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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: STANFORD v WISCONSINDecember 28, 2012Chris AshChris BorlandCharlie PartridgeMike TaylorPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. This is for either of the coaches. There are so many similarities between these two teams. People are saying they're a mirror image of each other. What do you see in their defense that you also see in yours and you maybe admire about their defense or respect about their defense that you're trying to spread the message to your guys? CHRIS ASH: Haven't had a chance to study them a lot on defense. Listened to our offensive staff talk about what they do well. They're a physical group. They run the ball. They stop the run. They don't beat themselves by making a lot of mistakes. They're always attacking, and providing different looks to create confusion and those are some of the things that we try to pride ourselves in also. Q. Because you're similar teams, do you think that helps you guys in practice when you're playing your offense that is similar to their offense? CHRIS ASH: Yeah, definitely from a defensive standpoint when you're talking about the type of formations, the run plays, the play‑action passes that both offenses use. It's an advantage for us. But they've got the same advantage also. It goes against their offense every day. So it's probably a wash from their defensive standpoint the type of adjustments, and shifts and motions, they're pretty similar. Q. For Coach Partridge, how do you see Stepfan Taylor? Do you use going against a guy like Montee in order to prepare for him or how do you prepare for him? CHARLIE PARTRIDGE: The biggest advantage we've had is just the opportunity because of the similarities to do good on good, to play ones versus ones, to get the speed of the game. That is the biggest advantage we have from D‑line against O‑linebackers against all the potential blockers and obviously going against Montee Ball also makes a big difference, so kind of across the board. Q. Chris, the defense down the stretch has been really good, really improved. And I think six out of the eight games you've aloud two touchdowns or less. Is that the marker that you look at as defensive coordinator, or do you look at other things to show and know that the defense is better. CHRIS ASH: At the end of the day, the number one goal is to win games. At the end of the season we've won more games than we've lost or made some plays down the stretch in the overtime games and close losses and we didn't get it done. For us to measure whether we're improving or playing good defense, it's all about scoring defense, how many points do you give up at the end of the day. You want to make sure you give up fewer points than your opponents. Our goal, we want to give up 17 points or less, and we've been pretty good at that throughout the course of the season. I'm happy with how our guys have improved from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. They've really bought into what we're coaching and teaching. They've got great chemistry. They don't beat themselves. We're not giving up big plays like we were early in the season. So I'm happy with the improvement. I'm happy with the total number of points that we've averaged giving up per game. Would I have liked to have seen us make a few more plays in close games? Absolutely. They would have made a difference. Q. I just wanted to ask, is Devin a hundred percent at this point? CHRIS ASH: Devin Smith, yes. He'll be fine for the game. Q. Remembering that hit that he took in the Big Ten Championship game, what's it mean to have him back? CHRIS ASH: Well, Devin's obviously a senior leader for us. He's one of our better play makers in the secondary. So to have him out on the field, we are a different defense with him than we are without him. So if he wasn't here, it would be a big hole in our secondary and our defense. But he's fine. He's been practicing. He was limited early in bowl preparations, but he's been out there and he's going to be a hundred percent for the game. Q. Chris and Mike, as such a big, physical team, is this exciting for you guys to have that challenge and play and go against that type of offense? CHRIS BORLAND: Yeah, it is. I think we're built to play this brand of football, and we love playing it as players on defense. We getting to against it every day in practice. So we're trained for it. We enjoy it. Q. We asked Coach Canada this yesterday, but considering both of you assistant coaches will be coaching, what has you most motivated to get to you this Rose Bowl? CHRIS ASH: It's all about the players. We started this last season of trying to put together a championship type of season. And it's all about these players. We've accomplished one goal by winning the Big Ten title like we wanted. Now we're out here to the Rose Bowl for the third year in a row, and we're here to win, bottom line. We're here to win. These players have done a tremendous job staying together through all of the distractions that we've had throughout the course of the season, starting back with six coaches leaving the program a year ago, to some off‑the‑field issues throughout the summer during training camp, to some of the things that happened throughout the course of the season, the coaching change after the season. These guys have stayed together. They've worked hard, and we want to make sure that we finish the job that we started a year ago, and that's what we are here to do. CHARLIE PARTRIDGE: Following up, I had five of the best years in my life in Madison as part of this program. And hopefully current players are proud of everything they've accomplished during their time. These guys have had unbelievable careers, the guys I'm sitting next to, and a lot of the guys in that locker room. And just like Chris said, one more chance to be with guys that we care about a lot and have been able to accomplish many, many things. Obviously, our third Big Ten title in a row, and it's meant a lot to this group to stay on course, stay on task. Take it one day at a time and do everything we can to get a Rose Bowl Championship. So it's not hard to find motivation, even with all the things going on around us. We're very, very proud of how these guys have handled all the potential distractions. They've just taken the task at hand every day. It's impressive. Q. Chris and Mike, Barry said, Mike, when you called him and asked him to coach, that if he was going to do this, you guys weren't going to mess around. You were going to come out here and win the Rose Bowl. How has the preparation for this year's Rose Bowl been different from in years past? MIKE TAYLOR: It's been quicker to the point that players just say it's been quick and snappy and fun. We don't like to waste time. Every rep counts. We go out there with a sense of purpose, and every play matters. Going out there to practice for Coach Alvarez, you know, that's what you dream of playing for, coming to the Rose Bowl, especially as a senior. Playing your last game at the Rose Bowl under Coach Alvarez is a dream come true. CHRIS BORLAND: I think Coach Alvarez addressed it, that this is a proper way to send off the seniors. This is good preparation, and hopefully a win to send guys like Mike off the right way. Q. Do you think having experience like you had in the Big Ten Championship where you knew the drill and now you know the drill three years in a row, do you think that's an advantage for you guys? MIKE TAYLOR: Absolutely. I think the first year it's such an incredible environment out here where guys have wide eyes, but we've been here before and we know what to do. I think this trip we've gone about it really in a mature way and guys are practicing the right way and preparing to win. Q. Chris and Mike, kind of an offbeat question, but tonight's the famous Beef Bowl. Usually it's Travis Frederick downing seven or eight plates. Can the defense rep tonight and are you guys up for seven or eight? MIKE TAYLOR: I think Beau Allen might have a chance going double digits on me. CHRIS BORLAND: Beau's my roommate, so I hope he doesn't decide to eat seven or eight. Q. How much did Stanford's offense this season change when Hogan became the quarterback? CHRIS ASH: Well, it changed a little bit because of the quarterback. The quarterback is more athletic. There is more quarterback runs with their offense. They're very multiple with what they do. There will be a pro style, they'll line up under center, round downhill power, lineup in the gun, run a lot of the spread zone read schemes that teams are employing in college football these days. So they're very multiple with the quarterback, with Hogan back there. Passing game has been very efficient with him also, he's completing a lot of passes and obviously running the ball well and the play‑action pass game opens up. So there are a lot of similarities, but minor differences there. But the quarterback run game is probably the number one thing that's changed. Q. Piggybacking off of that, you have some experience facing dual‑threat quarterbacks like Braxton Miller. Have you learned from going against guys like that to prepare for Hogan? CHRIS ASH: Absolutely. In the Big Ten there are several athletic quarterbacks. We faced two of them there in Braxton Miller and Taylor Martinez. Hogan is a very good quarterback. Hogan, and I think Braxton is a little more athletic. He probably throws the ball better than those guys do. But the experiences we've had throughout the course of the season defending those type of players definitely helps in this type of game with his ability. Q. Switching gears to the players a little bit. In the couple of weeks that you've spent with Coach Alvarez, what do you see? What are some of the differences between Barry the AD and Barry your coach? MIKE TAYLOR: I think the last two weeks have been an opportunity for guys to be around Coach Alvarez more. We weren't around him a lot as an athletic director. But it's clear why he's a great coach. He's confident and prepared, and we've had very organized, crisp practices. And I think guys have been excited and kind of calm and poised. I think that's been beneficial for us so far. CHRIS BORLAND: Yeah, more of the same. You always see him walk in late in practice. And like I said earlier, being from Wisconsin, growing up and watching him on TV, that's what you always think about. Coming to Wisconsin and playing for a coach like that, being able to see him in person, and listen to him live and hear his stories and just being able to play for him in the last game at the Rose Bowl, that is kind of his forte, is coaching his teams to the Rose Bowl. We want to do everything we can to pull out a win for him. Q. Chris, a lot of times bigger tight ends are asked to block a lot and stay in. How tough of a cover is Zach Ertz for him and how much of a weapon is he? CHRIS ASH: He's an outstanding tight end. The whole tight end corps is very good. You look at the offense and the match‑ups within the match‑ups, our linebackers our safeties against our tight ends is going to be a challenge. We've had to put a heavy emphasis throughout this preparation on how to control those guys. I can't sit here and say we're going to stop them. But we have to control them and limit the big plays that they're able to get in the play‑action game, because they're good. It's going to be a great challenge throughout the whole game. Q. Do you have recollection of the game when Wisconsin played Stanford in the Rose Bowl back in 2000? MIKE TAYLOR: Yeah, you just remember watching Coach Alvarez on the sidelines and watching all those great players play. That's kind of the first memory that you have growing up in Wisconsin is watching the Rose Bowls with Coach Alvarez, and that's really where it all starts if a guy from Wisconsin wants to come here to Wisconsin. Seeing those games on TV, and growing up watching those type of games. Q. Chris and Mike, you guys have had to deal with close losses here in the last two years. How important is it for you guys to finish the task this year? MIKE TAYLOR: I think it would mean everything. We've been a possession away the two previous Rose Bowls we've been in to win the game. So to come out here and lose again in that manner would be heartbreaking. We're really focused on finishing the job this year. STUDENT‑ATHLETE: More of the same. Every loss hurts, obviously. To put in four weeks of practice and put everything you've got into preparing and trying to win these games. Same goes with every game. Every game you lose, you feel it.  To put in all that work in preparation to lose, that's not. That's what we want to do. I think this will be a good game, and we'll see what happens. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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