|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
VIZIO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: AUBURN v FLORIDA STATEJanuary 2, 2014Tre MasonPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. Hey, Tre. Your dad said you took no time off? TRE MASON: As soon as I got home I was back in the gym. I had to work out and stay in shape. This is more important to me. Q. What's this last couple weeks been like for you? You sort of blew up at the end of the season there. Are you more recognizable now? Do you get stopped on campus more often? TRE MASON: Yeah, that starts to happen in and out of state, Florida and when I went to New York. I didn't know people were going to notice me like that, but it's been different. Q. Have you asked your dad how do you deal with this, because he's been dealing with it since high school? TRE MASON: Yeah, he's been dealing with it since high school. He's been coaching me up on how to handle it. But he's been doing that since I was little, so it's kind of nothing new to me. I've been watching him. Q. He's played Madison Square Garden and every big‑‑ the Apollo and all of that, and now you've played in Bryant‑Denny Stadium and been to the Heisman. Is there anything similar about that? Is it getting to live out your dream on a big stage? TRE MASON: Growing up I'd seen him play on big stages like that, like in Madison Square Garden and things like that. I just always had a dream of being that star on that type of big stage one day, and it happened. And God blessed me with that opportunity. Q. You didn't play football your freshman year in high school, did you? TRE MASON: No, I did not. Q. Mom talked you into it? TRE MASON: Yeah, I had stopped playing in 8th grade. I was like I'm done. I'm going to play basketball. I just went to a game one time in ninth grade, and I was like I think I can do this. I think I can dominate it, and I came back and it happened. Q. You talk about playing basketball, how good were your handles? You played point guard in high school? TRE MASON: Man, I was Iverson, man. (Laughing), no I was pretty good. I was all right. Q. Why did you quit playing football? TRE MASON: I don't know. I don't have a reason why. I was young. I always had a dream of playing basketball, but coming into reality I'm not 6'8". Q. What was the deal with the box jumping when you were in high school? You were like jumping like the boxes and you were jumping over them or jumping on top of them? I read your high school coach mentioned that? TRE MASON: Yeah, I remember that. It was the off‑season coming in, and they were doing like really high box jumps. And me and my friend Demaris we were just jumping over the boxes. Just testing ourselves. I guess Coach Dobbs got pretty impressed. Q. You know that's not normal, right? How big were the boxes? TRE MASON: I have no clue. It was like probably a little above half the size of me. Q. You came in knowing about the history of Auburn running back ties and being a big part of that group when people talk about backs from here on your name will be mentioned. TRE MASON: It's great. I feel like we worked hard as a team to get here to this point so being among those guys like Bo Jackson and Rodney Brown it's a blessing. I'm going to continue to work hard until the season is over with and try to surpass both. Q. What was it like? I'm sure he talked to you after the SEC Championship game. What was that like? He was really into that game and seeing you have that kind of day. What was that talk like after the game? TRE MASON: It was very motivating. He kept me focused and ready to go all game. Kept giving me tips throughout the whole game because he watches me like a hawk. So he focused on me through the start of the game to the finish. Q. So what is the one thing that you remember? TRE MASON: Run north and south. Don't waste no extra movement going east and west, run right at them. Q. Everybody talks about you and Nick, and your motion shifts. How physical is your offensive line? How physical have those guys played all year long? TRE MASON: The hogs up front, those guys get the job done, all starting five. Starting from Greg Robinson, Reese Dismukes, Avery Young, those guys. I feel like as soon as they get contact, they get a great push. Q. I saw a stat where you guys were at the top of the country in yards before initial contact which speaks directly to the job they're doing up front. TRE MASON: Yeah, they make tremendous holes for us. It makes our job easier, but we work hard together as a team. Once they start clicking, that's when everyone else starts clicking.  They're the heartbeat of the offense. Q. The way you guys were playing there in the SEC, I know it's been four weeks, but the way you guys were working on offense, it's almost like a machine the way you run the football. Was it like being back being a shooter where the rim just seems like it's the Pacific Ocean? Was everything working for you guys? TRE MASON: Yeah, it started to click. It was like catching a rhythm. We know this once we catch our rhythm it's kind of hard for us to stop. We can also throw a couple passes in there, but those guys up front are the key on the offense. Q. Did it start to click at the Tennessee game? You guys were obviously run heavy. Was there a moment or meeting or philosophy change? Because you did become run heavy in the second half. TRE MASON: I'd say the Texas A&M game in the fourth quarter. We just ran the ball to the end of the game. Q. What was that open week like after LSU? That was like when they changed the offensive philosophy, right? TRE MASON: Yeah, a little bit. Q. Did they tell you guys we were going to run more? We liked the way this is going to work? TRE MASON: Well since the beginning of the season Coach Malzahn told us we're a run set offense. So we were still trying to figure out our identity, and we started running the ball like that, and we figured that's our strength. So we're going to continue to do that. Q. How good of chemistry do you have with that offense? Is it just repetition in practice where you get a feel for each other? TRE MASON: Yeah, me and Nick are always together. He's like my brother. We know each other's tendencies. Sometimes when he's not supposed to pull it, he pulls it because he feels he can get around the edge. It's just a great chemistry we have going on. It works out. Q. You talked about the rhythm a minute ago. The rhythm you've had? I guess it's a big question. When you take four weeks off can you get that rhythm back? How difficult is it to get that rhythm back offensively? TRE MASON: I feel it's a mindset. How bad do you want this win? How bad do you want to be successful? I feel like if we want it bad enough, we're going to find that rhythm, and we should be successful if we want it bad enough. Q. I've talked to some people, people who watch you for the first time and say one of the best parts about the offense is they can't tell where the ball's going on the snap. Do you have people off the field tell you that? Like I know where y'all are going sometimes. I can't find the ball. TRE MASON: Yeah, people back at home, when I went home they also said that sometimes it takes them a minute to react to where is the ball, because they were telling me like because a lot of us have so much speed that it's like choreographed. You fake it to him, and you don't know if he has it or not if Nick pulls it because Nick is also fast. Q. Sometimes you don't know if he decides to pull it, right? TRE MASON: Yeah, I just go through my progression. That's pretty much what I do. Q. He didn't go through spring and shows up in August. What were your first impressions? TRE MASON: I kind of knew Nick before he came in. He was always, you know, we were always kind of close and tight. But I knew he was very athletic. He can play basketball and football. I knew he was going to be athletic. I've seen his tapes. He's going to be like a Michael Vick kind of guy, but I never knew he was going to run like this. Q. You're going from when he got recruited? TRE MASON: Yeah, I met him through Quan Bray. Q. What was it after the LSU game? What made you think you could win the rest of these things? TRE MASON: After that game, there was a lot of disappointment, but we also learned from that game. Losing that game helped us in a way because we found out how to win in a close game toward the end of the game and in bad situations and bad weather and playing on the road. So that was pretty much a stepping stool for us moving on towards the end of the season. Q. I was at that game, it looked like they were going to blow you out of the place in the second half. But you guys didn't will. How much did you dig down in the second half and hung in there and how much did that help springboard to where you guys are right now? TRE MASON: Coach Malzahn looks to me as a leader. We're not going to stop until the clock hits zero. At halftime I was in the locker room, and I had said to the guys we didn't come all the way here to lose the game. We are going to come out and in our head the score is zero‑zero, and we are going to play like the score is zero, zero. Don't look at the clock, just make sure you give it everything you have until the clock hits zero. Q. Did Nick do all these things in practice? TRE MASON: No, he does everything in practice. He works so hard. He has a great work ethic. Q. Are there things we see during games that you see? TRE MASON: Yes, those amazing throws at the end of practice when we do situations, he does it in practice. To me, it's still shocking in the game when it happens, but I'm thinking to myself, yeah, he practiced this. His work ethic is great. Q. Did you do anything that kind of simulated the Georgia play or the Alabama play? TRE MASON: We have before. We have simulated things like that. Q. Did you think this is never going to happen? TRE MASON: No, we didn't call‑‑ well, he wasn't supposed to be in on that. When he came it was like, coach, throw me the ball. We didn't practice on people calling for the ball, but that was just an amazing play. We can't simulate that. Q. Were you on the field for that play? Take us through what happened with you and how you thought it would happen? TRE MASON: From the huddle, for some reason a lot of us weren't‑‑ we weren't shaken that we were down. We just, Ricardo was angry. He came from the sideline. He was standing away from the huddle, and he was like, Coach, give me the ball. He just walked into the huddle and said, Coach, give me the ball. To everybody he was like, Coach, throw me the ball, Nick throw me the ball. And Coach put him in the game. We ran on the field. We were all saying a quick little prayer, and the ball is hiked, and I just go through my progressions and make sure no one blitzes. Make sure Nick has time and get out to my route. As soon as I turn around, I see the ball in the air and I just turn around. At first I'm thinking they might intercept this pass. Then it was tipped out of his hands and I was like, if he looks up he's going to catch this, and he did. And I just jumped in the air. Q. Did you know that Sammie was open? Did you see the film after? TRE MASON: I didn't know during the game. But Nick's the type of guy he's going to go for it all. He's going to go for it all. I knew I was going for the deep ball. After watching the film, we saw that Sammie was open as well. It was a great play call by Coach Malzahn and coach Lashlee. Q. He's your quarterback, but why are you guys so close personally? TRE MASON: I would just say personality‑wise. We're all goofy. We all love to play around and all love to have fun. Q. Do you have a feel for the Auburn family and people at Auburn and what the season has meant to them in that State and throughout Alabama having their way the last few years, this turnaround this season and this opportunity to play for a title, what's it's meant to the Auburn family and community? TRE MASON: To me, I felt like it meant a lot to them because we owe them that. Putting them through what we did last year, we owe them a season like this. It makes me happy as a player to see our fans happy. To know that when we walk around, they're smiling and happy to see us win. That's what makes me happy and keeps me pushing. Q. How hard was it to be an Auburn fan and player connected to that university with Alabama sort of riding your strings the next day? TRE MASON: It's pretty tough. Meeting guys like A.J. McCarron, he's a humble guy. He made me a fan. He's a fan of Auburn, I'm a fan of Alabama just because of this relationship that we have. Q. How does it feel to go from what you've experienced last year to where you are now playing for the national title? TRE MASON: It motivated us greatly. Coming into this season, we had something to prove and we still have something to prove. Coach Malzahn came in and said we're going to have the biggest turnaround in college football, and he kept his word to it. Q. He actually said those words? TRE MASON: He said that the first team meeting we had. He said we're going to have the biggest turn around in college football, and we took it day by day. Q. You guys (No microphone) that once‑in‑a‑lifetime play. Take me through the last second of Alabama. Are you on the sidelines there? TRE MASON: Yeah, I'm on the sidelines. At first I noticed no one is back deep. I'm like, wait, can we return this? As soon as I'm thinking about, that, there is a timeout called and Cris Davis goes back there. I'm thinking if he makes this, we play a good game, but we really wanted to win. But I seen it short and Chris caught it, and he's just running down the sidelines. Looking at his momentum, I think he's going out of bounds, but he turned on some speed like I've never seen before. I guess there was a picture out there, and my jaw dropped to the ground. He hit the corner pass more than I've ever seen him run. It felt like the floor was shaking, it that's how loud it was. Q. From your vantage point, that is one of the places you just don't hardly ever see, let's face it. They almost were in shock that he was headed down the sideline and maybe going to score? TRE MASON: We were in as much shock as them. We didn't practice that and never went through that situation before. Never. We knew he was our best return man, and it was returnable if he catches it. Q. Florida State trying to simulate that in practice, but it seems you guys are running the ball four or five times. Did it against Missouri and I think against Alabama, five or six plays. Do you ever get tired when they call? I know that's a line call to get up there. TRE MASON: Of course, I get tired, but I think adrenaline takes over. We practice fast‑paced all year long. We feel we're in great shape. Of course we get tired, but that is part of the game. Q. There was one run I think it's 40‑something yards against Missouri. Then the next two plays you carried it again and gained four or five yards. What is going through your mind? Do you want the ball in that situation? TRE MASON: Yeah, I wanted the ball right away. You know, I feel like if I can break off one, I can break off another. We practiced that. Coach Malzahn is a great coach. He puts us through all types of situations that I feel like no other coach thinks about. We'll hear the big play and go ahead and run a play really fast right after that. So a lot of us are conditioned for that and ready for it. Q. Do you see him before games when he walks the field? Have you are seen him do this? He like benchmarks. He'll go to the hash mark and look down at the grass. Have you seen him do that? Do you know what goes through his mind? TRE MASON: Yeah, I've seen him do that. No telling, no telling. Q. Do you know a bunch of the guys from Florida State going back to high school? TRE MASON: Yeah, I know a bunch of those guys. I'm really good friends with Carlos Williams, Terrance Brooks, Lamarcus Joyner, Lamarcus Brutus. I know a lot of them. Kelvin Benjamin. I'm from the same county as Kelvin Benjamin. I'm really close with those guys. It's a blessing to play those guys and it's going to be a fun experience. Q. I know Florida football players take a lot of pride in their state. What's it been like going from that to the state of Alabama where the Iron Bowl is kind of the rivalry now in college football and National Championship seems to be on the line every year? TRE MASON: You know, a lot of the Florida guys on our team, we take pride in our state. We're always bragging on our state. But this is the Florida guys Iron Bowl. This is our Iron Bowl because we're playing our state. I think there are like 20‑something players just from Palm Beach County where I'm from. You know, I think this is our rivalry game. This is big to us. Q. How much fun is it to listen to the back and forth between Coach Malzahn and Coach Lashlee on the sidelines during the game? TRE MASON: It is funny. Those guys together are a great combo. They're both gurus and great at what they do. So when they're picking the play, I know it's going to be the right play. Q. C.J. says they're like an old married couple. Is that a good description? TRE MASON: I guess so. That guy is funny. Q. What makes Coach Lashlee stand out? You said he's a guru himself. He probably doesn't get much credit because everybody knows Coach Malzahn as an offensive guy? TRE MASON: Coach Lashlee, if he was left up to call the plays, it would be probably the same exact plays. He's a great coach. When he decides, he's going to put us in the right position to have a great play and great success at what we do. I'm just happy to have him as a coach. He's just a younger Malzahn. Q. Is he destined to be a head coach himself? TRE MASON: I could see that one day. Q. Sorry to ask you this, but what music is on your phone right now? TRE MASON: A little bit of everything. Growing up with my dad being who he is, a little bit of everything from country to rap. Q. Country? What country have you got on there? TRE MASON: I like Darius Rucker. He's good. Guys like that. Q. Your dad try to get you into Big Daddy Pain? TRE MASON: Of course he tried to. But I always said that's not my era, Dad. That's not my era. Q. Talk about this offensive line and what do you see running behind him? Obviously it's such a big match‑up heading into Florida State? TRE MASON: He's also like the quarterback of our offense. He touches the ball before everyone. He identifies people. It starts with him. He makes the identifications and gets the initial push. He's a great asset to our team. Q. Do you see him going against Jernigan and that being a key battle in this game? TRE MASON: Oh, yeah, of course. Both of those guys are very talented and that's going to be a great match‑up. Q. What do you do before the snap to avoid showing the defense what's coming? You're involved in so many plays, have so many runs. Is there anything you have to do to uphold that misdirection or whatever you want to call it? TRE MASON: Well, you know, just watching other pros and taking tips from guys like Bo Jackson and Cam Newton, those guys always told me keep your eyes directed down the middle of the field. Most backs will look where they're going to go, and I refrain from doing that. That is one of the main tips that I took from those guys because there is a tendency for a back to look where he's going to go, and that makes it easier for a defense to be there before you're there. Q. Is that a discipline that you have to remind yourself of that during games or is it instinct now? TRE MASON: Now it's instinct. But in the beginning of the season and beginning of last year it was a lot. I had to remind myself. It's just a discipline thing. Q. One of the things they were talking about was simulating the pace, and they haven't done a whole lot of it. But how teams come into play, and we practice pace, we practice pace. It seems they're still not ready for you guys bring at them. How have you been able to do the pace that you do and get used to it? And do you think they really are used to what you can bring? TRE MASON: Well, that's a very good team. That's a very talented team. They're coached very well and they're great at what we do, but I feel we're great at what we do. We feel that's our edge. They're great at what they do which is spread the ball out. They have great receivers, great at passing the ball and running the ball. So we just feel that we're great at running our pace. It's pretty hard to simulate when we've been doing it all year. I'm pretty sure they're coached up very well by Coach Fisher. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|