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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: OREGON v WISCONSINDecember 30, 2011LaMichael JamesPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. How are you feeling? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Feel really good. I think we've been practicing really well. The tempo is there and we are just getting back to the fundamentals of everything. Q. Earlier than you have been‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think just practicing. It really starts there. I think we have been practicing really hard, even before we got here we were practicing really hard and that's where it really starts. Q. What do you attribute that to‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think just the rhythm of everything. I think everybody is really coming out, they really want to compete. Everybody wants to win this game. This really a big game for us, we have lost two and obviously this one is important to us just like any other game. It really starts in practice. If you go out and practice hard, then good things will come game day. Q. With all of the activities‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think it's fun. You know, just relax a little bit and go out and hang out with your teammates. But for me, I think it's just a business trip for me. Q. Are you shocked by the feedback of the picture? LaMICHAEL JAMES: A little bit. I guess I'm on a lot of people's minds. Q.  It's been a wild pre‑Bowl week, guys stuck in an elevator, you with a picture on a roller coaster and then‑‑ not your average Bowl week. LaMICHAEL JAMES: It's not. Hopefully that can carry over to the Bowl game and we can have a heroic moment there. Q. Since you've done this so many times now, what's the feeling now walking in, third year? LaMICHAEL JAMES: It's kind of easy. You know, the first time it was kind of nerve‑wracking but right now it's really easy. It's not really a big deal. Q. What are you most, I don't want to say scared, but what concerns you about Wisconsin? LaMICHAEL JAMES: They play with a lot of effort. Sometimes you have really good players and athletes on the team and they don't play hard throughout the whole game. But Wisconsin, they play hard the whole game. Q. Can you talk about the keys to success ‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: We have to get drives going. We have to score quick and often. They have a lot of good‑‑ they have two great linebackers. The defense is really good, and they move around really well, so we have to come out there and we have to be ready to compete. Q. Last two years, Bowl games got off to slower starts; that something you're addressing? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think it's a mutual deal. We have to go out there and execute the plan. I think the coaches put us in great situations to excel, and it's up to us to go out there and do that. Q. Is it still the same? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think it's the same here. In the past we like changed it up a little bit but right now everything is the same. The tempo is there and everything is pretty much the same and that's how it needs to be. Q. Yesterday you said you were frustrated with the long breaks, do you address that in practices? LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, we haven't. I don't think we can simulate that in practice. But I feel like if we get the drives going in the game, I think we'll be fine. If you start punting the ball, there's going to be more time outs so we have to get the drives going. Q. Can you talk about the whole experience‑‑ if it stands out‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't know if it stands out. It's pretty much the same. Last year we were in the National Championship and that's a big game and this is a big game for us, too, so they are pretty much the same. Q. What's your thought on Montee Ball? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think he's one of best players in the country and he's one of best running backs, too. I don't know how he didn't win the Doak Walker Award. I think he's a phenomenal running back. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I really don't know to speak on that part. Q. How are you feeling? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I feel really good. My body is not sore anymore. I'm going to go into this game 100%. Q. The arm? LaMICHAEL JAMES: 100%, no brace. Q. Inaudible? LaMICHAEL JAMES: We are an elite program. A lot has to go to Coach Kelly, even before‑‑ I think we won games, but once he became the head coach he really picked it up and he really gets the team going and he's doing great things for us right now. He put all of the playing records that we have in great situations to excel and I can't say enough about him. Q. Have you seen those touchdowns‑‑ 38 touchdowns in a season. LaMICHAEL JAMES: It is.  I noticed it. It's unbelievable. That's so many touchdowns. I don't care if you get the play every time, go to the line‑‑ that's still so many touchdowns and that's a remarkable stat. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: Definitely not. I'm not going up against him. I'm going up against their defense and they are going‑‑ he is going against our defense. We are on the same side of the ball, so that stuff really doesn't matter to me. Only thing I focus on is our defense. Q. Let me ask you about preparing for this game. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think just experience just comes with it. After playing in the Rose Bowl my freshman year and National Championship my sophomore year, you already know what to expect. This is a business game. Probably inexperience, this would be all fun and games and everybody wants to enjoy and happy we made it but we came here to win a game. That's the most important thing, too. Q. Do you feel pretty good as far as freshness with three weeks off? LaMICHAEL JAMES:  Definitely. We have been practicing really hard and that's a big key to Coach Kelly and some of our leaders on this team, not to let some of the younger guys slack off because we still have a big game, even though we had time off and we had practice. So we have to go out there and just take the approach to win the game. Doesn't matter if it's a game two weeks or three weeks away. Q. A game like this‑‑ how much is execution in a game‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: We have not really been focusing on Wisconsin. We have to go out there and play our game. They are going to do what we are going to do and we are going to do what we are going to do. We just have to be sharp and sound on what we do. Q. Has it made a difference‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: We still have a few more days of practice. As long as we keep doing what we are doing right now, I think we'll be fine. Practice wins games and that's what we have to do. I'm not going to say we practice any harder than we did last year but you can always be better in practice, always. Q. You won the Pac10 two times in a row‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't really think so nationally. Made it to three BCS games. That says a lot about the program. We lost this oneto a quality opponent. It's not like we went out and lost to someone who is not a calibre opponent. This game will mean a lot if we win for our friends and family, it's good for the community. But as far as us, we just have to go out there and approach the game like any other game. Q. Any reason why you lost these last two Bowl games? LaMICHAEL JAMES: We just lost. There ain't no reason why. We played hard and we practiced hard those games and we just got beat by the better team. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: If we had to play today, we would play but we would always like to practice more, too, practice winning games and that's how we get our confidence and tempo and everybody on the same path. Right now we just want to keep practicing hard. Q. After the game, do you anticipate‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I really don't know. It could be all the way to the deadline and it could be the next‑‑ I have no idea. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: In some ways, yeah, we like to get our playing records in the open field. But we are not scared to go up the middle either. I know me and myself and Kenjon, we are not afraid and we want to go up the middle. I know I do. I'm not going to shy away from no contact ever. Open field is cool, but I'll go up the middle, too. Q. LaMICHAEL JAMES: They are a solid defense. They make a lot of plays. The linebackers are really active. Defensive lineman is really good. They don't allow many guys to get in the open field and get to the secondary, so it's going to be a big match up for us in the secondary, anyways. Q. Are you feeling pressure for a big game‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, I don't really feel pressure when it comes to stuff like that. I'm just going to go out there and play. If I have 50 yards and a win, then I'm okay with that. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: No. No brace. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, I'm just going to go out there and play. Q. What do you think of the media events? LaMICHAEL JAMES: They are cool, this is how you guys pay the bills and feed your family. So I'm going to help you guys out. Q. After watching the game‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: We have got to get sustained drives. We can't have any three and outs. We have to get the tempo going and we can't have any of those TV timeouts. Maybe I can talk to somebody and say, we don't need any timeouts. I think we can approach the game with that, and if we do that, then I think we'll be okay. They are a good defense. They are going to get some stops and we are going to make some plays, too. We just have to make more plays that day. Q. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I'm anxious to play, I'm always anxious to play but like I said we need to practice. We can always tune some things up and go out and work a little harder so I'm excited for practice today, and we're going to go out there and we are going to practice hard. Q. Is there anything you've seen on defense that you didn't know beforehand? LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, they are a typical sound defense. I expect them to be good and I expect them to be physical and that's what they are. Q. Like anyone you've seen this year? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Similar to Stanford. They might be a little better than Stanford's defense, though. Might be a little bit more athletic. They are a little bigger so when they are bigger they can close gaps really fast. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: The uniforms look good to me but it's not about me, it's about the players. If the team goes out there and wins the game, the uniforms will be great. But if you go out there and lose, it will be lucky. Q. Any running back‑‑ are you back there? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I'm good. Obviously I'm close to 100%. I would not wear a brace in the game. I think I'll be fine. Q. Is that a badge‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, I'm not going to go out there and let my teammates down no matter the circumstance. If I go out there and get injured in a game or something happens to me, then I'm going to do it for the guys I love. Me not going out there playing with an injury, that would be selfish of me and I think I have the utmost respect for my teammates and I'm going to go out there and compete regardless. Q. The running back position ‑‑ an endangered species but not as prominent‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't know too much about that. That stuff is totally irrelevant to me right now. The only thing I'm going focus on is the running backs in this game right now. Q. Did you wake up today and think, oh my gosh, I wish today we could play the game and didn't have to come here and talk to everybody talking about the game? LaMICHAEL JAMES: It's kind of fun. You have to pay the bills, right. It's all good. Talking to you guys are fun sometimes and sometimes not but yeah, today I woke up and I was thinking about practice. Q. Do you really feel that it's been a long layoff and you really want to get out there and play? Are you anxious to play this game? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think so. We are anxious to play the game but you know, I think that with the way we compete in practice, it takes like‑‑ it's like a game effectively in practice, going against our defense, and they are a really good bunch out there. Just competing with those guys every day, you don't really think too much about the game right now. Q. Are you tired about getting questions about your guys uniforms and your fashion statement you're making or does that come with the territory? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Actually it's getting a lot better. Freshman year was always about the uniforms and now it's all about the team and that's how it should be. Q. How big is this game for you? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think it's going to be a big game for us, for our community. This is our third straight BCS game and I think it says a lot about our program. We have lost two obviously but we still made it there. It's a tough road just to get there and we have a good conference. I think it will mean a lot to our community and fans and for everybody to get a win in this game. Q. LaMICHAEL JAMES: Their defense is good, they are solid. They run around really well and they have a good, physical bunch. Q. What's been most memorable for you this week, whether it's on practice‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I have to say the picture Kenjon put on me on Twitter is the most memorable thing, and it's probably going to be the most memorable thing ever. Just sharing moment rise with my teammates like Ken I don't know and Trey and all of my teammates at Disneyland was fun. Q. Are you surprised to be a TMZ star? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Yeah, somebody told me about that. I don't know if I was surprised but it is what it is. It's all fun to me. Q. How excited are you to play? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I'm excited, they are a great team and I'm competitive and any time you go against a great team you're going to give it your all. I'm really excited about the match up. Q. Any more excited this year? LaMICHAEL JAMES: No, it's the same focus. You know, this is a big game. Last year was a big game. I think they are all the same. Once you play in the BCS game, you don't need any extra hype or anything else. Q. Would this game be any different considering the future‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Oh, definitely not. I owe it to my teammates, owe it to the fans. Me coming here and thinking about my future, that's completely selfish. Q. Just saying no matter what you decide to do, will this game be more special‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Always. I feel like that every game, not just this game. I go out there and approach if we are playing a division three school, I would think of it the same way. Q. How tired are you of hearing‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: If all of these lights were not in here, I would probably be asleep. Q. What does that mean? LaMICHAEL JAMES: That means I'm really tired of it. Q. So when you say, I never made a decision, nobody believes that. What do you tell those people? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Well, I mean, it doesn't really matter what everybody else believes. If I went around thinking, hey, this guy doesn't believe this or that, then my life would be miserable. I don't really care what anybody else has to say or think about my future. That's why it's called my future. Q. So what's the time line for you? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't really have a time line. I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about the game. Q. LaMICHAEL JAMES: Yeah, I think about it maybe a month ago but right now I'm thinking about the game. Q. Tell me about Wisconsin. LaMICHAEL JAMES: They are good. They are a solid defense. They run to the ball really well. They are a physical bunch. Q. How do they compare to that Ohio State defense that you guys played in 2009? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think just being big, yeah, they do. I think Ohio State's defense may be a little bit faster, but I think Wisconsin defense is a little more physical. Q. So do you feel like you‑‑ a lot of what you do is predicated on speed. Are you comfortable with the edges and that you can get on the edges with these guys? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I feel like we are confident enough to get on the edge on anybody. If anybody we play if he gets to the corner I think would be a good start, not just Wisconsin. Q. What was going through your mind in that picture that's become a big deal, what's going through your mind at that time? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Just memories. It's all fun, me and Kenjon were just kind of messing around. I think it was a cool deal for us. That's going to be a memory for the rest of our life. Q. So was that just a face, or were you terrified? LaMICHAEL JAMES: We were just playing. Actually Kenjon has won, too. If I had a Twitter I would Tweet it but we all have one. Q. Why don't you give it to somebody to Tweet out? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Definitely am. I swear I am. Q. Whose Twitter should we follow to see that one? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I have to find somebody with a lot of followers and I'm going to hook it up. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: So many, I can't pick one. He's a phenomonal player. He's tough and he's really fast and quick and he's a smart kid. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: He's only going to get better and stronger and faster. He's going to be probably one of the best players ever to come to or he gone. Q. What are your expectations‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: When you have experienced players on the team that have been to three BCS games, that really means a lot for our program. Just coming into this game, leaders emerging, this is a business trip. It's fun and games but you know, when the time comes, you have to get serious about the situation, because we have got to go out there and we have got to compete. Their defense is really good. The offense is really good. It's going to be a physical game and I'm really looking forward to the match up. Q. Other teams that you've faced‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Come again. Q. Any teams similar that you've already faced? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Probably Stanford. They are similar to Stanford. I think the defense is a little better than Stanford's, though. Q. With all of the festivities that you guys have enjoyed prior to the game‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Coming to the Rose Bowl is really fun. Two years ago or three years ago when we came, it was a blast and this year it was a blast. Just going to Disneyland and the Improv, all of those activities are fun and it means a lot to the program and to our fans and teammates just to be hanging out with each other all the time. Q. How much‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I only had two. I only weigh 190 pounds, so I can't eat that much. I don't know how much I weigh after eating all that. Q. What was your favorite ride? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Actually I only road two. I don't know the names. I think the most‑‑ the mountain ones where I was posing, I can't remember what it was called. Q. Talk about what it means to be back in the Rose Bowl for the third BCS game, National Championship, how does it feel? LaMICHAEL JAMES: It feels good. I feel like we are an elite program. We practice like one, obviously, to get to this point. Just for our fans and the community and our families and my teammates and myself, it really means a lot to us. We really work hard throughout the off‑season and the season to get to where we are today. Q. What did you learn from those losses? What do you take from those losses going into a game like this? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't really take anything from them. You know, I feel like we practiced hard last year. We played that game hard. We came back in the end and we lost by three points. The game could have went either way so I really didn't take anything from it. You just have to keep practicing hard and if today isn't your day, then today is not your day. Q. Talk about Montee Ball, your impressions of him. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think he's one of the best players in the nation, hands down. He's one of the best running backs in the nation. He does a lot of good things for their program and I really like watching him play to be honest. Q. Is this Media Day, this circus, is this old hat for you guys because you've been to a couple of BCS Bowl games the last couple years? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Just a little bit but it's not bad. I kind of like talking to you guys. So it is what it is. Q. There's been a lot of talk about the jerseys; what do you think of these jerseys and what do they do for you to help you as a football player? LaMICHAEL JAMES: You look good, you play good. I like these jerseys. I think they look really cool. Obviously we have to go out there and execute the plan. You have to make these jerseys look good. If you go out and lose, obviously it's not going to make them look good so hopefully they are bringing some luck and we can go out and compete hard. Q. What's your favorite of all the options you guys have? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I don't really have a favorite. I like them all to be honest. Q. So if you had to pick one teammate on your current team to be your partner on the Amazing Race, who would you pick to be on a reality show as your partner? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Teammate. Q. You have to travel the country, which teammate would be the guy that helps you the most? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I would have to say Kenjon. Q. Why is that? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Me and Kenjon, we pretty much do everything together. He's my best friend and we have gone through a lot together and we have done some crazy things together, so I would definitely have to say him. Q. Is he good with maps and sense of direction? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Probably not. We'll just have to find our way. Q. The picture‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Kenjon did that, we were just having fun posing on pictures. We didn't know it was going to make a big deal like that. We had no idea. It is what it is but it's still fun. Q. Were you posing or were you scared? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Definitely not. But if people think I'm scared, it doesn't really matter. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: We are going to play our game. We are not going to change what we are. I think we are a physical bunch but they are a physical team, too. We live on speed but when it comes down to the situation, we are going out there and play hard regardless of the situation. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: Hundred percent business trip. We come here to win the game. All of the activities, they are really fun, too, but we really came here to win. Q. Do you like this match up where you're going against a tough opponent like Montee Ball? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think so. I'm a big fan of Montee Ball's and I think he's a phenomenal great player and I like watching him play. But individual match up, me against him, that doesn't matter. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I have no idea, I think they are going to play their base defense and they are going to be sound and aggressive and physical. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: It's definitely going to be fun for me. I love the contact. I won't be shying away from any hits. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: Team player. But I just love my teammates. I try to be the best person I can be on and off the field. That's just what I want people to remember me as, not anything heroic on the field. That takes care of itself. Q. Inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think I've accomplished everything I've wanted to do. Got to get my degree, that was the most important thing for me to do. Can't play football forever. I have no dreams of playing football forever. Q. What's the timing on graduating? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I would graduate within two terms. I will. I have like 20 credits left. Q. So one of those things that whatever you decide to do, you can come back‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: Yeah, definitely. Q. What if I told you that the running back with the‑‑ inaudible. LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think it would be a good accomplishment. Obviously I've had some great players around me, and I've been fortunate enough to have a great offensive line and a great coach and one of the‑‑ the best running back coach in the world to me who means a lot to me. So I've been really fortunate to have a great support group around me. Q. So you are sticking to the story about the picture ‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: I'm not sticking to the story; it's a fact. If you look at the people behind me, you can tell they are posing. We have a little guy who is posing and you see me and Kenjon. It's all fun, though. We are at the top and we haven't even went down yet. It was pretty fun. Q. Everybody talks about the game and all the hype‑‑ LaMICHAEL JAMES: That's the way it should be. It's football and I love the game. Q. How is it different from two years ago playing the game, have you matured as a team? What do you think has changed? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Looking in the stands and seeing how many people is there, and we are like, wow, a lot of people, and all of the activities coming before the game, that's a good thing. We have mature players on the team and great leaders, and we stay focused. Q. Kind of fun getting new clothes for the game? LaMICHAEL JAMES: What do you think about the helmets? I like the helmets, too, and I think the uniforms look good. Q. Does it get you revved up for the game when you get new gear? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I think so, if you look good, you play good and that's how you feel. Obviously to go out and lose the game with these nice uniforms, we are like, oh, man, I didn't really like them, so look good right now and have to go out and compete. If we play as good as they look, we'll win the game. Q. You are the ultimate competitor and have everything but the BCS game under your belt and a lot of talk about coming back or not; how desperately do you want to win? LaMICHAEL JAMES: I want it really bad and I wanted the other two really bad and I want every game really bad. This is a big game for us and thought about it, and haven't won one and I really want to win a BCS game and just another game for me to have under my belt right now. Q. At this time do you ever do things that surprise yourself on the field? LaMICHAEL JAMES: Half the things I do, I still wonder like how did I do that. I just run. Everything is instinctive to me. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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