TEAM ARRIVAL QUOTES
DECEMBER 27, 2014
LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
OHIO STATE HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
(opening statement) “It’s great to be here and it’s great to represent the Big 10 conference, the Ohio State University and a football team that is very excited to be here. I have made it very clear, I haven’t had to make it very clear, but it has been very clear that this is history. It’s the College Football Playoff and what a great place to have it in New Orleans and at the Sugar Bowl. We are honored to be here.”
(on the demeanor of the team right now and if he likes what he saw before they left home) “I think you know the answer to that, I didn’t like it, I love it and our guys went through finals, went through a couple of phases and Christmas and then came back bright eyed and ready to go. You’d have to really check the pulse of a human being if you’re not in a great mood to be headed where we are headed and that’s the Sugar Bowl against a great team. It’s a playoff and that is the unique thing that we know we do the best we can and win a game, it’s not the end. It is a much different feel than a regular bowl game.”
(on if everyone is here who is expected to be here) “Everybody’s here who should be here. Dontre (Wilson) is 50-50 for the game, he is still in a boot but there are still a few plays we are hoping to get out of him for the game. Everybody else is ready to go.”
(on if he wants his players to have a bowl experience this week or is the mindset more how you would head into a championship game) “It is more of a championship game, you hear the word playoff, I use it a lot; it’s a playoff game. I don’t know if it is a lot different, obviously we are trying to win a game, but it’s just a different feel. I was talking to our strength staff about it and you hear the term playoff and you just know this is not it, there’s one more.”
(on if its concerning that his players haven’t been in a position like this before and Alabama players have) “I am concerned about everything. I am more concerned about the great players they have and I don’t want to de-value the fact that they have been in a championship atmosphere before. Our guys have been there twice now, Big 10 championship game, the last two years, but there is probably a little bit to what you said (about the mental state of the players having been in this position before). There is nothing we can do about that.”
(on what jumps out at him about Alabama) “The quality of players, I think they won the recruiting battles every year for however long it has been and you can see all of the development of players that they have. I think the biggest thing is the depth and rotation of guys that push on the defensive line. That is what for years, in theory, has separated the SEC from other conferences, and you can see it with this team. There are ten to twelve defensive linemen that they play.”
(on if the team has healed up and are fairly healthy after the three weeks off) “Our guys have a lot of pep in their step and I think we have handled it the right way. Obviously, we’ve got one more tough day of practice and then we’ll start to back off and get them ready for the game.”
(on if he has talked to NFL colleagues on how to treat preparation for a playoff/championship format) “I just kept it as we are treating this like a one game season and then worry about next week. There is temptation, I remember in the summer saying maybe you take part of your staff and have them start watching Oregon and Florida State, but there is no way, you just don’t have the man power and certainly not playing the number one team in the country do you worry about anyone else. We are playing ‘Bama.”
(on having a young team and if he is surprised he is here) “Earlier in the year I would have been surprised, but not now because I have seen our team practice and play, and especially after we played in that championship game, I am not surprised anymore. If you would have told me earlier in the year, maybe so, because they weren’t playing like a championship level team. The good thing is I will be back here a couple years in a row because we have a good, young team coming back.”
(on the city having distractions and general rules for his team) “We have had talks and if we have to have a conversation about curfew, there we will be a curfew, there will be bed checks, and we will get beat upside down, inside out if we are worried about that kind of stuff. I don’t think we have to worry about that with this team, but there are rules of where to go and where not to go. We practice in the mornings so there will be early days for our coaches and players so I don’t anticipate an issue.”
(on arriving on a 747 and if he’d call that arriving in style) “First time I have been on one of those, I actually walked upstairs to see what it looks like. Style, I guess.”
(on how he would describe himself physically and emotionally compared to last time he was at the Sugar Bowl) “Well, it was a long time ago. We won the game and played well that day. We played Cincinnati and scored a lot of points. (Tim) Tebow threw for 400 plus yards and that is all I remember about it and it was a great experience.”
(on Cardale Jones) “He is doing well. I’d imagine you will get some time with him this week. He had a great week of practice.”
OHIO STATE DE ADOLPHUS WASHINGTON
(on the team’s attitude as they landed) “We had a very good practice this morning. We are still getting ready and preparing for them. To get to rest on that plane, I hope that helped because that plane was wonderful. We are happy to be down here in New Orleans and are ready to get the job done.”
(on the bowl experience compared to the playoff game) “We are taking a playoff approach to it. It could be a one-and-done game. It’s just a different mentality to play for with the playoff game because you have two things to play for: the bowl game and a national championship game.”
(on the reality of the game now that the team has arrived) “Yeah, it hasn’t kicked in yet because I’m half asleep from getting off the plane. But once we get to the hotel and get moving around, I’m sure it will feel different.”
(on what he sees on film from Alabama that jumps out to him) “They have a lot of explosive players on offense. The receivers, running backs, the quarterback and offensive line are very good. We just have to come out and be on our A game just like we did against Wisconsin. If we played like we did against Wisconsin, we will be fine.”
(on the reaction of the team while practicing after the break) “We didn’t have a bad reaction. On our first day, we were in just shells running around and getting back in shape. I feel like we put together a pretty good practice this morning coming after break. So when we get down here tomorrow to practice, we’ll be fine.”
(on his feelings towards their potential coming of the break and big win in the conference championship) “About Tuesday night of our break, a lot of the guys on the defensive line in our group message were texting each other talking about how we missed each other. We aren’t used to being away from each other for that period of a time throughout the season. So I think that our guys are anxious to get back together to get this win against Alabama.”
(on the mindset of the team) “The mindset of this team is to go out there and win. We are very confident in what we are doing. Everyone knows about Alabama, how they are and how they win championships. But we feel like if we come out there and play the way we did against Wisconsin, there isn’t anything that we should worry about. And the way we prepare, there isn’t any reason to worry about what they do; it is about what we do.”
OHIO STATE TIGHT END NICK VANNETT
(on the team rules coming into the game) “We’re taking a business approach to it, but at the same time we’re going to have fun. We’re going to enjoy the Sugar Bowl, but it’s a business trip. We have a goal; we’re going to do our best to achieve it.”
(on what they got done most in Columbus the last 2 weeks) “We worked on the fundamentals. We had so much time off, the whole month, just to work on things. We kind of referred back to the fundamentals and studied the game plan this past week. I think we’ve done a really good job preparing for them.”
(on studying Alabama on film and how they match up) “They’re a heck of a team, but at the same time they’re playing a good team too. I think it’s going to be a great match up. We’re excited for the game. We can’t wait.”
(on what it means to him to be part of first College Football Playoff) “It’s exciting. I think we’re all excited that we’re representing the first ever college football playoffs. But like I said, we’re taking a business approach to this and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
(on if they have gotten over the shock of getting here to the playoff game) “I don’t know if it was so much shock. I think after the game we played in the Big 10 championship, there’s no way they’re going to let us out of this game. I think it’s going to be a great matchup. We prepared for them well, I’m sure they prepared for us well. So you know it’s going to be war out there.”
(on the team mindset about being an underdog in this game) “We were the underdog last time, you saw that, but we’re not really too worried about that. We’re focused on just preparing for ‘Bama and like I said I think we’ve done a really good job doing that. Come January 1st, we’ll see what happens.”
(on if at this point there are any underdogs) “You can look at it that way, but I think these are the top 4 college football teams in America. I think they are all evenly matched, so if there is an underdog, I don’t think they’re too much under the line than the other team so I think we’re evenly matched with Alabama. It’s going be a great show.”
(on Cardale Jones and what he expects out of him since he had a month to prepare) “He has a lot of charisma to him; even at practice he’s got a lot of confidence in himself. And it’s easy to have a guy like that for other guys to find confidence in him. It’s been easy offensively when you have a guy to step into the role, take the leadership role and live up to it. He’s done a really good job being a leader for the team and moving our offense forward.”
ALABAMA HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
(opening statement) “First of all I’d like to wish a Happy Holiday. I hope your holiday has been wonderful to this point. I’d like to give a special thanks to the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the city of New Orleans for creating a great bowl week for our team. We have a great history at the University of Alabama and the Sugar Bowl. We have the most appearances, fourteen, most victories, eight. There’s a lot of history here and we’ve had great relationships will people who provide the great hospitality to our team, so we’re very appreciative of that.
“I’m also very proud of what our team has been able to accomplish this year. I think this team started out and didn’t know for sure what we were going to do, but with a lot of hard work and dedication. Our team has gone through a lot of adversity and now we have a tremendous opportunity to play an outstanding Ohio State team. I’m really proud of our team and the way they’ve represented the university off the field, as well as on. The fact that we’ve had twenty two graduates which I think is first and seven master’s degrees, which is also a first, speaks a lot to the quality and character of our players and creating an environment to help our players be successful as people, as students, and as football players. The focus here is something I think will be very important. I think maintaining intensity for a bowl game is one of the critical factors for any team in terms of their ability to get back to playing the kind of football that got them here. It’s also important that when you have a lot of time to prepare to expect the unexpected in terms of what the other team might do that you need to prepare and adjust to be in control and command how that affects you. Discipline is always very important when you haven’t played a game in a long time. It’s important to play with the discipline and eye control no matter what position you play so you have the chance to play sound fundamentally playing against a very good football team.”
(on having his players play in this type of environment before will be beneficial) “I really can’t speak to that. Truth is, anytime you can gain experience in situations like that you hope your players will handle it the right way because they’ve done it before and they understand what it takes. Sometimes we’ve had success in these situations and played really well and sometimes we haven’t played so well. Hopefully our players understand the difference between the two and what has made the difference in how we’ve performed and we can stay focused on the things that will help us play well.”
(on what they saw in terms of focus from the team in previous two weeks) “I think the players have done a great job before the holidays. Everybody enjoyed the three day break we had and came back with very good energy and enthusiasm.”
(on assistant coach Lane Kiffin) “He’s done a fantastic job on what we’ve asked him to do as offensive coordinator. I’m sure some of his head coaching experiences all contribute to his ability to teach and handle players. He does a good job organizationally with the staff. I’m sure the opportunity to be a head coach has enhanced that. He’s always been a very bright guy as an offensive coach and has done a fantastic job with our players. If you continue to have success and do a good job at what you’re doing, it’s going to create opportunities for you in the future. I certainly think that would be the case with Lane.”
(on what stands out about Ohio State the more he has seen them) “They’re an outstanding team in every phase of the game. They do a great job on special teams, they have good players, good team speed. They’re very well coached and offensively they’re very productive. Amazing they’ve used three different guys at the quarterback position and all have been very productive. It speaks well to their staff and how they use their players. They have an outstanding running back. They have at least three really good receivers that complement each other very well and have the capability to make explosive plays and create balance on offense. I think they’re defensive front is very physical and played hard against the running game. They’ve been aggressive with turnovers and hard to score on. I don’t think there’s any team that gets to here that is not a really good team. They’re all really well coached and it’s pretty typical of an Urban Meyer team.”
(on the extra days off and effect on T.J. Yeldon) “He’s practiced the last two days and we’ll continue to work him. Hopefully he’ll continue to progress with the significant time off and make a contribution in the game.”
(on the challenges of playing a QB that’s only played one game) “I think the challenge is more the type of quarterback. They’ve done a great job with having a dual threat quarterback which is kind of a trademark of how they’ve played offense. Their quarterback has made a lot of plays throwing the ball, but they also make a lot of plays running the ball. How much they’ll do that with this particular guy is the question relative to what his strengths are. I think he demonstrated in the Wisconsin game he’s a very capable player and certainly a very good passer and they have the skill guys on the back end to make you pay in terms of making explosive plays.”
(on handling the structure of playing in a playoff and any differences in preparation) “None at all. I treat it like the playoffs in the fact that there’s only one game this week and that’s the only one that matters. If you don’t play well in that game and have success you don’t get to play in the next game. That’s how our focus and approach has been for this game. We’ve played thirteen games and this is the fourteenth one, it’s the most important to play their destined fourteenth game and prepare themselves to do that. And then if you have success you worry about the next game, but other than that I don’t know if it makes a whole lot of difference because it’s all about this game.”
ALABAMA SS LANDON COLLINS
(on being a part of college football history) “I love it. I ‘m glad to be a part of history. It’s going to be a fantastic moment for us and for this team.”
(on getting to play in front of his family) “It’s fantastic. It’s great to be down close to home. I’ll definitely get my shot to perform in front of them. It’s going to be a great experience. It’s good to be back.”
(on the team’s thoughts on Ohio State) “They are an excellent team. They play well. They play fast. It’s a great team to watch and we’re excited to get a shot at them.”
(on the feelings towards the playoff game) “Right now, it feels like business, and that is how we are going to treat it. We know what we have to do, so hopefully we bring home that win and move on to the next one.”
(on how last year has any effect on this game) “Last year, we worked hard to get to where we got, and we don’t want to experience what we experienced last year. We want to have a purpose for why we are here.”
(on the talk of the expansion of the playoff and compensation of players) “I don’t really want to talk about that. I’m not really in tune with all of that. Right now, I just want to play ball. Our coaches and association will deal with all of that.”
ALABAMA WR AMARI COOPER
(on how it feels different this year being a playoff game compared to last year) “I honestly don’t feel much of a difference. We came up here last year on a mission to win and it’s the same mission this year.”
(on if there is anything the team learned from last year in bowl season) “Anytime you have a goal and you don’t accomplish it, you feel like there’s something that you did wrong in the process of getting there. We’re just trying to do everything right in the process of getting there.”
(on how difficult it is to keep your feet on the ground and not get distracted) “I’ve always kept in mind, team first. You have one goal and you want to win a national championship, so that’s always been in the back of my mind.”
(on what jumps out at him about OSU’s defense) “They’re all good. They have a great defensive line. They have some really good cornerbacks.”
(on how last year’s loss helped him to improve for this year) “You could say that we learned from it, but we played many games after that, so we kind of forgot about it.”
(on if the team has laid down rules amongst themselves for keeping concentration) “We just have curfew, have to be in at a certain time.”
(on how he feels about being part of the first playoff game) “Right now it feels like, it’s always felt like. But I feel like in the future some time, maybe later on it’ll be something we can sit back and be proud of. Like I said, right now, the playoff game hasn’t really hit me, but I think later on, in the future we’ll be able to sit back and say we were one of the first teams in the college football playoffs.”
(on if it is hard to find ways to make sure you get the touches you need in the game) “You know, it’s a long game, sometimes you may not get the touches you want in the first quarter, second quarter or even the third quarter, but the fourth quarter is long also. It depends on the way the offense is going, how many plays we get in a certain series, and the down and distance. Sometimes you have to throw the ball; there are a lot of different things.”
(on how it feels practicing with Landon) “He’s great. Landon’s a great player. He’s a huge hitter, but I don’t get to see that part of him in practice, you know, lucky for me. I don’t really get to go up against him in a lot of man on man situations, it’s primarily the cornerback. I see enough of him in the game though and he’s a great player.”
