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NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY BOWL: ARIZONA STATE v TEXAS TECHDecember 30, 2013Alden DarbyTodd GrahamTaylor KellySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA Texas Tech: 37 TODD GRAHAM: Congratulations to Coach Kliff Kingsbury and Texas Tech. They came to play. They out played us. Congratulate them, they deserve a lot of credit. Very embarrassed for our program. As coaches we didn't have our guys prepared to play. We didn't see anything, really, we didn't practice, we didn't come prepared to play and that's our job as coaches. So I'm appreciative to the 22,000 sun devils that showed up today. We made a lot of progress this year, 10‑win season, a lot to be proud of but today, I apologized to our players we didn't have 'em prepared to play but don't take anything away from Texas Tech. They came, they lost five in a row, they came to win, they came to play, and, you know, our guys, we made the most‑‑ the worst half of football we have had defensively all year, just didn't have 'em prepared, seven critical errors in the first half. You gotta give them credit. They had guys make plays, I knew they had good skill players on offense, hit us on two bombs there in the first half, settled down the second half, did a good job and gave a kick‑off return to their back‑up returner. That is completely unacceptable. We have a lot of things to work on on special teams, that will be dealt with immediately and that will be something I take a personal interest in, that has killed our team, we've lost three ballgames this year because of that and it's a majority contributor today. I'm ultimately responsible, but I was embarrassed for our fans that showed up today that we did such a poor job of having our guys prepared to play. Love these players, tremendous group of seniors, guys gave us everything they had. Really proud of them, absolutely zero excuses just didn't show up as a coaching staff and didn't have our guys prepared to play. Q. Did you feel like there was a lull when you came out from the Pac 12 championship? TODD GRAHAM: I thought we played poorly in the last two games. They had a lot of energy, we gave up more third down, second down and 15s, third down and 10s, just absolutely‑‑ third down and 2, we're ten yards off guys, that's coaching. That's a linemen error, simple stuff. Don't matter who is picked. You know what? It's not the players' fault, that's why they hire coaches, to get your guys ready to play. We didn't get our guys ready to play and on the other hand the other team did. One of the things I believe in is great sportsmanship and you get your tail whipped you congratulate the other team, the other coach and first class guy. I have enjoyed this week, the red‑coats were incredible, best bowl experience that I've ever had up until today and one of the worst ones I had today. Again, I want to thank our sun devil fans for coming out strong and I think there was a tremendous atmosphere and I want to thank those seniors. They're special to me. I told them that I felt like we let 'em down today and obviously didn't do a good job of preparation but those guys have been unbelievable. It's a great time to be a sun devil, a lot of things going on, great recruiting class we're putting together, these guys set a legacy of ten wins and Pac 12 South Champions so anything less than 11 wins, a disappointment. Lots of work to do, it's about as ugly of a game‑‑ offensively, defensively, I give their defense great credit. We couldn't do anything consistently offensively tonight, either. I think we settled down‑‑ I really thought we would take the opening drive and go down and score and make it a 7‑point game. We do that and then they run the kick‑off back for a touchdown which is just‑‑ can't have that, we have had too much of that this year and it's very disappointing. Q. Coach, when you have Marion and D.J. on the field at the same time it allows you to do more offensively. How much was Marion missed tonight and in the previous two games? TODD GRAHAM: He's one of the top scorers in the country and he's a guy we miss. D.J. was a little banged up, that hurt, too. We had a walk‑on playing the last couple of series. But, again, I mean, we didn't protect our quarterback. We took too many negative yardage plays. We just didn't play very well and I think that had a lot to do with Texas Tech and the energy they were playing with. This game is made to be played with a great passion and you gotta bring it every single game. They brought it. They were the more passionate team today and, again, disappoint for our fans. We should have had our team better prepared. Q. Coach did they do anything defensively that surprised you in the passing game specifically or did you not execute on offense? TODD GRAHAM: We didn't protect our quarterback and probably as bad as‑‑ in a game I have seen. We had guys running off the edge, completely unblocked. We had more mental errors, which has everything to do with preparation. They were running simple stunts, we knew they were going to do those things. Again, poor job of preparing. Defensively, I didn't feel like they did anything that we didn't prepare for. They really never‑‑ they just threw the ball over the top of us and we went in the game that was our single plan is to vertical cut the guys off. We're playing too high most of the game. We just did a poor job. Q. The last series of the first half when you moved inside the 5 and didn't come away with any points. What were the breakdowns there? TODD GRAHAM: You can't take a sack. We call a time‑out and tell 'em, "don't take a sack" then you have to go NASCAR field goal and you have to rush and we miss it. That's poor management on our part and we had to burn time‑outs early because we couldn't get lined up. They were going fast and the tempo was a major issue. It's hard to practice that but we talked about it. Again, we weren't prepared to play in any area. I am proud of those seniors. I'm proud of‑‑ like I told you, how these guys matured and this group has a lot to be proud of but today is not one of 'em. As a coach I told them again that's 100% responsible. Q. Todd, did you sense that your team was ready? TODD GRAHAM: I don't know. I don't know what that means. Sometimes when I sense they're ready they're not. I don't know how you can't be. Coming into a game like that. These guys have given me everything they've got and I've given them everything I've got and we had the worst half we have had defensively all year and ultimately I'm responsible for that. Like I said, I just didn't have 'em prepared. I don't know, Doug. Sometimes I sense that they're really ready and I never know. This game is not about how you run out of the tunnel, it's a four and a half hour game. You win and lose games like this, championship games, we've lost two straight. It's about preparation. It's about how you prepare. What the mental focus is. I don't apologize‑‑ I put all the marbles in one basket and you guys know that. Our goal was to win the Pac 12 Championship and obviously progress from there. I don't think that because I did that that‑‑ I don't apologize for that one by the, that's why we won ten football games. He we did a poor job of coaching, number one, and we did a poor job of executing and you have to give the other team credit because they came out with passion and a plan and they executed and you gotta give them credit. Q. Coach, so much positive happened this year and you had so much momentum into the last two games, how does this affect that‑‑ TODD GRAHAM: I don't think it does. There is a lot to be proud of. We're building something very, very special. We have a lot of momentum, you see the type of support that we had today. I think 22,000 fans showed up and that's a pretty good following. I could hear‑‑ I appreciate so much the fans as we're running off the field, both games I could hear them saying "thank you seniors" I appreciate that. Obviously I want our fans to be disappointed. Every one of our players are disappointed. I'm disappointed, but we're 10‑4 football team. That's a heck of a football team. That's a heck of a season. It's not a great season it's a good season. Pac 12 South Champions, that's one of our goals accomplished. Have we progressed forward, are we in great shape? Yes, we are. And these seniors that leave us have done a tremendous‑‑ to be where we are at in year two and to be in the Pac 12 championship and to win ten football games with one of the toughest schedules in America was today disappointing? Yes, it was. It was extremely disappointing. We wanted that 11th win. But we're in great shape. These guys moved this program forward in a rapid way and today was about, for whatever reason, whether it be, you know, I don't know‑‑ I'm not‑‑ you know, I've got a minor in psychology not a degree in psychology, but I'll tell you that for whatever reason we didn't respond very well coming off the loss of the championship game and as a coaching staff we did a very poor job of getting our guys prepared to play because we did not play well today in any area. THE MODERATOR: Questions for student athletes. Q. Taylor you had a big game running the ball but what did you see in your defense that made you keep on keeping the ball? TAYLOR KELLY: They kept dropping back in the coverage, dropping 8 and rushing three or four and they were doing a good job of taking, you know, away, the inside guys and having me have to hit the check down or run. Q. Alden they didn't announce their starting quarterback until this morning or even today. Was that difficult preparing for two quarterbacks rather than one? Did that affect your day? ALDEN DARBY: Not at all. It's not a difference. They both were pocket passers, didn't make a difference at all, honestly. Q. Taylor, can you take us inside the sequence right before the end of the half down there on the goal line, why you took the sack and weren't able to kill the clock? TAYLOR KELLY: That's one of those situations where I got to be more aware of‑‑ not take a sack when there is no time outs and there are 30 seconds left on the clock and throw it in the back of the end zone. I thought I saw a crease but I've got to be smarter in that situation and just throw it away. Q. You ran a corner and you came down and covered the receiver on the hitch. They came back and ran the hitch and go. What did you see on that one? ALDEN DARBY: I knew‑‑ I expected them to throw hots, that's something I seen on film and they do that when they get pressure is throw hots. But when I came down to cover the receiver, the quarterback, he didn't really pump. The way his body language was, it said that he wanted to throw that hitch, but I sat on it, I didn't jump and the receiver I guess they were noticed and he took off running and they threw it over the top. Q. Taylor a few weeks ago you had as separations of the Rose Bowl and now you end the year with two losses. What's your feeling on that? TAYLOR KELLY: That's hard for our seniors to end on two losses but we had a great energy the week of practice, preparation, I think, and guys were ready for this game and we just didn't execute. Texas Tech did a great job of preparing. They had a great game plan defensively and offensively and the kicking game, so we gotta be better and move on for next season. Q. Alden you made uncharacteristic mistakes on both sides of the ball. Do you think coming off the Pac 12 championship game, do you think that was a factor at all? ALDEN DARBY: No, that wasn't a factor. That was thirty days ago. Mainly what it was, we were rusty, that's for sure. We kept taking all night "it's been a while" but that's no excuse. They executed, certain times we didn't play to our leverage right and they executed and took advantage of our mistakes and they did a very good job. Q. Coach Graham came in here and blamed the coaching staff and blamed himself for not preparing you guys. Do you feel that was the case? ALDEN DARBY: You can say what you want about the coaching but we're the ones on the field playing. We're the ones making the plays, that's us. There is really no bad calls. There is a better call but there is no bad calls, really. You can't blame the coaches, we're out there playing the game. TAYLOR KELLY: Just what Darby said, they came out with energy, Texas Tech, and they prepared better than we did. They had a great game plan and executed. Q. Taylor, the offense was struggling on third downs, was it something you were doing or were they keeping you guys off the field? TAYLOR KELLY: A lot of MAs, but our guys had mental errors and also with Texas Tech, they did a great job of stemming their line, doing different things and we just gotta minimize those MAs and play our game and we'll execute those third downs. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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