Callahan, Tuberville Meet Cotton Bowl Media

IRVING, Texas - Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan and Auburn Head Coach Tommy Tuberville met for a head coaches' press conference Saturday morning at the Omni Mandalay Hotel. The following is a transcript from the morning media session.

NEBRASKA HEAD COACH BILL CALLAHAN

Opening remarks: “First off, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Cotton Bowl and the Cotton Bowl Committee. The volunteers have put in an enormous amount of time just being serviceable for our staff and our coaches, and also AT&T for their sponsorship of this bowl. We can’t thank you enough for all you have done for our staff, for our players and all of our fans that have come here to Dallas. We’re extremely excited about this match up against Auburn. Our team has tremendous respect for Coach Tuberville, for Auburn, for what they have achieved over the last few years and certainly this year as well. They’ve posted a great record, and, Tommy, I’m sure you’re just about one game away from being in that big dance.  And we realize the challenge we face on Monday. But our players have had a great week. They’ve had a lot of fun ... This is a reward, and they’ve worked extremely hard to get into this position. And you want to let your team have some fun, but it’s also a business too. And our players have shown the maturity to balance both ends, to let their hair down, have a little fun, but also to focus and refocus on the game. And that’s where we’ve been the last few days, trying to get our timing, our rhythm down as we prepare for Auburn on Monday afternoon.  But again I just want to say thank you to everybody involved with the Cotton Bowl. It’s just been unbelievable the way you’ve treated our people. There’s a gift in our room every night. It’s like the 12 days of Christmas around here.”

Your team played a couple of 11 a.m. kickoffs at Memorial Stadium. Do you think that gives you any kind of an advantage? “I think having gone through it, certainly it helps. It is an early tee time. You know, coach is a golfer and he understands that it’s early up. You got to wake up nasty and be ready to play. A lot of that stems from the players’ adaptability and being resourceful enough to adapt to those changes and understand them. So we’ve been, as a team, talking about consistently making our players aware that it is an early start, an early kick and  you’ve got to be ready to pull the trigger. And I know coaches across the country prepare for all kinds of starting times, and rightfully so because the game is for the fans, and whatever we can do to accommodate the fans, our players certainly understand that and appreciate this sport. So we’re going to do whatever we can to get ourselves up get ourselves going on Monday morning.”

Question from Tuberville for Callahan: “Have you ever played this early?”  “No we’ve never played this early.”

Question from Callahan for Tuberville: “Do you tee off this early?” “Well, if I do, I didn’t play very well the day before.”

Could you talk about your senior leadership and comparisons of the Big 12 and SEC? “Our senior leadership has been exemplary, has been outstanding throughout the season. We have three senior captains in Adam Carriker, Brandon Rigoni and Zac Taylor who’ve just done an incredible job of not just keeping their eye on the team and motivating the team but they’re just good people, solid people who communicate the message from the head coach down. They are fine examples of what captains should be. And that is day in and day out support the coaching staff and be the ear for the team and the voice of the team if there are concerns or issues that come up during the normal routine of a week, during the course of the season. Our guys have been outstanding. They’ve been very communicative, which you can never have enough of. In this day and age, athletes are different. They want to know what’s going on at every turn. We explain to our players exactly our reasons for doing certain things, and that message certainly gets communicated throughout the locker room. We’ve got great locker room leadership. I think it’s important to have some guys down in that room that are exemplary in a lot of ways, not only by their words but also their actions. And I think that speaks loudly. ... The follow up question, I look at it personally as two teams playing, Auburn and Nebraska. Our players, we really haven’t gotten into the conference rivalry or cross-conference rivalries or anything of that nature. We’ve had tremendous respect for Auburn. They represent a tremendous conference. We all know that. I think it’s been well written. All you need to do is look at the draft, and it indicates the success of the SEC. We know what we’re up against. We understand the conference and the dynamics of the SEC. But it really comes down to Auburn vs. Nebraska and Nebraska vs. Auburn. And that’s how our players see it.  It comes down to personal match ups and winning the one-on-one battles and taking care of your business.  I think the fans love to hear about that through the course of the season and the bowl season but for us our focus is just being prepared.”

Can you talk about Zac Taylor’s transition? “Well, it’s an interesting story line because he was a Division I athlete signed by Wake Forest and he made a decision to leave Wake Forest and go to a program where they throw the football.  Thus he transferred to Butler Junior College and had a fine career there and led their team to a national championship game. He produced quite a bit of yardage in his short tenure there. We got in a situation at Nebraska after my first year where we were trying to hunt down the finest throwing quarterbacks in the country. As you know, the people of Nebraska don’t have very much patience when it comes to winning, and we had to win quick. So the best thing we could do at that point in time was go out and find and locate the best junior college quarterback in the country. We evaluated six of them, and Zac was one of those final six. I took it upon myself to go down to Butler Community College personally to interview him and talk about the success he’s had, talk about his personal life, his system and to really get in depth on where he was at with the game and how important it was to him and just little things, just questions of that nature to see where he was at and if he would be the type of leader we were looking for. He has exceeded all of our expectations. He came in his junior year, and when he made the transfer that first spring, it was a little foreign to him in terms of all the terminology and communications he had to go through. But he worked hard at mastering it. He worked extremely hard to be the leader we wanted him to be, and he has produced some incredible results in a short period of time. And we’re certainly going to miss him. But this is a player we’ve got tremendous respect for, not only on the field but as a person. He’s dynamic. He’s the type of kid that would do anything to help anyone. He’s very selfless, a great communicator, very intelligent. And again we just have immense respect for what he has accomplished in a short period of time. He’s the leader of our football team. And he’s provided a great example for a lot of underclassmen.”

Has Brandon Jackson been in that same line, helping you find an identity for the offense coming out of that group of four running backs? “They’ve all been important to what we’ve done this season. We talked extensively about our running back situation and about how all four were going to play in a big role in what we were going to try to accomplish in reestablishing the running game at Nebraska. And all four have done a tremendous job. In this day and age, I truly believe when you go through a 14-game schedule you’re going to need each and every back. That certainly has proven to be the case this year as we have gone through the schedule. There were times when Marlon (Lucky) was healthy and then not healthy, and Kenny (Wilson) was healthy and then he got nicked up. And we used Brandon quite at bit as we got on a role toward the end of non-conference, beginning of conference schedule. And of course Cody Glenn has emerged to be a good role player in what we have him do in short yardage and goal line as well as carrying the ball between the tackles. So we’ve used all four and we try to continue create roles for them to contribute. And the great thing about this group of kids is that they all understand their roles, and that’s a hard thing to do in this day and age when kids, they want to be the I back, they want to be the exclusive star. For these kids to step back and put the team in front of their selves has been a statement that we truly admire and is something that we have talked about consistently with our football team. And especially at that position. The I back at Nebraska is a premier position. It’s one that’s highlighted. Everybody wants to know who the starter is and quite honestly we knew we’d be in that position because they’re all very talented. They all have the ability to contribute and make plays and help our team win. That’s exactly what they’ve done this year.”

Can you talk about how the win in the Alamo Bowl helped build excitement into the spring and how another win here could do that same? “Well, last year was last year. But I will tell you that the Michigan game provided a huge boost of confidence for our football team that carried on through the off season. And interestingly enough, as we were going through this season, we had talked about Michigan quite a bit because when we had played them a year ago in the Alamo Bowl we felt that they had national championship caliber talent and they were just a few wins away from being in the title game. And as we went through this season, we were the last team to defeat Michigan prior to their defeat against Ohio State.  And I think that speaks volumes of how our kids played and the momentum it gave us throughout the off season. But every year is different, and I think it was a catalyst. It provided a lot of confidence for our football team, you know, a match up against a highly touted team and go toe-to-toe with them and beat them, especially coming back in the fourth quarter. So very similarly to Michigan, Auburn presents the same type of challenge, a team that has great talent, great coaching and has had tremendous success in recent years.  And again this is going to provide a tremendous challenge for us as a football team. It would be great if we could win this game and go into the off-season with that type of momentum. It would be another stepping stone for the progress we’re making as a team.”

On the importance of a fullback in your offense? “We’ve always, in my career, loved having a fullback in the backfield and provide the lead blocking you need to be the physical type team you want to be in the running game. For us, our fullback Dane Todd has done a beautiful job of providing that role. And I truly believe that if your defense is going to be better, you’ve got to have a fullback who’s going to come down and ice the weak-side linebacker, the strong side, the Mike linebacker. It just toughens up your defense. Not taking anything away from the spread teams and what they’re trying to accomplish, but I really truly believe if you’re going to be a great run defense you’ve got to see two-back sets and you’ve got to see a lead back and those linebackers have got to learn to take on the ice, got to learn to take on and shed and make the plays that are so crucial to the game of football.  There’s not many teams around the country that have a two-back offense. But we still believe in it. We still believe that the fullback plays a vital role in the running game. And whether or not you put him in the fullback position directly behind the quarterback, or you off-set him or you utilize him with different motions in an H-back mentality, I think there’s a role for the fullback. There certainly is on our football team and there always will be. We just love two-back football and love the physicality of it.”

Talk about the challenge you face stopping Auburn’s running game and Kenny Irons? “Kenny Irons is a physical back that is as quick and as hard-nosed as you are going to see in the country. He presents the challenge to our football team. Our front seven sees those type  of runs, zone runs, draws, perimeter runs on a daily basis.  So we have that exposure, which is a good thing. As well as their defense does.  So similar systems on offense where their defense and our defense are seeing the same type of runs on a daily basis. That’s what makes this game so intriguing in a lot of respects because we do see each other’s type of runs and similar offenses in that capacity. But Irons is just a heck of a player. I love his physicality, love the way he enters the hole, love the way he gets his pads down, his lean, his ability to make people miss. ... He only gets stronger throughout the game. So that’s a challenge for us, stopping him and taking away those yards after first contact, taking away the yards after he’s hit the pile.”

There’s been a lot of talk about the SEC’s speed. Is that what you seen when you watch film of Auburn’s defense? “It’s clearly evident as you watch film. You see great speed not only on a unit basis but on a positional basis. We see great speed on the front, on the second level with their linebackers and, of course, in their back end, whether it’s at corner or safety. There’s speed all over the field. There’s a consistent flash on film. Normally you watch a series or a quarter or a half and you see elements of that, but what you see from Auburn is consistent speed in their ability to chase plays from behind. The big thing we see that’s been very complimentary to what Tommy’s been doing with the defense is you see those chase plays from behind where they can run an opponent down. You can have everything assigned perfectly, you can have everything blocked but they just have the ability to run down the back, the QB, whatever it may be, from behind. They do an excellent job with their pursuit from the back side. That tells me there’s a lot of great coaching going on. There’s an emphasis that’s being made to take advantage of their athleticism.”

AUBURN HEAD COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE

Opening comments: “Our players have had a great time. We took a little bit different approach this year on how we handled our preparations. Over the years, we normally have had all of our game plan put in before we get to the bowl site. We thought this year we would do it a little bit differently. We had about half of it put in by the time we left Auburn about a week and a half ago. The beginning of this week, we started putting in the other half. We just wanted to see if that formula would help keep our attention. We felt like over the past few years there have been times when we got a little bit bored in practice. There are only so many ways to do things in football practice. It’s a very physical sport. It’s hard, and it’s time-consuming. It takes a lot of time from the players. So to keep their attention, we just tried that approach this year. Hopefully, it will help make us play as a team a little bit better than what we’ve played the last few years in bowl games.

“Our guys have had a good time on the practice field. We’ve had very physical practices. Sometimes you find out more about your team with bowl practices because they’re living with each other every day. They’re lifting weights, and they’re running. They’re doing things at night. Twenty-four hours they’re around each other, and you find out how much love there is on the football team. What we’ve tried to do the last few years is to try to make this a team approach and a team atmosphere. We found out a lot about our team, especially our seniors. This is what this game is really for. This is the last time most of them will put on a set of shoulder pads for the rest of their lives. We want them to have a great experience.

“Our approach coming into this game is to try to play as well as we can possibly play. I don’t think we’ve done that all year long on both sides of the ball and the kicking game. We’ve taken the approach of trying to be very systematic in how we’ve practiced. We’re just trying to get our timing down. We haven’t played in a month and a half. ... Turnovers can just kill you. They did kill us last year at the very beginning of the bowl game. ... We’ve had a few guys that have had the flu, but they’re coming around well.

“We’ve got a good game plan in. We’re playing a very good team in Nebraska. We understand that. Again, we just want to go out and play as well as we can and see how good this team could actually have been all year long. ... The main thing we have been working on is timing and getting ready for a good defense and a good offense. Coach (Bill) Callahan’s teams play very hard. That’s the one thing we notice on film. They come out, they play hard, they’re very organized, they have a plan. ... We’ve had to stress a lot of the little things going into this game. So we’re excited. We’re looking forward to the next couple of days and the game on Monday. I know our guys are looking forward to playing in the Cotton Bowl. It’s a very prestigious bowl. It always has been. It always will be. We’re just looking for a challenge.”

On the status of the Nebraska program after three years under Bill Callahan: “My first year at Auburn, we didn’t make a bowl game. It’s a transition. Coach Callahan and his staff have made a major transition. ... I’ve been very impressed with how they’ve done it. Sometimes it takes awhile to get it going. Football is like a new language, especially with what we’re doing and they’re doing on offense It’s doesn’t come very naturally or very easy. But once you get it going and your players grow up in that system, it’s a lot easier. ... We come to bowl games to let our guys understand they earned their way here. Nobody gave it to them. Because of that, we let them have a good time. On the other hand, as coaches, we try to treat it as business.”

On the game’s early start and how it might affect Auburn: “This is pretty early. But there’s no concern. The biggest concern, which we probably all have, is that this is a bowl game. You don’t have your guys in a regular routine as much as you would like. We’re not back at Auburn, and Coach Callahan is not back at Lincoln. So it’s a little different. The guys are going to be a little bit harder to get focused because there are so many outside distractions. But that’s our job as coaches to try to get them ready and try to get their legs back the next couple of days. You make a plan that you think works for your team, whether it’s to get up early or get up later; what you’re going to have for breakfast. But a lot of it goes back to your seniors. You’ve got to depend on your senior leadership in any situation. Players win games. Coaches don’t. You’ve got to have good senior leadership that directs these guys for the next couple of days. We can put curfews out and do other things to try to get them ready to go. But when it’s all said and done, your senior leadership has to step in. It did for us a couple of years ago when we played in the Sugar Bowl. We were trying to win our 13th game of the year, and I noticed how much our seniors took control of the team the last few days. I’ve done the same thing in this game. I’ve turned it over to our seniors.”

On whether this is the healthiest the Auburn team has been all season: “This is the healthiest we’ve been except for two-a-days. We started off and probably played our best game of the year the first game against Washington State. Then, it kind of went downhill from there. But that’s part of football. There are injuries. We’re fortunate. We had enough depth to step in and make a difference in a lot of games. We all would like to play with the best guys every down, but that’s just not going to happen. That’s what makes it fun. There are upsets, and there are games that you don’t play as well. I would like to blame our two losses on injuries, but Arkansas and Georgia had injuries too. ... It has been a month and a half since we’ve played. Layoffs affect offenses a lot more than they do defenses. So we’ll just see in a couple of days how we play.”

On what it’s like to play a traditional Big 12 power: “I think that’s what’s great about bowls. You have an opportunity to play against teams from different parts of the country that you normally don’t get to play against. Obviously, our players don’t know a lot about the Nebraska players and vice versa. In our league, most of the guys were either recruited together or went to high school together. There’s a lot of carryover there. Bowl games are good because you look at a different perspective on film. For a month or a month and a half, you look at the other teams, not just the team you are playing. You are looking for different ideas. It’s different for your players. It keeps their attention. It’s great for college football. Now that we’re playing 12 regular season games, we’re looking for one of our games next year to be against a Big 12 opponent. ... We played USC a couple of times the last few years. That was a mistake. We’ve played ACC teams. That’s the beauty of the 12th game. It gives you an opportunity to do that.”

On the history of the Nebraska program: “I’m a traditionalist when it comes to college football. I grew up, as we all did, watching the Nebraska teams dominate for years. ... I can remember sitting around the TV and watching some of those games and the players that they’ve had. It’s a remarkable run of players and consistency, which is very, very tough in college football. ... They have tremendous tradition. I can remember the times when I’ve coached against them when I was at Miami (as an assistant from 1986-93) and the following that Nebraska had. That goes directly to the football program ? how popular it is and how much they love their school and football team. There hasn’t been a game that I’ve ever been involved in against Nebraska that hasn’t been very popular among the people of Nebraska. They travel very well. We’re looking forward to all the Big Red people in the stands come next Monday.”

On running back Kenny Irons: “I’ll remember his physical toughness for a running back who weighs 210 pounds. ... When we recruited him coming out of high school, I thought he would be more of a fullback type of player. He didn’t sign with us. He signed with South Carolina. He went to South Carolina and decided after a year or so to transfer. A lot of it had to do with moving back and wanting to play with his brother, David Irons. It has been good to watch these guys work together. ... Kenny is a hard-nosed type of guy. He loves to have the football underneath his arm. He would love to carry it 30 or 35 times a game. He’s very similar to Carnell Williams, who played for us a couple of years ago. Carnell was not quite that big, but he could run inside and run outside. ... We had big aspirations for Kenny this year. But the luck of the draw was an injury in the first game. He has continually played on a bad ankle. I’m looking forward to seeing how he plays Monday. He’s back to his old self. He’s smiling a lot more. Again, he knows what he’s in for, playing against a very physical defense in Nebraska. I think it’s going to be a challenge for him.”

On whether this Auburn team overachieved or underachieved: “We could have played better at times. But the biggest thing about college football is consistency. Everybody is shooting for it. We started out ranked very high at times. We got as high as No. 2 in the country. When you’re that high, the target is on your back. You’ve got to be able to handle it mentally as well as physically. ... We just didn’t put it together for some reason as consistently as we would like. But having 10 wins in college football is huge. It doesn’t get much better than that. That says that you are just a few plays away from playing perfectly. I think there have only been eight or nine college football teams that have won 13 games in the history of the game. We were one of the teams that did that. We had a lot of luck to go along with a great football team. We weren’t a great football team this year all the way through. I would like to say we were, but we weren’t. We didn’t get it done. ... We always, as coaches, expect to reach our potential. Did we reach it? We might have. But I would like to see if we can improve on that.”

On depth at linebacker: “It’s good. Whenever you have adversity, you talk to your players about stepping up and filling the void. There will probably be some guys who play a few more plays than they normally would, but it won’t be a factor. It won’t be a factor at all.”

On the role of the fullback in the Auburn offense: “We like to play a fullback in our offense 30 or 35 percent of the time. We don’t have a traditional fullback like we had in the past. We have more of a two-tailback system. ... We like to be a physical team. We like to run it and have an I-back who has a lead blocker in front. That’s my philosophy. You can be a lot more physical being in the two-back system. We do run the one-back offense. We do run the Shotgun. We believe you have to be versatile in what you’re doing offensively. But when it’s all said and done, I like a fullback in the game who’s able to make a push along with the offensive line to give the tailback an opportunity to make some plays.”