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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: OREGON v WISCONSINDecember 30, 2011Mark AsperPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Has your Facebook blown up? MARK ASPER: I haven't checked since the occasion. I was surprised how quickly it happened. I was surprised how quickly it happened. I got back to the hotel. Dude, you saved somebody's life? Dude, I saw you on ESPN. What is this? You saved some guy's life? Immediately after it happened, it was cool. It was really funny, because once that happened, we went to the players' lounge, and other guys on the team were coming in and they were like, when did that happen? I was there and didn't see it. When did that happen? Right before dessert. Q. Curious about your thoughts now being so close, and do you feel that you guys are ready? MARK ASPER: I think we're right where we need to be for whatever day it is. I don't even know what day it is. Q. Friday. So we have three days until the game? MARK ASPER: Okay. We're right where we need to be three days before the game. Q. How has your time been down here? You've had a chance to have some fun. MARK ASPER: Yeah. We've done a lot of fun things. We went to the Beef Bowl, went to the movies, had a good time. But I sound like Darth Vader in here. I've got the voice echo in my background.  It's weird. Yeah, we've had a lot of fun. I think my wife is taking the kids to the beach today. Hopefully it's sunny. Disneyland was great. Got to go on the It's a Small World with the little kids and have a good time. It's been a lot of fun. I like all the events that they put together for the players down here, but I also enjoy the free time that we have coming up these next couple of evenings. Q. These last couple of days before a big game like this, are they hard to kind of sit and wait? You have so much downtime? MARK ASPER: I don't know, they've kept us pretty busy so far. I look forward, right now, I look forward to a little relaxation time to just get in and watch some more film and hang out and do those kinds of things. But I imagine that as it gets‑‑ the downtime will get boring too. We'll get tired of that as well. Q. To have this much time to prepare for just one game, does that get a little bit old? MARK ASPER: No, it's familiar. You know, it's the same thing before the season starts, and it's the same thing every year when you're getting ready for a bowl. Q. Did you ever think you'd use the Heimlich (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: You know, when you get taught CPR or the Heimlich or any of those life‑saving skills, I guess, the people that teach you always say now I hope you never have to use this, but if you ever have to, here you go. So I was glad that I learned it, glad that I knew how to do it. And, no, I never thought that‑‑ I didn't think it was a big deal. I helped a guy out. I wanted to get back to dinner and enjoying the evening with my wife, but I was glad it helped him out and glad that everybody thinks that it's a good thing. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: Uniforms are different, but other than that, yeah, it's all the same, same, same from two years ago. We're at the same practice facility. We've done the same events in the same order. I'd say just some of the faces have changed, and some of the mental‑‑ the mental approach has changed a little bit, and some of the physical things we do have changed. But for the most part, it feels very familiar for me. Q. You said it changed. Have you let the other guys know what it's like in the big atmosphere? MARK ASPER: No, it's changed, I think that two years ago that's what was happening is the older guys were trying to tell the younger guys what was going to happen and how this was going to be and everything. But even they hadn't really been on a big stage, a BCS game or anything like that. So it was the blind leading the blind a little bit. But I think that now there's, you know, that mentality and that type of preparation and that type of play has been the way we've come at every game all year long. So it's not something new or something different. We're not trying to get everybody up for some huge game at the end of the year. The older guys trying to get the younger guys to like step up and do something special or out of the ordinary. It's what we've been doing since day one, since last February. Q. I've heard it's like groundhog's day. Every day is the same. Down here, you're in the hotel, but is it still all the same schedule that you're trying to work out here? MARK ASPER: Pretty much. Like I had to ask somebody else what day it even was or how many days we had left before the game. Because for me it's just Thursday. I don't know what day. You know, we're doing a Thursday style practice, that's all I know, that's all I care about. Q. And everything has been blown up about this Heimlich maneuver and you saving a guy's life. I mean, when you do it, you're probably not thinking this is going to be a huge event on ESPN. But have you gotten phone calls about it from your family back home? What has the response been like for you? MARK ASPER: Response has been good. I've had a lot of people saying way to go, good job. I've had a few people congratulate me, and I'm like I don't think congratulations is the right response for it, but I'm glad to be able to help a guy out. Yeah, I've gotten a lot of phone calls. I haven't even tried to go on Facebook to see how many people have said anything or the response. No, I did not expect that to happen. Even after I helped a guy out and I sat back down Dave Williford, our media guy came over and said the media wants to talk to you in the back room. I was like, okay, I thought it would be one or two people. They had the whole conglomerate, seven cameras, flipped the lights on. I was like, Geez, they're serious. Q. Now Oregon has been getting off to strong slow starts in their bowl games. Some people say it's because of the time off. Is there an effort by the team to have a better start in this game? MARK ASPER: I'd say so. It's been a little bit of the focus since February where we've, you know, it's part of the mantra. The fast part of it. Start off fast and go fast, and even during the season we've struggled with that a little bit. But it's in the forefront of everybody's mind that that's what we have to do in order to be successful, have to get off to a good start. Especially in this game, I can't speak for everybody's attention, but Coach Greatwood has specifically spoken to the O‑line and had us focus on starting fast, starting physical, getting out there and setting a tempo for the game. Q. (Inaudible) when you go out there is there an effort to try to (Inaudible). MARK ASPER: Yeah, I don't know. It's been a staple of our game, the running game. So we'll try to establish that, just like everybody in the country does, I think. Try to establish a solid running game first and we'll, like I'm sure that Darron would say, he'll use his talents as needed. If he needs to throw the ball, he'll throw it. If he needs to run the ball, he'll run it. Same for LaMichael and Dion and Kenjon and De'Anthony. If they need to run the ball, they'll run it. If they need to catch it, they'll catch it. Q. Everybody's talking about the jerseys and the helmets. What is your assessment of them? MARK ASPER: I was hoping for a little‑‑ one more generation back. These are circa, I'd say, six or seven years ago. I don't know. I was hoping for one more generation back. Joey Harrington, the darker green with the yellow stripe. I was hoping for something like that. But I'll wear whatever. I think most of the guys that have come to play here have come to understand that that's what you have to expect and are ready to do that and play wherever, whenever, in whatever. Q. The skill position guys are hoping that it makes them tougher to attack and tougher for the option to grab on to. What does it do for a big guy like yourself? MARK ASPER: Nothing. Unless they've greased up the front where the linemen put their hands, I don't think it's going to change anything we do. If anything, it makes it tougher, I think. The tight jerseys have their purpose, but for an offensive lineman and defensive lineman, when a guy's wearing a skin tight jersey, it's like, well, there's your chest plate. You can grab it. So, I don't know. They did put in these nice air mesh sides, I guess, that will add some ventilation for us big guys. So, thanks, Phil. Q. They look slimmer, right? MARK ASPER: Yeah, sure, the dark color, slimming, shriek, fast, all of that. Q. Everybody seems to have a different key to the game. In your assessment, what do you think will be the key for you guys or for either team? MARK ASPER: I'll go John Maddon on you, and I think the team with the most points is going to win the game. I'm an offensive player, specifically an offensive lineman, so hopefully lots of rushing yards, no sacks and lots of points. Q. What is your‑‑ what do you see your offense do to a defense? What is the look and what do you know when you see a team in the third or fourth quarter where you know you've got them in constant tempo? MARK ASPER: It's usually in the running game where or even in the passing game. The defensive line's second reaction, because at this level, everybody has a good, hard, first step or first collision. Then their secondary reaction is when you know what stage the defense is at. Because in pass‑rush, they'll give you a good, hard first charge, and once they don't have a second move, you know they're done. Same thing on the run game. You take that first hard step and get your hands on them, if they don't have a counter for that, that's when you know this guy's done. Q. Because you guys have been in a BCS game the last couple of years, how much will that serve as motivation? MARK ASPER: Well, it hasn't done so much for being down here or the bull practices or anything like that. It hasn't added any extra fuel to the fire. But it's been part of our culture and part of what we've talked about and emphasized since February, part of the off‑season workouts, part of spring ball, part of summer workout and our fall camp and everything has been to put that knowledge of what we've done in our recent history looming over our heads and how we don't want that to be our identity. We want to win the day every day, and win every game and perform well and do all of those things. So, losing games is not ideal or part of what we want to be about. It's been in our culture all season. It's not something that we've turned on since we won the Pac‑12 championship. It's not like, oh, we're going to the Rose Bowl. We need to get up and get ready to go. It's been in us since February. Q. The last few days you've been in the news for saving somebody's life. Can you give us the proper technique of the Heimlich maneuver and what is the proper technique? MARK ASPER: The way it was taught to me from Jeff Bueller and Keith (Inaudible) of the Idaho Fire Department, the thumb is the key. You need to make the point with the top of your thumb, and that goes just below the sternum, and you just nudge that in there, and take the other hand and put it down underneath and pull them towards you and pull up. Q. So if you see a Badger on the field that needs assistance during the game, are you ready to pull it out and do it again? MARK ASPER: If needed, if needed, sure. Hopefully, none of them are chewing on large pieces of prime rib. Hopefully their Beef Bowl they left it all‑‑ they didn't take any doggy bags home. Yes, if needed, I'll lend a hand. Q. How old is your daughter? MARK ASPER: She's three. We went to dinner last night at B.J.'s, and they had TVs in there and they ran the story again at the halftime of the Baylor‑Washington game. And I was sitting by her. When they ran the story, she did say, daddy's on TV. Daddy's on TV. And I went, Yep, daddy's on TV. That's all she knows. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: No. Daddy's always a hero. Come on, she's three. Daddy's always a hero. It's been business as usual, nothing out of the ordinary. Q. Did you wake up today and wish you could play the game? You're talking about it and going through all of the other things about the game, or is this just part of it? MARK ASPER: I wish we could have played the game December 12th, or I don't always understand the purpose of seeing all of this and making your way clear until January to play the BCS games. But this is when they say we have to play, so this is when we play. Maybe I'm old and I'm patient. I'm used to it. I'm not going to have all the whining and complaining and feet stomping isn't going to get the game sooner. You know, the University of Oregon complained about having to play so late. We're going to go ahead and move the Rose Bowl up to December 26th. That's not going to happen. So complaining about it, worrying about it doesn't do any good. Just seeing it for what it is, and using the time to prepare which is what I've done, and a lot of our guys realize that and have bought into it. Q. You're known as the Heimlich guy and not for your football. Do you like that? MARK ASPER: It's better than the suspension guy or the speeding ticket guy. I'll take the Heimlich guy, sure. Q. You had no idea the story would explode when you did what you did. Were you surprised at how it snow balled? MARK ASPER: A little, a little surprised. A little surprised, but for the most part I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary or anything special when I did what I did. But in talking to my folks last night, they reminded me of a guy in our hometown that died in a restaurant just down the street from my best friend's house of the same thing, and it made me realize I guess it is kind of a serious thing. Because I didn't think‑‑ I didn't really think I was saving the guy's life. I thought I was just helping him out. But I realize that, I guess he could have really been in danger, and something bad could have happened. So never thought it would snowball. Never thought I'd get as many text messages and phone calls about it, but I'm glad I could help. Q. Is your offensive line (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: You know, I think there are some offensive lines around the country that get some really great athletes just because of the program that they are the way that they recruit or the attraction that they have to them. USC has a lot of really great athletes on their offensive line. I know Wisconsin's O‑line is really good. A couple of years ago you had three guys up for the Outland Trophy or something. So I don't know if we're in better shape than anybody else. I'd like to think so. I'd like to think that if you had a four‑by‑one fat man relay like they used to do back in my high school, I think that we could keep tow with anybody, maybe beat anybody. I would challenge any offensive lineman in the country who was highly touted or five star or however they rank them nowadays to come and play in our offense. It's not as easy as it looks and seems. You can be completely right if you do one thing. You could be completely wrong if you do another thing. So I'd take a bet that our offense is the trickiest to run for an offensive lineman because there are several options for the quarterback. There are several options for the running backs, receivers. There are several options for the way you block a lineman. So depending on what everybody else does, you either look like you're doing a really good job or you're an idiot and you're out there in space blocking nobody. So... Q. What you just said it sounds like there would be so many opportunities for mistakes to be made. Yet it doesn't seem to happen very often with your offense. Who do you credit that to mostly? Is it the players that study? Is it the coaches drilling you? MARK ASPER: I credit it to preparation and practice, continuity, gelling, unification, I don't know. You get a group of guys together that are all focused on one thing and have a collective vision, and I think it just works out that way. Usually in a game, it happens to where you start to realize tendencies that the defense does as you're playing the game, and they do different things than what you had prepared for. So you maybe look like an idiot the first couple times you run a play, but then you figure it out and realize that's the way they're doing it. So you do it this way, the running back does it this way, the quarterback does it this way, and LaMichael runs for 60 yards, touchdown. Q. With the athletes that you have in the skill positions, do you have to be very decisive and trust them to make the right cut and the right move off of what you're doing? MARK ASPER: And they also‑‑ that and there's our adage is that our slogan for the offensive linemen is our bodies are swords so swing them. If you're out there in space and you're blocking a safety or cornerback that's more athletic than you, throw your body at him and make him run around all 6'7" of you. So in cases like that, yeah, the idea is the running back or wide receiver will make the right cut off of you just go out there and throw your body. Likewise, in the running game there are several times where I'm running and the play is going to go to the right. The guy I'm going to block it over to the left. So I know LaMichael's going to run to the right. But I have to keep running this way, knowing that as LaMichael runs, he's going to come to me. So you have to trust that LaMichael is going to keep running that way and bring that guy to you and set you up for your blocks. It makes it really easy once you get that trust and buy into that, because LaMichael and Kenjon and De'Anthony and even Darron are some of the best guys I know for setting you up as an offensive lineman for your blocks. So for all the challenges and the different options you have and the way you block a certain play, we also have great athletes behind us that make it easy and make us look good. Q. It's nice too when you miss a block. You didn't miss your guy. The running back didn't bring him back to you. MARK ASPER: But you both get blamed. You both get that. Well, you should have done this, but he should have done that. You're never both right. You're always both wrong in football. Q. This is the most underappreciated group in the country. You have the number one rushing team, number one offense, and you don't get a single player on the first team Pac‑12 list, or second for that matter. How does that happen? MARK ASPER: I don't know. I think there is a computer and a calibration and a bias and don't really care. I don't know. I've always scratched my head about that, too. Even when I was an underclassman and the other guys were getting passed over Jordan Holmes and guys like that and Mark Lewis were getting passed over for stuff like that. I thought I guess I don't know what a good offensive lineman looks like, because those are the guys I idolized and tried to play like. Q. I know it's a system. But you still have to block in the system. Last time I checked, you have a good running team and you tend to have a good offensive line? MARK ASPER: But at the same time I do recall against University of California one time, we ran a play where Darron told the offensive line one thing and the play was‑‑ the play board was showing something else. So we ran one way, LaMichael ran the other way. He didn't have anybody blocking for him, and he ran 60 yards and scored a touchdown. We were all on the sideline kind of like... Coach was like what the heck were you guys running? Is what were you doing? And we said well, we were told this. And he said no, it was that. That's what LaMichael ran. We were like, well, obviously, he's good enough that he does not need us to block for him. Q. He got back to that. He put that one on the cards? MARK ASPER: It's in there. It's in the rolodex. I think on the play sheet, you know, 3rd and a mile. Tell the offensive line to just get out of the way, let LaMichael run. Let's call that one. Q. Now for all the money that you guys spend on uniforms and Nike, I've never understood why they can't get you an interview uniform. Offensive and defensive linemen, you can't be happy sitting up there in that thing right now. Why can't Nike spend a little more money and get the O‑linemen specific uniforms that fit? MARK ASPER: I don't know. I've asked that question myself before, actually. Why don't we have one uniform or send me up here in my practice jersey. That's more comfortable than this thing. But I don't know. It's one of those things that will never change. Q. At least you get to be behind the table. I'm looking at your brethren out there, and they're sitting full body wearing those things. And let's be honest, some of them, it's not hugging them in all the right places? MARK ASPER: No, some of these jerseys are designed to give you that lift and support in the saggy regions. Double‑edge sword, I guess. Some guys it makes it look better, some guys shows it's not attractive. Q. Who is the guy that gets made fun of when you have to put them on? Who is the guy that you make fun of when you see them in the interview uniform? MARK ASPER: It's a collective make fun. The entire O‑line. None of us look good. But I'd go Ryan Clanton, he's got a very broad chest and side boobs, I guess. Side moobs, man boobs, so his can look rather awkward while it's halfway on and not quite down all the way. It's pretty funny. Q. The biggest difference in your preparation and what you've seen from your team this Rose Bowl as opposed to maybe the previous two BCS games? MARK ASPER: That the preparation didn't start once we qualified to go to the game. I'd say the preparation for this started since February, and that is the biggest difference. This group has been dialled into this idea and this vision and preparing for this thing since the end of the BCS game last year. Q. So what's been your best memory this season? MARK ASPER: Going to Disneyland and riding on It's a Small World with my daughters. Q. LaMichael said that you guys went to the Improv last night. Did you have a good time? MARK ASPER: I did not go. I opted out, because I did not think my wife would enjoy that. And from the retelling of the‑‑ from my brethren this morning, yeah, it didn't sound like something that she would enjoy. So we opted out, got some movie passes and went to Mission Impossible. Q. Are you surprised that this life‑saving thing has blown up so big? MARK ASPER: A little, but any time somebody saves a life, it's a great thing. But given the situation, we're down here, haven't played the game yet, there's not a whole lot to roll on. I told Mark Lewis, he sent me a text and said how in the heck did you‑‑ why did you give some dude the Heimlich? And how in the heck did it end up on ESPN? And I told him, it was a slow news day, first. And then second that I told him about the Beef Bowl and everything and that's how it happened. So right place at the right time in order to save his life. I guess right place at the right time to have the media snow ball the way it did. Q. You're probably in the best position you guys can be. If you're clicking on all cylinders on game day, do you think your offense is working? MARK ASPER: I think we're right where we need to be for three days away from the game. We're clicking at a very high level right now, yeah. Then as soon as we take these next few days to really use that fine polish and make it shine like the helmets. Q. What will it mean to you to take back the Rose Bowl trophy back? MARK ASPER: A lot. Haven't won a Rose Bowl in a long time, haven't won a BCS game yet. It would mean a lot. Q. (Inaudible) what does that mean to execute? MARK ASPER: It means doing your job. Everybody doing their job and doing it the way you're supposed to do it. As far as assignments, alignments and doing it fast, doing it hard and finishing through the whistle. Q. Is there anything that's changed that you guys have worked on in preparation to be able to do those things better, faster, earlier in the game? MARK ASPER: Not really. It's been business as usual. We've talked about it. I think we've practiced that way to get things going as soon as possible. But there hasn't been any extra drills or anything out of the ordinary. It's been business as usual. We've been pretty successful doing what we've been doing, so I don't think we needed to reinvent the wheel or anything. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: I think the first time we came down here there was an idea that we needed to change things or ramp things up because we were going to the Rose Bowl. But last year and this year there hasn't been any extra emphasis or anything changed out of the ordinary. Last year's BCS game there were just one or two things that went the wrong way and that was unfortunate. And I think Chip and the rest of the coaching staff have really honed their system in and are happy with the way things go and how we do things. So it's don't fix what's not broke. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: A little. The groundhog day thing does get a little old, but at the same time it's comfortable. It's familiar. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: That's the plan. Don't want to say anything I'm not supposed to, but, yeah, that's the plan. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: It's a triple option for David Paulson where he can run it, pass it or drop kick it for a field goal. Q. (Inaudible)? MARK ASPER: Yeah, he would. Q. Are you ready for a victory? MARK ASPER: We're ready for a victory every time we play a game, whether it's against Nevada or USC or Wisconsin. It's all the same. A victory would feel great, a loss sucks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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