Gene Chizik has come and gone. Here's what he had to say:
- "Oregon is an extremely well-coached, talented football team in every aspect."
- "It's becoming increasingly clear that this is not a good team, but a great team, top to bottom."
- Said team will go in full pads today, get back in the physical mindset.
- Couldn't come up with a good comparison for Oregon. "I think this is a very unique team all the way around, offensively and defensively."
- On changing sub pattern to keep up with Oregon's fast offense: "There can't be any hesitation, and if you're trying to match their personnel group every time, you can be in trouble."
- On keeping offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn: "It's very important for us to keep the continuity of this staff."
- On DT Nick Fairley: "When he first got to Auburn, I think things were moving really fast. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time." Said you could see glimpses of how special he could be at the end of last year.
- On how to keep unscrupulous people from talking to Cam Newton and Fairley about the NFL in the upcoming weeks: "Education. That's what we've got to do. And then they've got to have a commitment to the football team, to the university, to their coaches. It's just that simple." Said the players have a responsibility to not engage in those talks, too.
- On how Cal stopped Oregon. "You've got to work within the realm of who you are and what you do. Cal did a great job within their scheme of slowing the offense down. ... There are some things obviously you can take from that. But at the end of the day, you've got to stick to what you're comfortable with."
- On if he's seen a team have more explosive plays than Oregon's special teams: "I don't think I have."
- On Oregon's small but quick defensive front: "Whatever they don't have in size, they have in speed. ... They're extremely aggressive and hard to block. They play hard and fly to the football."
- Team goes off game film for preparation. Doesn't seek advice from other coaches.
- On Auburn's walk-ons: "Can't do it without them." Says he has a high level of respect for them.
- On getting to the title game so quick in his tenure: "Obviously this is the goal of everybody. It's obvious what it does for your program in terms of exposure. I think it helps in every way shape and form for our program."
- Asked about Cam Newton's highs and lows this year. Chizik: "I don't recall a lot of lows with him. I just remember a lot of highs."
- On being favored to win this game after being underdogs for most of the season: "I don't think our team pays a lot of attention to the outside opinions. ... None of the outside stuff or anyone's opinion is really taken into consideration in the first 13 games. Our team knows that the bottom line is the preparation we do right now and execution in the game is the only thing that matters for us to go out and win."
Bonus
Cam Newton at the podium:
- On if this is a team of destiny: 'At times I do. But I think hard work pays off."
- On his travels: "It was fun. Anytime I get back with this team I feel a vibe, because I look at it as though we're a close-knit family. And there's no other place I'd rather be than with this team."
- On the o-line: "At times they make holes as big that all of us can fit in."
- On if this "This is a team full of guys who are very relentless. We refuse to lose."
- On his favorite play: "I hope my favorite play comes in this BCS championship."
- On how to game plan for Oregon's defense: "I don't game plan. I'm just going to do what coach Malzahn tells me to do." Said Ducks defense is underrated.
- On not getting overwhelmed by the moment: "Coach Malzahn always says the moment can never be too big for a player on our team to make a play."
- On knocking off the rust: "(Saturday), we looked like we hadn't practiced in two weeks."
- On Kodi Burns: "He's very unselfish. And behind every great team, there's a lot of players who don't get credit for what they do. Players like that get the job done. I'd be the first one to tell you that without those guys on our team, we wouldn't have the success that we've had."
Gene Chizik has come and gone. Here's what he had to say:
1 comment:
Great report as usual. Thanks, Andy!
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