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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: STANFORD v WISCONSINDecember 27, 2012Jared AbbrederisMontee BallJames WhitePASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Montee, I guess there was a photo yesterday at Disney of you on Radiator Springs. Apparently you've gotten razzed about it? MONTEE BALL: I was just making a scared face for the cameras. No, actually that ride caught me off guard. It did kind of shock me a little bit. Had a lot of fun though. It was great. Q. Montee and James, can you just talk about the Stanford guys said that the game was going to be won and lost up front on both sides of the ball. Talk about what that means offensively for you guys? MONTEE BALL: Well, our kind of philosophy and our thing is that our offensive linemen know that everything starts up front with them. They kind of understand that. So they bring the energy and level of focus to practice because they know without them that this team would really struggle. Based on film, you can see that Stanford takes a lot of pride and has a lot of pride in their D‑line, creating a lot of great plays. Like I said, we're hoping that we come out on top. JAMES WHITE: It's going to be a physical football game, and like Montee said, it starts off with the offensive linemen. They have a great defensive line. We have a great offensive line. So it will be a physical game and a great battle between us too. Q. Montee and James, I know a lot of times it's said you're about the team and stuff like that. But a lot of times guys want their touches. How does it work so well for you guys? Because you genuinely pull for each other and it all works? MONTEE BALL: We just play for one another. That's what our team is all about. Nobody complains about getting the ball. Whenever you do get the ball, you have to take advantage of your opportunities. And that is the best way to make it work. JAMES WHITE: Yeah, I think what helps us out is the chemistry that we have. Just understanding that everyone on this team has a role and not caring who gets the credit. Just making sure we get the win. That's our formula here, and everyone does a great job of displaying it, and that's how we work. Q. Jared, in an offense that doesn't throw the ball a heck of a lot these days. Can you talk about the importance of executing and picking your spots when you do go down field? Especially against a defense like Stanford that's so opportunistic? JARED ABBREDERIS: Yeah, when we do throw the ball, which isn't a lot, you have to make sure you come down with the ball if they decide to throw the ball to you. So just take advantage of the opportunities. But we're also involved in the running game too, so we've got to do our best as wide receivers to get blocking down field to help create those long runs when they do make it, and the line does give them an opportunity to get to the next level. Every opportunity we get, we do get those. Q. Jared, do you have any recollection of the last time Wisconsin and Stanford played in the Rose Bowl in 2000? JARED ABBREDERIS: No. Q. You were probably 11 or so. JARED ABBREDERIS: No, I don't remember that. Q. James, Montee or anything? JAMES WHITE: Nope. MONTEE BALL: I was 10. Q. Did you watch college football then? MONTEE BALL: Probably not. JAMES WHITE: Not really. Q. Well, that didn't work, did it? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: It was Dragon Ball Z and a lot of cartoons. Q. We just heard a little from the other guys about the wrist bands you guys have. Can you talk about the message and what it's meant for each of you to carry that into this game? MONTEE BALL: It just reminds you each day when you wake up and see it on your wrist to make sure. We've got free time and things like that, but when you come to practice, you make sure that you're in and you're on. Not only are you committed to this team and this game to get this W, but that you make sure that you give all you've got every time you step on the field. That's in practice and when you're watching film and things like that. Just kind of a reminder to make sure that he knows and the rest of the team knows that I'm going to do my part to do my best to get this win. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Yeah, what he said, it kind of reminds me that I'm a little piece to the entire puzzle on this team. Everyone is. I'm in with everything this team is doing and we're going to be on. I'm going to display my best game and show the team I want to win for them. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Yeah, for sure. We have one game left, and we want everybody to give it all they have. Just stay locked in throughout this whole trip. You're going to have fun not on the practice field, but when we're out there on the practice field, give it the best effort that you have, and it will make us effective come game day. Q. You guys talked about t but now that you've been out here, what is it like to have Barry coaching you, and the difference and what it's all about? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: It's definitely an honor to have one of the greatest college football coaches of all time coach us. We just want to go out there and play our best and give it our best effort for him. He does a great job of, he cuts practice down for us, and we have to go out there and be effective there in practice and listen to the plan that he has for us. Like I said, if we just follow his plan, we'll be just fine. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: To be honest with you, we love it. I guess, coming here, they explain to you everything that he's done for this program. You heard about it. The tradition that he built and what he's done for the players who move on to the next level. Just to finally see him in action on our sidelines is fun. It's fun and it's great, because he brings so much confidence and swagger to the game, and we enjoy seeing that. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: It's definitely a blessing to play under him. It's been a fun couple of weeks, so we've been blessed as a team to have him come back and coach us for this Rose Bowl. Q. The practices leading up to this have been pretty short ones. What are the advantages of that? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Definitely you keep your legs. That's one thing he wants for us is to be fresh on game day. Doesn't want us to be able to be held back at all. But the only way it's going to stay that way is if we practice well and practice effectively. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Yeah, he's huge on keeping you fresh. What he always says before practice, he wants us to have a snappy practice and be quick, focused and get out of there and get off your legs. I think that's going to work. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I would add to that too that you're also able to know if you go in an hour, and everybody's basically able to give all they've got for that hour, it's going to be a nice, crisp, clean practice. Everybody's giving their all, so it's going to be a good practice. Timing will be down for the quarterbacks for the pass game. Everybody's going to be on it. That's just the way he likes it, and I've liked the way it's been. Q. Similar to the Big Ten Championship, you guys have experience now being here. Do you see that as an advantage? STUDENT‑ATHLETE: I'd say definitely. Not only for the game, but for the week. We've got so many event that's we've been to, so we know what to expect. There are a lot of fun thing that's you get to do and experience. So being here, you're not really surprised with a lot. I would say that's definitely a big advantage. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Just like what Jared said, with so many activities, you're being pulled in every direction. So I guess by us knowing which way we're going to go and which direction we're going to be pulled, we know why we're down here. The main reason why we're down here, and we tell everybody that. It's definitely going to help us out a lot. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: Yeah, we know what LA represents and what the atmosphere is like when we get here. It's not too much of a shock for us. We know how to handle our business when we're off the field or on the field. It just gives us a great level of focus come game day. Q. One of those activities tomorrow night, the Beef Bowl. Travis says he's not going to try to three peat with his title. Do you guys have any favorites that you see for taking the crown? JARED ABBREDERIS: Probably Big Rob. MONTEE BALL: Big Rob, yeah. One of the O‑line. JARED ABBREDERIS: Zac Matthias, yeah. Q. How many will you eat? JARED ABBREDERIS: I might go for three. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: He needs it. (Laughing). Q. Jared, this team has been so good of late of playing with a chip on their shoulder, us against the world, whatever. When you were walking around on that Rose Bowl field on Christmas, when you first got here, what immediately came to mind? Is it the whole we've got to win this thing? What are you immediately thinking after such close losses these last two years? JARED ABBREDERIS: Yeah, it's been close games. Just haven't been able to come up with a win. So that's been something in our mind that I think our whole team will get back there and be able to win it. So that's basically goes into your mind, and you want to go out there and play your best. Leave nothing on the field, and hopefully at the end, you've got enough for a win. Q. Coaches will usually say this is about the players and winning for the players' sake. Anything out there that you want to win this one for barry knowing it's the perfect 3‑0 record he's putting on the line in the Rose Bowl? MONTEE BALL: I would say we want to win this game for each other and our teammates. But I guess in a way for Barry, kind of swooping us off our feet, based on Coach B's decision to leave, we want to reward him with a win. He deserve it's. Everything he's prepared for leading up to this game, he deserves a victory, and that's what we're going to fight for. Q. We talked about this last week, and you've said it a lot before, but now that you're in Pasadena and the reality of this being your last game days away, has it sunk in anymore? MONTEE BALL: Yeah, it has. It has. I'm cheering every single minute with my teammates. Every single minute. In the game room, I'm rooming with James and everything. This is the last time that I'll see everyone together. So I'm making sure that I'm soaking it all in and cherishing every single opportunity that I'm going to have with each player. Q. What is the biggest difference between Barry Alvarez the athletic director and the Barry Alvarez the head coach? JARED ABBREDERIS: I would say the involvement. We're with him a lot more now that he's the coach. But I would say he's the same guy. We just get to be around him more often in practices and things like that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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