BYU Football Game Week — at UCF

"We had a good weekend. I feel really good about the team, but we definitely have some things that we need to address. The leadership in our program is good. I thought it was a good experience and environment. The fans were awesome. Enjoyed that victory and the way we did it. Looking forward to this week’s game and a new challenge on the road. [UCF's Gus Malzahn] coach is a really great person. I have a really good relationship with him. I love the way he coaches his team. There are a lot of things they do that could cause some issues for us. They had a really close game last week, so it’s definitely got our attention. We know it’s going to be a difficult environment to play in. Looking forward to playing in Florida. My wife is from Florida so we know the area really well. I do like the matchup. We are learning a lot of lessons along the way. I think UCF will give us their best shot, and we will give our best shot as well and then we live with the results. A lot of good things are happening for our program, but we have to find ways to stay humble and improve."

On difficulty stopping the run against OSU
"They did some things that we haven’t seen a lot on film, and the things that they were committed to doing which is run the quarterback. We weren’t expecting that. We tried to make some adjustments. We had a short week and a quick turnaround. This defense doesn’t usually give up very many big plays, but we gave up two big runs that cost us about 50 yards each. But other than that for the most part we handled it pretty well. The big plays were missed assignments that we can fix. That happens sometimes. But I think that minimizing the big plays is what we are good at. We are going to go back to that. UCF has a dynamic run game. That is going to be difficult for us. They created havoc, they got two pick sixes against Ohio State. We’re really looking forward to this game."

On maintaining balance throughout the game
"You keep working and practicing at it. We have to find ways to be really assignment sound. We have to execute with fundamentals. That’s our mantra. You also have to be committed to learning. We have to find ways to learn and get better. That is going to be the fun part of the game. Every game is a different deal. I think the challenge will be great for our defense."

On defensive leaders
"They’ve been doing it all year long. I am not too concerned about [their] leadership. They have been on top of it from the very beginning. They are excited about being better this week."

On players going beyond their job
"They just have to keep working. Stay humble, work hard and be hungry. That’s what we have been saying every week. It wasn’t our best week for the defense, but we know how to fix it. I am not concerned about what others think. I am concerned about what I am going to see from our players and the work that they are going to put forward. So far, with that extra day to prep we are happy with the head start we have on the week."

On last play against OSU
"We practice those situations all the time. I like that this team is committed. We trust all of our players and our receivers. Luckily, we have more than one to go to. We know that teams may try to take certain people away, but you have to go through your looks. That’s what A-Rod teaches our quarterbacks to do. Everyone has to execute it and be where you are supposed to be, and then big plays can happen."

On benefits to playing in Big 12
"For us it is going to be playing in warmer weather. In independence we saw fans all over the country. We will get to see fans at new places. Every week, there are challenges for all teams. We have to control what we can control. There are a lot of great players and well-coached teams. Going up to Orlando will be fun. The focus is the football game, and I am lucky to have family around. It’s not a vacation. We have to be ready to play. I want the fans to have fun, and in order for us to have fun we have to do our part."

On expectations versus now
"I think the key is to not be affected by the outside noise. It could be praise or doubt. Either way you control what you control. They can’t let it influence the many roles they play. We try to keep these guys in that mindset that you always have to find ways to improve and go to work. We hold them accountable for mistakes, but also let them know when they’ve done a good job. Right now, this is the season. It’s one week at a time. We’re in a spot that we thought we could be in. It doesn’t matter if people believed us or not. I have been really impressed by the leadership on our team. I am glad that I get to coach them."

On LJ Martin
"He’s been able to do things like that. Injuries can cause a roadblock. Now that he’s back to his normal self, I think he had a great game. It’s the other stuff I like the most, especially when the ball is not in his hands. Everybody has to do their part. It’s nice to have all the cards you can play with. I like the way the team is working, but we have to keep rolling."

On offense before last drive
"We practice those situations all the time. Alot. We were in a really good mindset. I am really glad they were able to make the plays. That is the whole point of taking a timeout when they were in the red zone. I am glad we were able to preserve more time for the offense. I am always looking at ways to preserve time, and finding ways to improve. Those are the moments."

On underdog mentality and not getting too high or low as a team
“It's important and our team has done a good job keeping the main thing, the main thing. That's going out there and winning games. Whether it's being hyped up or whether it's being the underdog, we know that the only people who knew what we were going to do this season is us. So regardless of what it is, we're just going to go out there. We still have the mentality to prove people wrong, being the underdog this week or being the favorite last week, no matter what. Every win we get this year is still proving people wrong. So that's what we're kind of rolling with.”

On handling the national attention
“It's all gravy, to be honest. Like I said, keep the main thing, the main thing, no matter what. It's all cool and it's all fun. All it's going to do is build up the BYU football brand more and I'm just excited for us to be able to put on our game at that level of attention, at that level of media attention. I know our guys are ready for it, and I know that, like I said, we're good at keeping the main thing, the main thing, and that’s all I'm thinking. Whenever something gets posted, I'm excited for it. It's a cool deal to get the recognition but I also, at the same time, remember the PFF ranking to start the year. In no way are we done, and we're excited to keep this thing rolling.”

On first experiences of BYU football and what led him here
“We watched a lot of college football in the house growing up whenever we weren't playing our own games on Saturdays. I don't know if I could pinpoint a time when I first watched BYU, but I know that BYU was really good when Zach Wilson was here. Of course, all the talk was about him getting drafted really high. That's kind of more recent than when I initially saw them, but that was when in my mind it was like, ‘That’s a place that plays ball’. When they reached out to recruit me, I was excited. I talk about the story when I went out there, they came to me at Riverside City College, and I told a few of my receivers to come out, and all 30 of them came out because BYU was coming out. That goes to show the excitement that they had. That's just as much, if not more excitement that I had when they came out to see me, talked to me and invited me up for that first unofficial visit. That was awesome, and I knew that this would be a special place when I came up for a visit.”

On upcoming matchup against UCF
“I think their record does not speak for how good of a football team they are. They're probably the best three or four football team in the country, and probably a lot better than a lot of people who have better records than them. They fly around. They do a lot of good things defensively, especially. I mean, you guys saw the way the Iowa State game ended on Saturday. I know this is really tough team and they played them really tough. I know they're going to play us really tough, especially since they'll be at home. So going to their place it'll be a fun trip.”

On how special teams is doing this year
“This year has been a lot of fun. As a special teams unit, we take pride in just getting our job done. We're a group of people that oftentimes doesn't get a lot of spotlight, and that's kind of what we like, unless it's Sam Vander Haar running a fake punt or something. We pride ourselves on just going out and getting the job done and getting off the field and being a support to the teammates. It's a simple job, and we take pride in that.”

On playing complimentary football
“It's been awesome. That's something that Coach Poppinga really emphasizes. We have our special teams meeting every day, and from every game he'll pull up a certain series or something where you see like a kickoff get tackled inside the 20, or punt pin, and then you'll see that defensive series, and then how that translates to the offensive series. It's cool. You hear football talked about as the greatest team sport, and that really goes to prove it, where you have the offense making plays, you have the defense making plays, and then you have special teams, which is a mix of both. And it's just cool seeing everything come together.”

On elevation change effecting the ball
“Technically, I'm sure there is. I doubt anyone will notice any difference. Sometimes you see kickers come to Provo or when we go to Laramie, and kickers think it's going to be this drastic change where you get another 10 or 15 yards of range. I haven't noticed it to be that extreme. Sometimes you'll see the ball carry a little more at elevation. By rule, the ball will hang up in the air a little bit longer when you're at a lower elevation, but it's not going to be enough that anyone notices.”

On teammate Jake Retzlaff as he’s become the face of BYU football program
“Jake's a stud. Jake and I came into the program at the same time, and we did our study hall hours. The first thing I noticed about him is that everyone wants to talk to Jake, everyone wants to have a conversation with him. He's not better than anyone on the team, like he is friends with everyone. Everyone's excited about him, and friends with him, even to the point where like, I don't know if you watched any of the softball games last year, but at BYU softball games, you can see him and Treyson (Bourguet), usually behind the back stop and they're just cheering for the softball team. That's probably the best representation of Jake that I've seen, where he would go to the softball games, and then before you knew it, there was a group of 15+ guys at those softball games, and we're all just cheering and having fun. He's kind of the head of that and that's probably the funnest part about Jake.”

On the key to keeping this team grounded as a team leader
“Everyone has a job. Everyone has a role and this team’s really good at not getting past that. I'm focused on going out and kicking footballs. Jake’s focused on playing quarterback.  All the different things that come are exciting and they're fun but that's not where our focus is. I think part of that too, is just how close this team is, where we're not chasing these things. Sometimes it can be an issue if people want those individual things, and that's the main goal. But that's not the main goal for us. This year it's felt like we're just a big old group of friends going out and performing to the best of our ability. So I think that's also a big piece of it.”

On relationship with teammate and holder Sam Vander Haar
“We have a really good relationship. I got to host him when he visited. I think we see special teams very similarly. We take our jobs very seriously. For him, he didn't hold when he was playing at Pitt. He held in practice, but he wasn't their main holder. When he came in here, that was our big focus and we got really close, spending time and getting him comfortable holding, catching snaps, hitting his spot. I think I would say that Sam Vander Haar has probably taken the most reps holding than anyone in the country. Between now and last January he was going out, like five days a week with the snappers, and just making sure that we're dialed on everything from him hitting his spot and turning his laces. We have a lot of fun… We’re just excited to go out there and do our job.”

On bouncing back from injuries
“It’s awesome being able to get back out there and go compete with my teammates. It’s been fun… It's been a while since I've done so I was kind of a doubting myself a little bit coming off my injury, not sure if I had it still. So just being able to get back out there and do it again really was a confidence booster for me.”

On navigating injuries this season
“This one was a little bit more serious than last year's, because last year's was more like a bone bruise. So I was practicing and stuff, but when it came into game stuff, it was probably a little bit smarter for me to sit out. This year I was out for practice and stuff like that. It just went back to talking to my loved ones and talking to the guys around me, just having fun, and trying to find other things than football just to get by for those couple of weeks.”

On offensive line this year
“I feel like they're just getting the job done. They're doing a really good job. I feel like they were a little bit fueled from last year, taking the blame for most of it. They really came out this year. They’re the reason why we're playing so great, always having a clean pocket and big running lanes.”

On watching teammate Jake Retzlaff develop
“I feel like he did it all the time in practice, so it's really nothing surprising to us or to me. I've seen it in practice, I've seen the work he puts in. So it's really no surprise to me or any of our teammates.”

On UCF defense
“They’re a good defensive team. I believe they have one of the best run defenses, so we're going to have to really step up in the running back room and try to break more tackles and stuff like that, just do our part. They’re a really good team, but I feel like as long as we do our part and we go out there and execute, it should be a fun matchup, and we should be able to compete.”