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ROSE BOWL GAME: MICHIGAN STATE v STANFORDDecember 27, 2013Ryan HewittPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. (Indiscernible)? RYAN HEWITT: Everyone has bought into the team, whatever position the coaches put us in, we buy into and believe in it. Q. You go seven, eight linemen, do you see like cornerbacks and safeties, I don't want any part of that? RYAN HEWITT: Sometimes you definitely can see that. I don't expect that from Michigan State. They're a tough bunch. It's going to be a good game. Q. What impresses you or what stood out to you, what did the game (indiscernible)? RYAN HEWITT: They're very disciplined. They don't seem to make mistakes defensively. So for them to always be in the right spot is a testament to them and their preparation. So not only that, they're physical. We play a physical brand of football, so I'm excited to see how the two match up. Q. I think the thought process was (indiscernible) struggled, it was a home/road thing, but after the way you killed ASU in the championship game, is it maybe more sort of stylistically where Utah and SC's defense maybe match up in a way that ‑‑ for them to create problems for you more than home versus road? RYAN HEWITT: Honestly, I'm not fully sure. I don't think the home versus road thing is a big deal. I think it's a matter of execution. In some games we came out and executed better, and other games we didn't execute as well. I think that's about what it comes down to. Q. Where has Kevin made the biggest strides this year? RYAN HEWITT: I mean, he's very a similar player to last year. He's always had control of the offense, shows poise under pressure. I don't have a bad to say about him. I love him being our quarterback. I think he's a very similar player last year. Obviously he's gotten a little bit more mature, more wise with the offense, plays come easier to him. Other than that, he's always made good decisions and been a great leader. Q. I wanted to ask you about when you look at MSU's defense, what do you see, your perception, what's your first sort of instincts? RYAN HEWITT: I think they're a very disciplined defense. They've got great DBs, great corners. So they're able to kind of funnel every team in the box and make (indiscernible) ball. They're tough. They're physical. They're good. I think they're a pretty ideal defense to match up against an offense like us. That will be fun. We'll have to game plan. Q. From a style standpoint, it's interesting, a phone booth matchup so to speak? RYAN HEWITT: I agree. They have good sized linebackers, big "D" line. As I said they're physical. And they played our safety so short it's kind of like nine in the box. Presents good opportunities for us. And not only that, I'm sure they feel the same way. Q. The linebacker, how does that change at all what you expect from them, and are there things you try and test when they lose somebody like that? RYAN HEWITT: Not necessarily. The only thing I can say about that is losing a player like that you can tell he was a leader on defense just by the way (indiscernible). So you know they're going to be missing their (indiscernible), their smartest players on defense. They'll have guys that will step up. That's how football works. It's just kind of how our team works. That's how I expect them to work. We're going to prepare the same. We're going to prepare, give them our best, see what they've got. Q. Your program, coaches have coached there a long time. (Indiscernible) Jim Harbaugh and a couple of offensive coordinators, (indiscernible) now what is different about the program now (indiscernible)? RYAN HEWITT: It's the mentality. It's fostered in the off‑season by our strength set, and it builds and builds, and the players buy into it. The guys who don't buy into it, we kind of force them to buy into it. The team gets on their back. It's not that the coaches force them, it's something that the players force them to buy in, force the teammates to buy in. I think once you really‑‑ once you do believe and you buy into that program, you give your full dedication. It's worked for us the last four years. I'm sold. Q. How long does it take to change it? RYAN HEWITT: To change the attitude of the team? Q. Of the program. RYAN HEWITT: I don't know if you can necessarily quantify it. But I would say maybe a year or two, I think that's what it took us. We went from 5 and 7 when I was being recruited in high school to 8 and 6 a year later or 8 and 5. And then next year Orange Bowl. Again, I don't know if you can necessarily quantify it. It's a combination of players and the talent as well as whether or not they buy into the coaches and what they're trying to sell. Q. What was your perception of Stanford when you were in high school or when you were a kid, Stanford football? RYAN HEWITT: When I was in high school, I didn't think they were elite. I thought they were good. They played D‑I. They played in the Pac‑10. They played good competition. They pull out some wins here and there, but I didn't think they were an elite school. But, again, we've turned that around and I think that's kind of what people see us now as an elite football program. Q. (Indiscernible) recruiting? RYAN HEWITT: Definitely the academics as well as athletics. I figured, personally, if I was good enough to make it to the NFL, I would do so out of Stanford. And not only that, if I wasn't good enough or if I had an injury or something that encumbered me from playing football, I would have opportunities outside of football in my life. Q. So just kind of smashmouth, big‑man‑on‑big‑man type of matchup that it appears to be, as a fullback, (indiscernible)? RYAN HEWITT: It's what you pride yourself on. I'm excited. I've been making my list since the championship game. Q. Because of this type of situation, since it is going to be kind of similarly run the ball? RYAN HEWITT: Yeah, I mean because of that, because my final game as a college player, Rose Bowl. It's a combination of things. Like you said, they're a physical defense. And for me it's always a lot of fun to play teams out of conference, especially elite teams out of conference, just to kind of see how they play, what their definition of physical is. So it will be fun. It will be a good matchup. Q. What have you found in your Bowl experience (indiscernible)? Is it much different than the Pac‑10, Pac‑12 style? RYAN HEWITT: No, I've learned that football's football. The team presents themselves as a physical team. It all comes down to you can see it's their resumé, so you watch film. If they look physical, they're going to be physical. It's not some slow scene you see on film that doesn't come on game day. It's real. What you see is what you get in football. Q. Speaking of‑‑ what do you recall the game‑‑ when that game ended, were you on the field or did you get off the field when the fans kind of rushed it? RYAN HEWITT: Yeah, I was getting off. There were some people running by saying some less than appropriate things. But it's what you expect. It's part of the game. Q. Your series with them during your career has nothing but close games for the most part. What do you remember about those games? RYAN HEWITT: They've always been great matchups. SC is prideful. They had their bumps in the road for a couple of years, but that never stopped them from getting up on us. Especially after (indiscernible). Of course I wasn't a part of that, but I'm sure‑‑ none of the guys on that team were part of that, but I guarantee it's in their minds. But the fact that we took ‑‑ I don't know, I know overall 4 and 1, 4 and 1 in five years, I think they realize that we were kind of getting the upper hand as of late so they're going to of course come out and give us their all every week or every game. And it's fun. It's fun. They're smack talking guys. They're good football players and they play the game how it's supposed to be play. Q. Did you see that game? RYAN HEWITT: Oh, yeah. The quarterback is my position coach. Q. What do you recall about watching that? Did you believe what you were seeing? RYAN HEWITT: Well, no, just because‑‑ yeah, at the time in '07 I couldn't believe it, but now looking back, it's like, all right, because I knew the program we had already implemented, we were working on the staff. But none of the world had known that. None of the world had seen Stanford can play football, a respectful football school. That's kind of how the '07 team put Stanford on the map, and it's kind of a steady rise from there. Q. You obviously study the team. What their middle linebackers do in the game, great players. How does that change things? RYAN HEWITT: It doesn't change our preparation. We are going to prepare the same way. They're going to have guys that can play behind them. And that's something we know. That's how football teams are. If guys go down, other guys have to step up. But obviously he was a very vocal leader out there. You could tell he had good knowledge of the defense. So I just expect someone else to step up and kind of take over that role. I don't know if it will necessarily be the guy behind him or any other backers or "D" linemen, but somebody will step up. Q. (Indiscernible) equivalent of these guys (indiscernible) in terms of losing someone like that, the emotions? RYAN HEWITT: It has to be. I don't know how the emotions are on that team, who kind of gets everyone up and going. But he had, what, 40 starts. You have a stud, and for him not to be able to play, it's going to hurt them. But I don't expect them to let it diminish their defensive ability. They're still going to be stout. Still going to play the same and give us their best. Q. Had a lot of (indiscernible)? RYAN HEWITT: Yes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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