University Southern California Trojans
Football Coaches Discuss Stanford-USC Game
June 21, 1999 | Football
Nov. 3, 1998
Following is the transcript of the media luncheon held by USC Coach Paul Hackett on Tuesday, as well as quotes from Stanford Coach Tyrone Willingham in a teleconference with the Los Angeles media:
USC Coach Paul Hackett
"Obviously, it was a very exciting afternoon. As has happened all year long, we responded very well from a not very good afternoon. I think the Oregon thing was tough on us and we knew what was at stake. Mainly turning the tide, and I think we did that. Defeating a good Washington team, a team that we had not beaten in three years and really humiliated us a year ago, all those things were very important steps in the development of our team. The defense was magnificent. To shut them out in the first half and to turn the tide in the fourth quarter with those interceptions really set the tone of the game.
Offensively, we showed some really sparks, particularly in the first half. I thought we had some really nice multiple run-pass-unbalanced sort of playing the game the way you want to play it. I am very concerned about the special teams, particularly with the kicking, which is unacceptable. I'm also concerned with a third-quarter funk that the offense got in, but when you look at the overall picture of that game and where it puts us, we're very pleased."
"While all of that was going on, across town there was a very interesting thing going on. This Stanford team, since the loss to Oregon State at home, has changed. I think there's a new energy at Stanford. I watched them play against ASU, they lose in overtime to a tremendous football team. They come to Los Angeles and play against UCLA and play them very well, as well as you can play them without winning the game. The offense is impressive. It is typical Stanford, throw the ball, all kinds of formations and personnel groups. It's really fun to watch.
Defensively, they're playing more of an eight-man front to stop the run. Intercepted Cade McNown a number of times on really good plays by their linebacking corps. What you have is a team that even though they have struggled in the won-loss area, has some momentum going. They could beat Arizona State. They could beat UCLA. Now they go home to the biggest crowd of the year. I think it's a dangerous opponent. Something we have to be very cautious of.
We felt the heart of our season was ahead of us, starting with last week. We've got the four games that will be the measure of this football team. With the exception of the fourth quarter against Cal, we've played pretty darn good football and what we need to do is finish it appropriately and the Washington game was a good step in that direction. Now we have to go up to Palo Alto and tend to business. Any time you've got the No. 1 passing team in this conference, with all the good passers, you know you're doing something good and our defense will be tested big time."
(On Adam Abrams and the kicking situation)
"The decision that we made some time ago was that here was a veteran, experienced kicker who has been in big games and has won big games and we have allowed him to continue to perform and operate and train the way that he is comfortable training. I was very concerned early in the year when he missed the three field goals (against San Diego State) and then he bounced back beautifully the next week, so my feeling was that this guy has a good handle on where he is.
Oregon was terribly disappointing because it swung the game. But this one last Saturday was totally unacceptable. We're talking about chip shots. We're talking about good protection, good snaps. We've got to go back to square one. We've got to open up the competition, compete every day. We've got to focus and pick the guy who can do the best job to win at the time and go from there. I do not profess to be an expert on kickers, but I do know when it goes through the uprights and when it doesn't and I do know where it's close to where it's kicked from and when it is further away from where it's kicked from. So I know the fundamental things about it and we're not getting the job done. So he's going to have to get it turned around or David is going to have to get it turned around or Mike Bastianelli will because this is unacceptable. But there is no waiver wire."
"Mike has done some punting and is one of our back-up punters and he did some placements in Irvine. We'll let him see what he can do, but I think it's pretty unrealistic to ask him to come in and kick some game-winners. It's a matter of Adam and David has to get it together and between the two we have to find a way to win. The pressure is on them, but that's the way the game is. It's time to stand up and perform and we haven't done that the last two weeks."
(On Carson Palmers development)
"It's been about what I anticipated and what I had hoped. I wasn't sure whether or not we'd feel comfortable enough with him being the starter this year. I had hoped that we would. I think the performance against Washington State on the road and his performance against Oregon on the road kind of were the two that swayed the decision that now, at home, in a friendly atmosphere, he has deserved, and performed well enough, to earn the right to be the starter and see how the team responds and how he responds to the pressure of being the USC quarterback.
I think he responded well. By no means is he an accomplished quarterback, but his poise and natural ability to handle himself, his ability to pass, were obvious on Saturday. Now it's the development process. Just like the reason I came to USC, the reason Carson came to USC was to be the best in football. Not just to be the starter or to win games, but to be the best in football. That will take time. That is not an overnight issue and we're talking two or three years in developing someone who has wonderful gifts. How he deals with that and the details....
He's never had a spring practice. He's never had time to sit down and analyze where he can improve without the pressure of game-day preparation. It's not the same. The development of the quarterback position takes place in the off-season, when he can come in quietly with a cheeseburger and watch himself. Watch the opponents and go home and not have to be in the practice mode. Given time, Carson will grow along with the rest of the program at the pace that we think is effective. It's exciting because he is a very exciting player. I think he showed that on Saturday."
(Mike Van Raaphorst's role)
"I've said this from the beginning and I've said it again to Mike. You can talk about Ken O'Brien, you can talk about Hue Jackson and you can talk about Paul Hackett, but the person you have to talk about when you talk about Carson Palmer is Mike Van Raaphorst. Had Carson not had this relationship and not had this support person next to him all while this was going on, he would have never developed the way he has. I believe that. I've been around quarterbacks and relationships with quarterbacks for a long time. Mike Van Raaphorst is an unusual young man and he was able to develop a friendship, develop a relationship in an extremely competitive situation and I believe that he will continue to do that.
I told him the other day that, 'You're going to have to come in at some point and win the game for us. I don't know when it's going to be or why it's going to be. Injury or what. But you'll now have to come in and keep this going to the point that you can come in and win football games at USC.' I don't know when that's going to be. I can't emphasize enough that the role we put him in is the toughest role in football. With less reps and less practice time, you are expected to go on the field and win the game. That is a totally different role than Carson Palmer had. Carson came into the game and played and it was great to see him and everybody cheered, 'Oh it's wonderful.'
Now Carson is the starter and it's his job to win games and Mike's job is to support Carson and to be ready when the time comes. I couldn't be prouder of Mike Van Raaphorst because he is largely responsible for where we are right now at quarterback and what a classy guy. He's done everything that I would have asked. The rotation is over."
(Chemistry with Palmer at quarterback)
"We have not been around each other much. A meeting on Sunday and Monday was off. Today that will begin to unfold. My guess, because of Mike, there will be very little change. Mike will take his snaps and Carson will take his snaps and it will continue to unfold. I don't know though. The nature of the people and the men and the fact that both men understand that this is about team and this is about USC . . . what we have to remember that people have come before us and they'll come after us. We're fortunate to be a part of this university and it's all about the team. How we play collectively together. It's not about individuals. At this point, Carson gives us the best opportunity to win the next three games, therefore he'll be the starter. But Mike's role will be a vital role and that will come out amongst the football team over the next few weeks and it will make us a better and stronger football team."
(Quarterback relationship)
"I think it's more than anything else, having someone to rebound things off of. When you look at great quarterbacking over history, you're always looking at that back-up, that roommate, that friend. The guys who have made millions and millions of dollars in the business as back-ups. What they do is support the starter, the young rookie that comes in. It's a little bit of technical stuff, but more than that it's an emotional thing, a supportive thing. A believing thing and saying good luck and patting him on the rear end. As opposed to the natural competitiveness and animosity that can happen when you're competing for the same job.
In pro football, when that happens, you just cut the guy. You say that he can't be here because he can't work. He's always trying to undermine him. That's not what we're dealing with. These are two young guys that have struck up a friendship that has reaped benefits for both people. It's the kind of thing that USC will reap the benefits because of it. This guy has come fast, this young quarterback, and a lot of it is the atmosphere that has been created. Yeah, part of that is me, but a larger part is the lockerroom, the players, Mike. It's team oriented. The coach lays it out but the team makes it happen. This football team is getting better. We were better on Saturday than we were all year long. That's the intention. We've got three more times that we have the opportunity to have this football team play and it is awfully exciting to go watch us play now, more exciting than it's been all year long."
"The true jump in a quarterback takes place in the off-season and in spring practice when you really get a chance to go in and analyze what it is that he needs to work on and what it is he needs to improve his game. Also, the language. It's like learning French. You've got to go in and learn everything brand new. What is he talking about? What does he mean? That is a couple-year process and we've had to go in and accelerate that process for him. The wrist bands helps. Everything that we've tried to do has been to get him on the field as quickly as we could. The true development of the quarterback will take place first to second year and second to third year. You've got a prime example of a guy crosstown who went through that whole process. We're in that process."
(on R. Jay Soward's recent limited contributions)
"I'm not concerned because I think that it's a function of the defenses. If Billy Miller and Windrell Hayes can be single covered and can run wild like they did, than it's one of those deals where they've taken away our most explosive guy. Where I would be concerned is if the other players were not responding to their opportunities. R. Jay has had a lot of opportunities this year and we've got to be more creative to get him even more opportunities. But the fact is that if a team wants to take somebody away, we've got to give them their due. They can do it to a certain point. We then have to respond with Chad Morton, Billy Miller, Windrell, Larry Parker, whoever it may be. The bottom line is winning and the production of the offense in terms of getting the ball into the end zone.
It hurts not having R. Jay the last two weeks being who he can be. We've go to find ways to do that, but by the same token, this is a well-coached conference. These are good football coaches and they know how to prepare gameplans and Oregon took away some of the special teams things we've done all year long and Washington took some of the things with R. Jay. We also had some balls thrown that looked like it was a freshman quarterback throwing to a guy that wasn't sure where he was going. We have to get that cleaned up as well. When we do get him single coverage, we've got to take advantage of it. We've got to get him the football. But I was just happy with how everybody else responded. That's the key. That's the key to the run game and the pass game. If you're just a running team, your pass has to make the key plays. If you're just a passing team, the run has to. If you've got both, it's tougher on those good coaches."
(on Chris Claiborne)
"I think he's the best defensive player, perhaps in the country. He's the best linebacker in the country. All he does every week is go out and lead our football team from sideline to sideline. He plays about 90 plays a game and doesn't get tired. He sets a standard and an example for everyone on the football team in practice. What can I say. Our defense, with the exception of the fourth quarter at Cal, has played very well and the leader of the defense has been Chris Claiborne. He has been from the time I first met him in my office and he continues to do it week in and week out. Other people are now recognizing it. We've known it, you people knew it before I did. He's taken his game to another level because of his fascination about football. He loves football. He's searching for new things, new ideas, new ways to do things. His energy level is remarkable. Playing as many plays as he does, it's a really tribute to how he prepared himself. The best part of Chris Claiborne is still ahead because he understands as well as anyone that our season is still in front of us. We've got three games that are serious business and we're going to find out about us."
Stanford Coach Tyrone Willingham
"You don't turn the corner until you get the most tangible evidence of that and that is a win. We've been nipping at it, we've been very close, but there is no substitute for it, so I can't say we've turned the corner. Have we improved? Yes. And we have continued to improve and hopefully that will be the way we finish our year. But most important, we need to get a win."
(reason for recent improvements)
"The continued growth would be one thing. Our team is a young team. They have continued to grow and mature and learn how to play their positions better and in doing that, you gain confidence and you feel better each time you go out. Also, there was a stretch of the season that we missed one of our key players in Troy Walters and he is having a spectacular season. That is a season that is minus about four games. If you look at the things he's done and the difference he's made with our team, it is tremendous. But we've had other guys who have stepped up at his position in DeRonnie Pitts, Jeff Allen and Dave Davis, so I'm pleased with that."
(wide receivers)
"We think Troy is an exceptional player to do what he does in a football game and to bring the attitude and the leadership that he does is tremendous. But it was an awakening, not for us but others, the play of DeRonnie Pitts and how he stepped up and he's continued to play well. And our young, redshirt freshman David Davis, what he's been able to give us. Those guys, in combination, have been a force for us."
(on quarterback Todd Husak)
"The thing that we've asked Todd to do is play within his abilities and execute our system and he has done a marvelous job of doing that. His production is high, his mistakes are low. Any time you have a quarterback doing that in your system, you have a real chance at being successful. He's just putting up all-conference numbers. I know we're in a conference that has some great quarterbacks, but you look at what he has been able to do, it is tremendous."
(Stanford's defense)
"I don't know how other people view our defense. I guess you can say it's a different-styled defense in many respects. The thing that is probably concerning to us and the thing that we need to improve on is our inability to stop the big play."
(the USC game)
"There are not a lot of negative things you can find about USC. They have been most impressive, starting with their offense and their back, (Chad) Morton. Their freshman quarterback, playing last week, was really the first time I had a chance to see him and I was really impressed with his poise and mobility. Everyone knows in this conference that Soward is probably one of the most explosive athletes in the conference and you must pay complete and sole attention to him unlike probably anybody else in the league. The offensive line seems to be a traditional line: big, tall, physical. It's an outstanding offense. Defensively, we knew last year that it was one of the finest secondaries and there is nothing to diminish those thoughts now. It's a total team that has the ability to hurt you in a lot of areas."
(how team is approaching USC game)
"If you're counting the wounds that have been inflicted, there probably really have been three of those that we felt like anyone of those, one play here or there could have made the difference and allowed us to win our last three games. There will be some thought and concern as to how we will emotionally bounce back, but I'm most pleased with this team because it's a team that, going into last Saturday's ballgame, had taken its licks and had managed to find a way to keep bringing itself back and fighting and moving forward and trying to improve and I anticipate the same this week."
(Stanford quarterback situation)
"Our thoughts of rotation are two-fold. One, we believe we have some outstanding young men at the quarterback position that we think can help our football team have success and hopefully win. And two, we also look at the defensive structure of the team's we're playing and see if utilizing our rotation gives us any advantage. When we believe it does, we try to work our rotation, allowing all guys some input into what we do with the gameplan. When we don't, we let Todd have the majority of it as you saw this last weekend. "
(on Chris Claiborne)
"He is a tremendous specimen, first of all. I think you'll see going back that you had a really talented linebacker many years ago named Richard Wood that he kind of reminds me of with the range and size and speed and the physical nature that he plays the game. He is really a play-maker on defense. He's one of those guys that can give you the big hit to give you a fumble, he can get back and make an interception. There are just so many ways that he has an impact on the defensive game and really the game itself."
