TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona football head coach Rich Rodriguez and select players met with media members at his weekly press conference on Monday, as Arizona prepares for its Homecoming game this Saturday at 1 pm PT vs. Washington State inside Arizona Stadium.
Head Coach Rich Rodriguez
Opening statement:
“It’s always good to get a conference road win. We didn’t play particularly well at times during the game and you have to give Colorado some credit for that. I thought we would have some adversity, and we did, but we faced it. Times where we struggled offensively, our defense played better. When the defense struggled, our offense played better. We did anything that we could to get the win. That’s the way we are at right now. We got the win, got back late so we are still a little tired from that. We have to turn away and play a really good Washington State team that is really clicking offensively and has got some good players on defense so it will be a challenge. ”
On watching the film:
“It was about what I thought. Early watching the game offensively, it was fun. The next two and half quarters wasn’t too much fun. Defensively, there were some good things but there were also some things that bothered me. We had a long flight, I got it all done and got going again Sunday morning. Yesterday’s walkthrough was not pleasant for some guys, but at the same time our guys have been really resilient. They come to work, and they move on to the next one pretty quickly.”
On how tough Washington State is to prepare for:
“Well scheme wise, offensively, everyone thinks they are throwing all of the time but they’ll run it. They have really good running backs they have good skills players. Their offensive line is back, all veterans. Mike (Leach) will do anything from anywhere. You always have to be aware because they will attack. They don’t always go up-tempo but they can and they will. Their quarterback has played at a high level. They play with a lot of confidence now. Since the beginning of the year, they have gotten better each week. They beat Oregon. For us defensively, we have to play a whole lot better. You have to play a lot better in space because they will play you from sideline to sideline.”
On Paul Magloire Jr. gaining experience:
We had to move him there because of the injury situation. We are still there, every week we add a couple of guys into different spots. I think there are 22 guys on the injury list. That is not counting the guys who are out for the year, like Trevor Wood, Cody Ippolito and so when do you get them healthy? I just found out that the game at Washington is at night so we will get back at five in the morning. I just don’t understand how this happens when you play 12 straight games, then you play night road games, and then we are going to play an 8:00 pm road game at Washington, get back at five in the morning and then have to go back on the road again. If the conference is really concerned about student-athlete welfare, I think someone should step in because when do guys get a chance to get healthy? They are not getting treatments on the plane. They can try to sleep but they are not getting a whole lot of rest when they are traveling. It is just ridiculous in my opinion.
On Jerrard Randall:
He might start, maybe. I told the team, it is no different than other positions, it has always been that way. Everyone competes every day. It is like you have a starting pitcher and his location is off. He is not hitting all the spots, so you want to so you bring in a relief guy. We brought in a relief pitcher and he threw a couple fast balls right down the middle. It was good, we got some guys out. Anu is a good player, he didn’t hang his head. He came back in and threw a nice touchdown pass. They will compete all week in practice. I feel like we have two quarterbacks that I have complete confidence in. I have complete confidence in Anu Solomon and Jerrard Randall. They can both run the entire offense but they can also do things that fit their skill sets.
On Anu Solomon’s running game:
"I've told Anu this before, he's a better runner than he thinks. You can see it when he does run, he is a very athletic guy. He slides feet first though, and I'm trying to get him to slide head first; it seems like more injuries happen when players slide feet first. He's a very athletic guy, he can run well; we just need to convince him that he can."
On Jack Banda:
“He came in and got a couple sacks, and I'm very proud of him. He's another great guy we have in the program. He showed some good stuff and we will really count on him this week. We're going to lean on the whole roster because Washington State is going to pass it a lot.”
On Jace Whittaker's improvements:
"He is a true freshman, he got enrolled early and grey shirted. He still is not very big, but for 160 pounds, he is pretty physical. He has gotten stronger, and he will keep getting better every year because it is important to him. I think another good year in the weight room will serve him well."
On wearing out defensive backs with wide receiver rotations:
"As far as keeping guys fresh, our guys are in pretty good shape and they have been playing a lot of plays without the rotation. Usually, you do not see as much rotation in a defense's secondary as you could offensively. Certainly, if we are able to get first downs and run a lot of plays, our guys should stay fresher throughout the game with more receivers, and their guys should get a little more tired. You do not usually see teams roll seven or eight defensive backs, but we can roll seven or eight receivers. It can be a factor, but it is only a factor if you are getting first downs."
Redshirt junior Paul Magloire Jr. (LB/ S)
On playing a passing oriented team
“We have to do the same thing that we do every week; get in the film rooms and listen to what the coaches have to say and try to learn from them so we can execute on Saturday.
Redshirt sophomore Luca Bruno (DT)
On Jack Banda’s play on Saturday:
“We were roommates freshman year, and it was great seeing him get those two sacks. After the first sack, I went up to him and gave him the biggest hug, and I was like ‘finally dude. That was nice’. Then he did it again, and almost got free, so I was loving it. Coach Kirelawich calls him the sack master now.”
On the importance of putting pressure on the quarterback this week:
“We are going to be working a lot more on our pass rush, our slots, and our borders and stuff like that. There will be a lot more pass work this week. We have got to get to that quarterback and apply as much pressure as we can. Even if it is not a sack, getting in his face and everything will help our DBs and LBs get the ball.”
Redshirt junior Trey Griffey (WR)
On making his return last Saturday
“It felt great. Coming back against Colorado, getting my first catch, and having my family be there was a great thing.”
On Griffey and Tyrell Johnson rehabbing together:
“Matt Dudek was all over us, joking about how the four receivers were being soft. We were rehabbing together basically every day, so it helped us out. He plays slot and I play outside, but he wanted to learn outside and I wanted to learn inside, so it helped us out a lot not only to talk about football but to talk about life.”
Redshirt junior Josh Kern (TE)
On getting back early in the morning on last couple of road trips
“The coaches are smart about what we do. We got back at around 3 am or so after last game, and we didn’t have to be back in until treatment at 2 pm. You get some time to sleep in, so it is not as bad as it seems.”
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