Following is a transcript from Tuesday's Press Conference at Legends Grille.
I was proud of our team (against Arizona), not only in how they prepared, but in how they executed on game day. There is a difference between preparation and actually coming through with the execution, and I thought they did both in most phases of the game.
There is still plenty of work to do and room to improve as we approach our next opponent. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing UCLA and our team has prepared well to this point, knowing that we are just in the beginning stages of preparation and looking forward to the game.
Team speed will play a bigger role in this game. What are your thoughts on the impact of team speed?
I don?t think speed is the only indicator of whether you have a good football team or not. I acknowledge UCLA is well coached, fast and they are really athletic. I also believe that position mastery, execution, team spirit and competitive greatness are part of team dynamics as well. We have always emphasized those parts and with the focus being on ourselves.
Much has been made already with the Rose Bowl and UCLA and again, this is our next game against our next opponent, with the focus still being on our program and how we improve it.
Would you talk about preparing for Arizona since January, and the difference with only having a couple of days to prepare for your next opponent?
There is quite a difference, especially as you transition from fall camp. With the coaches and players, quite frankly there is a degree of boredom that measures in, because your preparation is done and your looking for additional practices simply to perfect what you have to, to get ready to implement on game day.
When you go into a normal week, not only the coaches, but also the players feel a sense of urgency. I actually prefer it because there is a clock ticking. There is only so much time, there are only so many looks, there are only so many repetitions and it makes for an exciting week.
The unique challenge we face this week is our players are starting class today. This week, they not only have to adapt to get ready to play a really good football team and our first road game, but they also will be adapting to life as a student again as well.
You have a couple of players coming back this week, how does it affect the game plan and those positions?
The biggest affect of the game plan will be Manase Tonga?s integration. He is very versatile, he is a great blocker in terms of protection, he catches the ball so well in the backfield and he can be used as the primary ball carrier. What you will see is maybe touches from all three running backs, between Fui Vakapuna, Harvey Unga and Manase. Shared workload will also give us a chance to integrate Harvey and Manase back into our special teams pool.
Regarding Terrence Hooks, his primary role going into the game will be on special teams. Through practice and through demonstration he will have a chance to compete for the back up spot to Kelly Poppinga, and we will see where that goes.
A football field is a football field, 100 yards is 100 yards, but there is a lot of tradition and a different atmosphere with the Rose Bowl. What do you remember from playing there and what are you telling your team?
Regarding the emphasis placed on the Rose Bowl specifically, there won?t be any. It is a 100-yard field, as you said. As far as I am concerned our team is most fortunate to play in LaVell Edwards Stadium out of any place they will play.
When I was a player at Oregon State, UCLA actually came to visit us, so I haven?t had a chance to coach or play in the Rose Bowl. The last time I was there was when my brother Mat played for the Washington Redskins and they played Miami in the SuperBowl and that was in 1983. I have been back there since.
As a team there will be no emphasis on the Rose Bowl, it is going to be the next stadium we are going to play in. The focus will be on us and how we execute.
Relative to your defense in general and you secondary in particular, what are the differences in the kinds of challenges they face compared to last week?
It couldn?t be more drastic in terms of the style of play. With an offense that was spread, with the number of receivers extended from the formation and a heavy, heavy pass emphasis, and a heavy coverage plan integrated into our defensive plan. Our players are going to have to be much more comprehensive in terms of being much more multidimensional. It won?t just be coverage, it will be tackling, it will be blitzing, it will be run support and it will be coverage all at the same time. Most likely we won?t know until each play because they do similar things at a similar set, and they do a great job of masking and balancing that way.
Coach Stoops was quoted as saying your defense was faster than his offense, could you comment on what he said?
I don?t think that would hold if we lined our teams up and they raced each other, if you compared 40 times or if you?re talking about athleticism. What I will say, and I mentioned this at the beginning of fall camp, is that this team is the most prepared physically coming into fall camp than any other team I have coached since I have been at BYU. It allowed us to shorten practices because of how fast we could work the tempo and the volume of work we could get done in less time. We trained at a very fast tempo with the conditioning level at a higher level than I have ever seen. It let us sustain that and use it to our advantage on Saturday.
I think our physical preparation and the way we practiced carried over maybe more or at a higher level than what their team did.
Ben Olsen; what association do you have with him?
I have never met him. I have heard stories about what kind of player he is and I certainly had a chance to watch him on film and he is very talented. I have heard that he is a great young man, but I have never met him. When I became the head coach, I had a conversation with his father, but it became clear that his intentions were to transfer. I wished him well and I had plenty to handle so that was really the extent of our relationship.
In terms of your offense and particularly Max Hall, how important is it to get the first game, and a win out of the way?
I think both were really important. In terms of how important, I?m not sure regarding that. I think Max was poised and he did play with confidence. He did make good decision through the majority of the game. There are certain throws I am sure that he would like back, and certain reads he would like to take back, as there are calls that I would like to take back from the game. That is part of the competition on Saturday.
He has done an excellent job during every practice or game situation. I expect him to face different challenges this week because the style of defense is slightly different, but his confidence will not be an issue, nor will his competitive spirit, or his willingness to lead the team. Those are a great set of characteristics to have going into any game.