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ROSE BOWL GAME: MICHIGAN STATE v STANFORDDecember 29, 2013Trent MurphyPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q.  How dug about developing your strength and your moves? TRENT MURPHY: Your moves are different on each side, mostly because it depends on whether you're on the quarterback's backside or not. If you are on his backside he can't see what you are doing. Some have a feeling for you, but if he can't see you and you cut inside you can lose contain easier. So sometimes you have to go right through them so you can play inside and outside depending on whether the quarterback wants to step up or get out of the pocket. You work that in practice. Q. And do you have to sort of change up your approach once you get there, trying to knock the ball loose? TRENT MURPHY: Definitely.  It depends on who you are going against and what the offensive tackles want to do because they come into the game with their game plan as well so it really just depends. Q. How do you guys, what is your approach‑‑ you're very good about not‑‑ when you're facing Oregon or UCLA you're good about not losing your gaps and giving the quarterback space. How is it that you approach that? TRENT MURPHY: Most of it is trusting your team mates that they're going to do their job. A lot of times you want to cowboy and do your own thing because you can take the inside and maybe get home. But you're risking that you're going to be able to do that and you can't loose your teammates so really, that's what it comes down to is everyone doing their job and playing their role and keeping the box to keep the quarterback in there. Q. I imagine you have went up against Andrew a lot in practice this year, what are his strengths? TRENT MURPHY: Physically as a player turning fat into muscle. You get those guys from high school they have the size and they need to turn it into raw power and I think that's what he has been able to do. Q. Talking to David the other day he said because he's so tall sometimes he gets a little too upright. Have you seen him getting better in that regard as far as keeping coverage? TRENT MURPHY: Definitely he's gotten better with his level and strength while passing it. He's made a lot of improvements. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: He's the head man, he can handle it! Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, not too bad. It's been exciting, a really good run. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, after that story it was like, man! (Chuckles.) He's a celebrity now. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Oh, yeah? Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I was thinking I need to pass rush and block him later, see what I do. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I threw discus in high school, I was pretty good at disk, yeah about. Q. What did you throw? TRENT MURPHY: 193 in a meet. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, it was awesome. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I was really doing football and it was a joke and one of my high school coaches said you're not coordinated enough, don't bother coming out to track and I was like, all right, so I went out and brought it. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: No, just discus, really. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: It was more natural for me, the shot put, I couldn't get it. I don't know if I was too long for the ring or what. I couldn't really do it.. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Last night a little bit, but it's just because we had activities and practice all day and I like to watch a decent amount of film at least an hour a night and didn't have any downtime to do anything because by the time you get back to your room you're exhausted or you need to do something, so... Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: No. It's a vacation for the younger guys, like the red‑shirt guys, they really enjoy it I think. They take it all in. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Exactly. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, last two were here. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY:  I know the drill, I'm an "old pro" at this now. Q. Where are you from? TRENT MURPHY: Arizona. Q. So your family is close? TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, they're going to probably all drive out. Got to find tickets for all of them. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, casual. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: The 22nd we had practice that morning and then you could go home and had to be back on the 25th. So it was nice to get home for Christmas Eve and stuff. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, it was really funny. The way it should be for us. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah. People last night or I think tonight is the down night. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, do a little preparation, maybe. Q.  (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Do you go to USC now? Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: What year are you? Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Do you know the Orange brothers? Q. Yeah. TRENT MURPHY: They're like my best buds. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Really? Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: He's in water polo? They go in the morning sometimes so I don't know how that will be. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I mean, that was the goal and expectation for us to go to a BCS Bowl, when Coach Harbaugh recruited us, he said we're going to recruit good guys and work hard and I believed that. I thought we could be as good as this or even better. Every game I look back on I could see where we could have been better, things we could have been better at and we definitely didn't play to our full potential. By no means am I surprised by our success. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, definitely. I haven't been as reflective on it yet as maybe some guys, but there is a lot of talent in college football, those guys are on scholarship, too, they're encouraged to do that and it's definitely tough to win in the Pac 12, teams are getting better and better each year but consistency and hard work and Coach does a good job with us in our off‑season and we don't accept losing or never get used to it and it's a feeling that burns deep in the pit of our stomachs, so we are definitely committed to winning everything we do. Q. More fun this year? TRENT MURPHY: More. Q. You know what to look forward to, get to do at all? TRENT MURPHY: Absolutely. Q. Great job this year. TRENT MURPHY: Thank you. Q. Hard work! TRENT MURPHY: Yeah. Definitely hard work. Trying to get in all my work this week, practicing and stuff, through all the activities and stuff‑‑ Q. It's a nice problem to have. TRENT MURPHY: Definitely! (Chuckles.) Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I'm extremely excited to be back here at the Rose Bowl. There is no better place to be. Myself and the team included. We couldn't be more excited to be playing in the Rose Bowl again. Q. Are you having more fun this year or because it was new was it more fun last year? TRENT MURPHY: More fun. Last year we were hesitant, we weren't sure what we were doing and this year we're taking it all in and loving every minute of it. Q. As you look at Michigan State what jumps off the screen? What do you see when you look at them? Connor Cook had a great game in the Big Ten championship team. TRENT MURPHY: They're a great team, probably the best we've seen up to now, there is no secret why they made it to the Rose Bowl. But what jumps out is their offensive line, there are some big boys up front and they play a physical style of football and they want to run the ball and pound the rock and I see that line of scrimmage getting moved down the field, sometimes 5 yards down the field and it makes it hard for the running back who is also a phenomenal player and makes plays down field. We will have our work cutout for us. Q. People don't realize you're a modern day cowboy. How do you play football and steer wrestle? TRENT MURPHY: Playing football and steer wrestling, it's a hard‑nosed job there, you have to look the steer in the eye and wrestle a 600‑pound animal to the ground. To get to the quarterback he's a few hundred pounds less but nonetheless. It's been a while since I have steer wrestled, but I will try and do that, utilize it in the pass rushing of the game. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: That's clever, have a little thing like that, brand yourself or whatever. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: For two years. Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, he‑‑ I mean, I think it was really the perfect recipe for success, because I think that Coach Harbaugh is exactly what Stanford needed at that time. He was extreme, blue collar, hard worker. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Exactly. He was pretty entertaining, too. He said some funny stuff. Sometimes he was hilarious. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, how long can it keep goin'. Q. How were you introduced to the game of football? TRENT MURPHY: When I was a freshman in high school and I was trying to pick what sport I wanted to do and stick with it as long as I could. I got pulled up to varsity my freshman year and was part of the first state champion team my high school had ever won and since that I loved it and bought into the program and committed to football ever since. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Pregame traditions? Probably a pregame tradition anymore for me is actually not listening to music and I think everyone on the team listens to music and gets excited and I sit there quietly, the calm before the storm and think about my job and what I'm going to do. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Yeah, I mean, they're a physical football team up front and they want to move the line of scrimmage. I've been impressed watching film watching how well they can move guys off the line of scrimmage. Then they mix in some gadget plays and shots down field to keep you honest and get you not playing fundamental football. Their attack is pretty sound. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I mean, you really have to limit the explosive plays. I think that's where they have been strong. They almost haven't been in too many goal line situations because they have had explosive plays down field. So that's the biggest thing, our safeties playing top down and everyone doing their job, stayin' in their gap and keep 'em from doing that. Q. Connor Cook, talk about him. TRENT MURPHY: He's a good quarterback. I have been surprised and have been impressed with how well he moves around and how often he keeps the ball, more than I thought he did or would and he runs well out of the pocket and makes good decisions. Definitely a good quarterback. Q. Overall does this team remind you of any team you've faced? TRENT MURPHY: Some guys the on the team have been saying Oregon State, for me it reminds me of Wisconsin, which doesn't seem that long ago now, but not too much as far as Pac 12. Q. USC, Utah, what was the difference in those games? TRENT MURPHY: I don't think it was that, I think it was we didn't play our best football and they played better. Those are both good teams and we played on the road and it's tough to get a win on the road and we didn't play our best ball. Q. What's different? TRENT MURPHY: They're a physical team. That's their style and there are not to many teams that take that brand of football, they want to hit you in the mouth and pound the ball. That's what I can see. Q. You have had a week in between your last game and now. Is it hard not to look into the future and focus on the Rose Bowl? TRENT MURPHY: The Pac 12 championship ended and we had a few weeks of preparation and a week of school and other things, school might have been done, but I took a couple of days to think about it and get that out of my system so I knew when I got down here I would focus on the game and not worry about anything else. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I think it means a lot. I think your tape is your resume and it's definitely a big stage, a lot of people will be watching and how I play and what I put on tape speaks to my play as a football player and how I play in big games. It will probably definitely have an impact. Q. What has been your message to the rest of your teammates, about concentrating, not getting caught up in the hoopla? What is your message as the captain? TRENT MURPHY: My message is really just to prepare. Prepare as much as or more than you do in a normal week. I think a lot of guys it hits home with them because we have all these activities and different things so it's hard to find time to watch film and do your regular activities but it should be no different than a normal week of preparation and if not more because it's such a big game and we have had a long time to prepare. That's the biggest message. Q.  You were able to get the touring out of the way and the first‑time distractions, is it nice to know you've been there, done that, and now you know the reward of winning the Rose Bowl so you can focus better? TRENT MURPHY: Absolutely, we have been here before, by no means are we not going to enjoy the week but at the same time if you have downtime you feel less inclined to see the beach or go to In‑N‑Out, something like that, we've been here, we've seen it, so it's fun to watch film and get that win because this experience isn't going to be as enjoyable if we remember it with a loss at the end so we want to get our work in. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: Who is the big procedure and the little brother? The outside line backers, definitely, I'm the big brother. No question about that. I think inside backer Shayne is the big brother in that room and out of us two we're probably cousins that get together and we're the big brothers of the family. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: My favorite activity is probably the improv comedy, those guys were really laughing and you can get your ears knocked back and forget football and I enjoy that experience. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: No, last night was the Beef Bowl and the night before was improv. Q. How did you do out there? TRENT MURPHY: Two plates, tried not to get too carried away, prime rib, I had two, and it's delicious. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: There probably was. There were some guys who need to be gaining weight anyway so that was a perfect event for them. I don't know, I had my money on Josh Garnett but I guess he only ate one or two, so he was not as impressive as I thought, but there were guys that wanted to be ready for practice today so I don't think they got too carried away. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: I mean, I haven't heard yet. Q. (No microphone.) TRENT MURPHY: A lot of teams have either a brand for their spread offense, they want to spread you or they have a running team and they want to pound the rock and that's all they want to do and what's unique is they want to pound the rock and move the line of scrimmage but they like to mix in gadgets and explosive plays so it's an interesting combination of the two and you have to stay honest with it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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