Oct. 8, 2012

Head coach Todd Graham

On what he saw from J.J. Holliday in practice Monday...

"One of the things that is concerning is just lack of depth at that cornerback position and really [we are] just trying to look for some guys to help us on third down, help us in depth. I don't know, I will look at the film, but I think he can run well and has some potential there."

On if he has ever had to move this many guys from one side of the ball to the other...

"No, it's the thinnest we have ever been. We basically have three corners. After that, we have a couple of guys that are trying to work; it's just been very, very thin on the back end, the safety end and at corner. James (Morrison) will still be in the depth as a backup running back; he will probably work more with the offense tomorrow. We are really just trying to see if he could help us as a third-down pass rusher because we basically have three guys in that position. We are just very thin."

On the pros and cons of having a schedule with nationally televised games... 

"I think one of the biggest challenges on those, just from a student standpoint especially when you go on the road, [is that] you have to miss two days of school and obviously get back really late Friday morning so it makes it difficult. Academically it's a challenge but obviously it's national exposure. The kids are always excited about that. Our fans are excited about it. I'd rather not play them back-to-back because I think it makes it a little bit more difficult having two mid-week games. I'd rather have one and then get on a regular schedule; I kind of like staying on the Saturday schedule but we are excited to have the opportunity to play on national television. There are pros and cons to it but I don't make those decisions. I'm just excited to be playing Colorado."

On if having nationally televised games affects recruiting...

"No doubt. I think the Pac-12 Network has been good for us; a lot more exposure for our programs, a lot more people seeing our games, especially nationally. Obviously, the mid-week games are national exposure. Our guys are excited about those games and I think recruits are too."

On his philosophy on moving players...

"I don't like moving people. Most of the movement you have seen is really just taking looks at guys because though for the most part we stay pretty healthy, we don't have any depth at very critical positions. That is one of the reasons why we have done that. We probably have moved more people around this year than I have in a while but I have always used guys. We used Davon (Coleman) on offense, there are situations where I have thought of a hail mary using (Michael) Eubank as a safety. I don't really think about it the way everybody else does. We just do a lot. We are trying to be pro-active in that I ask those questions like what would happen if this many guys go down at this position, what would we do? Obviously, you want to make sure that you have looked at all of your options. This is the thinnest team that I have ever coached especially in certain positions. I went in thinking the offensive line was thin but really the offensive line is one of the deepest positions we have now. Really, the biggest area of concern is in the defensive backfield at corner and safety. We have done that, and I'll be honest about James (Morrison), James is a heck of a football player. There happens to be really good players in that position so we are seeing if there is something that he can do. The guy wants to play, he's a senior and if he can rush the passer and help us, we will work and see that. Obviously though, we aren't just going to throw somebody in there."

On if his background as a high school coach affects him moving players...

"I think so. It's probably that way. At Tulsa, Chris Chamberlain was one of the best linebackers that I have ever coached and he was our wildcard quarterback. That's just what we did. We do a lot of things that are different and not what everybody else does and I kind of like that. I think probably being adaptive, that's what we are trying to do; we are trying to be adaptive but it's a little bit of a necessity. Some of the things, we are just going to take a look at and not many of those work out. I think it's very hard [when] a guy doesn't have fall camp and doesn't have spring ball. It's just like Deantre (Lewis). When he gets into spring and we can get a spring underneath him, he is going to be a great safety. What we are trying to get out of him this year is just being able to help us in that third down situation and he has done a pretty good job of handling that. That has been a productive move but if something happened on the other side of the ball he would have to go back. It's probably a little different but we are just trying to do everything we can to give us a chance to win."

On match-ups for Colorado...

"I think the biggest thing is knowing that they have a bunch of guys back that have been hurt. They're going to be at full-strength. They're going to be at home. I like their quarterback. He's the guy we spent a lot of time on and I think he's a very smooth operator. He gives them an opportunity. They have a very solid receiving core. The key is going to be stopping the run. They have some linemen back that are going to help them up front. The key for us is not giving up cheap ones and playing great defense. Going on the road, the first thing I talked about was the North Carolina State game. You're going into someone else's place. You have to be the most passionate and disciplined team on the field. No one is just going to lie down for you. Obviously, we know the key is our preparation and what we're doing. I think offensively, the key is to be able to establish a running game. We've spent a lot of time this week on that third quarter and second half. I think we've done a good job with how we've started and how we've finished ball games, but we've for some reason stumped our toe a little bit in the third quarter. They (Colorado) have quality personnel just like every other team in the Pac-12. We've focused on the match-ups that we have but more than anything, we've focused on the fundamentals of us getting better and us making sure we're executing our plan. That's 100 percent ball security and zero penalties. We do that and play physical ball, we'll be fine."

On changing his coaching between Missouri and Cal...

"We do the same thing. Coach Cassidy runs all of that stuff. I'm a same thing all the time guy. I don't like changing things up. We have the same routines. We go through the same process. I think what we've talked to our guys about at this point is we've played five ball games. We beat four teams that we should have beaten. We lost to a team that we should have beaten. It's all about preparation. The bottom line is: you better go into every game and understand that. We have to go in and play our best game this week to be successful. That's the way we approach it with our guys. We've had a good week of preparation. The hardest thing is that if you want to win a championship, you have to win on the road. Right now we're 2-0 in conference and our focus is being 3-0. Our guys have been pretty good this week. I think we've gotten better fundamentally. I think we've healed up a little bit. This is going to be a big game. There's no question about it. We have to get to that third step. We're trying to be a championship team."

On the improvement of the wide receivers...

"I think it's just work ethic and development. I think our coaches do a great job of working with those guys and developing them. I'm very proud of Rashad (Ross) and how he's improved because we've really challenged him. We've really challenged Jamal (Miles) as well. I think each one of those guys has gotten better every week. Kevin (Ozier) is a guy that has been a steady force for us. That's going to be critical as we move along each week because teams get more and more film on you. We have to have guys making plays. We have to be able to run the ball as well as be able to throw the ball and get people off of us. I'm really excited to see where their level of play is and they're going to continue to get better."

On the growth of Junior Onyeali...

"He's grown tremendously. Obviously I wasn't here before, but from the time I've met him, he's been very sincere. He's probably had to do more than any person in this program to be on this team. He pulled a 3.0 GPA last spring. He's done everything we've asked him to do. He goes out to practice and he's one of the hardest working guys on the field. He practices his heart out every single day. I've seen a guy that's really matured and a guy that's very appreciative. He comes and thanks me. He's very grateful. He has attitude and gratitude and I'm very pleased with him. He's been a joy to coach. We've had zero issues. He's been a guy that's been a bright spot for us. We have quite a few players from Colorado and those guys are excited about going home. I can tell that they're excited about playing in front of their friends and family. This is a big game for us. We have to come out of this game and be a better team. We were a better football team when we got done playing Utah. I thought we were a better team last week after we played Cal. It's important that we keep getting better. We cannot stay the same, but he's been outstanding."

On what the recruits are asking him about...

"It varies but a lot of the guys are asking what my program's about. I think we're getting a reputation of what we're all about. Recruiting is not just about signing the highest-rated guys. It's about signing the right guys. We try to give information. We want them to have as much knowledge as they can. We want to have as much knowledge about them as we can. I think we've been very fortunate at this point to attract guys who want to be a student-athlete. Most of the guys that we're recruiting are talking about their academics. Obviously, they're excited. When I'm talking to them, they say, `Coach we've watched you on TV.' The tight ends we've talked to are really excited. The TV is a great vehicle. They're excited about how our guys are playing. There's a level of excitement about that. It's picked up tremendously as we've had a little bit of success. They talk a lot about football but there's not a guy that we're recruiting that doesn't understand the importance of academics and ask us those things as well. Mom and Dad ask us a little more about that. A lot of them are excited about what uniform we're wearing. We have pretty cool uniforms so that's another positive. Mostly, what's going on right now and the excitement around the program are the main questions."

On recruiting...

"I think the single most important thing that we do as a program, is personnel. My number one job is recruiting. Hiring a staff is the single most important thing I do because they are going to be the guys that recruit the players. It is critical because personnel is my number one job, if there is anything I am totally involved in, it is who we bring here. I am very particular with who I am working with. We have a very definitive vision for who we are recruiting. We have analysis of our offensive line, exactly where we are at, what are our strengths are, our weaknesses are, what spots are coming open and how we are going to increase it, ultimately how are we going to improve every single position. Last week we obviously had some miles in a week period of time, but also made sure we had a priority of making this football team better. Personnel is the key to the whole thing and I think with recruiting you have to take advantage of every opportunity you have because I am so limited as a head coach, I can't even go out in the spring. Every time I can be out I want to be out, I want to be out watching games. I think I went from one end of town to the other one and it was an adventure, but I like that. I love getting out and seeing people. I had a great time locally going out and visiting with people at the games getting to watch some great high school football."

On how Marion Grice has adapted from where he came in as a community college transfer....

"He has really grown and I think he is really just scratching the surface of where he is going to be. I really have to tell you the group that I thought did a great job, taking nothing away from Taylor Kelly or Marion, was the offensive line. But Marion is a very gifted running back. When there is nothing there, he can make something out of it. He has only just begun. He is a very good receiver too. He has a lot of really good skills out of the backfield, along with DJ Foster, and we have some dynamic guys when you take Cameron Marshall, you take DJ and Marion. I am really pleased with the development. Usually, takes guys half a year when they get here to really come into their own, so I think Marion's ahead of the curve right now."

On getting off to a fast start against Colorado after a bye-week...

"We just talked about the things we have to do to win games. I think the key is the passion for which you take the field. Every team is going to be their best at home, so when you go in there, as a team, there has to be a great focus, a great mental focus about what you are doing and I think we did that at Cal. I think this is a young football team and we learned a little bit from our first time out. There was a time in that game at Cal when they had a good team and they would come roaring back and we were going to make or break right there and so we held on defense and took a drive down and scored. I was very proud of how our guys responded, but we are going to have to have the same sort of thing this week. We are going to have to be better than we were at Cal. Those are the kind of things we talked about. We have really pushed hard. We have really coached them hard for the past week and half. You have to be prepared to go and make sure we don't turn the football over or don't have stupid penalties because those are the things that give the crowd momentum."

On the proximity of the Oregon game and what has been done in order to ensure focus about Colorado...

"Never mention Oregon to them. You have to be mature to be successful and to win and I know it sounds crazy but we are very single-mindedly focused. They understand that. I reflect on their experiences and talk with them about their experiences and saying that okay I understand. I have said this earlier in the year that coming back from adversity is hard; I think handling success is harder. I think you have to stay hungry, you have stay focused on what you are doing, you have to stay motivated on the opponent that is right in front of you, so those are the things we have talked about. I haven't gotten any sense that our guys are overlooking Colorado and that they are just trying to get better every day. I think when we play together as a team we have a pretty good football team. That is the hardest thing about my job is keeping 18 to 20 year olds focused on something."