Oct. 22, 2012

VIDEO: Coach Graham's Press Conference

HEAD COACH Todd Graham

On Noel Mazzone previously coaching at ASU...

"I think what I have found in the past when I have been involved in games where I have coached there, left, and then came back or had coaches there and stuff, and I think if you focus on that type of stuff you get distracted from the actual game. At the end of the day, we tell our coaches to think player more than plays. I think there are pluses and minuses on both sides. Obviously we have some familiarity with what he does, he has a lot of familiarity with our personnel, and to me, I'd rather have more familiarity with personnel. So to me I do not put too much into that, we are focused on our players, our team, and focusing on how to beat a very good UCLA team."

On what UCLA does well on both sides of the football...

"I think they run the ball really well. I believe Franklin is still the leading rusher in the league; he is a really good running back and runs the ball very well. Their offensive line does a good job blocking the zone and the things that they do are very simple in the run game, and most people that are good at it are. I think the number one thing offensively, is their ability to run the football. He is a very physical runner and a guy you have to tackle. The other thing is, they have very quality wide-outs and can hit you with good plays down he field and you have seen that very early on in the season. They can be explosive and the run game is our main concern. The third thing is their quarterback. He scrambles an awful lot, he is very good at it and he can run. Those are our three challenges defensively. I think from their defensive perspective they are obviously a 3-4, they bring edge pressure, they attack, they are very athletic., they have really good players and have a good system. They are like us and are early in their system, but that is probably the most improved thing about them, their defense. They are very impressive upfront, inside and on the edge. From a special teams perspective, their punter is 40 of 47 are touchbacks. They have a really good punter and a really good kick off guy, so we have to do a good job with our special teams in answering that."

On the field goal situation...

"Obviously we are not doing very good. We missed four field goals on the season and we have to get better at that. That is something we have been very inconsistent with. On the other hand, we have done a great job kicking off and punting. I think you just have to go out there and attack it. It seems like we are going out there and trying not to miss it. So we have to do a better job at and something we have not done very well."

On the situation between kickers Alex Garoutte and Jon Mora...

"Those are the two guys we have, so we have to have one of them step up and get better."

On the "hangover" effect after a loss...

"You are competing every week. We have 15 practices and five ball games left to play to reach our goals. We have put a lot of practices and a lot of time into this thing. Anybody that says they have a hangover because they got beat the last week that is just an excuse. You have to get your guys ready to play every week, You go out there and you play well, you can have a hangover or, have a let down because you just won a big game, so it is about being mature. It is about being a competitor. You have to come back and compete every week. Coming off a game that we didn't play well, we go to the next game. This is a big important game. Our guys have a lot to play for and this is the time. This is the end of October and November and this is when you decide your fate. Our guys no what they have to do, they know the challenges that are going to have. They have worked very, very hard for me, busted their tail. This time of year you have a lot of bumps and bruises, but everybody has that, so you have to get out of your own circumstance and go compete and be confident. I think our guys are confident in what we are doing, in their abilities and you have to go play. We have UCLA coming in here and it is going to be a challenge no doubt about it."

On defensive tackle Will Sutton...

"He was out in practice suited up yesterday, working with the trainer, so we will see how that goes. Obviously it is very encouraging to see him out there in a uniform and all that and if he can go, he is a big help for us and if he can't go then we have to have some guys step up and play. I thought Jake Sheffield did a good job stepping in. As a defense, we can't replace the play making abilities that he has, because as a player he is pretty rare. He is probably one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country, so we just have to go with what you're dealt with but we are hopeful that we can have him back."

On wide receiver Jamal Miles...
"We don't have meetings about anyone's individual stats or what they did last year. We're just trying to win games this year. I think that we've played better at times at wide receiver. That's an area we need to step up and continue to get better. I think those guys have done that. Some offenses are going to produce a lot of stats. I don't really care about stats. I just care about winning so I haven't put much thought into that. I think Jamal is busting his tail. He's doing everything we ask him to do and working hard, trying to help our team win."

On if he's concerned if his team has lost confidence...
"If you lose your confidence after one game, you didn't have any. I think our guys are very confident. I read the things that they say. I think we have great leaders on this team. Guys have really emerged as great leaders. (Alden) Darby is one of them. The way they responded during the game told me a lot about their character. If one setback makes you play without confidence, then you didn't have any in the first place. I'm not worried about that. I think our guys will come out and play with confidence and get after it."

On his meeting where he gave Kevin Ozier a scholarship...

"We've had some great meetings with that. We've had Brandon Johnson, Grandville Taylor, and Kevin Ozier together. When you look at what Kevin's gone through, to be a walk-on here and work his tail off. So many kids come and want to walk-on then they stay for six months and leave. You see guys who have persevered and been here for two, three, or four years and earn a scholarship. Kevin was obviously very elated to get that opportunity. It's been a great decision because he has really worked his tail off and done a great job for us. He is a guy at receiver who has continued to get better every week, as other guys have. It was a neat thing. That's what it's all about. We want to build our program. I like people that have overcome and persevered. They hadn't been handed everything. As a head coach, I've always had two or three guys that earn scholarships. I think that's important to build your program. Obviously recruiting isn't a science. The other thing about that is you think about when you were that age. A lot of guys really come and develop along their senior year in high school and freshman year of college. There are a lot of really quality players. They talked about the percentages of players that start in Division-1 and I think around twenty percent were walk-ons as freshmen. That's something we take a great deal of pride in. I'm just very proud of not only how he's played on the field, but all of those guys are very deserving. The meeting was an exciting one. I think he was probably surprised that we did that because he hadn't played a game. We went back and evaluated the tape and then talked to people. John Wrenn was very influential in the decision. It was a good one. It was a neat deal."

On defensive end Jake Sheffield being a former marine and leading the team onto the field before every game...

"That's one of the highlights of my game day is watching that. Jake is a special young man. He has an unbelievable attitude. He's gone through a lot of nagging injury stuff with his calves. He's had a lot of pulled and strained calf issues. There's not a tougher guy. He's a great example for our team. I think our guys have a tremendous respect for his service. What he does for our team everyday, the character that he has and the work ethic that he has is off the chart. He has a tremendous attitude. He's a guy that wants to please his coaches. He wants to please the fans and he wants to do things the right way. He's a special guy. It's that time of year. You have to have some guys like that step up. This is what you work for, this October and November. We're going to be in some close football games down the stretch and I think leadership is what separates you. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be tough but that's the way we like it."

On defensive lineman Mike Pennel...

"He's been out for three weeks. Three weeks where he was separated from the team. It was basically just an attitude deal. He didn't really do anything other than have an attitude that we didn't like. I would say at most places he wouldn't have missed a day. Here he missed three weeks. Coach Randolph came to me and felt like he was progressing. I thought it was beneficial to him to let him be around the team so he ran scout team yesterday. He's working his way back. Mike's a good young man and we want him to be successful so we'll progress from there. Yes, he's re-joined the team but obviously that's on a day-to-day basis."