when we good in nickel and third down and stuff like that. I've been coaching him up all year. He's going to be a great player for us when his time comes up. Q. The tackles on third down‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: Most definitely. Coach Ash stays on us, he stays on the younger guys, when we are watching film and stuff by ourselves, I tell him, approach it like you could be in that any second. So they know that when they get their chance to go in there and give it their all. Q. Do you play nickel against these guys based on how well they run? Do many teams try? ANTONIO FENELUS: That's actually what we are going to be playing, so yeah‑‑ Q. What's the key to being able to do that? ANTONIO FENELUS: Obviously we are going to stop the run. That's first priority and you know, we are just going to make sure we make tackles, because those guys make a lot of people miss in open space. We have been working on tackling a lot. Q. Do you have confidence? ANTONIO FENELUS: Most definitely. We have been playing that all year, not as our base coverage but when third down and stuff like that, when it's time to get off the field, we held majority of our team under 17 points. Q. The Hail Mary pass against Michigan State, is that stuck with you guys at all? Do you need to brush that off? ANTONIO FENELUS: The first two weeks, Michigan State, Ohio State, the longest two weeks I've ever had in my life, but you know, it happened and you know, you learn from stuff like that. We make sure every Thursday we do a Hail Mary section in practice where we make sure we knock the ball down and hold guys up and stuff like that. So that's in the past. So we don't dwell on that. We don't try to put ourselves in positions like that anymore. Q. Did that take on‑‑ that drill in practice, take on some new meaning in the weeks that followed that? If you do something over and over again to prepare for that kind of a situation, but it never comes up. ANTONIO FENELUS: We just know that feeling after losing those two straight games that we never want to feel like that again. You know, losing on a last‑second play like that and Ohio State losing off a pass like that when we had the game up by three points. We know we don't really want to feel like that again. Q. Any collective meeting with the secondary, defensive backs, regrouping or anything? ANTONIO FENELUS: Coach Ash just told us, it's always going to come down on us, even if it's a run, they get past the line of scrimmage and we have got to be those knock‑down defenders. So we know the game is always going to come down to the secondary. Q. How did you rebound? ANTONIO FENELUS: Coach B just called us up and he said, you can do two things, you can either quit right now or you can finish out the season strong and let everything else take care of itself. That's what we did, and then we kind of had our own destiny in our hand and just took the most of it and made the most of it. Q. Who has your attention as defensive back as a defense as far as their receivers and people who catch the ball, because obviously they run the ball, and they have for half a decade now, in the passing game, who has your attention? ANTONIO FENELUS: I mean, they have got a great group of receivers, it's not just one that catches your eye, whatever. Huff is a pretty good receiver. But they are good at what they do. They have a high‑powered offense, they like to run the ball and throw the ball action pass and stuff like that. So you know, we have been preparing for all of that, so we'll be ready. Q. Time of possession was a big deal for your offense. How big of a factor will that be? ANTONIO FENELUS: It plays a big part. Our offense, being able to hold the ball and run some of the time out, that's what they have been doing all year, and you know they have been doing a good job with it. So it definitely benefits us as a defense not having to be on the field every second. Q. How do you prevent De'Anthony Thomas from getting in the open field and creating havoc? ANTONIO FENELUS: He's a pretty good running back/receiver, he does it all.  He's been doing a good job. We've been doing open field tackling in practice and stuff like that, just closing the space he makes guys miss when they just stop their feet. I think we are going to do a good job at stopping the run and we have been keying that guy a lot, so just knowing where he is and knowing that they like to give him the ball. So just being aware of it. Q. Teams have that beat Oregon, LSU, USC, Auburn, they get to those running backs pretty fast, closing speed. Is that a real emphasis? ANTONIO FENELUS: Yeah, that's been a big emphasis by the coaches on us, closing there rather than stopping your feet and trying to make a tackle when they have got so much space. And we have been harping on having great pursuit, because it's okay for one guy to miss but you know when you've got a whole group of guys going in there, somebody has to make the tackle. Q. To miss that‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: Most definitely. Guys that miss lunge and don't come to balance and just give up too much space when they are trying to make a tackle on those guys, so we had to do the same thing versus Arizona State last year, very fast team and if you don't close the air, they could make you miss. Q. What you could see‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: He's definitely a big part of the offense, but they have got a backup that's pretty good as well. The main thing is to stop the run and make sure ‑‑ limit them to as less yards as possible. Q. What have you guys been doing as a defense that's made you so successful keeping points off the board? ANTONIO FENELUS: Coach Ash has been getting on us pretty good about just finishing and holding teams less than 17 points. He doesn't want them to have any points, but we have been doing a good job of holding teams under less than 17 points all year. And it's just the little things, that's what he always tells us, the little things matter. We always go up and watch film and stuff like that, really studying the team and figuring out what they have and what are their tendencies. Q. For people from Oregon, can you talk about your defense and what makes your defense? ANTONIO FENELUS: We just do what we do. We are very disciplined at what we do. Coaches really push that on us, just don't do things out of the ordinary. You don't have to be a superhero. Just do what you do and don't have to be somebody else. When it comes to game day, give it your all. Q. Can you talk about Aaron and the role he plays? ANTONIO FENELUS: He's done a lot. When he hosted me when I came here and he's one of the reasons why I chose Wisconsin. He's a great leader on and off the field. Definitely knows what to say to get you going and just keep your head up like those two weeks that we have, went to him and we knew we had to strive for it and just bring it the rest of the season. You can ask anybody on campus that knows him, he's a great guy and he's always yes, sir; no, sir; yes ma'am. Q. Any other players ‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: Especially Russell, Russell came in and I already knew he was going to come here once I seen that Aaron was hosting him on his visit. Q. Inaudible. ANTONIO FENELUS: Most definitely. That's great, too. He brings a lot of that to the team, too. We have Bible study and stuff like that. It's one thing to have success but you know when you're close to God, as well, that's a great feeling. Q. Are you going that that Lakers game? ANTONIO FENELUS: No, I'm not going to go to that. I'm not that into basketball like that. I'm a Heat fan, anyways. But my son is up here, so I'm going to spend some time with him. Q. Is there a certain celebrity you would want to see? ANTONIO FENELUS: Just Carmelo Anthony, Kobe, but I'm not a Lakers or Knicks fan. So I'm not excited about going. Q. Are they so fast that it's hard to‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: They are definitely fast and quick offense. We have been doing a good job earlier in the week when we first started Bowl prep and now just doing high tempo, quick tempo and getting scout team to go fast and stuff like that to get us ready for how fast their tempo is going to be. Q. Have you been doing shorter sessions‑‑ ANTONIO FENELUS: Yeah, definitely, you know, Hurt has been getting on us with running and stuff like that. We definitely have to be in shape for these games. That's what they do, hurry up and get lined up and get ready to go so we are going to have to do the same thing. Q. Inaudible. ANTONIO FENELUS: I'm not going to lie, playing a team like this in a week would be pretty tough to scheme out and figure out, what are they going to do and stuff like that. You know, having this month to prepare for them is definitely going to benefit us. Q. Who else did Aaron host? ANTONIO FENELUS: I would say me, Russell, Connor‑‑ definitely Connor, he's hosted a lot of guys. I would say like 98 percent of them came here. So, yeah, it's crazy. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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