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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: STANFORD v WISCONSINDecember 27, 2012Matt CanadaTravis FrederickCurt PhillipsPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Coach Alvarez said when he agreed to coach, he wasn't going to mess around. You guys were going to come out here and win this thing. What is different about this year's preparation as opposed to years past? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I think that this year's preparation is a little different specifically that there is a certain amount of focus. I just feel a little bit different energy, and I think that comes straight from the head guy. With everything that happened and when Coach took over, and he said those things and said that we're not going to mess around, it really sent a message to the team that this is the year that we need to come out here and play our best, and hopefully go out and win a game. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I agree with that. I think that everybody embraced the fact that it was going to be a challenge, and we weren't going to let it affect us negatively. So I think that in combination with the fact that this is our third time here, and in the past two we haven't been able to come away with a win, so I think there is more of a sense of urgency. Q. Curt, last two years you were coming back from knee injuries. What's it mean to you to start in this game and knowing the history and everything involved? CURT PHILLIPS: I'm excited about it. I think it's that much more special for me just because I had to work to come back, and I wasn't able to be a part of it the past two years. But it's an awesome experience. Just having the chance to come out here is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity, and fortunately we've been out here three times now, so we want to make sure we make the most of it. Q. Matt, how do you go about attacking a Stanford defense that in and of itself is an attack, get‑after‑the‑quarterback, and be‑disruptive‑in‑the‑back field kind of defense? MATT CANADA: They're very impressive on tape. It's something we've coached. It's a cliche we've all use, but they truly are gap sound and assignment sound, and they have very good football players. So we're going to do the best we can to move the ball never way possible. Run it, throw it, in all the ways we all do to try to score points. But they are a very good defense. Obviously, their tackles for loss, their sacks, just wait they pursue the football is impressive. They're a very, very good team. There is a reason they're ranked where they're ranked and a reason they won their league. Q. The fact that this is your third year in a row, has it lost any of its luster? Do you still feel the jitters that you're at the Rose Bowl? What's it like? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I think it's put us in a better position. The first year you come out here and maybe you're a little shaky and nervous about playing in the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of them all. Then the second year you come out and you're really you don't want to take advantage of what you're doing, but you've been out there and done it before. You've walked the walk. So you go in there trying to do it. So the third year we've really experienced everything that we've done out here, and now it's truly all about the game. We're enjoying ourselves this week, but there is a tremendous amount of focus on the game this year. Q. Along with that, Travis, are you planning on defending your Beef Bowl title? I know you've said in the past that you're focused on the game, but are you going to do that? TRAVIS FREDERICK: This year, it's all about the game. I do plan on going out there and enjoying a few steaks. They're the most delicious steaks that I've ever had. But probably not eight this year. Q. Matt, how different is the running game, the success of the running game from the start of the season until now where you've had a couple of 500‑yard games in the last few? What's different about it? MATT CANADA: It's a multitude of things. Our players are playing better. Players play. Our scheme truly, we did evolve over time. We found different wrinkles that we had to change. And early on certain things didn't work as well as we might have hoped. So we had to make some changes and we did that. And I take accountability for that not getting those things done as early. But I give all the credit to our players. Players play. Our job as coaches is really fun. We sit around and watch film all day long. We draw up plays. Hopefully they'll work, and players make good ones. And really bad plays work when they play well, and really good ones don't when they don't. So all the credit goes to our players. I sincerely mean that. Our players came together. For whatever reason, you look at things and they were coming off two Rose Bowls and I think we needed to get a little bit of focus. And that happened over time for a multitude of reasons. But as you look at us getting into conference play, our kids play very well. They fought through injuries, lost guys, and all the thing that's come around. So great credit for our players. Q. What's had you guys focused considering everything that's your future and most motivated to win Wisconsin? MATT CANADA: I'm motivated to win for these players. There are a lot of things that go into it, and I'm calling plays in the Rose Bowl. So you look at talking about it for me, that's an exciting, what you want to do in our profession. We've got a great offensive staff. As much fun as I've ever had. Through as much turmoil and adversity as a lot of people would go through with a lot of things. We enjoy our players. We're going to enjoy this week. And I agree it's all about the game. We're all here to play a good football game and a good football team. However it goes, it goes. But we're excited to play the football game, and when that's over, we'll all move on. All the things that happened are unique. But when the season ends, things change. You might lose a coach or two. Seniors move on, and some guys come out, that's what we've talked about with our team. We get one more shot to be together, and we're going to enjoy it. It's here at the Rose Bowl, so a pretty good place. Q. Travis, do you remember the last time Stanford played Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in 2000? TRAVIS FREDERICK: I can honestly say I did not watch that game. I was not a huge college football fan growing up. It was something I never really watched or paid attention to. I watched pro football a little bit. That was kind of a bigger focus for us. So I can honestly say I did not watch a game. Q. Curt, do you have any? CURT PHILLIPS: No, I don't recall watching that game. Q. But now you're interested, right? CURT PHILLIPS: Yeah. Q. Travis, you mentioned you're not going to defend your title. But is there a favorite that you have for the Beef Bowl? TRAVIS FREDERICK: A fellow offensive lineman, Dallas Lewallen can eat a lot of food. He often does it every day at Turning Table. So hopefully he'll step up to the plate and continue on the tradition. Q. Travis, for you, what sense of accomplishment do you have in the season where it obviously wasn't going in the direction you wanted it to and being one of the leaders on the team? Now you're here, and I would imagine it would be completed by getting it done in Pasadena. But what sense of accomplishment are you thinking about right now? TRAVIS FREDERICK: I think there is a tremendous amount of accomplishment in the amount of growth that we've had as a team. Obviously, we were not playing the way we wanted to play at the beginning of the year. We've evolved as an offense and as a team. Everyone's played better, played more together, and played for each other as we've moved forward throughout the year. We've really grown as a team, week in and week out. We've stumbled along the way, and things like that. But I think the team is has come together. I think just seeing that, it's probably something you guys haven't seen from the outside, but from the inside, I take a great amount of pride and ability that we've had to come together as a team? Q. Matt, you've had the chance to work with a lot of great running backs, but are you like a mad scientist when you've had the chance to have three great weapons? MATT CANADA: I'm not smart enough to be a mad scientist. But it's awesome. You look at handing the ball to Melvin in the championship game, and what he was able to do and that is something these guys can attest to. We see that in practice. He's a young player who has come on. You look probably all the way around with that running back as well, and the way guys have stepped up. This program has lost some really good football players on offense. Bunch of guys who played a lot of ball or are still playing. There are guys playing in Seattle, everybody's talking about him. But obviously, I don't read or watch that stuff. But in all seriousness, those three backs that have played so well further, you watch James White. He came to work every day. Montee gets all the credit, and it's well deserved for what Montee has done. But you look at what James has come in in that big play. You watch our explosive plays, and James White is unbelievable. So it's a lot of fun to be around great players. Their coach was a good player. I got to coach him. It's a good room and a special room. So I enjoyed watching them. Q. Matt, a lot of the talk is both teams are almost mirror images. Is that true? You looking at the film and knowing what you know? MATT CANADA: There are some real similarities. We go against each other, through a bowl prep like this, and a lot of times it doesn't mirror. You're playing a spread team or whatever version of offense you're running. It doesn't always marry up. But in this game, it does in a lot of ways. They shift and move similar to what we do. They need to run the football. On defense they're a little different from us schematically. But they're very sound. I think our defense has done a great job as well. You look at the games. We've won some, and we've lost by six points five games in regulation. So we've played very, very close games. So it's a credit to that. We're very similar. Up front, the game will be decided up front on both sides of the football. So I think it's a good, old‑fashioned, let's go get them football game. It will be fun. Q. Curt, expanding on an earlier question, because you've watched so many games on the sidelines and been through so many injuries, when you run out on that Rose Bowl field, have you thought about that moment, and what it's going to mean for you to be the guy? CURT PHILLIPS: I just try to have fun with it. It's disappointing to not be able to contribute the past two years. But I think it makes it that much more special now that you get a chance to. But I've learned that you have to make the most of every opportunity you get because you never know when that is going to be taken away. So I try to live in the moment, have fun with it, and just enjoy it. Q. You were obviously familiar with Barry Alvarez before he took over as your interim coach. But what have you learned about him in the last couple three weeks that you didn't know before? TRAVIS FREDERICK: I learned that everything that you've heard about him is completely true. I know that's kind of cliche to say. But often times you're going to hear certain things about a coach or a player even. But to come in and actually experience that and every single thing you see from the outside, the toughness, the confidence, the great coaching is all there. I think he's done a tremendous job taking over as interim coach. Q. (Indiscernible)? CURT PHILLIPS: He's around the program all the time. But to see him out there with the whistle. We've had a lot of fun. To get to play under him, he's had a lot of success on this stage, so having an opportunity to play with a Rose Bowl Hall of Fame coach in the Rose Bowl is something we're all excited about. He's brought a lot of confidence and a sense of swagger to the team that I think guys have responded well and really rallied around. Q. I read a little article about these wrist bands that you guys have. Do you have the "I'm in" or "I'm on" wrist bands? Can you tell us about what these are? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I've got one. Mine's in color. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: He gave us these wrist bands that say "I'm in" and "I'm on." They've kind of worn off after wearing them through practice and everything, so you can't read ours. Just came as something for us that we all started bowl prep off without these bands. They were given to the assistant coaches. One assistant coach thought that you were truly embracing that statement, that you were completely focused on the game and completely willing to give yourself to the game and see these wrist bands, I think everybody has one now. It shows that the team has grown throughout this bowl prep, and we're all together and taking that step together. We're going to move forward. It's something that he's done in the past, and something that works and we're excited to be a part of. "I'm in" and "I'm on." It means I'm all in for the team. We're going to do this together, and I'm going to go out and play my best on the game day. MATT CANADA: I think when you look at the adversity these players have gone through, Coach Alvarez and we just wanted to make sure. It's easy for everybody on the outside to say they're going to the Rose Bowl. But there are a lot of things that have occurred for these players and they need to be all in to the experience. Let's get over the fact that you won a Big Ten Championship in the way that they did which was impressive. They weren't allowed to really focus on that as much as they deserved in my opinion. But then we're going to go play a game. Again, unbelievable respect for who we're playing. We're not going out there like this is going to happen. But let's go play our best and give it one more shot together. It's all about the players. It's about those guys in that room, and nobody else really matters. That was the focus for Coach Alvarez and we wanted to stress it for our kids. Q. Curt, do you pull for Joel Stave and hope that he gets a chance to be out there because of your experience? CURT PHILLIPS: Sure, I think if you have guys that can bring stuff to the table, it's an advantage for the team. I don't make any decisions about when the timing of stuff is. But if it's something that can help us and give us a better chance to win, then I'm all for it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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