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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: STANFORD v WISCONSINDecember 28, 2012Devin SmithPASADENA, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: It was a crazy hit. Q. I assume you never saw that guy coming. DEVIN SMITH: Not at all. It was pretty funny watching it again on the Internet, watching it on the live DVD. It was kind of funny. It definitely hurt. I blacked out instantly, so... I was knocked out. Q. How long? DEVIN SMITH: Not that long. It wasn't that long at all. I was just kind of like in a lot of pain. My stomach was hurting the most, so... Q. Saw you yesterday with no green jersey on. When did you get that? DEVIN SMITH: This week, so right when we got out here, started practicing. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: Yeah, he tries to joke around with me. But we had a bet going on that he said he could pass me with the most amount of interceptions. I told him if he gets three, I'll pay him my per diem this week. Q. He said you should have got the one. DEVIN SMITH: That's missed opportunities right there for him and I capitalized on it (laughter). Q. Who are the emotional leaders of this team? DEVIN SMITH: You know, there's a lot of guys that carry that emotional leadership. Chris Borland does, Mike Taylor, I think Shelton, myself, Ethan. There are a lot of guys that have a lot of experience on this defense. I think everybody has enough experience to carry that emotional leadership themselves inside. Everybody understands what we need to accomplish. I think that plays a huge factor. We don't have a lot of younger guys playing in the starting 11, so it just shows a lot of experience and chemistry. Q. How does it work with two defensive coordinators? DEVIN SMITH: Coach Partridge, he does with the defensive line. Coach Ash calls the plays. There's a lot more behind the scenes that goes on with them throughout meetings, setting up game plans. But as far as who calls the plays, Coach Partridge is focused on coaching the D‑line during the game, whatnot. I think it's pretty set on that, so... Q. What would you say were the top games for the defense and the worst games? DEVIN SMITH: I'd say top games were I think Ohio State, I think until overtime. It's hard to really think trying to go back all these games. I think overall Purdue was a top game as well. I think a game that we kind of let up was, we had a great game with Michigan State until the fourth quarter. They got one drive on us that let them score. I think that was one of the heart‑breaking games. Also Ohio State in overtime. Overall I think our defense has been consistent throughout the whole year. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: I think we've done a great job. We've limited Braxton Miller from all he could do in the Ohio State game. He had been dominating defenses throughout the whole season. I think we pretty much shut him down. Taylor Martinez in the last game, we did really well against him except for one run. Everything after that, he was eliminated pretty much. Q. Was there anything you were doing differently in the second Nebraska game? DEVIN SMITH: I think it was making sure we got pressure on him. Whenever he did scramble or run around, we made sure we contained him. When we had the opportunity, we made the tackle and not let him gain any extra yards after contact. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: You know, it was just a bad feeling just not being able to accomplish something twice in a row. Q. You were injured. Same feeling from TCU. DEVIN SMITH: It's just a bad feeling not being able to accomplish something again two years in a row. I think this year, it's going to be a different story honestly. We all have a great feeling. It's our third time being here. Everyone is not shell‑shocked, trying to do everything on our free time. Everybody is relaxing. I think we're a lot more focused for the game this year than we have been in previous years. Q. How much does it help coming off a game like Nebraska? DEVIN SMITH: I think it just showed the potential of the team that we were all along, that we did belong in this game, despite what the record showed. I mean, we were dominating Nebraska in the first game. We just gave it up. We knew we could do it again, we could make it work the next time, make sure we finished this time instead of letting them back in the game. Q. Talking to Stanford's center a little bit ago. I asked him what he saw when he looked at you on film. He said the defensive line reminds him a lot of theirs. They don't view you as a five‑loss team. DEVIN SMITH: Regardless what people say, we're still here. That doesn't matter. You can't change the fact that we're here. We weren't able to control outside factors that happened to get us here with Ohio State and Penn State. Weren't able to control that. I think everything happens for a reason and we're here for a reason, so... Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: Yeah, he was just asking me if I was all right, so... Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: If he does, I'll just give him grief for missing the tackle. When he did, I gave him grief back about not calling out the block and all that, just messing around with him. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: They were too complex, yeah.  I picture a blowout, just like Nebraska (laughter). I have a feeling they'll bring out the roses after the first quarter, something like that. Q. Having a great time? DEVIN SMITH: Yes, sir. Q. What year are you? DEVIN SMITH: I'm a fifth‑year. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: We played Florida State, then Miami. Not too shabby. We were 7‑5 my first year. Sorry, we ended up 7‑6. The next year we were like 10‑2. I'm sorry, 9‑3 going into the Champs Bowl. We should have beat Florida State, but we were down by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, got out of hand. They killed us. Q. Last year the game was close. DEVIN SMITH: Right. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: Third time is a charm. I think so. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: How long was he there? Q. Yes. DEVIN SMITH: I think he got there in '03 maybe. Q. Was he one of Coach Alvarez' assistants? DEVIN SMITH: He was the D coordinator. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: It's been fun. I've enjoyed it a lot. Q. He's a Hall of Fame inductee at the Rose Bowl. DEVIN SMITH: Is he? Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: I'll tell him that today at practice. That would be funny (laughter). Q. Are you still practicing? DEVIN SMITH: Yes, sir. I think 12:30, 1:00. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: We're back here again tomorrow? Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: Been here for a long time, yes, sir. I broke my foot, and that's why I redshirted and came back another year. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: That's tonight, actually. Q. Looking forward to that? DEVIN SMITH: Definitely, definitely, yeah. Q. More enjoyable this year than last year? DEVIN SMITH: Definitely. Great to actually get to play this year. So very excited about that. Q. When did you get the green jersey this week? DEVIN SMITH: This week. Feels good. Q. Live tackling scrimmage yesterday. Did that surprise you? DEVIN SMITH: No, I don't think you can really go a whole month without tackling, you know. You have to get some type of tackling in. It was only 10 minutes. No one was injured. I think it was a great thing to have. Q. Shake some rust off? DEVIN SMITH: Definitely, definitely. Q. Some guys talked about more focus on this trip. DEVIN SMITH: People aren't doing much. They're pretty much hanging out at the hotel. I think everyone is going to bed a lot earlier this year than they have in the past couple years. I think the team is a lot more focused than the past couple years. Q. How do you balance that? Are you all about the game? Do you want to take part in some of the events? DEVIN SMITH: You definitely do stuff, go hang out, enjoy it, do whatever you want to do. You also have to think about the game, just be smart with whatever you do. I think a lot of guys are being a lot smarter this year. Q. What do you think you took away from the last two Rose Bowls that might help you this year? DEVIN SMITH: I think, one, just being more focused on the game throughout the week. Two, just trying to finish the game. Make sure we have a good week of practice, you know, focus just like any other week throughout the regular season. Q. Seems like adjustments are important in a game like this. The defense has been so good, people say you see something new every week. Coach Ash has been good at adjustments. DEVIN SMITH: Yeah, he definitely has. Whenever a team hurts us with something, we'll change it. Usually throughout the week we'll practice both ways and we'll see if he likes this or not. We've gotten looks at it both ways throughout the week. Q. You're prepared for almost anything? DEVIN SMITH: Pretty much prepared, yup. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: I think it's kind of both. It's made it a little bit tougher. Regardless of me being a senior, this is my last time with all them. But, you know, just the fact that they're leaving also. It's kind of weird. We were just talking to them, they're about to leave here soon. It's kind of nice for them that they finally have places they can go, they're not waiting around, playing the waiting game. They have families to take care of. But they're still coaching just as hard as ever, you know. But I think, I mean, it's really nice the fact that they get to enjoy these last few weeks, the last week together. I think it's a little better to know now that they're going to be leaving versus after the bowl game, like, so you don't actually have a timeline of when someone's leaving or when they're staying or whatever. I think it's better in that way, that sense, so... Q. What keeps them motivated knowing they're going to be gone? DEVIN SMITH: I mean, just doing it for us. Coach Partridge, his first year was when I was here. Coach Ash, this is his third year. All the ups and downs we went through through the season, just their character, having that pride to finish out one more game with all of us together. We want to go out on a high note and celebrate instead of being down at the end of the game. Q. (No microphone.) DEVIN SMITH: We definitely like it. Mine has washed off already. You can still see a little bit of it. I think it definitely symbolizes a lot, just letting everyone know if we're going to come down here, you have to be on every single time. You can't come down here, be hanging out every night. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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