QUESTIONS FOR OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR WILL STEIN, BO NIX, TERRANCE FERGUSON, BUCKY IRVING, STEVEN JONES, TEZ JOHNSON
Q. How do you encapsulate the last year? You were hired about 54 weeks ago and this is the product.
COACH STEIN: Like I said when I first got here, it's a player's game. We have exceptional players that prepare like pros who practice their tails off. They're a joy to coach. They're a joy to be around. Very blessed to work for Dan [Lanning] who is so organized and detailed and forward-thinking. There's a lot of things working in my favor that have allowed a lot of this stuff to happen for our offense. Credit to everybody in the organization; our offensive staff. It's a great blend of minds in our offensive staff room who all work really well together with zero egos and just want to win. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Q. What will be it like sending Bo [Nix] in for this game -- how do you define that? Fans will say, getting completion percentage record or whatever other statistical record, but I know coaches don't like to define things like that. How do you define it?
COACH STEIN: Obviously, leaving the game as winners is the number one thing. We're playing a tough Liberty team, 13-0. It's hard to go undefeated. So they're definitely a tough matchup. Coached really well. They play really hard. But statistical measures, I mean, they're all fun to talk about. It's not like guys don't think about them, and we can all say we don't. I don't. Players probably do more than coaches. But ultimately, I think Dan's [Lanning] done an unbelievable job this entire bowl prep. The last game, it didn't end the way we wanted to, so we have unfinished business. The statistical stuff, we take care of the game or take care of the ball and play the way we're capable of, I think all of these things will happen -- along with the most important thing -- winning the game.
Q. What sticks with you about the title game? Is it the start? Because it was slow. But at the same time, six plays, in fairness. Or is it the 3rd-and-9, even though the call was good but great execution. What are the things that stick with you about that? When you look back, what do you think about three, four weeks later?
COACH STEIN: There's a lot of things. When you lose, you second-guess a lot more than when you win, just like the first matchup. The 3rd-and-2, 4th-and-2 in the first matchup was something that haunted me all year. Tried to make the best out of that situation, moving forward, which we did, and we wrote off a lot of wins in a row. But there's a lot of things in the game. The first 3rd-and-1, which was a long 3rd-and-1, we run a sprint out. That was not a great call. There was some things that I could control to get us more prepared in spots, but our kids played their tails off. They really played hard. It was not for a lack of effort. Everybody wanted that game as much as the entire state of Oregon wanted that game. It wasn't for a lack of want to. There were coaching errors. Could have got our guys in better situations. But yeah, it was a tough way to end it. But I'm really proud of the way the guys have responded. This bowl prep has been outstanding. Guys came to practice every day flying around. They want to finish this year off the right way and beat a really good team.
Q. Explain to fans who question the first one, the stuff inside the red zone, coming up short, but particularly running the routes to the corner. Many of the novices will look at that and say, if it's blown up, you're stuck in the corner, there's no options. The title game, something like that, worked for a touchdown. They forget that part. Be that as it may, for fans, when it became a six-week-long indictment about red zone execution and play calling, etc., situational stuff, explain to folks the thinking.
COACH STEIN: Yeah, it's like the way that we gameplan is the same way that Bill Walsh gameplans, in terms of the decisions you make are done not in the heat of the moment in a game. They're done in the calmness, the coolness of an offensive staff room. So when you come together as a staff, when you have ideas, when you have specific schemes that you believe will work based on what the defense presents, you go with your gut. I mean, you go with that call. And in those moments, you have to live with the result. I still like all the plays we called in the red area. The big thing about that game, I would say, is potentially the third down before the fourth down with a timeout and you could run the ball there. That would be one looking back, reflecting, okay, calm down, call one. And then you have a 4th-and-1 maybe from the 1 (yard line) instead of the 3 that you could run again.But hindsight's always 20/20, like you said. In the championship game, we run a play that was off of a play during the year and it was something that we really liked going into the game, especially tempo. And it hit. Those calls down in the red area, I still like those. I really do. It was really the 3rd-and-2, 4thand-2, which were, I thought, that was poor schematics for our guys and didn't give the guys the chance to finish on the field and take a knee.
Q. What have you seen from Austin [Novosad] that would give you confidence? He has to come in on Monday?
COACH STEIN: He's a kid that preps like a starter. He's had really good bowl prep. Gotten better every single day. I think his time going back and forth with the scout team this year gave him quality game reps against a top 10 defense in the country. So he's been playing at game speed all year and throws the football really well. Him and Brock Thomas, our other quarterback -- and Brock is a local kid from Sheldon, same high school as Patrick Herbert. A lot of pride in University of Oregon and Brock and his family. He's another kid who can come in and make an impact,
Q. Growing up as a youngster, was there a quarterback that you thought: I want to play like that guy? Is there a quarterback that you looked up to?
BO NIX: I think as I grew up, as I got older, it kind of changed a lot. I went from one to the other. I would go through phases and I would start watching one more than another. But I really remember Tim Tebow being the first one, because of what he stood for and because of how he played the game. And right after that was Cam Newton, and I knew I was never going to be like Cam Newton because I was never going to be that big. But it was still fun to dream and imagine like that. As it went, there's been a lot of others, college, NFL guys, that you may see a play or two and try to model the game after. But at the end of the day, I know and recognize that we're all different in our own way and I think it's valuable to know that and to play like that, because you don't have to be like someone else to be one of the best.So I think each quarterback that plays that has success, I think they all added unique prep to their game. I think that's what makes football, in general, so cool because you can be so different and still have success.
Q. Bo, taking a look at film and the Liberty defense, what jumps out to you?
BO NIX: I think they're extremely athletic. I think they play the ball in the air really well in the back end. They're physical. They do a lot on defense and I just think we're going to have to do a good job of executing on early downs.
Q. In a game like this, where you guys are such heavy favorites, is there a tendency to maybe not pay attention to the details much? As a leader of the team, is it your role to make sure everybody stays as locked in against any other opponent?
BO NIX: Yeah, it's important. We're going to treat this game like we have any other game. We put a lot of respect and value on any opponent we play. We know any opponent can win or lose any game they play in. So we have taken it seriously. We're going to make sure the details are on point. It's tough in a bowl game, though. There's so many different things going on. But we got to regroup and get back to the basics and make sure we're prepared going into each game.
Q. How do you encapsulate the last year? You were hired about 54 weeks ago and this is the product.
COACH STEIN: Like I said when I first got here, it's a player's game. We have exceptional players that prepare like pros who practice their tails off. They're a joy to coach. They're a joy to be around. Very blessed to work for Dan [Lanning] who is so organized and detailed and forward-thinking. There's a lot of things working in my favor that have allowed a lot of this stuff to happen for our offense. Credit to everybody in the organization; our offensive staff. It's a great blend of minds in our offensive staff room who all work really well together with zero egos and just want to win. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Q. What will be it like sending Bo [Nix] in for this game -- how do you define that? Fans will say, getting completion percentage record or whatever other statistical record, but I know coaches don't like to define things like that. How do you define it?
COACH STEIN: Obviously, leaving the game as winners is the number one thing. We're playing a tough Liberty team, 13-0. It's hard to go undefeated. So they're definitely a tough matchup. Coached really well. They play really hard. But statistical measures, I mean, they're all fun to talk about. It's not like guys don't think about them, and we can all say we don't. I don't. Players probably do more than coaches. But ultimately, I think Dan's [Lanning] done an unbelievable job this entire bowl prep. The last game, it didn't end the way we wanted to, so we have unfinished business. The statistical stuff, we take care of the game or take care of the ball and play the way we're capable of, I think all of these things will happen -- along with the most important thing -- winning the game.
Q. What sticks with you about the title game? Is it the start? Because it was slow. But at the same time, six plays, in fairness. Or is it the 3rd-and-9, even though the call was good but great execution. What are the things that stick with you about that? When you look back, what do you think about three, four weeks later?
COACH STEIN: There's a lot of things. When you lose, you second-guess a lot more than when you win, just like the first matchup. The 3rd-and-2, 4th-and-2 in the first matchup was something that haunted me all year. Tried to make the best out of that situation, moving forward, which we did, and we wrote off a lot of wins in a row. But there's a lot of things in the game. The first 3rd-and-1, which was a long 3rd-and-1, we run a sprint out. That was not a great call. There was some things that I could control to get us more prepared in spots, but our kids played their tails off. They really played hard. It was not for a lack of effort. Everybody wanted that game as much as the entire state of Oregon wanted that game. It wasn't for a lack of want to. There were coaching errors. Could have got our guys in better situations. But yeah, it was a tough way to end it. But I'm really proud of the way the guys have responded. This bowl prep has been outstanding. Guys came to practice every day flying around. They want to finish this year off the right way and beat a really good team.
Q. Explain to fans who question the first one, the stuff inside the red zone, coming up short, but particularly running the routes to the corner. Many of the novices will look at that and say, if it's blown up, you're stuck in the corner, there's no options. The title game, something like that, worked for a touchdown. They forget that part. Be that as it may, for fans, when it became a six-week-long indictment about red zone execution and play calling, etc., situational stuff, explain to folks the thinking.
COACH STEIN: Yeah, it's like the way that we gameplan is the same way that Bill Walsh gameplans, in terms of the decisions you make are done not in the heat of the moment in a game. They're done in the calmness, the coolness of an offensive staff room. So when you come together as a staff, when you have ideas, when you have specific schemes that you believe will work based on what the defense presents, you go with your gut. I mean, you go with that call. And in those moments, you have to live with the result. I still like all the plays we called in the red area. The big thing about that game, I would say, is potentially the third down before the fourth down with a timeout and you could run the ball there. That would be one looking back, reflecting, okay, calm down, call one. And then you have a 4th-and-1 maybe from the 1 (yard line) instead of the 3 that you could run again.But hindsight's always 20/20, like you said. In the championship game, we run a play that was off of a play during the year and it was something that we really liked going into the game, especially tempo. And it hit. Those calls down in the red area, I still like those. I really do. It was really the 3rd-and-2, 4thand-2, which were, I thought, that was poor schematics for our guys and didn't give the guys the chance to finish on the field and take a knee.
Q. What have you seen from Austin [Novosad] that would give you confidence? He has to come in on Monday?
COACH STEIN: He's a kid that preps like a starter. He's had really good bowl prep. Gotten better every single day. I think his time going back and forth with the scout team this year gave him quality game reps against a top 10 defense in the country. So he's been playing at game speed all year and throws the football really well. Him and Brock Thomas, our other quarterback -- and Brock is a local kid from Sheldon, same high school as Patrick Herbert. A lot of pride in University of Oregon and Brock and his family. He's another kid who can come in and make an impact,
Q. Growing up as a youngster, was there a quarterback that you thought: I want to play like that guy? Is there a quarterback that you looked up to?
BO NIX: I think as I grew up, as I got older, it kind of changed a lot. I went from one to the other. I would go through phases and I would start watching one more than another. But I really remember Tim Tebow being the first one, because of what he stood for and because of how he played the game. And right after that was Cam Newton, and I knew I was never going to be like Cam Newton because I was never going to be that big. But it was still fun to dream and imagine like that. As it went, there's been a lot of others, college, NFL guys, that you may see a play or two and try to model the game after. But at the end of the day, I know and recognize that we're all different in our own way and I think it's valuable to know that and to play like that, because you don't have to be like someone else to be one of the best.So I think each quarterback that plays that has success, I think they all added unique prep to their game. I think that's what makes football, in general, so cool because you can be so different and still have success.
Q. Bo, taking a look at film and the Liberty defense, what jumps out to you?
BO NIX: I think they're extremely athletic. I think they play the ball in the air really well in the back end. They're physical. They do a lot on defense and I just think we're going to have to do a good job of executing on early downs.
Q. In a game like this, where you guys are such heavy favorites, is there a tendency to maybe not pay attention to the details much? As a leader of the team, is it your role to make sure everybody stays as locked in against any other opponent?
BO NIX: Yeah, it's important. We're going to treat this game like we have any other game. We put a lot of respect and value on any opponent we play. We know any opponent can win or lose any game they play in. So we have taken it seriously. We're going to make sure the details are on point. It's tough in a bowl game, though. There's so many different things going on. But we got to regroup and get back to the basics and make sure we're prepared going into each game.
